10 Minute Tales

Jun 23 - Wildling

She walked on the path carefully, her delicate steps falling effortlessly between the gnarled roots. Around her, the birds sang their chorus in the dimming light, some of them already settling down. She smiled as she looked up, into the branches of a particularly venerable oak. Some called it the father of the forest, others called it the wisdom tree, but she called it home. She climbed up its mighty trunk effortlessly, her bare feet gripping the rugged bark easily, and slung herself into the twisting mass of wood above. A blanket was secured to a few of the branches, and she crawled into it with a satisfied sigh. The night looked as though it would be cold, but she was ready for it. She curled up and closed her eyes, letting the soothing embrace of sleep steal her mind away.
———
Her eyes snapped open. Something was terribly wrong; the air smelled of smoke. The birds were crying out, not in salutation of the morning but in terror. She rolled over and scrambled up higher still, clambering out and above the leaves. Fire! There was a roaring fire coming from the south; creatures were fleeing in terror while the wind howled. This wasn't right. She howled in anguish as she dropped down, clambering to the ground beneath. As she fell, she grabbed a long stick she had sharpened into a spear and charged to the smoke. Somebody would pay!
———
She slid to a stop near the flames. The air was thick with smoke, making her choke and cover her eyes. She could hear the tramping steps of heavy, human feet approaching regularly. She could hear the nature burn, their silent screams scarring her mind. A tall, dark figure waded through the smoke, wearing a dark outfit that hid their body. Two large, round, glassy eyes stared out at the world around it, a long tube in its hands. She screamed in the rage of the forest as she stormed out of hiding and charged this figure, spear first. The figure was surprised and took the impact from the spear, but the attack proved to be too great and the spear snapped. She growled as she tried to punch the figure, but this time it was prepared and grabbed her arm, pulling her off-balance and throwing her to the ground. She tried to roll to her feet but the figure pinned her down, muttering something in a language she didn't understand. It put a strange cloth over her mouth. Everything seemed to melt, colours melting into unusual patterns that blurred to a solid black...
———
She awoke with a gasp, sitting up again. The air tasted cold. She looked around, her panic mounting. Gone were the forest's reassuring trees, gone was the clear skies, gone was the sound of nature. Instead, there was cold, straight, unnatural sheets of metal that formed a bizarre cube. She sat up, looking around in confusion. There was a glowing square above her, one that shone brightly and made her squint. She shuffled, quickly realising she was sat on a strange frame of more metal. Where was she?