The Trail

Chapter 2

Asena stood on the edge of the woods. Her eyes scanned the trees as if looking for something, for anything. She couldn't shake the feeling someone had been watching her. That she wasn't alone that day in forest. Her curiosity grew and she took a step forward, as though something was luring her in.

"Asena!" 

She was pulled out of her trance, causing her to blink. Asena took a few steps back, her chest tight. She didn't realize how close she had gotten actually entering the forest. She looked over her shoulder, several of the villagers were watching her with unreadable expressions.

"I don't..."

"Were you about to walk into the forest? Off the trail?" Lucille asked.

Asena resisted the urge to roll her, the village gossip, every place had one. She tried to hurry past everyone but the village leader, Jacob, grabbed her arm. 

"No one is to set foot in that forest unless it's on the trail. Everyone knows this!" He warned.

It was like a flip was switched and she tore her arm away from him. Her glare made everyone uneasy.

"I'm well aware of that Mr. Trimmer, but it would be wise if you didn't grab me." Asena said coldly.

"I-" Jacob looked taken back.

"And that 'rule' about the trail is really more a suggestions based on old fairy tales." Asena scoffed.

"Young lady! You need to learn some respect!" An older woman scolded her.

Asena bit her tongue and muttered an apology before hurrying to her house, keeping her head low. She pulled the hood of her red cloak over her head. She pretended that she didn't hear their hushed whispers as she hurried inside. No one seemed to notice the figure lingering on the edge of the woods, smiling as his sharp canines glinted in the sunlight. 

"What a little spitfire, Red." The figure chuckled lowly, before slipping back into the darkness of the forest.

She closed the door to her humble home behind her. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she unclasp her cloak, setting it over the chair by her door. Hushed voices outside of her window piqued her curiosity and she leaned closer to hear better.

"That girl is starting to become a problem."

She didn't know who the voices belonged to, just that they were from her village.

"She's getting to be unmanageable, what if she decides to run off one day? What will we do about the creature then?" 

Asena frowned as the voices faded away. Why would it matter if she left? What did her leaving have to do with the creature in the forest?

She moved away the door, drifting towards her kitchen. She frowned when she saw she was out of water, no part of her wanted to go outside to the well to get more. Perhaps when everyone was asleep tonight she could sneak out for some.

~

As fate would have it, sneaking out in dead of night was not ideal. She had no problem navigating her way through the black of night, that wasn't her concern. Rather it was the set of eyes she saw lingering in the darkness. They were gone almost as suddenly as they'd appeared.