BLACKBIRD (NaNoWriMo 2014)
@GINGER442
Prologue: Dust on the Wind
The man swiftly cut through the night without making a sound, and he knew that he was running out of time. He needed to get to the academy within the next few minutes, not only because these woods were dangerous at night, but because the bundle in his arms was vulnerable to the forces that lurked in the shadows.
Why, you might ask, did he choose such a night and such a route? He didn’t even know. All he knew was that his window of opportunity was open, and that he would never get such a chance again because if he hesitated even a few seconds, this whole thing would be over, and the bundle in his arms would be dead without even getting a chance at life.
As he ran, dodging tree roots and branches blocking the path, he remembered the words that were spoken to him moments before this run had started. “Take her to the academy; it’s the only place that she will be safe.” Sure he didn’t agree with what was said to him, but there was no turning back for anyone this night. But that was weeks ago, and he had been running ever since he was sworn to do this insane run across the country side.
The wind was picking up, and tendrils of fog were creeping around his ankles. The man ran faster, even though he knew that going as long as he had been, he was weakened and wouldn’t be able to go on if that fog managed to surround him. Twigs snapped behind him where none had snapped before, and the dead branches above him shuddered and smashed together with the newly sprung wind. This was most definitely not good; not good at all, and he knew that the trees were going to fall and block his way forever if he didn’t hurry up. The spirits that inhabited this forest were not happy, and were very obviously looking for anything dumb enough to wander into it to suck the life out of. He knew that normally the spirits wouldn’t even look to kill him, but this night was entirely different. Darkness brewed in the air and infected them, and even though he was of the dark, they were threatening to reach out their prickly arms and claim him and the bundle in his arms as their own.
He could distantly see the field, up ahead through a break in the branches, and the creaking and groaning around him reached a newfound high. Even in his weakened state he could run faster than any mortal could, and yet the fog continued to creep up on his legs, reaching higher towards the bundle in his arms. Behind he could hear the trees falling and their roots ripping out of the ground, and he knew that the spirits were playing with him; taunting him with their proximity and just how easily they could reach out and kill him in an instant.
Before one of the spirit inhabited trees could reach out and crush him and the bundle like a bug, he dodged to the right. He swung around and continued on a different path, continually increasing his speed. As he vaulted over a log, one of the trees reached out lightning fast and managed to grab him by the leg, tripping him. He landed hard, but managed to cushion the fall for the bundle in his arms, although he did hear a little cry from it was he was dragged away from it and closer to the fog.
The man spun over, and yanked at the branch. There was an ear splitting scream, so loud in fact that he thought his eardrums were bleeding, and the branch broke off in his hands. Instantly the iron grip on his leg relaxed and he was up on his feet immediately. The fog had continued to rise and get thicker, and he grabbed the bundle and ran faster than ever before, even though when the spirit had grabbed him it had drained some of his energy. Through the gaps in the trees he could see the field illuminated faintly by the half moon, and he focused his last remaining ounces of energy to getting out of the forest.
