Eliona's War 1: Hesitant Healer

Chapter 4

Once he made it into the forest, he realized it wasn't as bad as he'd thought. It was still dark and maybe a little gloomy, but nowhere like the horror show he had expected.

Small rays of sunlight managed to pierce through the overhead canopy, creating rare patches of light. A thick bed of needles covered the forest floor, but occasionally, a plant would grow tall and lean, desperately reaching for those rare glimpses of the sun.

Now that he was here, it took Severance about three seconds to realize there was absolutely no sign of a vine-like plant. Nor was there anything that looked like pods.

"Of course there isn't," he muttered. That would be too easy.

He glanced back, observing the bright daylight seeping into the forest's edge. It seemed that he would have to venture deeper in order to find these Twisted Pods.

He walked on, navigating around trunks massive enough for him to hide behind. A chorus of birdsong accompanied him, though it sounded mournful rather than chipper. Woo-woo. Woo-woo. It was like owls were warning him off. Or maybe they weren't owls, but a family of creepy monkeys high up in the trees. Who knew what was lurking up there?

Severance kept an eye on the forest floor, checking out every patch of greenery he came across. None looked like what the Guardsman had described. After a few minutes, he slowed, wondering if maybe he'd missed it.

He looked back the way he'd come. Gone was the forest edge, replaced by an identical vision of what lay in front of him. Trees. And more trees. With a sinking feeling in his heart, he turned in a slow circle.

"I'm not lost," he said to the trees. They didn't answer back, but something above him gave a sad little woo-woo.

All right, he needed a new plan. This wasn't working out. It would be better to head back the way he'd come and then start over. The Guardsman had said the plants were just inside the forest. He must have missed them somehow.

But after he'd walked a short ways, he noticed that the forest had become quiet. Gone was the weird birdsong and general noise of forest life. Instead, dead silence hung among the trees like a heavy fog.

Severance stopped, uneasy. Something was wrong. He couldn't tell what, exactly, but if this were the real world, goose bumps would be rising all over his skin. He peered between the trees and into the shadows. Nothing.

In fact, he'd seen nothing all along. Because now that he was thinking about it, the cuddleworms had been coming out of the forest by the dozens. How come there hadn't been any inside? Had something spooked them?

The more he thought about it, the more worried he got. He searched the surrounding area again, only slightly relieved when no glowing eyes stared back at him. Which way was out of the forest? He needed to go that way, immediately.

Something rustled behind him.

Severance turned. He saw a ragged shape towering between two trees, far taller than him. It raised its head and let out an unholy shriek. It was loud enough to chill the blood in his veins.

There was only one thing to do in this situation.

He bolted. Not even a second later, he heard the rapid staccato of heavy feet pounding after him, along with great snorting breaths.

It came after him like a freight train. Desperately, he tried to weave around the trees, trying to keep them between him and the creature. It slowed him down significantly, but it was the same for the beast chasing him. If it bought him an extra second before being brutally mauled to death, he'd take it.