Jack was running, charging across the open, empty expanse of the Endless Hills as the words of the toad-like oracle echoed in his memory.
    "Go beyond the Northern Mountains, past the River of Sleep.  Journey East across the Endless Hills until you find it--a woodland unlike any other--the Forest of Shadows..."
    Jack's feet flew a little swifter as the oracle's next words came to him.
    "Within this forest are many roads, many roads to take you many places.  Within this forest, Samurai, lies a road to lead you home."
    As Jack crested one last steep hill, he saw it at last.  A dark line of trees cutting across his line of vision and bringing the grassy hills to an abrupt end.  As he neared it, he could smell the sweet scents of the woodland tantalizing his senses, as though beckoning him toward it.
    "But be forewarned," the oracle had said, "for none who have entered this forest in over a hundred years have returned to tell the tale."
    Jack drew to a stop just out of reach of the shadows of the trees, staring up at the swaying branches from under his woven straw hat.  What was in this forest that was so dangerous, and was he ready for it?  Could he afford not to take the risk, if this forest held the promise of a way home for him?
    The thought of his village in ruins flashed suddenly in his mind--the ancient stone lions weathered and overgrown, the buildings lost to neglect and decay.  He remembered the village of his childhood, full of life and splendor before the demon Aku came.  He remembered all the training and hardships he'd endured up to this point--being thwarted again and again in his efforts to return to the past.  Was he going to let a few shadows keep him from his ultimate goal?
    Jack lifted a foot and stepped forward, his sandal crunching the thin layer of leaves and twigs littering the forest floor.  As he took his first step into the forested realm, he thought he felt a presence--something watching him with hidden eyes--but as he searched the shadows, he saw no sign of an enemy.  Finally, he dropped his hand from the hilt of his sword and continued.
    Natural splendor surrounded him.  Everywhere he looked he saw life, green and growing.  The oracle had said that this was the only place in this world truly free of Aku, and that was very clear to Jack now.  Nothing in Aku's shadow could grow so green and so free.  Ivy crawled up tree trunks, birds sang with exhuberance unmatched, and somewhere nearby a stream babbled merrilly.  The sunlight shifted and danced in beams of light over the sun-dappled ground, and a sudden movement that caught Jack's attention turned out to be a mother doe and her speckled fawn.  Jack allowed himself to breathe deeply of the fresh air and for once be utterly at peace.  This forest seemed so warm--so welcoming.  Perhaps none had returned in a hundred years because they had not wanted to?  Surely if he had a choice, he might never leave himself.
    As Jack made camp that night, the sense of peace continued, remaining long after the coals of his campfire had cooled to ashes.  It wasn't until the early hours of morning when he awoke with a start, his sword unsheathed in a single fluid stroke as he searched wildly about.
    The clearing was empty, but he was positive he had sensed someone nearby, certain he had felt eyes on him, heard breathing in his ears, but no... No one watched from the shadows, no one crept up on him in the dark.  He was for all intents and purposes, alone.  Resheathing his sword, he gathered his things and broke camp, continuing down the path and deeper into the forest.
    By mid-afternoon, he was running again, darting swiftly down the narrow path, dodging easilly through the trees.  He didn't know what his destination was--only that it was somewhere within this forest, and he would keep running until he found it.
    Suddenly, the trees broke, and Jack brought himself to a screeching halt, stopping only a few feet from the edge of the massive canyon that had suddenly appeared in his path.  Walking slowly to the edge, he peered down into the abyss.  Whatever lay at the bottom of this gorge was hidden by a thick mass of swirling mist and fog, and the stone he kicked into the rift made no thud or splash that reached his ears.  This canyon would be too deep to climb down and back up again, and too wide for even him to jump.  Glancing to his left, he could see the canyon winding away through the trees, showing no sign of diminishing in width or depth.  Glancing to his right, he spotted a narrow rope bridge spanning the chasm and made his way to it.
    It was small, and it was simple, but it was the only way across this divide.  Jack could only hope it would be able to support his weight.  Testing one foot first, he put his weight down onto the wooden planks of the bridge.  It held.  Slowly, he lifted his other foot and set it down upon the bridge as well.  He didn't fall through.  Slowly, one step at a time, he made his way across the bridge, gradually relaxing enough to enjoy the view as he approached the middle of the it. 
    Halfway across, he stopped.  He'd felt the eyes upon him again, but before he could search for the source, the bridge gave a sudden jerk, forcing him to grab the ropes on either side for support.  Looking frantically behind him, he saw that one of the ropes holding the bridge aloft had snapped, and another was breaking as well.  Looking ahead of him, he saw the same on the other side.  The bridge was collapsing!  Caught in the very middle, he was at a momentary loss.  Should he go back the way he came, or plow ahead?  It didn't take him long to decide.  He didn't know exactly where his goal lay, but his instincts told him it was deeper still within the forest.  Steeling himself, he let go of the rope supports and charged across the bridge towards the opposite side, the bridge shuddering and jerking beneath him.
    He saw the ropes splitting, falling away, one more, then two, the bridge weakening more with each step he charged forward.  Finally, he saw the last rope split, and giving one great, courageous shove, he leapt from the bridge, sailing through empty air as it fell away beneath him.
    I leapt too soon! he thought.  I will not reach the other side!
    Jack closed his eyes and prepared himself for the sickening sensation of the endless plunge into nothingness, but it didn't come.  With a fierce THUD! he landed on terra firma, rolling a fair distance from the edge of the chasm as his brain scrambled to understand what had happened.
    Coming to a stop, Jack got to his feet and hurried to the edge of the cliff, just in time to see the last of the rope bridge disappear into the swirling mists below.  Had he underestimated his own abilities?  or overestimated the distance to the other side?  Whatever the case, he sensed a benevolent force was at work here, and bowing his head deeply, he offered a prayer of thanks to whatever entity had saw fit to preserve his life.

    He had hardly turned away from the canyon and started back on his journey when a strange sound caught his attention.  A low, pitiful sound, echoing through the trees like the wailing of a child...only much, much louder.
    Jack followed the sound, anxious to see what could make such a  mournful cry and at such volume.  When at last he came upon the source, his heart froze in his chest and he dove quickly behind the nearest tree.
    Dragon!
    Indeed it was.  A sleek, silver dragon, chained securely to a nearby cliff face, his muzzled head laying upon the dusty ground as he moaned pitifully.  Though all around it were signs of struggle in gouged earth and stone, the dragon was now dejected and unmoving, the only motion being the slow rise and fall of its chest as it cried out in its sorrowful song.
    Slowly Jack emerged from behind the tree, his expression changing to one of concern as he approached the silver beast.
    "What's this?" a deep, rumbling voice growled as Jack neared.  "Another mage come to torment me?  Will your kind never tire of this abuse?"
    Jack blinked and came to a stop, staring at the dragon.
    "I am not a mage," he said gently, looking over the weary form of the dragon.  "Tell me, who did this to you?"
    The dragon paused for a moment before lifting his massive head and turning to look at Jack.
    "Why, the mages, of course," he growled, pulling slightly against the chains binding him to the cliff face.  "The wretched creatures find it amusing to keep me captive here, a plaything for their amusement."
    "Forgive my rudeness, but how could they capture a creature as mighty as you?"
    The dragon snorted and lifted his head a little higher.
    "Puh, sleeping charm," he grunted.  "Damn mages caught me off guard and used a sleeping charm to disable me.  The next thing I knew, I was chained to this wretched cliff.  I've been here for weeks now."
    Jack considered the situation carefully, looking at the shattered rock and gouged earth indicating the dragon's initial struggle to free himself.
    "Clearly you are very strong," Jack said thoughtfully, looking at a split boulder.  "To be able to crush stone as you have, you must posess great strenght--yet you cannot break the chains that hold you?"
    The dragon sighed, his head drooping as he looked away from Jack.
    "These chains cannot be broken because they were enchanted by the mages to be indestructable.  I cannot even rip them from the rock where they are fastened."
    Jack frowned, looking over the chains and shackles holding the dragon, the polished metal surface etched with runes he did not recognize.  As he stepped nearer, the dragon sniffed, turning his head about to stare intently at Jack, an act which made the samurai very nervous.
    "Actually," the dragon said after a long pause.  "They smell rather like that funny sword of yours, little warrior.  It is a different magic to be sure, but it is more powerful than that of the creatures that captured me."
    Jack considered that a moment, unsheathing his sword and looking at it uncertainly.  Could his sword be the key to freeing the dragon?  As the dragon stared at him, he felt his heart skip a beat.  Did he really want to free a creature that could crush him on a whim?  Surely a beast that could split stone could make a mess of him in a hurry.  All the same, he couldn't leave the dragon here to suffer.  Raising his sword above his head, he spoke.
    "Whatever wrath I may incur from you, I accept it as such," he said.  "I free you, Dragon!"
    Jack brought his sword down on the metal harness shackled around the dragon's chest, the musical sound of metal singing against metal echoing in the forest as Jack pulled his sword away and sheathed it.  At first, nothing happened, but within a few moments of the Samurai's attack, fine cracks appeared in the metal, spreading and growing across the harness, spreading to the chains and shackles and causing the metal to detal and crumble.
    With a mighty roar, the dragon reared up, the muzzle and harness shattering as he spread great wings and shook the earth with his triumphant cry.  Jack backed away several steps, staring wide-eyed at the transformation of the creature.  The dejected, miserable prisoner had become a fierce and noble dragon, ready to take on any foe with grace and power.
    The dragon settled back down upon his four legs and turned to look at the stunned Samurai.  His voice growled deeply in his throat as he spoke, his tail lashing behind him.
    "You have done me a great service, little warrior," he said, blue eyes on Jack.  "Rest assured it will not be forgotten."
    With that, the dragon settled back on his haunches before launching himself into the air, the force of his leap sending him above the treetops, where he opened his great wings and soared away and out of sight.
    Jack watched the dragon soar away with a supreme sense of awe.  For several minutes he stood there, staring at the place where the dragon had disappeared, wondering at the grace and beauty of a creature so immense.  Finally, he turned from the scene, a gentle smile on his face as he wandered on to find what else this forest had to offer him.