#deadly forest

[scamaine]

“Monsters and secrets lie in the forest of Zaklen, terrorising the people at its edges, ever taking, never giving back. Can one young prince in search for what's been lost uncover them or will he fall for their deadly claws?”

My new webcomic “What the Forest Hides” comes out on August 10th! Be sure to check it out!

[divineprisoner]

I fell to the ground beneath the stars, clutching the beads in my hands, whispering the familiar hymn under my breath. The cold ground was wet, soaking into my knees, I did not mind. I looked up and up and up, and all I could say was I am yours, I have always been yours, I will always be yours. It hurts to love you, but I would rather love you than love any human.

Tears glossed my eyes, an owl hoots nearby, and a star fell just as I did. I wished for nothing except you.

[divineprisoner]

i heard them. i’ve never heard so many at one time, so close to me. i was cautious, but i was not afraid. and for a fleeting moment, i wanted to run in there and join them, to howl with them, to hunt as they hunt. and just as they let us hear their howls, they were gone the next second. all of them. where they went, i’ll always wonder.

[divineprisoner]

i am slowly becoming more comfortable with going near the forest with it being completely dark. no flashlight. no moonlight to shine on the ground. just me, the trees, the wind, and the dark consuming us all. to hear the things i’ve heard and see the shadows dancing (or running)... this is the way it’s meant to be seen and heard. this is what it’s meant to be.

[divineprisoner]

i saw eyes, so many eyes. unblinking, unmoving silver eyes. they watched me, closely, just as i had watched them. i took steps back; they did not. i was not the hunter, i was the prey.

something ran into the abandoned barn, or maybe more than one something. i heard it move, i heard it against the walls and scratching every which way. i heard the teeth gnaw and gnaw and gnaw. i couldnt tell if it was flesh or bone.

i saw a white tree. at least, i thought i did. there are no white trees in our forest. but it reminded me of a wedding dress.

a black cat appeared before me. i took one step, and it disappeared into the night. perhaps it was the night returning to itself.

i heard a bird behind me, i also felt eyes on my back. the bird kept crowing, and i kept looking for it. it would always crow in the distance, no matter how close i got. eventually, the crowing turned into screaming.

i offered bread to the old spirits and gods, i exclaimed my name so they knew who i was and where i came from. i did not want to be strangers. i laid the bread down, and turned around. i looked back, and it was gone. a note for myself: do not look back.