Enna Is a Land God- Book:2

A Friend... Maybe?

The speed at which I was being dragged through the Dark was mind boggling. I was gripped in the boney hands of several monsters I could only describe as stump creatures. They literally just looked like stumps with dark empty holes in their bark for faces and limbs made of twisted roots and twigs. But even if they did not look capable of it, they were unbelievably fast and crazy strong. I tried my hardest, while dodging tree branches and boulders from bashing me in the face, to pry their reedy fingers from my flesh.

I screamed and kicked, and eventually stopped trying to dodge the oncoming obstacles in an effort to detach myself from these evil little tree gremlins. All that got me was a face full of thorns and even more frustration.

"Iifree!" I screamed, channeling what energy I could at the stump dragging my right arm. If I could dislodge that one then I could better aim with either targeted magic or even fox fire. 

It looked to work at first, the stump's face lighting up orange and a squealing noise escaping from it. But whether the creature that looked like kindling was immune to fire, or we were just going too fast and the air pressure was too much, I don't know. What ever the reason the flame went out and my captures didn't even miss a step.

"Damn it!" I screamed, picturing Lagdon's irritated face, knowing he would be thinking 'I told you so' even if he may never dare say it out loud. "Get off me!"

I reached for the fox fire, it was weaker in power than the spell Iifree, but it was less likely to be put out by the elements. But before I could even think to activate the power, I was unceremoniously tossed aside. I spun, dizzyingly, through the air before slamming, hip first, into a large, hard tree. Screaming in pain I fell to the ground and rolled to my knees.

At least my hip wasn't broken. Probably bruised though. Coughing and trying to catch my breath, my tangled silver hair spread out around me with thistles and twigs caught in it. I squinted toward where I thought I had been tossed from to see what had happened. Had we reached what ever destination they were planning on taking me?

I saw the tree people first; there were four or five of them and they all stood, clumped together, their little twig arms shaking and they were making odd, angry, clicking noises. Still a little dazed, I tried to see what It was that was irritating them so much. I had to double blink when my eyes landed on it, unsure if I should believe what it was I was seeing.

I grunted, and did my best to get to my feet, one arm wrapped around my aching midriff and the other using the hard tree to lift myself up. I leaned against the tree and decided that I was, indeed, looking at a cream colored fox. But this was like no fox I had ever seen or heard of before. It was huge for one, at least the size of a small car! And its fur was longer than I thought a fox from earth would have, its eyes glowing an angry red color and its hackles raised, probably making up at least a few inches of that impossible size.

And its teeth! Each mouth dagger was at least the size of one of my fingers and bared at the trees, saliva glistening and pink tongue flashing as it snarled. And lastly, from its backside, flowed several thick furred, cream colored tails each at least my own body length. It was a beautiful and terrifying beast but the stumps didn't seem to think so. They clicked and raged at the fox like it couldn't use them as tooth picks if it wanted.

Clearly the fox felt zero intimidation from their lack of fear and it lunged forward, snapping up one of the trees in its jaws and literally snapping it into a million bark strips in seconds. Seconds. A black clawed paw swung forward and shatter another of the creatures with relative ease as two of them jumped fearlessly on the fox's back, their twiggy fists yanking on the fox's fur.

As I drew my dagger, the gift that Lagdon had given me recently, I was surprised once again when the fox began to speak. It was a slightly growly voice but seemed feminine to me all the same, and she demanded the creatures take her to their master or she would destroy them all. I understood the sentiment, given I didn't apricate being dragged deep into a dark and menacing forest. But this fox was extremally furious with these little beasts.