The beginning
Awakened by a jolt of heat that seemed to ripple through my body, I gasped and flailed my arms in the air and felt the soft touch of what seemed to be a woman's face. Through the pitch blackness I saw only green glowing eyes. I felt slightly damp grass behind my head, shoulder length black hair tangled in brush. My black cloak was also damp, and I had just realized that rain, or what made it through the trees, was sprinkling down on me. Suddenly I felt pain sharper than ever before and the pain seemed to grow and grow until suddenly...it was gone completely. I blinked, when my eyes opened again the glowing eyes were gone and I heard a rippling through the nearby brush. I thought for a second trying to reason where I was and who that person, thing, or whatever it had been was until I realized, I had no idea who I was...Rin...Ran..Rayne, maybe that was it... Rayne... An axe made of black metal lay a foot away from me which I could barely make out through the dark. Who was that person? Where was I? What kind of man was I to awake with no idea of where I was?...Why..why was I so tired?...blackness took me.
Screams in the forest
A scream punctured midnight's stillness. A totured, bloodcurdling scream. My head snapped up and my eyes darted around the moonlit forest. I could not tell which direction the scream had come from. The scream came again, but softer this time, more like a high-pitched sob. West. I ran swiftly through trees, dodging animals startled by my sudden appearrance and disappearance. As I ran, rain began to patter against the leaves high above my head. Another scream, very close. I slowed, looking around for any sign of human life. Raindrops fell through the trees and splattered onto my bare feet. Very near by, off to my right, sat a dark leather side bag. I crouched behind a tree and slowly made my way toward the bag, hidden by brush. As I approached, I heard another sob. It sounded as though it came from just beyond the bushes behind the leather bag. I looked over the thick brambles. A man lay gasping and twisting in pain upon a patch of grass a few feet away from where I stood. He lurched, and moaned. I pushed aside branches and cautiously approached the man. His eyes were closed, squeezed shut, as if afraid to see what might lay in front of them. I kneeled down beside him, blood ran down his neck. I positioned my hands over his chest. They hovered there for a few seconds while I focused my energy. I could feel prickling heat running through my veins to my pointed fingertips. The steady flow of heat flowed through my hands and into the man's pained body. His eyelids flew open, deep blue eyes rolled wildly in his head. His arm shot up, rough fingertips lightly grazed my cheek. I sent another flow of heat into him, and his arm fell limply next to his side. His eyes closed again. I gathered what was left of my focused energy and sent a heavy flow of heat into him. He gasped in pain, and then settled. The spell finished, I quickly rose to my feet, and fled through the bushes.
Sunrise...
Rays of light creeped through the thick growth of several plants and trees. I stared upward and listened to the chirping birds. The area where I was laying seemed to be cleared of brush in a perfect circle. I sat up slowly, suprisingly feeling no pain compared to last night...or at least what I thought was last night, I could have been out for days. Thirsty, I thought to myself, I am very thirsty. I stood up. I stood for awhile regaining balance and use of my legs. My bag, where had I left it? Taking my axe, or what I thought was my axe, and putting it in a loop on my belt underneath my cloak, I searched around and found it laying a few feet away from a nearby bush. Realizing that I had remembered that I had a bag, I sighed, a relieved sigh. I was regaining my memory. I picked up the bag and searched through it. A dagger and a sleeping pack, but nothing to drink. Putting it around my neck and sheathing my dagger, I started walking in the direction I had found my bag. The further I walked the less animals I heard, the birds chirp I had heard earlier seemed to have faded completely and the crunch of sticks and plants was the only noise I heard. I tried to keep my mind off the reoccuring questions in my head; who are you really?, where are you?, who was she? The sun was reaching midday when I finally started to hear the sound of a stream or water of some sort. I quickened my pace, but then, another noise presented itself. Some nearby brush shook, I heard a noise on the opposite side of where it trembled, something seemed to fly over head. Pulling out my axe out as if I had many times before, I readied myself for what may be out there. Run. The thought only took seconds to send me dashing in the direction where I had heard the water. I ran past countless trees and bushes, I heard the water along with sounds of pursuit on all sides. Panting, my heart pounded nearly out of my chest it seemed from the chase. I was beginning to smell the water right when I tripped over an uprooted tree. Nothing moved. The sounds of water was drowned out by my frantic heartbeat that seemed to want to jump out of my chest and grow legs of its own to run away. I heard something desend from above and hit the ground. I turned to face my pursuer...
At the water's edge
I kept running. All I could hear over my own thoughts was the padding of my feet against the earth. What was a man doing lying in the middle of the forest? And with nothing but a leather side bag? Why was his neck bleeding? Who was he? The unanswered questions turned into angry bees, buzzing around in my head, an agitation that wouldn't let me find peace. I ran until I arrived at the river, where I had been working quietly before I was startled by the man's pained screams. My rust red clay pot sat where I had left it, untouched. I carefully lifted the pot in my hands and gazed into it. Empty. I had forgotten all about why I was here. I scanned the riverbed; shining fish darted out from under slate gray rocks, seeking refuge in submerged logs. I sat next to the river's edge, feet rested, but my mind still whirring. He wasn't an elf; he had no obvious business in this part of the forest. The nearest human settlement was at least twenty miles away. I sat, twirling my slender fingers around in the water, watching the ripples grow as they fled from my fingertips. I leaned forward so I could look at my reflection. My unruly dark red hair hung over my pale shoulder, skimming the clear water. Bright green eyes stared back at me, asking questions I couldn't answer. I sighed and looked away from my reflection, peering around the forest. I heard a small splash, and my eyes snapped back to the water. Nothing seemed amiss. I was just about to return my gaze to the forest when I noticed, my eyes were turning blue. They had deepend in color until they were a dark, royal blue. I touched my fingers to my reflection, some what confused. And then all of a sudden, a waxy blue hand shot out of the cold water, latched onto my wrist, and dragged me down into the shallow river. I gasped for breath and flailed my arms wildly. I blinked the water out of my eyes and heard high pitched, cackling laughter behind me. "Oh Windy, you're such an easy scare." I turned around; a water nymph stood two feet behind me, her arms crossed, a devilish grin plastered on her rough blue face. "Naida! You sc-scared me half to d-d-death! Why m-must I always be s-subject to your tri-tri-trickery?!" I stammered, shivering in the freezing water. Naida giggled, her yellow fangs poking out from under her blue upperlip. "Aww, don't be such a stiff, Windy, I was just having me a bit 'o fun." she said, amusement etched over her face to see me struggling to get out of the frigid water. "You kn-know I d-don't like getting w-w-wet." I said, as my teeth clattered together. "Aww, Windy, don't be mad, I was just trying to cool you off a bit, you're so firey all the time. Thought maybe I could help." She tried her best to fake sympathy and compassion in her face, but her eyes twinkled with laughter. I sat down on a patch of grass far out of reach of Naida, my teeth had stopped chattering. "What are you doing down here?" I asked, eyeing her suspisiously. "Lookin' for you 'o course, Avery sent me, said you'd been gone for hours. He was worried." she said. Naida crawled out of the river. As she stood, drops of water immediatly slid off her skin. She started to walk away. I sat still, watching her retreating back. She paused, turned around and asked, "Well? You coming?" I rose to my feet, and followed her away from the river.
Face the Beast...
"MURDERER!" The beast bellowed. Standing seven feet tall, a huge white beast that flashed different colors to match the surrounding environment. The creature was a humanoid but had horns sticking out of it's shoulders and a head about a foot long, sharp fangs, and small pure black eyes. Standing slightly hunched, it raised its four fingered hand and 5 inch nails. "MURDERER!" the beast said again. "I have never seen you before, nor have I killed anyone." I said. Black tears rolled down the beast's face, "LIAR!" it screamed. Slowly unsheathing my dagger, I prepared to say something but the beast charged, with increadible speed for its size. I rolled to the side and attempted to slit its ankles with my dagger but the beast jumped up, using a tree to swing itself around and land a few feet behind me. The beast attempted to smash me with its fist with extreme agility and I barely jumped out of the way, where the beast hit left a two foot hole in the ground, rocks flew from the impact and bounced of the beast. The huge creature grabbed me off the ground and grasped me and held me in the air, struggling and using my hands trying to pry myself loose from the beast's grip, I thought to myself. Who had I murdered? Why? Who was that woman? Where was I? This was no time for that, this was the perfect oportunity. Sliding the dagger I had put up my sleeve down beneath the palm of my hand I thought...one..two...three...taking the dagger in my hand I thrust the it towards the beast's forehead. It used its other hand to swat my arm away and the dagger flew out of my hand as the beast thrust me against a tree with it's increadible power. I hit a tree and fell to the ground with a thud, knocking the breath out of me and almost stopping my heart. Blood dripping out of my mouth, I sputtered, "I didn't kill anybody." Breathing hard I thought, or did I? "I will make you suffer like none other have suffered, human." it said, taking on a slightly more civilized tone. I used my axe to help me stand up and stood ready, "You will be the one to suffer." an unrecognizable voice came out of my mouth that was filled with malice, hate, and despair. My body seemed to move on its own as I charged forward. The beast swung at me its huge five foot long arm, swinging the axe with speed and power that I didnt know I had, I cut it right off from its elbow. "ARGH!" The creature screamed in agony. Blood poored out of the wound and some landed on my face. I licked the blood off my lip and smiled, or I what possesed me did. Or maybe this is me? I jumped up in the air, landing on the creature's shoulder, swating at me and still screaming in pain. I used my axe to sever one of the beast's horns from its shoulder and in almost the same motion used it to stab the creature right between the eyes. So much blood...I love blood...What am I thinking, what kind of person am I? The beast fell to the ground and I jumped off. What seemed to have possesed me was gone. I looked at what I had done, and I ran tears rolling down my eyes...Who am I?
The dream
I awoke in a cold sweat, my chest heaving up and down. I looked around my room frantically, and leaped out of bed. I was halfway to the tall oak doors when I realized, it had all been a dream. I sighed in relief, but did not return to my bed. I sat down on the moss covered floor, and tried to remember my dream. I was walking in the forest, I remember the pale sunlight bleeding through the treetops. Somewhere off to my far left, I saw a river. It looked wrong from where I stood. Its color and texture was unusual. I walked closer to the river, and when I had gotten not ten paces away, I saw what was wrong. The river wasn't blue...it was red. I looked closer at the water. Blood was running through it. I screamed and stumbled backwards. I fell to the forest floor, scraping my palms on rough rocks. I had not remembered them being there when I had approached the river. I had gotten to my feet to run away, but the river had called to me. Not by name, but it drew me to it. I walked to the river's edge, and looked into it. At first I saw my own reflection, but then, it began to twist and churn. The face in the river was no longer mine. It was the face of the man from the forest, only...his eyes were black, and he had a look of hatred on his face. Blood was streaming from his mouth. He smiled, pointed fangs poked out from under his lips. He pointed at something behind me. He laughed, and then raised his arm out of the water. He held his hand out to me, as if he wanted to be pulled out of the river. I took his hand, it was freezing. He smiled at me again, and pulled me into the river. It was at that point that I had awoken. I took in another deep sigh. That little stunt of Naida's yesterday must have given me that dream. Naida and I had walked in silence to Green Nook, my home. I had decided to keep my encounter with the man in the forest to myself. Naida has loose lips, and if I had told her it would've gotten to my father before we had even arrived at Green Nook. The last time a human was seen in the forest, all of the male elves in our gathering went out looking for him, and came back with his head. The ones who brought the head, our most honored warriors, had said they did not intend to harm the man, only to get him out of the forest. But, they said, the man had attacked Avery, a young warrior in our gathering, and Avery had severed the man's head. I sighed yet again and stood, walking restlessly to the doors. My fingers curled around the cool stone handle and I pulled open the heavy door. I screamed. Someone was standing right outside my room, his arm raised, ready to knock. The frame of the man was familiar, I opened the door wider. The moonlight from my window splashed across the man's face. Avery. I breathed in relief. "Windy? Are...are you okay? I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Avery said, a look of anxiety upon his face. "No, no...I, I thought you might be someone else." I said, in a wary voice. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. "Your father was worried, he says he senses an unwelcome being in the forest. He asked me to ask you if you saw anything strange yesterday, while you were out.” My insides froze. I cleared my throat and replied, "N-no, I haven"t seen anythnig unordinary lately." His deep brown eyes surveyed me, I could feel them pierce through me. "Well, okay. But if you do see anything," he dragged his eyes across my face, "let us know." He turned, and left. I waited until I could no longer hear his echoing footsteps before I closed my door. They can sense the man in the forest. They"ll kill him. I have to find him.
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