Light Guardian

Chapter 3

I had ran until the shadows vanished, their whispers turned into silence. The sun was now as awake as it gets. I slump onto the ground, my legs shaking from exhaustion. I had never exerted as much energy as I just did. My breathing came out jagged and rushed. The air felt cold and burned my throat as I breathed it in. Water still trickled from my eyes as I lay on the ground, soaking the energy from the sun into my body.

    My eyes felt heavy, but I couldn't close them. If I did, the shadows would return. I- I couldn't handle that. So I stayed there, my body begging for sleep, but denying it of so.

    Abruptly, the feeling of loneliness washed over me. I was alone. I may have felt alone before, but then I had others around me. I was still able to hear the voices of others as they conversed, I was able to hear their snores while they slept. Now, I am truly alone. I wouldn't see anyone unless they were strangers to me. I had no one to look at, no one to listen to. My world would be filled with only the voice in my own head, and the sound of the nature that surrounds me.

    By now, my breathing had calmed down. The air still stung my lungs as I breathed it in, and my sides still ached with every breath, but I could breathe normally. I struggled to get up, and when I did, I looked around. My mind was telling me to find a den, to find shelter from the darkness. I looked up at the sun for reassurance and felt relieved when I saw it was still awake and shining.

    My legs quivered as I took my first steps. My eyes snap around my surroundings, taking in the looming trees and the dancing leaves. The bursts of color that were scattered around the long grass. The moss that was hugging the trees, and the twigs that littered the ground. I couldn't decide which way was best, so I just walked in the direction of the sun. My eyes were trained on the sparkling sun that filtered through the leaves on the ground. Step by step, I moved, hoping that I would stumble across a place I could claim as my own. Step by step, step by step, I searched for a new home.

    My paws ached, my eyes drooped, and my body begged for me to rest. I need sleep, but I can't. There is no safety in the open, I need to find a den.

    Sticks crunched under my sore paws, and wind tried to knock me down. My body was screaming at me, but I still couldn't rest. Not without a den.

    A growl of hunger roared from my stomach, causing me to stumble. I can't stop to eat, not yet at least. Finding shelter from the looming darkness is more important than my hunger ever would be. I need to find a den.

    By now, the sun has sunk towards its bed, yearning for its daily rest. My heart began beating faster, shadows slowly appearing as the sun slowly slipped away. It felt like they were reaching out towards me, trying to trap me in their cold hands. I began to run, staggered and uneven, paws beating against the ground. My breaths began to sting again, and I felt my heart pummeling in my chest. I was tired, but I had to escape from the shadows. I had to avoid the darkness.

Relief surged through me as I spotted it, a den. It was an old tree, I could tell that for sure. The bark was covered in moss and mold, some of it peeling off. The branches were limp, reaching down to the ground for support. It was balding, leaves falling from its hands easily, leaving patches of emptiness in its arms. Its roots seemed to be opening up for me, offering me refuge from the shadows that wander in the darkness. Offering me a home.

    I let my paws lead me towards the tree, and dove under the roots. There was broken twigs and small pebbles scattered around, digging into my skin. I knew that I would have a lot of work to do to fix this place into a proper den, but it is a den nonetheless.

    My body curls into a ball, and for the first time, nightmares don't plague my dreams. For the first time, I was able to get a full night's sleep.