Wildwood

Night had fallen.

The sky was dark, and the few glimpses that could be caught of it through the thick canopy of trees overhead were black and starless.

But the center of the camp was illuminated by the flickering orange light of a massive bonfire, whose dancing tendrils of flame licked the chilled air higher than even Rohen's head. The pale, dirt smeared faces of the children glowed in the firelight, all turned towards Kalil in silent judgment, who stood in the center of them, closer to the searing heat of the flames than he would have liked.

He was not happy.

"Is this absolutely necessary?" He growled under his breath to the Witch doctor standing beside him. Rohen smiled. In the writhing firelight, his grin seemed more like that of a predator's leer, than anything even remotely comforting.

"Oh yes," He replied. His blue skin shone an unnameable color in the orange glow. "You'll have a much easier time... fitting in, if you will forgive the phrase, once you and Lady Leonora are officially initiated into our little family." He explained softly. His grin widened imperceptibly. "Of course, it's also quite a bit of fun. For us, anyways."

"And this... ridiculous get-up, it's absolutely necessary as well?" Kalil spat through clenched teeth, picking unhappily at the grey furs that cascaded heavily over his bare shoulders.

"Absolutely." Rohen assured him. "And stop rubbing your face, you'll smear the paint." Kalil reluctantly stopped picking at the flecks of red paint that spiraled across his cheeks, brow, and chin.

"Where's Lana?" He asked darkly. Her face was not among the crowd that surrounded the two older men. Kalil shifted uneasily under the rest of the children's gazes. Their eyes were dark and shadowed, and their faces loomed like the white faces of the dead out of the darkness. They were all unnaturally silent, though Kalil could feel the electric energy coursing through them, the silent buzz the filled the air.

"Waiting for you," Rohen replied unhelpfully.

"Where?" Kalil snapped, his frustration peaking. Rohen wordlessly pointed into the shadows of the trees, where the light of the bonfire could no longer penetrate.



Lana followed Nasrin through the dark undergrowth, stumbling and catching the hem of her dress on every passing tree root. She yanked it free, and the fabric gave way with a tearing noise that stopped Nasrin dead in her tracks. She rounded on Lana, her eyes narrowed.

"Be careful with that! it's very, very old!"

"I am sorry," Lana cowered, clasping the hem to her chest. Nasrin heaved an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes.

"It's alright. Just watch it. Now come on." Nasrin turned away and continued trekking through the dark forest. Lana followed, with some difficulty, keeping the bottom of the dress clutched in her hands and well away from the forest floor.

"Where are we going, exactly, if you don't mind my asking?" She ventured to ask, after several silent minutes of trying to work up the nerve to address the abrasive girl leading her into the depths of the woods.

"You'll see." Nasrin grunted.

"Ah," Lana said, as if she understood. Silence fell upon the duo again. "And... what exactly will we be doing once we arrive to... well, wherever it is we are going?" She added, after a long moment.

"You mean what you'll be doing." Nasrin corrected. "After we get there, I'm going back to the camp."

Lana's eyes grew wide, and she forgot herself mid-step and stumbled again. "You are... going to abandon me?" She gasped. Nasrin came to another abrupt halt, and snorted.

"Abandon you? Lord, we're not going to leave you here forever. Relax, this is just part of the game."

"Game?" Lana repeated. "I thought this was an Initiation...?"

"Yes..." Nasrin said slowly, wrinkling her nose in thought. "But it's also a sort of... game. It's hard to explain, and anyways, that takes all the fun out of it. It would be easier if Gwydir were here, but I guess it all works out, since we have Kalil to take his place."

"Does Kalil know what is going on?" Lana asked.

"Nope," Nasrin chirped happily. "It's gonna be great! It's never happened like this before!" She glanced around. They were surrounded on all sides by the densely packed trees, which loomed ominously overhead, blotting out the moonlit sky overhead. The darkness was near absolute, and if it weren't for the glowing torch Nasrin carried with her, they would be cast in inky blackness. Lana had no idea which way led back to the camp; Nasrin had taken a winding, twisting route, and Lana suspected that she had doubled back and gone in circles a few times, to intentionally confuse her. "This looks like a good spot." She turned to Lana, and gave her a stern look. "Now listen to me carefully. I'm going to leave you with this torch. You're going to wait here, and I'm going to go back to Camp. You'll know when It begins. Now, no matter what happens, just know, we're not going to let anything hurt you. Rohen and me will be watching. If you start crying, we'll come for you. Got it?"

"O-okay," She stuttered out, her heart racing. "I understand." She didn't really, and she wished Nasrin would tell her whatever she was keeping from her, but she knew she didn't have much of a choice. "Kalil is coming, right?" She asked, her words coming out as a whisper despite herself.

Nasrin smiled. It wasn't the kind of smile that settled Lana's fears. "He'll be here," she assured her. For some reason, Lana wasn't comforted. "Alright, good luck!" Nasrin gave Lana a jaunty wave, handed her the torch, and then disappeared, slipping into the darkness of the forest like a shadow.

Lana was very alone. An icy wind blew through the trees, and she hugged the blood red cloak tighter to her body. The white gown she was, though beautiful, was threadbare and moth-eaten, and offered little protection against the cold of the night. Thankfully the cloak was made of thick velvet, and though it smelled of damp and mildew, it kept her from freezing to death. It had a hood as well, which she pulled over her head, heedless of the damage it did to her intricate braids.

Another gust of wind blew by, and made the torch flame flicker dangerously. Lana's breath caught in her throat, and she feared what would happen if it went out. How would she be found? Would she be lost in the forest forever?

No, of course not. That was a silly thought. Nasrin had just vanished in the woods alone, torchless, and seemed to know exactly where she was going. The light had been for Lana's benefit.

Then that left only one thing to worry about. What was going to happen to her?

She had no idea about what an initiation really was, or what it even consisted of. Just what was the plan for her, and what was she going to have to do once she was found--if she was found--by Kalil?

Kalil.

The thought of him being the one looking for her helped to settle her racing heart. He was her precious friend. She knew that he would find her without fail. All that was left to do was wait in the cold abyss of the forest with nothing but her cloak for warmth, and the torch for some peace of mind.



Kalil felt stupid. In literally any other circumstance, he might not have minded the wolf pelt draped over his head, or the swirling red tattoos that glowed in intricate patterns on his bare skin. But as he stumbled through the pitch black forest, with the biting wind raising goosepimples on his flesh, and with that the infernal wolf head sliding down over his eyes every thirty seconds making it even harder to see where he was going, not having the slightest idea where he was going or what he was supposed to be doing; all he could think about was how in hindsight being a down-beaten penniless slave in an oppressive society wasn't so bad after all.

Well, maybe not. But it was certainly looking like a better alternative every moment.

Not more than fifteen minutes earlier, he had been shoved into the dark depths of the forest by Rohen, with only the parting words of "find her" to give him the slightest inclination of what he was supposed to be doing.

He could still feel the eyes of the children on his back, though that might have been because they were still watching him. That raised hairs on the back of his neck made him suspect he wasn't as entirely alone as he seemed to be.

It was very dark. And very cold. He wanted to pull the furs tighter around himself but refrained, and let the chill embrace him. His breath condensed in the air in front of him, like little puffs of smoke every time he exhaled. He was glad for this thick hide boots, which kept his feet warm and protected from the thick, treacherous undergrowth, even if his bare torso couldn't be. Every now and again, as he tripped through the trees, the clawed branches would scrape his arms or chest, drawing little beads of blood. He didn't care. There was only one thing on his mind now. Find Lana.

She was somewhere out in this forest, alone, cold, and probably very scared. He needed to find her, and then this whole ridiculous ordeal would be over with. Then he could take her back to the camp, get back into their normal clothes, and then...

He didn't know what then. Just try to survive another day. Anything, just to be done with this initiation torture. Poor Lana. She tried so hard to be brave.

Something howled.

Kalil began to run.



Lana waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Her torch burned lower and lower with every passing moment, and each gust of wind threatened to extinguish its light entirely. She huddled close to it, her cloak wrapped tight around her. Her fingers aimlessly traced the gold embroidery stitched around the hem of the cloak while her mind wandered, her every thought darker and more panicked than the last.

What if Kalil never found her? What if he got lost? What if she was lost? What if something happened to one of them? What sort of animals were out here in the forest? She remembered those nights before her ill fated wedding, when she heard the wolves howling outside the Wall. Wolves? Were there wolves out here? She hadn't seen any when she had been with Kalil in those first few days of freedom, but she knew she hadn't imagined the howling. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she still heard it. It woke her up--at least, she thought it did. Maybe she was only dreaming it.

Then, as if to confirm her fears, somewhere in the far distance, something howled.

She dropped to the ground, bringing her knees up close to her chest. She buried her face in her skirts, and closed her eyes tight, holding the torch above her head, so she was enveloped in a halo of protective light.

Wait here... Nasrin told me to wait here, and everything would be fine. Kalil will find me if I wait here... She said to herself, again and again. It didn't calm her. The wind continued to pick up. She could here it whistling and moaning through the laden branches of the trees, and on it the twisted wail of a wolf's cry was carried.

Suddenly, a flash of white light lit up the forest. Lana couldn't help it, she screamed and jerked backwards, nearly dropping her torch. It had been a flash of lightening. Lana realized that there was more than the scent of the decomposing forest floor in the air. The wind was charged with static, and she could smell the wetness in the air.

It smelled like rain. Rain, and the night. Like darkness. A summer storm was coming.

Thunder pealed, and another flash of lightening illuminated the sky. In the fading echo of the thunder, she caught the hint of another howl.

The first rain drop landed. She barely had time to register it before the next fell, and the next. In moments, it was suddenly pouring rain, dousing the torch's meager flame in seconds, and leaving Lana wet, and cold, and in complete darkness.

She pulled the hood further over her head, and pressed her back into the trunk of a tree, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as they would go.

It is going to be fine, She thought to herself. They promised. I will be alright, and Kalil will be be here soon, and then we can go back...

BOOM

Thunder rocked the earth beneath her feet. Lightening flashed. The lamenting eulogy of the wolf was unleashed again. Its echo seemed to last a moment longer than it should have. It sounded hungry.

There were more sounds now, in the forest all around her, in the darkness. Twigs snapping, flurries of leaves being kicked up into the tossing wind, the hot heaving breathes of animals and the sound of their padded paws treading, stalking, in the dirt.

There was more than one.

She could hear them now, screaming at the sky, echoing each other and rising above the shrill pitch of the wind. Lana stumbled to her feet, her eyes wide, her pupils dilated, straining to see in the pitch black curtain of black that surrounded her on every side. Every few moments, a flash of lightening would throw the shadows and trees and slanting rain into sharp contrast, leaving her nearly blinded and more ill equipped to deal with the darkness than she had been before.

Her back was pressed so hard against a tree that the bark cut into her flesh. Her dress and cloak hung limply, sticking to her skin, and heavy with water.

A faint animal smell drifted through the water logged air, and she cringed away from it. Wet dog. But not just dog. It was a different scent; deeper, more raw. The musk of a wild animal, the musk of the forest.

The rain beat a ceaseless tattoo upon the earth’s tender flesh. Through it all, she could only hear her own heavy, panting breathing; the pounding of her frantic heart, so loud she wondered why the beasts hadn’t already followed its sound and torn her apart.

"Please..." she whispered, and her sightless eyes welled up with tears. "Please stop!" She suddenly shouted, finding her voice lurking somewhere in the back of her throat.

The forest fell silent. Even the wind seemed to pause for a moment, to let her call be heard throughout the woods. Then, somewhere in front of her, hidden by the shadows, something came crashing through the undergrowth, towards her.

A scream rose and caught in Lana's throat. In the darkness, barely twenty feet from where she stood, a pair of slanted yellow eyes suddenly glowed like crescent moons, framed by blackness.

She gasped and stumbled back, slipping in the loose mud beneath her and crashing to the ground. She tried to scramble unsteadily to her feet, the only thought on her mind flight. As she slipped and stumbled and sank into the hungry ground, the unearthly wailing howl rose from the depths of the night again, this time so close she knew it had to belong to the yellow glowing eyes.

Countless more wolfish cries answered it, from every side.

She turned and ran.

She stumbled over tree roots and twisting vines that clung to her ankles, alive with their intent of dragging her down to the mud. Tree branches whipped at her face, scratching her pales cheeks like grasping little claws, drawing blood and angry, painful welts. Her hood was torn from her head, and the rain ran into her eyes and mouth and nose.

She could hear it following her, crashing through the trees behind her and screaming. Its howls were lost in the wind.

Branches whipped at her face and caught on her dress, forcing her to frantically tear it loose heedless of the damage. The darkness loomed on every side, and she could see yellow, glowing eyes flashing at her, surrounding her, chasing after her as she ran. The beast followed on her heels, crashing through the dense growth of the forest and snarling with rage. Hungry howls were thrown into the wind, which only continued to pick up speed and whip her hair about her in a flurry. Her once beautifully incricate braids caught on bare branches and were torn from her head, but all she could do was push the sodden locks from her face and continue her frantic, terrified flight.

The rain was blinding her. Even worse than the rain was the lightning, which made her slip and slide sightlessly, until she finally lost her footing entirely and collapsed in the mud.

She was on her hands and knees now, half crawling in her haste to escape. But she was suddenly very aware that she wasn’t going to make it, not now, even if she had ever had a chance.

The blood was rushing in her ears, and the sheets of relentless rain seemed to be trying to drown anything too stupid to find cover.

The eyes drew closer, and it forced its way closer, through the trees. Lightning flashed, and she could see grey, sodden fur; streaks of blood red; and the crystallized breath clouds from its panting mouth. Lana screamed, loud and shrill, and fell backwards. It began to advance.

With slow, clumsy movements, she dug into the mud, trying to find a rock or a stick, anything she could use as a weapon against the animal.

It heaved and stomped closer, and would be upon her in moments. She didn't want to die like this, alone in the mud. There had to be something she could defend herself with...

Two more steps. She could smell its wet fur, it was so close.

Was that a rock? No, it crumbled in her hand.

One step.

It was so wet, and so cold…

There was nothing, this was the end, it was hopeless.

It was on her now. The night was screaming. The wolf fell upon her.

"Lana!" someone screamed.