~ Photo: Fantasy Forest Clearing at Night by Creative Fabrica ~
48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgWFA9BmVI
In the silence of the forest, every sound is deafening.
Ba-dum.
Ba-dum.
In the silence of the forest, every heartbeat is louder than the last.
Ba-dum.
Ba-dum.
In the fury of war, every heartbeat could be your last.
Ba-dum.
Ba-dum.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump went my footsteps as I raced through the forest, hands clutched to the slash along my ribcage. Every breath sent daggers of agony along my spine. I desperately scanned the forest for a clearing, hoping for some semblance of safety.
A brief gap in the trees ahead called to me. I raced towards it, side burning with my heavy breath. I made for the closest tree in the clearing, propping myself up against the wood.
The tree's rough bark grated against my fingertips as I pressed myself into the wood. My hands left behind imprints on the dark brown bark in the shining crimson of blood - some mine, some his. Its tangy, metallic smell sliced through the air like the knives that had drawn it.
Every breath I took, shallow and near silent, agitated the slice on my ribs, causing more red to drip down the tree. I couldn't hear anything. The forest was silent, watchful and waiting.
I'd always loved the silence. Not tonight. Tonight, it was only a reminder not to make a noise. Tonight, it was a reminder that I wasn't alone.
My pointed ears pricked up at the crunch of a leaf under foot. I scanned the foliage around me, hunting for even a glimpse of its cause. I saw nothing and nobody, just the bracken, ever present in the forest. Another crunch made me jump once more, a hand flying instinctively to my knife, shoved hastily into my belt. The quick movement agitated my wound, and I let out a quiet hiss of pain.
Internally, I screamed at myself for letting even a sound pass my lips. The dark leaves of the forest twisted and writhed in the breeze, their long shadows casting the illusion of movement in the shadows, providing ample cover for any would be attacker, which did nothing to settle my nerves. I backed further into the tree, the rough, red-stained bark harsh yet reassuring against my skin, the closest I could get to a guarantee of safety. At least I couldn't be stabbed in the back.
I inhaled, trying to calm my nerves. A nauseating grinding noise followed, sending immense vibrations of pain through my side. My hand flew to my ribcage, and I leaned on the tree for support. I clenched my eyes shut in agony, hating the tell-tale crunch of broken ribs.
Damnit. Of all the times to let my guard slip, it had to be now.
Shutting my eyes had been a mistake. It wasn't like I could see much in the darkness anyway, but at least I'd see if my attacker was closer. Slowly, the pain became too much for my body to handle. My knees gave out, and I slumped to the forest floor, gaze turned to the ground.
I knew I wouldn't be standing again without help. Yet I was without allies, deep in the forest, hunted by an enemy I couldn't defeat.
I looked out into the trees. "I know you're out there. You know I'm here. You don't have to hide."
My voice echoed through the moonlit clearing, but a chuckle, seeming to come from all around me, was my only response.
I licked my dry lips, craving water badly. My head seemed to be wobbling on my neck, an intense pain throbbing through my skull. I blinked a few times, trying to get the world to come back into focus.
"Just face me, coward!" I yelled, lifting my head.
Directly in front of me was a blonde young elf, his torso muscular and well built. His yellow clothing and regal crown declared him to be a royal of House Banniurdrenn, the "Holders of the Light." His sharp blade caught the moon's tender glow. This was a weapon of war, designed for practicality, not beauty. Yet it was beautiful, in the harsh, bright way of the prince himself.
He stepped closer to me, trailing a finger along his blade. Even in the dark, there was something unnaturally bright about him. His bright garb of sunflower yellow shone under the moonlight.
And then he smiled. It wasn't a cruel smile, nor was it kind. It was simply matter of fact, as if he'd decided my fate many moons ago. A prince of light wreathed in death, and he was here for me.
The sharp tips of his ears glinted with gold piercings as he leant down.
"How brave and proud you once were, Arnos. Now, abandoned by your countrymen, left to die in the darkness of the forest you once held dear. You fought well, however. A brave fight, worthy of a brave elf like you."
HIs voice was rich and smooth like honey. The scent of sunflowers drifted towards my nose, confusing me. There were no sunflowers in this forest. He raised his blade. My blood had already stained its steel before in the same way his had stained my knife.
I raised my chin proudly and defiantly. "I will not die passively."
He tilted his head, admiration in his features. "A brave elf, and a noble one. It's rare to find those two qualities in an elf these days."
I raised my knife without warning and drove it into his shin. The wet squelch of the initial stab was soon countered by the dull thunk as my blade hit bone. The dark skin on my outstretched arm was coated with sweat and blood, and it flopped weakly to the ground after the stab, the effort requiring all I had.
He let out an agonised hiss. He raised his sword again, my knife sticking deeply into his lower leg.
The last I saw was his blade racing towards my neck before I felt the bone shattering impact. The noise, wet squelching followed by the gurgling of blood, fascinated me. How fast it left my veins, how my breath hissed out of the new hole. How the pain was so intense I just stopped feeling it.
My gaze drifted up to the moon. She cast her gentle light back, welcoming me. The Moon's arms beckoned, calling me back to her, as all the Moon's children must return to their Mother.
The forest's silence makes every sound louder.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
The forest's silence captures the sound of a killer walking away.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
The crunch of his footsteps...
Ba-dum... Ba-dum.
The growing distance between two heartbeats...
Ba-dum.... Ba-dum...
....and the silence that follows.
Ba-dum.... Ba-dum....
Ba-......
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This is the prologue for my story, This Dark Temptation, which is mainly uploaded on Wattpad.
Word count: 1148 words
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