Ch 1: Beware the Forest

Aaron arrives at his new home hoping that his life here will be normal, but he is in for a surprise.

   The palm of his hand held up his face while he looked out the window. The silver car was crossing an old stone bridge, a quiet river flowing underneath. His navy blue eyes watched beneath as the water would roll against the shore or fold over on itself, though he did so with an uninterested, slightly irritated look. He looked through the corner of his eyes, his gaze landing on the two figures in the front seats.

   One, the driver, was a woman with long brown hair that was put up into a neat bun, as well as a blue and gray colored dress. The other in the passenger seat was a man, one with somewhat long, ragged black hair and a decent black shirt. At one point he noticed the hazel eyes of the woman look at him through the rear-view mirror, at which he turned his gaze away with a glare.

   "Do not give me that look! Getting irritated isn't going to make us turn back!" She snapped with an aggravated voice, looking back towards the road. At the finish of her statement, the boy in the back seat sat straight up and looked at her through the mirror, anger crossing his features.

   "Why do we even have to go here!? We were perfectly fine at our last home!"

   "We would have been if you wouldn't of ruined multiple of our business meetings and even made the whole town think that our family was full of freaks! Talking about ghosts and vampires and goblins. You do it every time! It's almost as if you want us to constantly leave as soon as we do call somewhere home!"

   The boy growled and looked away from her, speaking, but only under his breath. He hadn't intended for his mother to hear what he said, but she still managed to. "If dad were here he would believe me."

   Almost immediately, the breaks of the car were slammed to the ground, the car coming to a quick stop. The woman turned in her seat, moved her seatbelt out of the way, reached her arm back, and slapped the boy across the face with a sound that seemed to echo through the car. "Aaron Irwin! You will not ever speak of that man again, you hear me!"

   "My name is Aaron Canino. I will never have your last name, whether you like it or not." The boy stared his mother in the face with a defiant look on his face. His eyes were narrowed, his eyebrows were angled downward, and he seemed unaffected by the slap he had received at his mother's hand.

   The two of them stayed silent for many moments, eyes locked and both with expressions of pure anger on their faces. The man in the passenger seat had turned, looking back and forth between the two, but neither of them seemed fazed, nor did the man say anything. Finally, the woman gave up, letting out a huff and turning back around, beginning to accelerate the car once again. Aaron turned away as well, going back to his previous position. When he did glance over again, he watched as the man in the passenger seat set his hand on his mother's, whispering things to her. The boy rolled his eyes and looked back out the window as the car began to leave the bridge.

   As he stared out the window, forest came into view, full of a variety of trees. The scene was really quite pretty, but that wasn't the first thought that came to Aaron's mind. The moment the car was across the bridge he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, as well as a feeling of being watched crossing over him. He tried to find where the feeling could be coming from, but there didn't seem to be any sources. There was only one moment when he believed he saw something. He had been looking out the window at the bushes that intervened with the tree-line, many of which would start climbing up the body of the trees. He would see streaks of movement moving just as fast as the car, but what the movement was remained unknown. In addition, just as quickly as the streaks began, they stopped.

   Not long after that the trees began to thin out, becoming less frequent and allowing more light to come in through the windows. Ahead of the car started to appear buildings of multiple sizes and colors. As they got nearer, these buildings appeared as houses, restaurants, grocery stores, and many others. Off to one side of the road was a small sign sticking in the ground, on which the word 'Lindow' was written in fancy letters. The car passed the forest and emerged into the large town, turning immediately down a street with a faded sign next to it and many larger houses on either side. The silver car finally came to a slow pace in front of a large white house, turning into the driveway.

   Aaron looked out the window of the car, recognizing the house from the pictures he had seen on his mother's computer at their old house. If he was correct, this was going to be their new home. It seemed a bit fancier than he would have personally liked, but his mother always enjoyed taking advantage of her wealth.

   The three of them got out of the car, examining the house for a moment. "Miles dear, could you start getting our bags out of the trunk?" The woman looked at the black-haired man with what almost seemed to be a flirtatious look. The two exchanged a kiss before Miles went to the back of the car, popping open the trunk and beginning to remove the bags. While he did so, Aaron and his mother went inside to investigate the home. As to be expected from a fancier house, the inside was spotless. Shiny gray floors, white walls, a staircase leading to the second floor, a decent sized kitchen, a living room with a fireplace and a tv, a bathroom, and one other room with nothing inside. Upstairs there were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large office. The house was a little bit big for just three people, but it wasn't like it was going to change any time soon.

   When the two went back out the front door they noticed two figures across the road standing in front of a somewhat large house staring at them. When the two noticed they had been seen, they both crossed the road and came to the group. One was a man, around 5'9 with dirty blond hair and brown eyes. The other was a boy, around the same age as Aaron, who had curly blond hair, light blue eyes, and glasses. The man approached Aaron's mother while the boy approached Aaron.

   "Excuse me miss? Are you the ones moving into this house?"

   "Yes, we just arrived a little bit ago. This is our first time seeing the home in person, " she said with a sweet voice, the complete opposite one she had in the car previously.

   "I see. Well I live across the road from you, so if you ever need any help then you're welcome to ask. My name is Josh Givens."

   "I'm Emelia Irwin, this is my fiance Miles, and that is my son. I thank you for your offer."

   The man seemed to freeze for a moment. He began to examine the woman, a look of questioning in his eyes. "That name sounds...familiar."

   Meanwhile, the young blond boy had approached Aaron. "You're lucky. I've always wanted to live in that house. My parents always say that we wouldn't ever be able to cause we aren't that rich. My name is Mitch Givens."

   "Aaron Canino." He looked over at his mom and the other man. "That's your dad, then? You look similar"

   "Yeah. My mom always says that if I wouldn't have gotten her blue eyes I would have been an exact copy of him, minus my curly hair." The boy then got closer to Aaron and whispered, "so I got a question for you. Do you believe in the supernatural?"

   Aaron's eyes went wide and he looked over at Mitch. But before he could say anything, Josh was calling his boy over to him, announcing that it was time for them to get home. Quickly, Mitch looked back at Aaron and said, "you're going to school here right? Lindow High School?" Aaron nodded. "Good. I will see you at school then."

   The boy then turned and made his way over to his father, the two walking across the road without another word or turn of head. Their departure left Emelia and Aaron standing next to each other while Miles began taking their bags inside the house. Neither of them spoke a word to each other for the longest time, an eery silence passing between them. It stayed that way for a minute or two before Aaron turned away from the road.

   "I'm going to walk around for a while, " he stated, walking towards the side of the house with no other words. Emelia said and did nothing to stop him. She only sighed and began helping Miles with the bags.

   The boy scratched the back of his head as he came to the backyard, which was a decent size to match the house. At the edge of the yard was the tree line that signalled the beginning of the forest. Despite what his mind told him, he walked over to the woods, discovering a dirt path carved through it. Curious, he chose to follow it.

   He only walked for around fifteen minutes, stepping over tree roots and avoiding thorn bushes that protruded outwards. It didn't take long for him to arrive at the end of the path where a large meadow opened up in front of him. Tall grass, no trees except for the surrounding area, and even a few deer off in the distance. Wanting to enjoy the view, Aaron chose a tree that formed the tree line and leaned against it, lowering himself to the ground.

   Mother is wrong. I've liked almost every town we have gone to. It's only when I start to see a house as home that things go wrong, he thought, pulling his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them, and laying his head in them.

   Without even realizing it, he had drifted off to sleep. His dreams were more like flashbacks, but not good ones. Something unseen lifted him on the air by his arms, he felt fangs poking at his throat, his airway was cut off, and scratches went across his arms. Each feeling would happen in a different setting than the last and once one feeling ended, another replaced it. The last thing that Aaron saw before we woke was his father's face.

   Dark blue eyes opened quickly to find that the light had disappeared and been replaced with a deep darkness. The only light that provided any sight was that of the full moon that resided above the trees.

   I didn't know there was suppose to be a full moon tonight. And when did I fall asleep, he thought, stretching out his arms. He pushed against the tree and lifted himself from where he sat, wiping the leaves off of his pants. He glanced over to the side, looking for the path he had used to come here, but he didn't see the start of it. He moved a step away from the tree, trying to find the entrance, but still no luck. Mom is going to kill me, he thought.

   There was then the breaking of a twig behind him. He also heard quiet growling, which didn't make things any better. He turned to find that there were four large figures walking on four legs coming towards him, emerging from the tall grass of the plains. All four figures had yellow eyes connected to them, staring him down. The moonlight wasn't enough for him to see many details, but they seemed to be canines.

   Dogs? No, too big. Wolves? They seem to big to be those either. Then...what are- He couldn't finish his thought before one of the creatures lunged forward, swiping one of his paws at him. He had jumped back, but not without the feeling of claws going across right beneath one of his knees. He let out a yell and stumbled backwards into the tree he had been sleeping against. He put his hands against where the claws went across, where he felt three scratches and a warm liquid on his palms. He looked back up to find the creatures continuing to stalk towards him. He also seemed to hear what almost sounded like laughing as they bared their fangs towards him.

   It's happening again. Something always tries to kill me. All the other times I got lucky. Something stopped me from getting killed. But I have a feeling...I won't be as lucky this time...

   His body began to shake, his leg brought him pain, and fear was the only emotion that crossed him. The fear of death and the thought that he was going to die had unfortunately went through his mind many times before this. So he merely closed his eyes and waited for the creatures to do what they pleased. They would cause him pain and take that pain away just as quickly.

   He heard a vicious snarl and rapid footsteps to his side before things seemed to go downhill. There was suddenly growling, snarling, the slicing of grass, and claws raking down the bark of trees around him. He risked opening his eyes to see five figures, one larger than the rest. The four creatures that had stalked him before now had all of their attention focused on the larger creature that hadn't been there before. He watched each of the smaller beasts lunge at the larger one, their fangs digging into the creature, only to have a large arm slam into their stomachs and throw them off forcefully.

   The battle didn't seem to be stopping, so Aaron quickly got to his feet and limped into the forest, pain shooting through his leg with each step. He clenched his teeth, hoping that doing so would diminish the feeling, but to no avail. Even as he went he could still hear the battle going on behind him, outraged beasts fighting against one another. He didn't seem to walk for very long before he tripped over a tree root, tumbling to the ground with a thud and a wince. He felt the pain in his leg increase in one burst from hitting the ground, making him close his eyes tightly until it left.

   I have to...if anything...find a place to hide, he thought, looking around him desperatly. He then noticed that the tree root he had tripped over was connected to even more roots and a large tree. On the opposite side of the tree bushes grew, blocking off that side. It wouldn't provide him as much cover that he wanted or needed, but it would at least help.

   He pulled himself over to the base of the tree and put himself in what was almost like a nest of roots, hunkering down and wrapping his arms around his injured leg. He tried to ignore the pain he felt, but it was difficult. The only thing that slightly distracted him was the sound of the battle still raging behind him. There was one final loud snarl, a loud whine accompanying it, before everything seemed to go quiet.

   As quickly as the battle had started, it ended. He only heard one last snarl before the whole forest became peaceful. He could hear crickets chirping all around him and the rustling of leaves as the wind gently shifted them in their place. Aaron listened to the peacefulness for a minute before he debated whether or not to leave the tree roots and try to find his way back to the house. But when he considered it, he didn't know if any of those creatures were still around. He hadn't heard any footsteps in the forest or anything when the battle was over. But that didn't mean anything. For all he knew those creatures could be cornering him st that second.

   I still have to get home. If I don't my leg could get worse, he thought. He swallowed down his fear and began to push himself away from the tree. Then there was an exhale of breath next to him.

   Aaron froze right where he was. His heart skipped a beat and his eyes went wide. It hadn't sounded like a normal breath. it was deeper and less controlled than any regular one, as odd as that sounded to be thinking about how someone breaths.

   I'm...scared to move, he thought, staying right where he was. He could feel warm air occasionally blowing across the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. Whatever is next to me, I have to face it, even if it will kill me. I can't be a coward.

  He suddenly felt some courage, but as he started to turn his head, he closed his eyes tight and moved so slow that it was almost as if he wasn't moving at all. The more he turned his head the harder his heart began to pound, his bravery slowly slipping away. When his face was finally turned, he froze once again. He felt warm air go across his face quickly. He felt eyes staring at him. He knew that one of those creatures was right in front of him.

   I have a feeling I'm going to die here, so the least I can do is look at my killer and try not to show them the fear they probably want. His forced his face to become stern, furrowed his eyebrows, and opened his eyes.

  Almost immediately his look went from nearly angry to fearful. Directly in front of him, nearly two inches from his face, was a black nose, a long muzzle, fur, large ears, and a pair of gray eyes that he couldn't look away from.

   It was unmistakable. This was a wolf, and a very large one at that. Its eyes remained locked with his, no emotions crossing its face. Now that he was facing the beast, he just waited for what he knew was coming. He waited for the jaws of the beast to open and tear his apart. Finish him off. Both bring and end his pain and suffering.

   He then watched the beast's jaws separate, revealing large white teeth which were covered in blood. He closed his eyes and braced himself. He felt a part of the back of his shirt be tugged on and confusion filled him. Within that same moment, he felt himself be lifted from the ground, his body faced downward and his arms and legs hanging beneath him. It was difficult to say, but judging by the way the front of his shirt was hugging to him, his clothing was the only thing keeping him from falling.

   "P-Put me down!" He hadn't wanted to speak, but he felt the need to, even though this beast wouldn't understand him anyway. He tried to squirm, but while hanging in the air, that wasn't going to get him anywhere. That, and, when he thought about it, even if he did wiggle free of the beast's jaws, he would en dup falling. it wasn't that much of a fall, but with his leg in the state it was in, it would still hurt.

   He stopped moving, not daring to look up at the creature holding him. He merely hung there for a short period of time before they started to move. Unfortunately for him, the beast went from zero to one hundred in speed in what felt like a second. His body flung backwards into what he assumed was the chest of the beast, but it was still holding onto his shirt, so he didn't fall.

   He could see the paws of the beast below him, easily bigger than his own hands, moving rapidly across the ground. He could tell that they were running not only by how fast they were going, but also by the fact that if he even tried to lift his face he would get slapped with the branches of trees and bushes, causing his cheeks to sting.

   He almost wanted to reach back and cling to the beast so that his body wasn't being thrown like a rag doll, but he didn't even want to risk touching the beast. For all he knew it could drop him or try to kill him. But he then realized something he hadn't considered before that moment.

   Where...where are we even going? I can't tell.....maybe back to its lair? Farther into the woods? Back to more wolves? I don't think I like any of those options...

   While he was lost in thought, he then realized that he was no longer feeling branches pelting him from both sides. He also noticed that there was dirt beneath him and not grass. He risked a look upwards to see that they were running along the path he had came down before in order to arrive at the meadow. He also noticed lights in the distance coming towards him.

   Wait, is it taking me back to town? Why?

   As they got closer, Aaron felt their speed starting to decrease. This continued until they arrived at the edge of both the forest and his yard, which was when the beast came to a stop.

   The ground came up towards him as the beast began to set him down. Once he was on the ground, he took a few moments to just stare at the ground and take a breather. His eyes were wide and his body was shaking. The pain in his leg, which he had lost focus on when they started to run, was now returning. But at that moment, his leg wasn't what was on his mind.

   He turned himself over, looking up at the beast standing in front of him. The beast was covered in shadow so its features weren't as forward, but he could still tell that the fur was dark. It was a larger beast, one that would be eye level with him if he were standing. The gray eyes stared at him with no emotion, but seemed firm in locking with his own eyes. It stared at him for a long while, ignoring the sounds in the background and never looking away. Neither boy nor beast moved a muscle.

   It remained that way until the wolf let out a huff and turned, running back into the forest on the path. Aaron watched the wolf and saw it turn away from the path, disappearing into the woods.

Reviews

[Sarah Wilson]

Wow! really great writing! very interesting plot! You are drawn into the characters right away! There are a few grammar issues, but I'm never one to talk about that! lol I would either rearrange the first scene or add something to it to catch attention maybe because his character is so brooding a hook helps to draw readers in more, but its still perfectly fine without one and that was the only thing i could think of to critique!

[MsNakura]

Thank you! I appreciate the advice! When I originally wrote the first scene I wanted to almost immediately show a conflict between Aaron and his mother as a little hook, though I do understand what you mean. Thank you!