The Forgotten Forest

Ava escapes into the very dangerous Forgotten Forest.

I didn't have to wait long.

Someone walked in, and looked around before spotting me. He grinned a friendly smile, and stuck out his hand.

"You must be Avaline." he said, then looked at his hand, noticing all the dirt on it. He began to withdraw it, but I took it quickly, and shook his hand firmly.

"A little dirt never hurts anybody." I told him, and he grinned again.

"How true that is, miss. Here, follow me. Your horses are over here." I followed him past the other stalls, sometimes passing a horse, until he stopped in front of two stalls, each holding a horse.

One was an ordinary, stout, sturdy brown one, already loaded up with an assortment of bags, but the other one was like no other horse I had ever seen.

She was smaller than most horses, small and slight, but strong and fast looking. The body was black, blacker than I thought possible, so dark, it was almost purple. White spots dotted her body, and I was reminded of the night sky on a moonless night. She nickered softly as Farrell petted her.

"The late Queen Ursala had this girl brought in from her kingdom, Kenta, and that place is famous for its horses. Peeka here is fast, and hardy. She can run day and night without tiring, at a steady pace, and can outrun any horse within a hundred clicks. I don't even think she's ever had to go at her maximum speed. Yeah, she'll get you where you need to go. Just make sure that you don't run old Bess to the ground though. She's tough, but she has limits." he patted the packhorse fondly. "I assume you know how to take care of a horse?"

"I got our stable master to teach me on the sly." I grinned, and swung myself up onto Peeka. Farrell tied Bess to Peeka, and smiled at me broadly.

"Well, off you go then." he chuckled, and I bowed my head.

"Thank you so much. I know you're taking a big risk." I said gravely, and he laughed.

"You kidding? I help runaways all the time, just because I like to think of how angry the ole King would be if he knew his horses were used to help convicts. The b*****d deserves it, am I right?" he chuckled, and I laughed out loud. Exchanging some final farewells, I then spurred Peeka into a gallop out of the courtyard. Bess pulled back a little at first, but finally gave up and followed.

The gate had been raised and the drawbridge lowered, so I urged the two horses across the drawbridge, then stopped. The Forgotten Forest loomed ahead of me.

The thick treetops soared up to their impenetrable, leafy treetops, which scowled down at me forbiddingly. The inside of the forest looked impossibly dark, so dark that I could only see a few feet into the foliage.

Peeka balked a little at going in when I nudged her forward, but a little encouragement sent her plodding cautiously into the forest. Bess whinnied nervously and kicked up her forelegs every so often, becoming increasingly agitated, so I dismounted and dug through the supplies until I found a pair of blinders. Once I attached them to her face, she could only see Peeka's backside, and a limited view of the forest. She calmed down, and trotted behind Peeka as the more slender horse picked her way over the trail. I pulled out the small sword Finneaus had given me and used to to cut down hanging vines in the trail.

I had this sinking feeling in my gut, but didn't know why, until I realized that there was no sound. The only noises were from us, stepping on the dead growth underfoot and the shink of the sword when it cut the hanging vegetation. No birds, no squirrels, not a sound was heard. It was if we were the only living things in the forest.

Except for the eyes.

I couldn't see anything, but I felt that we were being watched, from all sides, all the time. Occasionally, a flicker of movement in my peripherals sent me looking around frantically, but no solid evidence supported the fact that there was anything else in the woods besides us.

Gradually, the trail widened, then reached a clearing, where I could hear running water nearby. When I glanced up at the sun, I realized it was already past six. Dismounting, I winced as my thighs began to burn when I began to walk. I tied the horses to a stake, near enough to the forest that they could graze, and pulled out two buckets and the four full water canteens.

Following my ear, I walked until I reached a small running stream, with cold, clear water rushing over the rocks. With all of my worrying during the trek, I hadn't realized how thirsty I was, and the canteens were still full, but the water was leathery tasting now. I dumped them all out and filled them with fresh, cold water, indulged in almost an entire bottle, then filled that one again. After filling the buckets, I then slung the water canteens over my shoulder, two per arm, using the loops attached to the containers. With my now free hands, I grunted with effort as I lifted the buckets, now full of water, and made my slow way back to the clearing.

The horses eagerly began drinking the water from the buckets as I dragged a large rock into the clearing and set the water canteens down on it. My stomach growled noisily, and I searched the packs until I found some dried beef, small loaves of bread, and fruits that wouldn't perish easily, like oranges and apples. Wanting to control the amount of food I consumed, I limited myself to an orange, one small loaf, and a few slices of beef.

When I was satisfied, I then pulled out the tent and set it up quickly. One of the last things I had done with my father was go on a camping trip. It drove Mother insane, but it was one of the few times when Father had summoned the courage to stand up to her. He taught me how to set up a tent, start a fire, and other small but important tasks when camping.

The cool night air settled on my skin, making me shiver, and I quickly wrapped the blanket around myself. I covered the horses, then crawled into the tent. The insides of my thighs sighed with relief as I settled down, and I felt my eyelids drooping with exhaustion, despite my apprehension.

On the next day, I fell into a morning routine: wake, eat, clean, pack up, leave, ride, stop again, eat, clean, pack up, and set off again. The forest was still deathly quiet, and it spooked me more than any amount of noise could. The entire day, nothing alerted my ears, and I began to wonder if I was going insane. Or deaf.

I stopped for dinner, slept afterwards, and again woke up the next morning, and again to total silence.

As I rode, I began to wonder if Mother even bothered to send search parties. Leopold wouldn't have cared, and besides, his soldiers would be scared of the woods anyway.

I glanced back at Bess, who walked along quietly with her blinkers, while Peeka nickered softly when she needed a branch or vine moved out of her way. As the vegetation grew thicker, Peeka slowed down some. I patted her neck fondly.

"Do you think we'll find Estïqiã, old girl?" I asked her, then grinned. "Look at crazy me, talking to a-" Suddenly, the forest exploded with noise, with singing birds, cracking twigs, and animal calls. A rabbit suddenly appeared out of nowhere, along with several birds in the trees. Peeka screamed with fright and reared up, but I held on firmly, twisting around, expecting to see Bess completely freaking out, but the old packhorse stood calmly.

"What the-" I muttered, and controlled Peeka. After only seconds, she stopped rearing, realizing it was only the normal sounds of the forest, and I dismounted to go to Bess.

"Why aren't you-" I stopped suddenly, as all the noises were suddenly silenced. I took a step backwards, and the cacophony filled my ears yet again. Step forward, silence. "This doesn't make any sense." I groaned, turning around to face Peeka.

Peeka was gone.

A rope led from Bess, traveled forwards a ways, and simply disappeared. When I went forward, back where I could hear the noises, I could again see the rope leading from Bess to Peeka.

"Magic." I suddenly realized. It was the only explanation. Somehow, a bubble had been created in the forest, where all the animals lived, and they were soundless and invisible from outside the bubble. I knew Bess was going to go into panic mode, so I took her ears and pinned them down so she couldn't hear, then led her forward into the bubble. As I slowly released the pressure on her ears, the sounds slowly raised in volume into her ears. Because of the gradual increase, she remained calm and complacent, trusting me to keep her safe. I patted her flank, then swung back up onto Peeka, urging her forward.

At noon, I stopped next to a creek for lunch. The horses enjoyed wading in the water and cropping the grass while I broke into my last loaf of bread with my meal. Farrell had packed other food for more days, but had only included a limited amount of bread. That makes sense, I thought. It gets really stale. The chewy substance stuck to my teeth, and I quickly ran out of water. Sighing, I set the bread on the trunk, picked up my canteen, and filled it in the creek.

When I turned around, my bread was gone.

Confused, I trotted back to the stump. My ears suddenly detected the soft sound of chewing, and I slowly looked over the tree base and squealed.

There was a tiny person sitting up against the trunk.

Eating my bread.

There was a small burp and a satisfied sigh, and I watched, thunderstruck, as a six inch man ambled around around the base. His short brown hair stuck up in the oddest of places, and he was dressed in a tiny leather jerkin and miniature trousers. His blue eyes were intense and bright, and, despite his size, he was fit and muscled. I only watched with wide eyes as he scowled at me.

"Well? What are you lookin' at?" he asked sourly, and I quickly closed my hanging jaw.

"Um.......nothing. I'm not looking at anything." I replied sheepishly.

"Yes, you are. You're looking at me, aren't you? It's because I'm small, isn't it? I bet I could beat you in a fight any day. I'm the toughest brownie in the world." he bragged.

"I thought brownies liked fixing things." I remembered, then immediately regretted it. His face flushed a dark red, and his small hands curled into fists.

"No, I do not, for your information. Not all brownies are the same, human, but you humans are all the same. Running around, stomping on things, then expecting us brownies to fix it. Most do, being too simple minded to think of a better way of living, but not me. I'm......I'm independent." he finished smugly, and to my horror, I found his expression quite comical, and was suddenly fighting back laughter.

Don't laugh, don't laugh, I ordered myself, but while I was able to repress the worst of it, a small giggle escaped me. The small brownie looked thunderously angry.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry....." I tried to make up for it right away, but he didn't listen, and started to storm away.

Suddenly, a blur of purple dashed out of the trees, overtaking the small person. I let out a small scream, still jumpy after the brownie incident.

"Stop! Stop, Karo! Get OFF!" I heard muffled shouts, coming from the scuffle rolling around in the leaves. When it finally stopped moving, I saw the small brownie, pinned by some creature.

It was covered in soft looking plum colored fur, built like a cat sized bear, with the round ears and everything. Dragging its tongue all over the small man's face, he was sopping wet within seconds.

"KARO! DOWN!" the brownie screeched, and the fluffy creature finally got off of him, sitting down a for about three seconds before it bounded over to me and started snuffling my feet. Bending down, I ran my hair down his back, and was surprised at the unbelievable softness of his fur, softer than rabbit's fur by far. He made a low purring sound, and rubbed up against me happily.

"Don't touch him, human, or he'll run away. He hates strangers." the irritated order came from the brownie, who was again standing, brushing himself off, his back towards us. "And if you scare him off, I swear that I'll-" He suddenly looked up, and saw me petting Karo.

"What are you doing?" the brownie asked incredulously, and I shrugged.

"He just came right up to me." I told him. "And I'm really, really sorry if I made you mad." I added sincerely. "I didn't mean to. Honest." After a small pause, he nodded, coming closer.

"I guess I......I could've maybe overreacted a little bit." he said grudgingly, watching Karo as he purred and licked my hand. "Karo here is a very good judge of character, anyways." He was quiet for a bit longer. "I'm Maurice, by the way."

"I'm Ava." I replied with a smile. "Is Karo your......" I trailed off, unsure of how to finish.

"I'm not sure, either." Karo laughed, then became serious. "No, but I found him a long time ago, all by himself, helpless.....alone....." He stroked Karo's fur gently, and I saw his angry and rigid face melt into a loving and protective expression. "It was not long after I left my colony. We're loners, him and I. Together and alone." I said nothing, to avoid the possibility of making him upset again.

Karo suddenly started to eat the weeds littering the ground, and Maurice quickly pulled him away.

"No, Karo, no!" he scolded him. "I have to get him home before he eats too many plants and gets sick. Do you.......want to come with us?" he offered slowly.

"Can't." I replied shortly, straightening up. "I've got to find someone." He nodded.

"I see. Well......Karo, no.......I should be going, then."

"It was a pleasure meeting you." I said awkwardly.

"Yes." Maurice smiled, then dragged Karo away from the clearing and into the forest.

I stared after the odd pair until they disappeared, then immediately wondered if that had actually happened. It just seemed so.......unlikely.

Sighing, I remounted Peeka and began the long trek again, but because of lost time, I only rode for a few hours before I had to stop and make camp.

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From the trees, and shadowed figure watched the unfamiliar girl move about as she set up a tent of some sort.

Human, definitely.

Noiselessly, the figure reached behind to a quiver on her back, and pulled out a long, slender arrow. As she pulled the arrow against the long and flexible bow, a small snik was heard by her sensitive ears, and her ears alone.

With narrowed eyes, she located her prey, and smiled when she saw she had a clean shot; right in the eye.

Her fingers loosened just a tad, but then she stopped, unsure of whether or not to release the weapon. The human's face seemed so.........

She lowered the arrow, then slid it back into the quiver. With a small sigh, the figure pulled her cloak around herself, then disappeared into the forest.

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The next day, my encounter with Maurice and Karo seemed more plausible as I went along through the now very alive and very inhabited forest. Of course, there were normal animals, like birds and squirrels, but there were also not so normal beings. Strange and fantastic creatures now surrounded me from all sides, like a storybook come to life.

A group of men with horns and bodies like goats from the waist down played pan flutes for a group of smiling and laughing brown skinned, barefoot girls, dressed in leaf dresses and with flowers decorating their green hair. I remembered their names, satrys and dryads, from my picture books, and suddenly began to see all sorts of the creatures who had kept me company all during my problematic childhood.

Tiny brown groups of imps hung from the trees and stuck out their long tongues, while two particularly mischievous ones stole food from my bag. Tiny fairies stared at me curiously, a herd of centaurs galloped past me, pixies pulled at my hair, and a family trolls stared at me for an uncomfortably long time as I passed.

I felt awed in the presence of so many myths come to life, and the next three days were passed in a blur of wonder and disbelief.

However, the nights were not so wonderful.

In the dark, the sounds of the forest became menacing and terrifying, and screams pierced the night every time I tried to sleep. A banshee passed dangerously close to my tent, and I just barely was able to cover my ears in time. Glowing figures floated aimlessly about the forest, while angry eyes glared at me from the bushes.

The worst parts were the creatures I couldn't see, monsters of the dark, who lurked in the shadows, and waited for any unsuspecting and hapless prey to wander their way.

By the fifth day, I was a nervous wreck and terribly sleep-deprived. Memories of the not so wonderful mythical creatures danced about my head, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before I ran into something hungry for human flesh.

I prayed that I would soon find someone, anyone, to save me from this nightmarish hell I'd landed myself in. Multiple times, I considered turning back, my heart aching for Finnaeus, Teresa, and Dantaus. Oh, Dante, I thought sadly. If only I could've told him, or at least said goodbye properly.

But then I would think of Leopold, and Mother, and my resolve to continue on and survive would strengthen, also helped along by thoughts of the fabled Estïqiã.

Noticing the time, I stopped for lunch, near another creek. I quickly unpacked some provisions and gratefully chewed on some jerky.

Suddenly, Bess and Peeka suddenly started pacing and nickering nervously as I began to pack up.

"You guys getting restless?" I chuckled, steadying Peeka so I could put away my things. I carried the pot full of dirty water to the bushes and dumped out the water, continuing to talk to the horses over my shoulder. "Believe me, you're not the only...." I dropped the pan as a huge shape slowly stood up, rising to a frightening height. Its thick brown hair bristled threateningly, and its lips drew back to reveal a terrifying array of sharp incisors as it snarled loudly.

Bear.

Author's Note

Grrrrrrr........⊂( ' (ｴ) ' )⊃