snow white

three

A low groan emanated from the crumpled figure sprawled listless on the forest floor. A shiver involuntarily ran through Snow White's body as a chill struck her from the breeze of winter, rousing her from her unconscious state. Snow White's temple throbbed painfully and she groaned in discomfort at the excruciating sensation. She forced her eyes open into narrow slits, vision blurred and unsettled.

Tasting the grit and brackishness in her mouth, Snow White sputtered and coughed, wiping the dirt off of her face. "Where am I?" she mumbled absently, squinting in the gloomy expanse of the forest. Recognizing the unearthly environment, Snow White instantly sat up, fully awake and guarded.

She remembered scrambling into the dark forest, running through grappling twigs and branches that seemed to have come alive in uncanny vigor. She had seen things, apparitions that snickered and frightened her, wraiths that haunted. Bats swarmed her as she ran blindly through the wood, and she heard the wild sounds of animals lurking in the umbrage.

How long has she been lying there? How did she manage to lose consciousness? How is she still alive.

Snow White shook her head, clutching her trembling hands against her chest. No, it's not over yet. She coughed once again, her throat terribly dry. She was thirsty and her stomach grumbled for food. There seemed to be no source of food or water nearby, only the vast begrimed forest. Snow White realized that her only choice was to continue on.

With luck, she may be able to make it out of the forsaken forest. Perhaps there will be a village nearby where she could find rest, and food, and water -- and be unsought of by the queens-men, albeit for a short time.

With a new found determination, Snow White stood up, the tree supporting her as she steadied herself. She gathered up the skirt of her dress as she trudged forward, disregarding the darkness around her. "I will make it through," she told herself.

However, Snow White heard the sound of crackling twigs, from behind and she stopped instantly. She looked back and her breath hitched as she saw a silhouette of a figure in the distance. Perhaps it was another wraith? Or one of the queens-men?

No, I will not let them find me.

And so she ran, plunging through tangled vines and thrust herself between shrubs and trees. She would not be taken prisoner again.

"Oh!" Snow White exclaimed suddenly as she stumbled on the muddied earth, falling down to the ground, her heart pounding wildly against her chest. No, no, no... What if she was found?

She heard the sound of heavy footsteps nearing and instinctively she rolled over underneath a bush, secreting herself in the pricking shrubbery as quietly as possible.

Meanwhile, Michael trudged through the forest with a frown. "This was a bad idea," he grumbled, cutting through the vines with his axe. He had abandoned his horse before entering the forest, the damned beast would not go any further and he unfortunately had to press forward by foot. Gods, he loathed this place. "Fucking forest, with the fucking trees and shit," he growled slashing through more vines. He should have asked for some men to accompany him, instead of venturing out alone like a fool.

He heard the shadowed canopy rustle and in the distance the echoed sound of a raven's screech reached him. Michael frown. "Fucking birds." But he had no time to dwell on the forest and it's inhabitants, he needs to find his quarry before those things come wandering about. Simply thinking about it made a chill run down his spine.

He bent down on one knee and studied the earth below. He saw footprints in the damp ground, fresh. "So the brat's still alive," he mused, mildly surprised. He followed them further in the forest, cursing as he stepped in a deep mud puddle. "Goddamn!" The queen's brat is mighty lucky if she's worth all this trouble. The bottom half of his leg was caked in wet mud but he continued on, following the girl's trail.

When he came upon a thicket of bushes near a crowd of leafless trees, the trail suddenly stopped. He looked around, bewildered. "What the-?" The footprints have disappeared, but the earth had a large sunken hollow, too large for a footprint. She must have fell, which means she's hiding near by.

His lips twitched in triumph. He held the handle of his axe with both hands and slashed through the overhead of bushes, enough to frighten the girl into emerging from her hiding place. "C'mon princess," he taunted, cradling his weapon in his hands. He looked around the area, his head tipping back to scan the dead tress, and then down once again on the ground. He caught the sight of her skirt peaking from beneath the shrubbery.

"Found ya' brat," he said. Sheathing his axe, Michael crouched down and grabbed the girl by her elbow. She gasped at the intrusive contact and he yanked her from underneath the bushes.

"No! No! Please!" She began frantically screaming and thrashing about. Michael gritted his teeth, irritated. He had no time for a tantrum.

"Shut up!" He growled, forcefully shaking the girl. She stilled and looked at him with wide, fear-stricken eyes. Gods, she was just a child.

"Please," she pleaded in a whisper, her lips trembling.

"Please what, princess?" he mocked, grasping her wrists and squeezing, making the girl wince.

"Please help me," she said, voice trembling. "The queen. S-she's going to kill me."

Michael rolled his eyes. "I'm sure she is."

"But you don't understand!"

"Listen here princess, your mother offered a handsome payment to bring you back home." he said harshly. "So shut your pretty little mouth before--"

"That woman not my mother!" She snapped loudly that her voice ran throughout the forest in an echo.

Michael shoved her against the tree, his hand covering her mouth as he suddenly became wary of their surroundings. "How many times must I tell you to shut up?" he hissed, glancing behind him. Gods, this girl was not aware of the true dangers that lurked these woods, and she could already be luring them with her irritating noise.

He looked back at her, wide blue eyes staring at him in fear. True enough, he saw no resemblance to the ethereal queen. However, this girl held a pristine beauty in her youthful demeanor; skin as white as that loathsome snow, hair as black as night, full red lips, and guileless blue eyes.

The gods be damned if he was so easily enticed by a child.

She kicked him then, in those brief moments of which he studied her, when he had stupidly allowed to let down his guard. She squirmed out of his hold as he flinched back from her unexpected strike and ran away into the forest.

"Fucking hell," Michael bellowed.

Then, he ran off in pursuit of the girl.