Drakan (The Chronicles of Eli) [#Wattys2015]

Chapter 19

                The moon shined bright over the land of Drakan. The dew on the grass glistened under its light, while the tiny white blossoms basked in its brightness. A cool breeze coursed through his dark brown hair, warping its way down the rest of his body. Eli stopped and inhaled the fresh scent of earth, before letting out the breath with a smile. He clutched the straps of his pack and continued to amble through the well-lit forest. Occasionally there were carnivorous sounds, followed by a few rhythmical chirping sounds, but it wasn’t enough for a red flag to be thrown.

            Eli knew it would be a long night and pondered on the idea of making camp. He had already been in the forest looking for Eldis for two hours now. Never had he been so deep into Black Forest before, not to mention the gap in between his last camping session, but, he was assured in his skills. He looked past the trees and bushes for a spot somewhere where the soil seemed bare.  He saw none. Eli crouched low, removed his pack and placed it in front of him on the dirt surface. He reached inside to his right and pulled out the Nitecore flashlight. Silently he sighed, twisting the top on, as he pointed it in all visible directions.

            Looks like over there will be my best option. He stood, grabbed his backpack, and headed northeast, placing the aluminum flashlight in his side pocket of his cargo shorts. Another breeze blew in, rubbing against his legs, forcing a chill to run up his veins. Eli shrugged it off as he stepped over a log. Once he got to the location he decided on, he turned around fully and inspected the area. Despite the surrounding noises, the area presumed secure. Looking forward to a nights rest, he slowly lowered himself to his knees. He removed the right strap from his shoulder and placed it against the neighboring tree.

            Eli’s nose twitched as he went to place his bow next to his khaki pack. Another breeze blew in, but this time the air was laced with murky fur. Eli’s head snapped left. His hand simultaneously pulled out the flashlight and pointed it where his eyes laid. He squinted his eyes forward. With the help of the moon, along with his extra light source, he was still unable to see what it was that carried the intense smell. His tense muscles slowly started to relax themselves, until his ears picked up on the low growl that emitted in front of him. Without taking his eyes off the scene ahead, Eli reached over and slowly grabbed his pack.

            After cautiously strapping the straps over his shoulders, he reached over for his bow. Just before the tips of his fingers touched the maple ridge fire, he heard the growl again. This time, much closer. He turned twisted off the light and forced his eyes to peer deeper into the darkness ahead of him. His heart suddenly lunged to the pits of his stomach. Slowly making itself visible were a pair of red eyes. Eli gulped hard, in an attempt to force down the bulge in his throat. He extended his arm further until his tips finally brushed against the bowstring. He wrapped his fingers around the string and quickly looked behind him.

            In that quick second he took in the environment and planned his escape route. Behind him were various trees and bushes, plenty of places where he could maneuver and elude the beast. He questioned himself about whether or not he could make it. His breathing that once stopped, came back in a steady slow pace. Eli turned his head back towards the pair of eyes, which seemed to be getting closer, and fought back reckless decisions that came swarming to mind. He tilted his head left; well it did work last time. Out his peripheral vision, he saw a tree to his left and was reminded about the tree on his right. I could make it to either one and be safe above ground, just like last time. Eli positioned his feet to his right and wiped off the sweat the suddenly accumulated over his forehead.

                        Ok….Eli inhaled deeply, all I have to do is……

            With a loud roar, the ground started to tremble. It shook under Eli’s feet, forcing him to immediately look in the direction of the bellow. Eli’s eyes widened and his heart thumped hard in his chest. Artemis. Eli stood and battled the disbelief of Artemis charging straight toward him. The force of the rumble beneath his feet caused his legs to shake more than they already were. He gripped tighter around his bow, cursed under his breath, and dove to his left. The beast just missed him, sliding to a stop as it quickly turned around. Eli sprung to his feet and darted forward.