What Lurks Behind The Trees

Finally

"Is your back broken yet?" Finn asked.

"No." Felton said as he adjusted Finn on his back "But this really is difficult," he grunted.

Finn smiled, "I don't think I'm that heavy, especially without any legs,"

"I feel like this fever is starting to affect your brain, just stay quiet for now," Felton huffed.

"Are you two doing okay?" Rowan asked.

"Yes, thank you very much, let's hurry up though," Felton said.

"I'm really sick of seeing trees, for the past few months that's all we've been seeing, I wonder how Aigronyth looks like,"

Alan turned around and shushed them, "Look," he pointed at something high, they all looked up and almost passed out at the sight, Finn passed out in a second.

It was a Dethien, but it was walking around, on two trunks for legs, its head above the trees, its many eyes scanning the place. Only after Alan pointed the Dethien did they start to hear the distant thump of its legs on the ground.

"What do we do?" Gregor asked, his eyes shaking in fear. Facing a Dethien with no legs was terrifying on its own, so how would it be facing this one?

"We need to stay beneath the canopies, away from its eyes," Alan said "Let's hurry,"

They tiptoed across the grass, using the tree canopies to conceal their presence and keeping their eyes on the head above them. Alan turned around again and pointed to their left, where another Dethien stood. Gregor felt the sweat starting to form on his forehead, he couldn't do this anymore, he felt as though his heart was about to jump out of his mouth.

Alan snapped his head back at them again, his eyes wide, he pointed forward, where, in the distance they could see metal poles, it was still far, but they could faintly make out what seemed to be a gate of some sort. Alan mouthed with his lips the word 'Aigronyth' and then 'Let's run'. And with that, they started running.

That was until they heard a low growl from behind them, one that was deep and echoed over the trees and across the forest. They all turned their heads slowly, and behind them, two pairs of red eyes glinted in their direction. The Dethiens had spotted them.

Gregor's face twisted into an expression of pure fear as he looked at Alan and waited for an answer, but Alan himself was scared, his mouth twisted downwards, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised and pulled together. Gregor had never seen him so scared. And before anyone could do anything, Felton rushed passed them, Finn hanging loosely on his back, Rowan followed him.

And as Gregor watched him run, he could see from the corner of his eyes, the Dethiens descending down, their red eyes still fixed on them, and that's when Gregor lost it.

He turned to Alan who was still in a trance and shook his shoulders "Alan! Alan we need to run, Now!" but Alan's eyes were unfocused "ALAN! Please, the gate is right there!"

Aden walked up to Alan and punched in the face making him gasp "Alan! Get it together!" he was angry, Gregor could see it in his face, the popping veins, the bloodshot eyes, Aden was angry.

Alan suddenly turned around and started running, Aden and Gregor followed him, using all the energy left in their bodies to sprint across the grass, their eyes fixated on the rusting metal bars in the distance and their ears fixated on the sound on the Dethiens galloping behind them. If anyone were to trip and fall, they would land straight in the Dethien's mouth.

So close, so close. Gregor was running slower and slower with each second that passed, the injuries from before making him wince in pain. He probably needed a year of healing after this, that is if he made it.

Gregor looked behind him and a scream erupted out of his mouth in fear when he saw how close the Dethiens were, they were using their tentacle branches to rush across the grass like giant spiders. Their red eyes bore holes into Gregor's back, he could feel their breath as it blew onto him, he could hear their deep growls and his body shivered in dread. What if I fell?

And many other thoughts soon followed when the Dethiens released their tentacle-branches so that they were surrounding him. He gasped and tried to run faster as the branches came closer and closer to him, trying to wrap around him and in the distance, he could see Felton opening the large metal gate and walking through it, followed by Rowan.

Rowan was in safe grounds, so he took out his bow and started shooting, slowing the Dethiens down a bit. Gregor used this opportunity to dash and run beside Alan and Aden.

"We're nearly there," Aden said, panting hard.

The Dethiens' branches slithered between their feet, trying to trip them and catch them. "Watch out!" Gregor yelled at Alan, who once jumped over them as soon as he noticed.

And the gate was right there, but the Dethiens were also right there, seconds from being safe, but also seconds from being eaten alive, and Gregor hated the thought. So he used his last bit of energy to run faster.

Alan and Aden ran inside the gates "Come on!" they yelled at Gregor.

The stood by the gates, ready to close them as soon as Gregor ran passed, and once he did, they slid the heavy gates shut, trapping some of the Dethiens' limbs between the gates.

Gregor's chest heaved as he stared at the Dethien's, they were so close, only a metal fence between them. He stared at them as their eyes pierced his and before he knew it, a branch came rushing through the pole and wrapping around his neck in a tight hold that could strangle him to death in seconds.

"Greg!"

The Dethien pulled Gregor against the metal fence, trying to bring him to its mouth but instead, his head banged against the metal hard. His face was being pulled between the poles, making him grunt in pain, but the poles were too close for his head to fit in between so he was safe from the mouth but not from the stronghold on his throat.

Gregor felt a rush of oxygen enter his lungs when Aden slashed the branch with his sword, setting Gregor free from the strangling hold. Gregor fell down and gasped for air as Alan pulled him away from the fence and out of the Dethiens' reach.

The Dethiens sensed their defeat and walked away. The six remaining men looked at each other in silence. It was silent for a long time before Aden broke it with a hysterical laugh.

"We made it."

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YAAAY! Finally! After so many losses, injuries and fights they finally made it passed the Stygian forest!!! 

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