�What the�� she whispered as a wave of uncertainty tinged with panic. All around her was the color green and brown, and she felt as if she was in a wave of leaves. Blue sky above looked down upon the scene, the sun almost in the middle of the sky. Green ivy surrounded her, catching the light shining from above. She had fallen asleep outside, among the barren hills, but that did not explain the wild growth of ivy. What had gone on while she had slept?
She stood, stretching her muscles as she did so. Her book was still clutched in her hands, but her backpack and its contents were not in sight. As she looked she noticed that the ivy had grown all over the hill, masking the hill. She decided to not let panic take hold, and so ignored the strange ivy. She turned in the direction of her home, beginning to head home.
She nearly fell to her knees when she crested the hill and saw the scene before her.
An ocean of trees stretched on forever before her eyes in all directions, masking the land before her. Where had the black asphalt gone? The lampposts? The quiet homes? There was nothing but trees, only the color green where once there was a rainbow of colors.
Her wall finally broke and she sunk to her knees on the verge of panic. What had happened? Where was she? What should she do now? Her mind was torn away from her musings when she heard the sound of howling, carrying with it age-old fear, trailed upwards from the forest.
She stood, trying to look through all of the green leaves and brown branches to see what had made the howling. She knew nothing about where she was, and there was always the possibility that the howling was dangerous.
She listened closely again. Now a new sound could be heard. Repetitive sounds, hard and quick. It took her a while to realize that they were a horse�s hoofs beating upon the ground and that they only seemed to grow nearer.
Soon a horse bearing a rider broke through the line of trees. The rider, dressed in gray, was clutching his side, leaning partially out of his saddle. He was injured, apparent even from the distance. She watched as he galloped towards her, fear masking his face. As he got closer he held out his other arm to her.
�Grab my hand quick! The bloodhounds are coming!� Nen just watched the man come, uncomprehending the situation. But at the same time she looked back to the forest�s edge. Shapes, large and angry, were coming from the forest�s center, coming towards them. She felt fears take over, and her mind seemed to become detached.
She held out her arms to the injured man, and as he rode by on his sweating horse, he pulled her up into the saddle behind him. Then he stuck his heel into the horse, making the horse run faster than before. The hounds, beasts that looked more like a child�s mysterious shadow, howled once again.
�Hold on tight,� the strange man said forcibly. Nen put her arms around his side, staying away from his injury, and held onto for dear life, her book from the old world still clasped in her hands.
Click the picture
above to go on
Pic (C) by me, Des H