Distortion

~ Chapter 1 ~

I'm running.

My bare feet pound against broken branches and rocks. Slipping over mushy soil. I wince as pain radiates from them. Glancing down, I can see deep cuts oozing blood. My heart beats painfully against my chest.

*thump

*thump

*thump

I gasp, my lungs struggle in desperate need for oxygen.

I can't stop running. I don't know why...I....I...I don't know.

Sprinting around giant trees, covered in damp moss. Low hanging branches pull at my loose shirt, leaving holes and bloody scratches in their wake.

I stumble over tree roots, as they slither around my ankle. Gripping onto the tree in front of me, I desperately claw at the bark. Digging in my nails, pulling my feet out of the roots as hard as I can. Grunting, I slip from the roots.

On my feet again, I leap across a bolder but I slip on the muddy ground. Smashing my head on it. The world started falling away from me. My vision fades in and out. Clutching my head shooting pain beings to pulsate in my head.

Blackness dances around my vision. Taking a ragged breath, I close my eyes.

The cold wet ground bites at my skin. The howl of trees around whip around me. I can hear the crunch of footsteps slowly getting louder. Prying open my eyes, a pair of black boots stop in front of my face.

"Why did you run?" the stranger growled.

Sweat drips down my face. I try to roll my head to look up at him, but my whole body has no energy left to move.

"I don't want to die," I grind out.

He chuckles to himself. The chilling sound makes my blood run cold.

"To bad"

Then all I can hear are my deafening screams.

...

My eyes jerked open. Pulling my body into a sitting position. I clutch my chest as my heart beats furiously. Shaking, I feel sweat drip down my face. Using the back of my hand I wipe it away. Cringing in distant, at my wet hand. I rub it down the sky-blue duvet.

Slowly my heart begins to return to its regular beat. Taking a deep breath, I stretch my arm to my bedside table grabbing a glass filled with water. Gulping the liquid, I set it back down.

Nightmares have been plaguing me for the last few weeks. Why they started is confusing to me, I can't think of a cause. But this particular one was different, it was like I was looking through the eyes of another person. Unable to do anything but watch and suffer with them.

My fingers pull at the frayed edges of my white nightgown, tucking my snowy wings and legs close to my body. Turning my head, I stare out the window which overlooks Sedras forest. The moon hung high in the sky glows like a beacon. Gleaming dots of fiery white stars are scattered across the night sky.

Reaching out over the bedside table I unlatch the lock on my window. A gust of warm air blows through my room. I can hear the sighs of tall rigid tree branches rubbing together and lushas chirping to one another. I've always found the sound to be quite relaxing for such a predatory creature. Resting my head on my knees I stare out the window. Thinking back to my dream about the boy who was murdered in front of me. Disturbed, I shiver wondering why I was having such a horrible dream. I can still hear his cries echoing in my head.

Outside a snap of branches wakes me from my thoughts. Peering out the window my eyes dart over the landscape. My hands squeeze my pillow to my chest. Another crunch, but closer this time. The wind picks up.

*Crunch

*Crunch

*Crunch

My heart beats faster, my breath erratic. I'm panicking, but I can't move. My mind is frozen in fear. The creature bursts from the trees. Realizing it's a Mryla I exhale in relief. These small four-legged creatures, cover this plane. They are distinctive by their ears which stretch along their neck, as well as the spikes on their long face and humps on their torso.

I shake my head in my obvious overreaction. I've become so uneasy as of late, and almost anything and everything puts me on edge. Perhaps it would be a wise idea to talk to someone...

Glancing back at the Mryla I watch as It gallops in circles outside my window. Unaware it was being watched. A smile lights my face as I gaze at its beauty. I've never seen a mryla look quite like that before, it appeared to glow under the moon's light.

Lowering its head to the ground it takes a few bites out of the wild grass. Suddenly it looks to its left, appearing spooked by something in the brush. I silently got out of bed moving towards the window and lean out to see what It was that made the mryla act this way. Glancing around, I can't see or hear anything more than the typical sounds of trees and the chirping of the lushas which surround me.

Rearing on its heels in distress the horse sprints back into the forest. I slip on some flats and open the balcony windows spreading my wings and flying to where I saw the creature last. Glancing at the surroundings I can see some prints in the damp soil. Soaring into the sky I plan to fly over the tree looking for the creature. Soon I realized the forest is too dense to see anything. I land back on the ground at the edge of the forest swallowing my apparent nervousness and enter.

This is my first story, so I know it's going to be very bad... be gentle with me <3