Fantasy Forest 3: Ressurection

8. Fangs

"Can we go now?" Seally asked me as we stepped back out from Talia's uncle's shop and back onto the open street. In the crisp morning the air was cool with a slight chill to it that made me shrink farther into my coat.

"You mean back to the woods, right?" I asked and Seally nodded. "Aren't you at all worried about monsters?"

Seally paused as if seriously contemplating the question or perhaps just contemplating my reason for asking it. "Are 'you' scared?" He asked, a slight hint of accusation in his voice. I stared at him plainly and then smiled.

"Not at all." I stated. This seemed to be the answer Seally was hoping for as his lip twitched as if pulled at by a slight smile.

"Great." He said. "Lets go." And with that he turned on his heel and started walking back towards the entrance to the woods. I followed at a brisk pace.

Time skip:

Is it just me or does the forest seem different today? It was stiller and more quiet than I originally remembering it being and as we walked we seemed to walk through an invisible fog that hung heavy on my clothes and limps as if weighing me down. If Seally noticed this odd atmosphere than he gave no hint of showing so as he continued to walk, stopping every couple yards to glance over his shoulder and make sure I was still following him.

"Why is it so cold?" I asked him as I checked my breathe and it came out white. It shouldn't be this cold, this heavy, this silent.

"Its just your imagination." Seally stated but even then I could tell he was tense as he seemed to clench his fists into tight balls while he walked. A couple more minutes of walking and I was starting to grow concerned. Nothing looked familiar and a noticeable mist had started to sweep over the area. I stopped and froze as I thought I felt something scutter past my leg only for Seally to immediately grab my hand and pull me forward.

"Its fine. Just keep walking." He said and I did as I was told until all of a sudden I felt something hard smack against my ankle while something else tugged at my sock. I looked down but the mist was also thick I could barely see my feet but I did see the shape of something move.

"Something is definitely wrong here." I stated and Seally stopped and looked at me and I couldn't quite read his expression. He appeared slightly angry but at the same time considered. I felt something bite my foot.

"OUCH!" I screeched and Seally walked closer to me and by his expression I was worried he was going to get mad at me but instead he looped his arms under my knees and shoulder and in one fluid motion he picked me up. Seally was about my height and weight but he was apparently much stronger than he looked as he held me up with ease.

"Close your eyes. We will be there soon." He said.

"Whats moving around on the floor?" I asked.

"Close your eyes. We will be there soon." He repeated and he sort of glared down at me and it enough to get me to shut up and close my eyes as I continued to listen intently. I could feel him walking again as I could hear the sound of his shoes on the coarse floor. A couple minutes later I thought I heard him step on something that felt squishy and I hear a low hiss but I kept my eyes closed until he told me otherwise. A few minutes later and it wasn't so cold and I started to hear normal noises again like birds in the trees and a subtle gurgle of water in a nearby stream.

"We are here." Seally stated and I felt him put me down as I stood back up. "You can open your eyes." I opened my eyes and was greeted by a wide open sky through the parted trees that framed what I could only describe as a stone mansion with a wide garden in the front. The building appeared to be about three stories high with many windows all of which were tinted with soot. Some of the stone of the house was also tinted black as if it had been through a fire recently however the garden appeared vibrant and untouched by flame as an assortment of green plants flourished in the soil.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My castle." Seally stated somewhat proudly as he seemed to watch my expression with great interest.

"Its very nice." I told him and that seemed to make him happy but it was hard to tell.

"Come inside." He said as he walked towards the large doors of the manor. I took one step to follow and immediately cringed as I felt pain in my leg. I looked down and that was a small bite mark on my ankle. I silently leaned down to examine it. It was small, about the size of a cats bite, but incredibly deep as it pierced not only through the skin and tissue but also through my thick cotton socks. The bite also had a particular pattern, as it seemed to have two indents for two rows of sharp teeth. Blood soaked my sock and I winced as I pulled back the sock to get a better look at the tissue. I looked up as a shadow was cast over me to see Seally standing there with a perplexed expression. He took one look at my face and then the bite on my ankle and frowned.

"Go inside." He told me and I stood up to walk inside but he didn't follow me this time. "Go inside." He said again. "I'll be right back." And with that he ran off back into the trees and I was left alone on the steps of the castle.