Into the Wood Where the Beasts Roam

Silvina could hear the jingling getting farther and farther away from her as she jogged through the woods, but she couldn’t go any faster. The trees and brush were so thick she would either trip or she’d get completely lost.

“Wait up!” She called to the little spirit. “I’m falling behind!” 

There was a soft jingle shortly after that and she realized it began to get louder now. She let out a sigh of relief, breaking through the next thick of trees and finding the little spirit waiting for her in a small clearing. The smell of blood suddenly filled her nostrils, causing Silvina’s heart to beat faster. 

“Oh my…” She says as she came upon a young little wolf in the clearing, his leg caught in a trap. Blood was pooling around his hind paws. The little creature saw her and immediately began to panic more, trying to get their leg free.

“It’s okay little one, I’m here to help.” She smiled and crouched down beside it, causing the wolf to try to stand as far away as the steel trap would allow. The sharp teeth of the trap had ripped into his leg, having torn the flesh almost down to the bone. 

Silvina was very careful and gentle as she reached out to the base of the trap and grabbed the pad trigger. It was a very strong trap and it took all of her might to pull it open enough to free his leg. When the little wolf was able to pull his maimed leg free, he stumbled back, dragging it at first before resorting to a heavy limp. 

“Oh dear, please, let me help you…” She whispered softly and reached out to the terrified animal but he wouldn’t even let her get close. In his fear stricken state, his adrenaline fueled body dashed away into the forest. 

“Wait!” She called and started to dash after the wolf but by this time it had gotten dark and soon she lost the wolf completely. 

Silvina stopped amongst a large cluster of trees, looking around and finding that she was completely lost and alone. “Little spirit?” She called out, listening for the jingling but there was only silence. 

She realized now that she should have probably stayed at the temple like Havell had instructed, but if she hadn’t, that poor young wolf would still be trapped. She was still lost nonetheless and she began to feel a bit paranoid as the night creatures were starting to come out. Her senses were filled with all new sights and sounds, that were sending her heart into a racing panic. Taking deep breaths she started to back track the way she thought she’d come running after the wolf. She was pretty sure she could find the trap again if she walked back far enough, but she wasn’t sure how far she’d run after the creature so she just assumed she would stumble upon it.

About an hour of careful walking and careful checking of any open space she had come upon but none of them had the bloody trap. She was definitely lost.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough that she could see a little better but even then it was minimal. She didn’t want to just continue stumbling around through the forest blindly, she’d likely attract unwanted attention that way. 

She found a large tree with huge roots jutting from the ground and decided to sit between them for some form of shelter. At least nothing could just sneak up behind her. Wrapping her shawl around her a little tighter she leaned back against the tree, watching through the darkness in the forest. Soon though, her tiredness won over her paranoia and she began to drift off to sleep. 

She was awoken by a faint light near her eyes and at first she squeezed her eyes shut tighter and turned her head to the side in an attempt to ignore it. The light only seemed to get brighter, until her sleepy state was fully interrupted. When Silvina opened her eyes she was slightly annoyed, thinking back to when she was safe and sound in her cottage. That’s when she remembered she wasn’t at home. 

Filling her vision now was dozens of glowing little fireflies. 

Silvina’s eyes widened and she looked on in amazement at all the little creatures. They were like mini lanterns lighting up the whole forest and she could see them even through the darkness in the trees. She’d seen fireflies before but never this many at once. It was bright enough now, she might be able to find her way back to the temple. 

When getting to her feet, she brushed herself off before looking around to see if she recognized the area she was in. So far she didn’t recognize anything so she began to just follow the light. After a few minutes of walking she’d notice that the fireflies were going in a certain direction. Were they helping her find her way back? She was a bit hopeful now and started to walk along the trail they were leading her. She began to notice more animals out and about, seeming less afraid of the night in such a comforting light. Silvina also began to notice that it wasn’t just the fireflies glowing anymore. There were strange mushrooms and flowers of different shapes and sizes also emitting a faint glow, only adding to the light. Finally though she came to a much wider clearing filled with all sorts of animals, prey and predators alike, all basking in the harmony of a lovely pool that was lit up with glowing fauna and aquatic plants beneath the surface of the water. It was like looking straight into a fairytale dream.  “This is...amazing…” She whispered as she looked all around her before stepping to the edge of the pool and removing her shoes. She dipped her toes into the water, almost cautiously but found that it was the perfect temperature. It was so tempting to just step right in but she felt that she would disturb the serenity of this place. 

She smiled as she looked around at the creatures, some of them perking their heads up when they saw her, confused and wondering why she was there. 

Suddenly though she’d hear a whistle through the trees. At first Silvina didn’t understand what had happened but when one of the deer across the pool collapsed, every creature started to run in panic. The poor doe had an arrow pierced right through it’s heart. 

When Silvina tried to look around for the attacker something slipped down over her head, sending her into complete darkness.