Chapter 9

So many thoughts and visions of people I knew ran through my mind. My friends, Kelsie, Dan. Little Izzy who I would never get to see again and poor Mom at home all alone, her eyes reddened and swollen. It opened a new hole in my heart in that split second as my life flashed before my eyes.
The deafening sounds of fierce snarls and claws flashing through air immediately stilled into nothing, catching me by surprise. I listened carefully but the only thing that could be heard was my heart, vividly beating against my rib cage. There was no feeling of pain, nothing that would indicate I was in the process of dying. There was just, silence.
I had always been told that before you die, you feel nothing but peace. Right now that was the opposite as to how I felt. I found myself instead pawing at the ground with my feet, making sure that I was still standing which appeared to be true. I was aware of Puck whose breath tickled the back of my neck, sending warm shivers down my spine. That only meant one thing,
I’m alive?
Gingerly I opened my eyes, keeping my firm stance as I dreaded the thought of what I might see. It turned out to be far from what I expected.
The huge tabby watched me intently 3 or so meters away. Where a once fearsome creature stood now sat the Mngwa quietly, completely absorbed by the two before it. My heartbeat began to slow as the silence remained, stretching out for miles, and I frowned deeply, completely puzzled.
Shouldn’t it have attacked by now?
I almost gaped in shock, the Mngwa didn’t budge, and I snapped my head around to Puck, seeking an explanation. I was regarded only with a nervous stare. 
“Puck?” 
He deliberately avoided my eyes then, and rubbed the back of his neck as if embarrassed. “Oh, um, you didn’t know, did you? I was going to tell you…”
I was still aware of the creature only tail lengths away, and kept my voice as low as possible. Maybe this was all a trick, maybe the cat was just waiting for the precise moment to strike. 

“What? Know what?” I hissed, shooting anxious glances in the direction of the Mngwa. It however remained seated, barely moving an inch. Its yellow eyes still pierced my skin, sending shivers up my arms and neck.

“Don’t worry, it won’t attack, at least not now that it knows.”
My eyes darted back to the red haired faerie, and then the beast again. I cautiously took a step towards the Mngwa, aware encase it so happened to attack again. But it remained still. Taking a deep breath I risked another step in its direction, and as I approached held out my hand, showing that I wasn’t a threat. This time the cats orb like eyes narrowed slightly, however it made no move. I hesitated for a moment, my hand hovering mere inches away from the Faerie, before I decided to drop it. Perhaps the creature didn’t appreciate being touched.
“Why aren’t you attacking?” I whispered, frowning as I watched its eyes slowly begin to de- narrow. 

“Snowdrop, we should really get going and set up camp somewhere before long.”
I barely noticed the eagerness in Pucks tone, my gaze completely for the creature before me. I racked my brain for any possible explanation as to why the Mngwa was behaving the way it was, but each time only ended up at a dead end. Could it be under some form of enchantment? Of course, anything was possible in the realm of Faery. Although, it didn’t seem to be that, clearly the beast was not completely friendly and still had a mind of its own.
Puck called me again, and this time I craned my neck to look at him, “Uh, yeah, sorry.” I murmured, “On my way.” Picking up my duffel bag from the ground I was thankful to find everything still inside. I swung it over one shoulder and carefully backed away from the Mngwa.
As I approached Puck I noticed a look of strain on his face, as if he was arguing with himself on the inside. Was something wrong? The fear that Puck had been struck by the creature drifted into mind, and I found my eyes darting up and down his lean body, trying to catch a glimpse of any evidence to suggest that he had been hurt. But he was completely fine, not one scratch on him.
“So, where are we headed?” I asked nervously, coming to stand beside him.
“If we travel fast enough we can reach the Centre of the Wyldwood before too long. Then we can rest for a little while.” One of the things I liked about Puck was that he was always on point and ready for anything. It was a characteristic of his that was somewhat alluring.

“Right.” I agreed, though somehow not quite liking the idea of walking deeper into the Faerie invested place. Then there was that part of me that was still curious about the Mngwa, and I kept shooting quick glances behind as we began our trek once more. Just before we disappeared into the thickly set undergrowth, I looked back over my shoulder a last time, and sure enough the tabby cat still sat there, its eyes never leaving our two retreating forms.

As we walked through the eerily silent Wyldwood my mind couldn’t help but wonder. I took in my surroundings, dumbfounded by the amount of beauty it consisted of. I had never seen anything like it before. It was odd, how I felt when amongst the thick vines and tall trees. Even though it was a place I was not familiar with I almost felt…comfortable.
“It’s wonderful isn’t it?” I heard Puck say aloud, breaking the silence. “I have always loved the Wyldwood. I used to hunt here all the time when I was young you know.”
“Hunt? Here? You’re crazy. With all the beasties around, I think the last thing I would take pleasure in is throwing myself into danger like that.” I replied gruffly.
Puck glanced at me, and flashed pearly white teeth in the form of a smile. There was a look of knowing in his eyes that I swore I hadn’t seen before, like he knew something I didn’t. “You seem to forget that most of us Fey have grown up living amongst the courts, and here in this very place. We thrive for danger and risks.”
“Even if it means getting yourself killed?” I shot back, though kept my voice low. I wouldn’t want to run into any more monsters possibly lurking nearby that was for sure.
The Fey boy thought for a moment, “Not necessarily.” He looked ahead again, “Here we get to make our own decisions. Unless of course you’re ordered to do something by the king or queen. Like me, many faeries are used to the Nevernever and all its ‘Beasties.” I noticed how Puck emphasized the last word, clearly quoting what I had said. “Unlike mortals, the fey have a way of...” He tried to find the right words, “forgetting the danger and just focusing on the fun.”
I nodded a few times in understanding, dwelling on this new information. I knew The Fey were born as wild, careless creatures. Well, especially those that belonged to the Wyldwood anyway. But the fact that they seemed near enough fearless puzzled me. From all the books I had read about the Fair Folk, from all the plays and movies created by famous poets and directors, The Fey had always feared something, one way or another. Even if it was just something small, it was impossible to not feel fearful sometimes. “That’s strange…” I spoke my thoughts aloud, “I never thought it was possible to not be in fear of something.” I glanced at the boy beside me. In that split second his expression darkened so slightly it was barely noticeable.
“Oh no Skylar. The Fey can feel fearful. The Fey fear many things.” 
“Like wha-“ 
“Shouldn’t be too long now, we have been lucky. Usually I would have faced at least three Wyldwood beasts by now.” He smiled, that look completely gone from his face. I closed my mouth, deciding not to push the subject any further. Clearly this wasn’t something Puck wanted to talk about. 
Instead I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Samsung, something I did so casually without even knowing it half of the time. I looked at the screen- black, completely dead. “That’s strange.” I murmured with a frown, pressing the on button with no effect. “I charged it before school, it should still have battery.” 

Puck chuckled beside me, shaking his head. “You really don’t know much about the Nevernever do you?” 

I huffed irritably, “I know enough thank you very much.” 

“You forget that the realm of Faeries is not the same as the human world, Snowdrop. “ Puck continued, chopping a rather strange looking vine in half as we walked. “Mobile devices don’t work let alone exist here, neither does time itself.”
I rolled my eyes, and shoved it back into my pocket, “Of course they don’t.” I sighed, my mind wondering again. It was no surprise that mobiles didn’t work here, after all, The Fey did not live with technology, let alone know about it. But time? Time was what made the world, whether the real or the fantasy. How did night turn into day, or day turn into night? Surely the Nevernever must have days. And what about aging? You cannot age without time.

You forget that the realm of Faeries is not the same as the human world… Puck’s words lingered at the back of my mind.

So it was likely that the Nevernever really didn’t have time. Or days…or even Faeries that age for that matter. But that would mean that there was no night nor day. Or no old Fey. How absurd it was to think any world could be that unusual. But, then again, to them our world was just as dangerous, just as confusing…just as bad as theirs.
We continued the rest of the journey in complete silence, the light breeze which blew through the thick undergrowth the only sound to be heard. I could have sworn I heard a howl somewhere not too far away, though I passed it over as a mere figment of my imagination when it died into nothing.

As we neared the centre of the Wyldwood I noticed how it appeared to get darker, mostly in colour. I was about to complain how I could have sworn we had been walking for hours, when Puck stopped beside me. “Well, here we are.” He murmured, looking around the rather small clearing that we had walked into.

“Here?” I muttered, taken by surprise. “Right where we're exposed to whatever is around?” Puck couldn’t possibly mean we would be sleeping on the floor. That was a terrible, terrible idea. 

“Have you any better ideas?” He replied with a raise of his eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. I frowned deeply as I thought for another solution, and before long I had one.

“We could sleep in the trees?” I suggested, gesturing with my chin to the thick objects surrounding the area. “We would be on higher ground, and it would be trickier for anything that wants to get to us.”

“I was waiting for you to come up with something like that.” He chuckled, tilting his head to one side as he watched me. “The trees it is then.” 

Author's Note

I hope so far you guys have enjoyed reading this! Following chapters will be uploaded as soon as I finish writing them.
The story has only just begun, so keep reading!
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