Beyond the Stars

The Spectators

"Hey! Keep up," someone shouts.

Mariah snapped out of her contemplation and focused on her environment. She was walking at a slower pace, taking in her surroundings. The burly man ahead of her was standing on a rock – surveying the landscape. The group was filing past him. Everyone had a weapon of some sort ranging from spears, to AK-47s to grenades. Mariah was the outlier in the group; She just had a Swiss army knife and a bag full of supplies. It didn't occur to her to question where everyone got such weapons. She wasn't quite sure where they were headed... she wasn't even sure what they were supposed to be doing. Everything felt ...disjointed. She felt obligated to follow along, nonetheless.

Aimlessly they march until they discover an expanse. It was as massive as the Grand Canyon. The faces of the cliffs towered over the group like skyscrapers, it was almost as though the earth was looking at them through a magnifying glass. The surrounding earth and flora are akin to the landmark. The ground appeared fragmented and jagged in some areas - rolling and smooth in others. Spiky yucca, large agave, and tiny flame-red and pale-yellow blossoms covered the sweeping canyon floor. There were some juniper trees growing on the broken rock of the floor. A speeding river tirelessly carved its way through the basin. That was where the similarities between the forefather of geologic phenomena and this place ended. Something about this place felt ... off. The walls of the ravine had mauve, cornflower and copper streaks in them. There were odd violet boulders scattered around the area. The dirt beneath them even had a lilac tint. The leader of the group looks towards the other side of the canyon. "We need to find a way to cross this."

Mariah put her bag on the ground and digs through it. She thought she had something with her that would help, but she couldn't find it. Then she remembered where it was. "Hey! I think I have something back at the camp that could help us. Let me go get it!"

Before she knew it, she was lost in the woods. She had taken several winding paths trying to find her way back. With each path she took, the forest got thicker. She eventually came across a clearing. Mariah felt her heart skip. A wave of relief washed over her like she finally found a place that had eluded her. Her excitement waned when it became increasingly clear to her that she was alone. She began to feel small as the forest grew and trapped her inside. Suddenly she felt like she was in peril. She tried to turn around and retrace her steps, but the path disappeared. Then she heard a low growling coming from behind her. She whirls around to see a pack of five pitch black wolves with sinister red eyes pacing towards her, blocking her path. She attempted to back away, but she ended up tripping and falling. The wolves used this as an opportunity to pounce on her. Mariah shrieked. She tried to scramble to her feet, but the wolves had already grabbed her. She felt the burning pain of teeth tearing flesh as panic began to fill her prone form. As she kicked and screamed, she could only think of her inevitable death. Before she realized it, the wolves were holding her down as the pack leader strode forward. He was bigger by far than the others. He seemed almost monstrous! The evil dire wolf stared at her mockingly, slowly going for her throat. Before he could make contact, he abruptly stopped. It jumps off of Mariah . She gazed upward to see an ivory wolf with a golden glow standing on top of a boulder overlooking the scene. It howls, causing the dark wolves to cringe and shriek. The pack then runs whimpering back into the shadows. Mariah turns her attention back to the white wolf. Feelings of peace and hope washed over her as her vision faded to black.

She then finds herself wandering alone in a dark, misty forest looking for the exit. Which was impossible since whenever it looked like she reached the end, the forest kept on expanding. Although it was dark, Mariah could still see somewhat as the woods were lit by soft, blue moonlight. The place was entirely silent, save for the crunching of twigs and leaves beneath her feet. There was no wildlife. No wind whistling through the trees. No rushing streams of water. Nothing. It was as though the forest was frozen in time.