Guardian of Elements

Chapter 14 - Mysterious woods

Two hours after her parting with the Guardian of Wisdom, Kate entered the forest. She immediately felt relieved. She had been living in a forest all her life, and the openness of plains was uncomfortable for her. However, this forest was different from hers. It was much less dense and there was almost no undergrowth. Deciduous trees had their leaves in all shades of yellow and brown, and the forest floor was covered in a thin layer of fallen leaves, like at the beginning of autumn. It was giving the forest a golden look.

But there was something more to it. The light was... unnatural. The Sun was shining through the trees, but some of their shadows were pointing in different directions, as if there were other light sources somewhere. No birds were singing, but sometimes Kate saw something out of the corner of her eye, and she had a constant feeling that someone was watching her. She was afraid a little, but she ventured deeper into the forest.

She felt more and more uneasy with every step. Leaves were rustling under her feet, making it impossible to move silently. That alone would make her nervous, she was used to sneaking quietly through her forest, but when she thought that she heard someone whispering nearby, she had enough of it.

"No one will toy with me!" she shouted, and at her command, a gust of wind rose and blew through the forest. When the leaves settled, she saw a strange blue orb in the distance, rapidly floating away. Before she could pursue it, the glowing ball disappeared. That strange feeling was gone, so she decided to go on after a while.

As the Sun was falling and shadows grew longer, she began to look for a place for the night. The forest seemed to be the same everywhere she looked. There was no den or cave she could hide in, and as if that wasn't enough, she felt that presence again. Suddenly, she noticed that her shadow was rotating.

"Left."

Kate was startled by the sudden whisper from behind her, but when she turned around, there was nothing but trees. She looked in the direction she was given and saw a hole under a root of a tree, partially covered by fallen leaves. She went to it and hoped there was nobody inside. There wasn't. She felt relieved, but she was still wondering to whom that voice belonged. It felt... familiar. She fell asleep shortly after.

Outside of the hole, several different animals gathered. They seemed to be curious about the newcomer, but none of them dared to enter. Then, they ran away into the night, leaving behind a trail of faint, glowing mist, which was descending from their transparent bodies.

*

Kate woke up in the middle of the night. She went out of the hole to get some fresh air. The Moon was hidden behind a cloud, but stars were giving out enough light to see. The forest was calm and peaceful. Yet she felt like she was surrounded by many beings this time, watching her. She looked around again but couldn't see anybody. The forest was completely still. Although she was tired, she went for a walk, hoping that some fresh air would help her.

After some time, she got used to that feeling. But when she was almost sure that there was nobody else, she saw a dark shape of an animal, walking far in the distance behind trees.

"Hey! Who are you?" she shouted. But the mysterious figure didn't seem to hear her. It walked out of her sight without even letting her notice what was its shape or color.

Kate knew it was probably just an animal, however this one felt... different. She couldn't help but follow.

It took her some time to guess where the creature went. She couldn't pick its scent, nor she could find any tracks in the leaves on the ground. The only lead she had was the direction the creature was heading in, and so she went that way.

She was as quiet in her steps as she could be, but the fallen leaves were still rustling a bit. With every step, she felt more and more afraid but also curious. Finally, she reached some bushes at the edge of some clearing and slowly looked out of them. What she saw was terrifying.

About a dozen of different creatures were roaming the large clearing, their bodies transparent and glowing orange or blue. Some of them were grazing on grass, but their teeth were coming through the straws, which didn't seem to bother them. Others were sleeping, and a big boar was playfully chasing a smaller ocelot. And there, in the middle of it all, a solid, four-legged creature was drinking from a pond.

It was about twice Kate's size and looked a bit like a wild cat. It had orange fur with white stripes and dots and a long thin tail with white tip. Kate couldn't even breathe, much less move an inch.

Suddenly, a deer looked her way and bent its head back in a soundless howl. The beast rose its head and looked at her. Its emerald eyes were terrifying. She felt like it was looking through her with its stern stare. She stood there, frozen with fear. Then, the cheetah-creature turned around and darted into the forest, followed by all the ghosts, which lost their animal forms and transformed into blue and orange wisps as they ran into the woods.

It was a long time later when Kate could move again. She slowly walked out of the bushes to the clearing. It was calm again, as if it was only a dream. What could that be? Maybe that was the Guardian of Souls? It was too late to follow it, and Kate was tired. She found her way back to the den, which wasn't quite easy with her eyes rolling, and went back inside. When she turned around to lie down, she saw a family of transparent blue ferrets, sleeping in the corner. She was worried a little, but they seemed peaceful and she was tired, so she closed her eyes and fell asleep.