Elemental: Heat Rising

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Into the Black Wood

    The forest echoed with the different sounds of birds and bugs which chirped, cawed and buzzed throughout the woods.

    The treetops blocked out all sunlight surrounding the area for miles except for the opposite way in which Holly had entered.

    As she walked farther and farther into the forest she looked back every few yards to see the opening that lead back to the castle grow smaller and smaller until it faded to a spec.

    Holly knew she was miles into the forest.

    “I think this is a good spot to start looking,” Holly said to herself, looking around, feeling as though someone was watching her.

    She pulled the ripped page on spearmint out of her pocket and unfolded it to take a look at the picture before starting to scout the forest floor.

    A small bush with leaves resembling the plant caught her interest.

    “Hm,” she sounded, trying to make out whether or not the plant was in fact spearmint. If it was her job would already be over, as she could easily pick at least ten leaves from the bush to present to Oak.

    “It must be,” she said to herself as she began to pluck the leaves from the stems, “One… Two… Three…”

    Just after she had placed the third tea leaf in the jar she was struck in the head by an impact coming from the side. She slammed to the ground, the open jar flew out of her hand.

    “What?” she said, trying to regain herself after smacking her head against the ground, “What was that?”

    She looked around for a few minutes trying to detect what had hit her in the head. Finding nothing, she stood back up.

    “Stupid thing,” she said, seeing that the jar must have flew into a nearby bush or plant out of sight.

    She looked to the ground and pushed and pulled through plants trying to find the jar while still staying alert of anything that might hit her.

    This time however, she was struck from behind which sent her face planting into the soil.

    Quickly, she turned over, seeing a large bird glide up through the treetops and out of view.

    “So that stupid bird has been hitting me,” Holly said in result to the revelation.

    She stuck herself behind a large elm tree, ready to strike the bird the next time it tried to divebomb her.

    The raptor swooped into the forest again his sights trying to locate Holly. Quickly, she gathered her strength and sent a powerful gust of air at the bird, knocking it off course and into a bush.

    Level with it, Holly could now see it better.

    “It looks like a… falcon,” she said, squinting to view it better as it untangled itself from the twigs and leaves.

    Once it was freed from the plants it found Holly in its vision and swooped at her.

    Holly leaped out of the way, her heart pounding as she was startled by the falcon’s swift attack.

Holly tried to counter by sending an air current straight at the bird but it dove through it, slicing open some of the skin of Holly’s forehead with its razor sharp talons.

Holly shrieked as her skin was pierced by the birds talons that felt like blades to her forehead.

Holly could feel the sting of blood as she touched where the bird as cut her. When she brought her hand down to level with her eyes she saw the scarlet color of blood.