The Woods

Shit shit shit... The words pounded through Bryn's head with each footstep, her body coursing with adrenaline as she dashed towards the tree line. In recounting her mistakes she admitted that she shouldn't have stranded herself in such a remote village in the first place, but her second mistake was not accounting for that guard's bulk while measuring out the sleeping potion. Her third mistake was running past that dog kettle on her way towards the gates, now the whole village was awake and charging after her.

At least these woods looked dark and dense enough to hide her easily. She could spend the night in some tree or burrow, and then return to the gates in the morning and persuade some sucker to give her a ride out of town. Bryn checked over her shoulder one last time before entering the woods. She counted dozens of torches. She'd have to be clever tomorrow, at this point the whole village probably wanted her dead. That was always the problem with small towns, wasn't it? Word spreads, and before you know it you might as well have seduced every woman's husband and promptly stolen every child's special birthday gold that had been invested in since the child's birth.

The gold jingled in Bryn's pouch, music to her pointed ears, and she smiled. It would make for a good replacement potion for the one she'd wasted on that guard.

A strike of fear hit Bryn in the gut. Something was wrong -- what had tipped her off? A smell? A sound? She stopped cold, leaning against a tree, and observed her shadowed environment. As she realized what had concerned her she was immediately flooded her with fear. The voices, the torches, the angry marching of villagers on a mission... it had all completely vanished. Why hadn't they followed her into the woods? A branch cracked behind her somewhere, and seconds later a guttural call echoed out across the forest. Bryn's blood ran cold. Haunted woods. Of course, just my luck.

She slowed her breathing. It's okay, it could be worse. It could be a lot worse. Just stay to the edges of the woods and keep heading North, there was a road out that way that had a few stables on it. You can find safety there.

Bryn straightened up, more confident and resolute now that she had a plan. The creature roared again from the depths of the woods, but she did her best to ignore it. Instead she took another step forward. North, head north... Bryn looked all around her. North... Shit

Three hours later (or what Bryn could only assume was three hours later), Bryn had lost all understanding of her surroundings. She could no longer hear that horrible creature, but she could also no longer keep her eyes open or travel more than a few paces without stumbling. She was exhausted and completely lost. Water or some kind of food might have provided her with some additional energy, but as she scrutinized the plants and forest-life she realized had no idea what was safe to eat and what might do her harm.

Desperate, Bryn sank to her knees. Maybe she would be safe to sleep right here... She let her eyes close and her breathing still. In the new silence, her ears picked up a faint crackling far to her left. Was she delusional or did it sound like sparks from a fire? She pulled herself once more to her feet. She would take her chances.

*****

From behind a thick elm tree, Bryn observed what appeared to be a small campsite. A horse slept untethered by a tree, a small fire slowly burnt itself to coals surrounded by small pots, and a large white-haired man slept next to it, his head resting on his satchel. She couldn't see the man too well but assumed him to be an older gentleman, probably exhausted from a full day of travel.

Bryn approached the horse first. From one of the pouches attached to its saddle she retrieved some bread rolls and a flask of wine. Jackpot. Folding her legs across her lap, she sat herself down by the fire, across from the sleeping man. She began to consume her bounty in measured amounts, reveling in the relaxation she could finally afford herself.