The only light comes from the pale flickering stars above. The girl leaps from the bushes behind her home, hoping she had not awakened her mother. As she races towards the forbidden slope in front of her, her heart threatens to beat out of her chest. Her feet cannot slip, no nois can she make. The consequences would be to dire if she were to be caught going there this night. She crests the hill and runs to the tree-line; only gazing behind her once shes under the tree's night time shadow.
Breathing heavily, she takes in her surroundings. As she enters the pine wood forest, the girl is surprised to find it was bright enough to see, though it was almost the bewitching hour. The pines are tall, with sharp foliage beginning some way up the trunks. The soft light from harsh stars gently flowed through the branches and pooled on soft but sparse bushes and shrubs. Although the sky was blotted out by the pines, it was light enough so that she wouldn't trip as she continued onward.
tThe girl walked on as if in a spell. She had no idea there were places like this. Her village is as dead feeling as this wood; yet the wood gave off a feeling as if it were still at full strength and glory. There were no bird calls or animal sounds of any kind. Completely empty as it was, it was a soft complacent silence. Peaceful.
She continued through the wood until the trees thinned and came to an opening in the canopy above. Her heart pounding gently told her to stop. Moonlight once hidden, now poured into the open. Her eyes followed the light down to a small lake. Mist hovered the smooth surface of the pool. The scene took her breath away. Pine needles sharply hi-lighted, the soft pool glowing, and the lethargic light from the stars.
She slipped off her sandals, and stepped forward. the grass was cool and refreshing on her tired feet. the moon giving light to a part of her soul. With small steps, she made her way to the edge of the pool. Slowly, she began to slip her foot into the pool filled with arctic water, soft frosty mist, and crisp cutting light from the stars above her. While the warm wood surrounded her. The silence changed before her toes broke the surface. Something was different.
Every part of her screamed to run from that place. She didn't understand, but quietly stepped away from the mystic pool. The forest was bazaar. A piece was unalike how it was when she entered. She looked around; she heard the sound before she saw its origin. A low pulsating snarl attacked her ears as softly as a train crash. She faced the pool and gazed across the surface to the bank. There she discovered the sounds master.
There directly across from her, the girl saw a sparkle. The shimmer of animal eyes glared back at her. Her breath caught in her throat. Her chest was tight and strained to take in air. She knew this creature was the guardian of this place. The snarl turned to a low steady growl. She breathed in, trying to steady herself. She had two choices; run for her life and pray she wouldn't be chased, or stay and be gormandized by this unknown creature.
She ran as fast as she could. Stumbleing but never toppling, over the fallen decay of the wood. She didnt know if she was being followed. Her blood was pulsing to strongly to hear anything over her own breath. The girl raced through the forest navegating every obstical.
Breaking through the wood, she came from the tree line, allowing herself to stop her flight from that place. Looking back, the forest was quiet once more. A slow, peaceful silence beckoning you to enter. She smiled, turned, and slowly made her way down the slop, back to her home.
