Maria

Chapter 2

Within the darkness of the forest something unusual was happening. A man was strolling leisurely, completely oblivious to the deadly environment surrounding him. He even began whistling! He looked to be a middle aged man with striking golden hair reaching his upper back and a neatly trimmed beard. His eyes were of the same colour as his hair glowing eerily in the black of the night. He was dressed rather low key in comparison to his striking features, wearing a shirt, trousers and a long robe all the same faded brown.

As he strolled he caught the scent of something very putrid yet sweet. It was faint but he was certain he smelt it, the scent of human blood. His face scrunched up in an unhappy frown as he realized that his midnight stroll was being brought to a halt. He turned to walk back in the direction he came from, intent on ignoring what he smelt.

It must be been another unlucky traveller, he thought. I should just ignore it, after all, it doesn’t have anything to do with me. The amount of people that died in the Mergan Forest were innumerable, each killed by the forest they entered. The Mergan Forest stood between the Kingdom of Austeria and the Kingdom of Talin creating a natural barrier between the two kingdoms, forcing travellers between the two kingdoms to traverse over the seas. It was also the edge of their small continent, cutting them off from other countries beyond their continental borders. The Mergan Forest, or better known by its nickname, the Forest of Death was filled with all sorts of dangers, the further in you travelled the more dangerous it becomes. Only few dared to enter into its deeper areas. Those few were magic users, each with their own fields of specialization.

As he walked he had an unusual urge to go find out what was happening. Unable to resist his own curiosity, he turned around once again and headed towards the blood’s source.

Odd, he thought, I usually try to avoid these kinds of troublesome things.

With his nose leading the way, he walked through the forest heading towards its outer rim. The closer he got to the blood’s source the more drawn he felt. It was like there was a magnetic force pulling him. He stopped when he sensed the presence of other creatures nearby. He smirked to himself. It looks like I’m not the only one drawn here, he thought.
Choosing to only observe, he hid behind the trees and masked his scent. Peeking from behind the tree, he immediately saw a pack of grey wolves standing around some bushes. Grey wolves were very common in the Mergan Forest and were notorious for being extremely dangerous predators. Unlike normal wolves, grey wolves were noticeably bigger in build, growing to be the size of  a full grown stallion when they reach adulthood. They were more intelligent, stronger, faster and deadlier than normal wolves. They could also evolve into a fantastic beast, being able to use magic. Because of their large sizes, or rather, huge appetites, they tended to travel in small packs of threes or fours, or sometimes even less than that, but any more than four was unusual.

Ahh, he thought to himself, they must’ve be what I sensed. The pack had only three grey wolves, two stood guard while the other circled and sniffed the bushes, no, something under the bushes. It was then that the golden haired man noticed a leg sticking out from under the bushes. It was mangled and covered in blood making it almost unrecognisable as part of the human anatomy. The wolf continued sniffing, stepping closer to the bloody leg, its eyes alight with a ravenous hunger and its teeth bared and ready. Realization dawned on him, the wolves were here for a midnight snack.

He suddenly felt overwhelmed with panic. In that moment his mind went completely blank, filled only with the need to stop what he knew was going to happen. He stepped out of his hiding place, revealing himself. The two wolves guarding immediately noticed him. He was hard to miss with his golden hair and glowing eyes. It was as if he was waving a big sign that said “I’m here! Look at me!” above his head. The wolves’ bodies tensed, ears flattened against their heads, their snouts scrunched up baring their teeth. The wolf packs’ leader, the same wolf that had almost bitten a chunk of the human leg paused becoming conflicted. On one hand the wolf was starving and wanted to eat immediately, on the other hand they were currently facing a threat but it was reluctant to leave its meal. In the end the wolf’s survival instincts and need for self preservation won out, forcing it to step away from the bloody leg. The wolf, enraged after being disturbed during its meal, let out growl so powerful one could feel it in their bones.

Seemingly uncaring of the danger in front of him the golden haired man strode forward.

“Only mere pups, yet you dare to challenge me. Hmp. You’re overestimating yourselves.”

His voice was filled with disdain and was overpowering. Like an immeasurable weight that suddenly fell on the wolves, forcing them down until their bodies practically hugged the ground. The wolves finally felt fear. What had been another prey in their eyes had suddenly transformed into a demon. What was scarier was that they had been unable to sense his power at all. One moment he was a weak human the next he was an overwhelmingly powerful being that was able to immobilise them with just his words! They knew their deaths were imminent. They’re eyes pleaded for mercy, gazing at him from their low position.

He was not moved. Mercy was not something he was familiar with. Ignoring them, he walked towards to the human leg. Partially hidden under the bushes, laying in a pool of blood was the rest of the human body. He kneeled down beside the body, not minding the blood seeping through his clothes. Reaching out, he gently pulled the body from under the bushes.

It was a girl, maybe fourteen or fifteen years of age. Her skin was pale, almost translucent. Her ebony black hair matted with blood against her head. The blood on her face contrasting with the white of her skin, her lips blue from the blood loss. Her ball gown soaked in blood, sticking tightly against the many wounds on her legs, arms and torso. Her face was not spared either, a deep gash cut from her hairline over her left eye and down her left cheek.

His expression darkened. This was not done by wild animals, no, this was the work of someone else. This was the work of a human, someone who hated the child enough to kill her in such a gruesome way. He guessed that the wounds on her arms, legs and face were done after the child was stabbed in the torso. She had probably laid there, too weak to protect herself as her assailant cut her multiple times afterwards, completely disfiguring her. From what he could see she was a beauty too. What a pity, he sighed. Ever so carefully he pulled her into his arms, carrying her.

At least I should give her a proper burial, he thought.

The grey wolves’ eyes lit up. Finally, the wretched man was leaving! Their relief, however, was premature. The force that had held them down increased dramatically, and in a blink of an eye the wolves were smashed into a bloody pulp, their innards exploding from their body, spraying the surrounding with blood.

The golden haired man walked away silently, protected by an invisible force field from the flying blood and bones. His face cold and indifferent to the scene of gore that would have made any ordinary person puke their guts out.

Abruptly he stopped. His face showed disbelief and amazement as he gazed at the body in his arms with wonder. How was this possible, she has clearly lost so much blood already, her wounds were also very severe, yet how was she still alive. As he was carrying the girl he had felt the presence of another life force. Being able to sense the life essence or force of living beings was part of his ability. Each life force was unique with minute differences. He had sensed a vibrant yet solemn life force, which was a very rare trait. At first he thought there was another powerful being nearby that had snuck up on him, but then he realised that that was impossible. He felt the life force emanate from somewhere right in front of him, so close that they should be touching. That’s when he realized that it was the girl’s life force that he sensed. It was very weak, but it was still there. That meant that the girl was alive!

He suddenly burst into a sprint, his body turning into a blur as he moved through the forest at an impossible speed. While it was a miracle that she was still alive, she would not be for long if her wounds were not treated quickly.

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Yay! I finally finished the second chapter.
I spent an entire day trying to complete it.

I'll try to post a new chapter every week, if I have more free time I might post more chapters. Although I may not always be free, my final exams are coming up.

Please vote if you like the chapter and give lots of comments and feedback. I know I still have room for improvement.