Running From Shadows

I sat huddled closely to the tree trunk high above the ground. The branch beneath me was strong enough to hold but just barely. Thick, dark, green leaves surrounded me giving my black t-shirt and dark cargo shorts a camouflaged layering from above and below. I took in a deep breath of the pines and evergreens of the forest, the earthen smell oddly felt like home. I kept my gaze on the forest floor as I waited patiently for the danger that was lurking down there.

Nothing happened. Not for a long while, but after what felt like an hour two people rushed underneath the tree. They huddled close to the base of the trunk while they appeared to whisper to one another. I felt the ground begin to shake, and I knew what was following them.

“Get into the tree Uri,” one of them screamed. The person with long dirty blond hair began climbing slowly, while the dark haired person ran away. As the climber reached the first low branch—about three feet off the ground—I noticed it was a woman. I wanted to climb down and help her because she couldn’t climb very well. She held her side tightly as her faced paled of all color.

The wind wafted through the branches as she struggled. I could smell the fear on her like she was some sort of animal. “Get higher now,” her partner screamed as she made it to the second branch—five feet off the ground.

“I’m trying, but it’s kinda tough,” she hissed as he doubled back under the tree. A large black Shadow followed on his heals.

“Push yourself, Uri!”

“I can’t,” she cried. My heart broke for her. I couldn’t leave her to die, and her partner wouldn’t be able to hold off the beast much longer. I swung from my twenty-five feet high branch through the leaves so that I was visible to the woman.

“Do you need help?” I called to her. Her attention immediately shot to me.

“No! No, I’m fine,” she answered, fear evident in her shaking voice.

I jumped to the next branch being extra careful not to fall when I noticed the beast stopped about five feet from the base of my tree. The woman’s partner was calling to it frantically trying to keep its attention away from the woman long enough for her to climb higher. The beast wasn’t interested in the woman either because his empty, icy eyes were boring into my flesh.

“You, in the tree,” a whisper floated on a light breeze. I paused to try to figure out what was talking, and if it meant me or the woman.

“You, high in the tree!” the beast’s mouth moved with the words this time. The humans stared at me with wide eyes full of fear and maybe even awe as they listened closely.

“Don’t tell me you’re a different creature from the one trying to kill me earlier,” I hissed, though I knew my answer. This beast was larger and its eyes were light colored, but most disturbingly this creature appeared to be more solid instead of shadowy.

The gigantic wolfish jowls twisted upward in a sickening grin, “your little friend back there was weak.” Laughter poured from the beast.

“Friend,” the girl questioned. I glared.

“I have no friends. That thing said I killed some Rydon. It said I was his new master,” I growled. “I don’t want anything to do with you!”

“It’s not me you have to worry about,” the beast continued to laugh. “Tell Hyphron that Belphyre has a message from Morphyn for him.”

The woman discreetly hauled herself up another two feet. Her partner stood bolted to the ground. She turned towards the beast breathlessly, “she said leave!” Her quivering voice mixed with her panting made the words a little hard to understand. Silence fell over the awe struck crowd for a moment before the beast let out a horrific, screeching, howl.

“Climb,” her partner ordered. I noticed the short hair, muscle tone, and stupidity of the partner at that moment. He was obviously male, and strong enough to shove the woman another two feet into the tree.

“He’ll be back for you, girl, and be sure that when he delivers you your defiance will melt away.” The beast bounded away shaking the ground as it went. I shook the image from my head as I swung down a few more feet to help the couple get higher into the tree.

We managed to get the woman to the bottom camouflage of the thick green leaves. I regained my position on the thin branch being careful to listen to the distance sounds. The man sat about two branches above the woman and four below me. He kept a careful eye on her side, which was covered in a deep scarlet stain. “I don’t see or hear anything, so that must not have been some sort of communication,” I stated to no one in particular.

“It was more than communication,” the man said, an edge in his voice made my blood run cold.

“That was a signal for a fresh kill,” the woman spoke. She took in gasps of air; I wondered if something punctured her lung through her ribcage.

“What kill? You two are still kickin’.”

“There was a tribe of us. We were the survivors of the last farm around here,” the man answered. I felt his gaze shift towards me, but I did not want to meet his eyes just yet.

“What about…” she trialed off as she tried to catch her breath, but failed.

“I’m alone.” I didn’t want them to know that I didn’t know anything about myself. I didn’t want to frighten away the first humans I’d run across in God only knows how long.

“And you managed to kill a live Sérieux?” He seemed thoroughly impressed.

“I don’t know what a Sérieux is, but if it looks like a big bearish wolf then yeah, I stabbed it about 80 times before this shadowy smaller wolf looking thing started following me around like a puppy.”

“How do you not know what a Sérieux is,” he questioned standing on his branch causing two below me to shake wildly.

“I’m tired of answering your questions.” I took a chance and climbed a few more branches higher. I curled up as close as I could to the trunk of the tree before securing a rope around the trunk and my waist. I figured I might as well get some sleep while I was fighting with…whatever I was fighting.