Medrith; The Origin Of House Wollstone (PREVIEW)

chapter II; hunted

Samuel pushed his hair back, darting his clouded blue eyes back and forth between him and Erin. He watched her tangled red hair flow through the wind, knotting between branches and leaves. She walked further ahead, clinching onto her skirts hem. Her boots stomped into mud, quickly coming to a stop.

"See that sign?" She pointed forward. The wooden sign intertwined with vines read, "KEEP OUT." carved deeply into the rotten wood. Samuel blinked, opening his mouth to protest before being cut off. "We're goin' in there." She insisted, pulling him by the wrist. He yelped at the sudden pull.

"Why?" He asked carefully, knowing she'd probably take offence. "To see if the rumors are true." She snapped, jolting him forward. "Quit asking questions and come on!" Erin struggled to pull Sam behind her. She grunts, giving his hand up.

They passed the tattered fence, passing through brushes of thorns. Samuel winced, looking down to wipe away a trickle of blood. "I really don't think this is a good idea, Erin." Sam pleaded. He began looking around, stumbling behind. His arm began to sting. His head felt dizzy.

"You too scared, night-walker?" Erin laughed, purposely pulling back branches. Sam nearly stumbled to the ground, in attempt to dodge the hit. He puffed in frustration, "No." He snapped, brushing the dirt off. She rolled her eyes, skipping along the scattered leaves of the ruined pathway. Crunch, crunch. He cringed, feeling the deep regret of passing the fence. Pushing it off his chest, he watched Erin from afar, admiring her slowly.

Samuel smirked at the image of her fiery mangled knots of hair blowing in the gusts of wind. Losing track of thought, he realized he lost sight of Erin in the maze of trees. The sun started setting and the clouds started forming for the usual shower of rain.

"Erin?" He pleaded, desperately peering into bushes. "This isn't funny." A crack of his voice echoed throughout the night sky. The wind picked up, almost as a roar could be heard between the shuffling of leaves.

Sam started to panic, picking up his pace and frantically jogging through the brushes of trees and plants, being pricked and cut. The feeling of being watched had sent chills down his spine, causing him to stop in his tracks. He sucked in a deep breathe and slowly backed up into a tree.

Feeling as if he was in another dimension, things began to reform. His sight become foggier and his walk stumbled. His ears rang with an annoying buzzing noise.

The sound of crunching leaves had gotten closer. A bead of sweat drippled down his crinkled forehead."Run." A gentle voice echoed through his head, only to think it was his consciousness, he had no other intentions than to bolt for the entrance of the forest.

An alarming sound of running behind him had only quickened his pace profusely. Refusing to remotely dare looking back. Samuel breathed heavily, feeling his chest rise and beat faster than it had ever before. "Shit!" He gasped, tumbling over tree roots. A stinging sensation charged all throughout his legs, along with the palms of his hands. Dust and dirt had clouded his vision as he fell.

Ignoring the obvious pain shooting through his body, he clawed his way toward the nearest road. The sound of hooves clamping the ground with a wagon dragging behind gave Samuel the courage to bolt out a scream. "Help!" He cried out.

His legs went numb and his head began to feel heavy. Unable to move, he laid helplessly on the ground before soon to be swept up by gaudy arms. "I've got e' lad." A husky voice soothed Samuel into a calming state. His eyes fluttered shut.

"What is it father?" A little girl poked her head from the back of the wagon. She held tightly onto a kitten, peering into her father's arms. "Fluff out the hay, will ye'?" He shuffled his extra weight to the rear, plopping Samuel down onto the laid out straw.

The girl backed away, holding her knees to her chest. "Is he dead?" She grimaced, leaning over to poke him. Samuel flinched, causing the girl to fall back with a squeal. "I guess no'." The man laughed. He grabbed the reins, flinging them into the air. "Hyah!" The wagon jolted into a sprint.

"Don' touch 'em, Penny. He migh' bite ye'." He cracked a wide grin, turning to pinch her flustered cheeks. She pouted in the corner, gently rubbing the kitten underneath it's chin. "That's not funny." Penny grumbled to herself.

Samuel tossed and turned, still numb but felt an ounce of grief. He curled his fingers and toes, regaining the feeling within his body. "He's moving." She gasped. "Ask him his name." Her father suggested.

Penny swallowed a gulp, inching toward Samuel. "W-what's your name?" She asked loudly. Sam groaned at the ringing in his ears, along with the constant bumps from the road. His head vibrated and hit against the itchy straw. "Samuel." He said underneath a raggedy breath.

His eyes glued shut, but his mouth hung open dryly. "His name is Samuel." She reported back to her father. He nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "What were ye' doin' out there, Samuel?" he asked with a raised brow. "It's closed off for a good reason."

Penny nodded in agreement, "There's beasts and wild plants that will drive you insane." she went on to tell the tales, "Were's haunt the shady forest and steal imp souls!" She exclaims excitedly. "There's no such thing." Her father added.

"There is. Mary saw one." She argued. He chuckled, "Right. And I've seen a talking bear." he argued. Penny scoffed, sitting back on her knees.

"I don't know." Samuel clenched his jaw, answering his question. His eyes slowly opened, only to be met by the face of a shaggy kitten and a freckled child. Her hair red as Erin's and blue eyes as she. "Erin..." He trailed off.

"I think he's mad." Penny scrunched her face, backing up against the railing. 

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A/N

This Chapter has been edited, so the comments might not add up or make sense as for they were referring to the old version of the story!