Into The Woods | JJK (M)

the grove

"This is just great," you muttered to yourself, shivering slightly from the chill in the air as you stomped through the grass. The forestry around you was so thick it was damn near impossible to even begin to think of a way out. Not to mention that the sun was setting and you'd already been walking around aimlessly for hours.

You were usually fine with the forest, never venturing in too far for fear of the beasts it held within, hidden away from your human eyes. Your village spoke of them in harsh whispers, your schools educating the young about the goblins, beware the goblins lest they steal you away.

But the herb your mother needed was hard to find, hidden in the undergrowth, and you had inched further and further inside the forest until you were no longer sure how to get out, a handful of herbs clenched in your fist. Night was quickly approaching and every hushed sound had you on edge, hair rising and goosebumps raising on your skin.

You circled around as you passed a tree, foot catching in the roots poking out of the grass and you collapsed in a heap on the ground, yelping as you went down. The plants near the tree trunk muffled your groan and you spit them out as you tried to get to your feet, ankle throbbing and shirt torn at the elbow where it scratched against the bark of the tree.
Your tongue felt heavy as you pushed yourself to your knees, turning and blinking rapidly as you cradled your knees to your chest, wincing at the sharp pain in your ankle. The inside of your mouth felt odd—there was a sharp tingling sensation building on your tongue and the insides of your cheeks.

You got to your feet using the trunk as support and attempted to set your weight down evenly. You hissed when sparks of pain shot up your calf and you kept most of your weight on the uninjured limb. Limping forward didn't seem like a fruitful option, but you refused to give up hope on finding your way out of the forest—you would get out, get home, and go on with your merry life.

It was only a few feet away where you attempted to cross over a fallen tree trunk, huge and littered with moss. It was so thick it almost rested at your full height on its side and you used your arms to pull yourself up. It was much harder than you'd anticipated, your vision blurring for a moment and your breaths coming heavy. Your arms were trembling and you whimpered as you maneuvered your feet to the top of the trunk, where you sat to gather yourself before climbing down—it was definitely going to be painful, as there was no other way but to land on your feet lest you wanted to sustain another injury.

You swayed as you turned to the other side of the tree trunk, unsteady even while seated. You rubbed at your eyes, the tingling sensation spreading to your throat. Your limbs felt heavy as you tried to move, but your hand slipped and you pitched forward, eyes closing and surrounded by black before you even hit the ground.

Everything ached.

That was your first thought upon gaining consciousness. You were swaying gently, something warm wrapped around your body. You buried your face into it and groaned, whatever it was tightening around you.