ENEMIES [On Hold]

Chapter One : WillowThorn Forest

The October night's air was crisp, shaking Harper to the core. The tall trees blocked out most of the moonlight while the faint sound of a stream calmed the girl's shaking nerves. The dark forest, in all it's dark, mysterious silence, had a sort of serene beauty. Harper was lost, but anywhere was better than home. Could she even call it home anymore? Probably not, but even if she could, she didn't want to.

It was dark and cold, and she was tired. I need to find shelter, she thought. She couldn't begin to imagine what her life would become now. A seventeen-year-old run-away who is now lost in a forest. Even if she did find her way back to the city, what would she do then? Home wasn't home, she had no money, and had no one who could help her.

Suddenly, Harper heard a rustle in the bushes nearby, kicking all her senses into overdrive. She froze in place, thinking that maybe whatever was there, somehow wouldn't see her. Running wouldn't do her any good with her sore feet anyways. This is it. This is how I die, she thought. I should have known that a wolf or a bear would find me. At least it's a cool way to go out.

A dark shadow appeared on the right side of her, coming out from the bushes. It was too small to be a bear, but it could still be a wolf. She hoped with all her being that it was just a big rabbit, or maybe a hiker who also got lost. Why would anyone else be this deep into the forest though? "Who's there?" She asked carefully. "I can see your shadow."

The bushes moved again, and a boy came out. His dark green eyes glowed lightly while the moonlight reflected off his dirty blond hair. Harper almost started running, but she was too intrigued to look away from him. His tank top showed off his arms, which were covered in bands in different shades of brown, red and orange that stoped three quarters down. The back of his left hand had a dark red tattoo, Harper couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like a flame.

He approached her slowly, both teens watching each other carefully. His eyes were filled with worried curiosity. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"I-I'm lost." She answered quickly. "Who are you?"

"Show me your hands." He said, ignoring her question. Harper raised her hands, not wanting to upset whoever this person was.

He took her hands, and started looking at them. His hands were much warmer than any regular person's, even though it was cold in the forest. How is he not freezing? she wondered. "No Clan marking." He mumbled.

"What?" She couldn't help but ask. What did he mean by 'Clan marking'?

"You're from the city, aren't you? What's you're name?" He asked seriously. By now Harper was getting a bit worried. It's the middle of the night and a stranger covered in strange tribal looking tattoos is inspecting her hands rather than answering her questions. She started wondering if not running was the right decision or not.

"Yeah, I'm Harper. Now would you mind telling me why you were just looking at my hands?" Harper asked. She refused to let him know that she was absolutely terrified right now.

"Sorry, just making sure you weren't a spy. I'm Ashton." The boy said. Harper finally heard his voice clearly, he had a slight accent, but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

"And why would I be a spy?" She asked. First, he looks at my hands, now he thinks I could be a spy, in the middle of the forest. What is happening right now? She asked herself. Maybe she could still run away from him. He looks fast though, she wouldn't stand a chance outrunning him.

"You've never heard of the Clans, have you?" Ashton asked. Harper's confused expression told him all he needed to know. "You must be freezing. Come with me."

He turned around and started walking, making no sound. Harper had no choice but to follow. He didn't look like a serial killer, and she was lost. This was probably her best shot at survival. When he heard Harper's footsteps behind him, he sped up, almost running through the forest. He quickly maneuvered around the trees as if he already knew exactly where everything was. The girl followed carefully, trying to keep up while also almost tripping multiple times. After a few minutes, he stopped, causing Harper to nearly run into him.

"Let me guess, you ran away, ended up in the forest, got lost, kept walking in deeper, then I found you?" He asked, but as less of a question, and more of a statement.

"That's... extremely accurate." She said. She had noticed how almost everything he has said so far, had been questions, that he seems to already have the answers to.

"You can't go back home, can you?" He asked. He got his answer from a quick shake of Harper's head.

"Then let's go." He said, quickly starting to run again. The two of them ran silently, for what Harper thought must have been at least ten minutes. By the time they stopped again, she was exhausted for a multitude of reasons.

"Look." Ashton said, moving out of her way. What Harper saw shocked her. It was unlike anything she's ever seen.

They were on a hill, which gave Harper a perfect view of the forest that spanned out for miles ahead of her. Unlike the green spruce trees that had surrounded her those past few hours, these trees had bright red and orange leaves. The moonlight shone down on them in a way that made the entire forest look like it was on fire. It was completely magical, different from anything she had ever seen. This forest was straight out of a fairy tale.

Ashton turned towards her and smiled brightly. The look in his eyes made Harper believe he knew all the secrets of this beautiful place.

"Welcome to WillowThorn forest."