There is no light in the Mournwood, no rays of moonlight pierce through the dense canopy. No faint glow illuminates the black. Only our lanterns provide the faintest shimmer of safety. It is a haunting place. Faint screams and monstrous roars are heard often in the distance. Shadows blacker than the surrounding dark peer at us from the corners of our vision. Only to vanish as our eyes flicker to their hiding place. No one speaks. All eyes are on the trees, all ears are open to the abyss. Waiting for those faint screams to become far too loud. After a few more miles a young mercenary I hired breaks the silence with a soft whisper.
“We have traveled many miles today. We should make camp.” He says. His eyes darting between the trees.
“No, we need to keep moving.”
“Sir-”
“I said no. We need to keep moving.”
“Be reasonable sir, please. Your men are tired, we need rest.”
“No. We keep moving”
“Sir-” I wheel on him, eyes ablaze with impatient anger
“If we stop now, we die. Do you understand?”
“W-what do you mean?” He stammers, regretting the question.
“You’ve not heard the stories?” I ask him, the sharp anger within me dulling. I stare at him for a moment. When he does not respond I turn and continue walking motioning for him to follow. It’s not long before another scream echoes through the wood in the distance.
“They say those are the screams of children that have been snatched from their beds by witches in the night. And brought back to their wicked lair to serve as sacrifice to the Noxbluem. And in return the Noxbluem grants them access to powerful dark magics and eternal youth.” I pause, seeing his eyes widen past what would be considered human.
“But, lucky for us we’re not children eh?” I give a faint smile and slap him on the back, startling him. “There is a safe haven, not too much further.”
He nods shakily, his imagination conjuring nightmare. As I watch him recede into the ranks I catch the eyes of Ivar. Who gives me a troubled look. When my eyes do not share his same worry he hurries his pace to my side.
“Something is following us.” He says quietly glancing over each shoulder.
“It’s Mournewood Ivar, of course we’re being followed.” I say, ignoring the seriousness of his voice.
“No Soren, it is not just following us. It is stalking us, hunting us.” His words quicken my heart beat. Ivar is not a man for joking, especially in situations like these. He’s serious.
“What do you think it is?” I ask, hushing my tone so as to not alert the trailing expedition members.
“I do not know. But I have been catching sight of it throughout our journey through the Mournewood. And the men have watched its shadow leaping between the trees, though they believe this shadow to be of their imagination.” He pauses for a moment, deep in thought of what creature this could be. “Perhaps, they are right.” He says finally, though I know he does not believe it.
“Ivar, I trust your senses better than I trust my own. If you say there’s something out there followi-” I check behind us to make sure the expedition isn’t listening. “Hunting us. I believe you, and we should make preparations for when it decides to strike.”
A screech pierces the dark, the sharp guttural cry carving horror into each of our minds. And then another, closer this time. I look back to Ivar, a dark expression has overtaken his face. Slowly we draw our weapons, and I signal for the expedition to do the same. Another screech, a snapping branch, footsteps, silence. My breath quickens as my eyes search the darkness for the source of the screeching. I take a breath, readying myself for whatever nightmare awaits us. A shadow flashes past us and we are swallowed by the abyss. Our lanterns have been extinguished, what little light we brought to this place has left us to the dark.
The sound of screaming breaks the dense silence of the Mournewood. I whirl around striking at the ambushing creature, only to meet open air with my blade. As quickly as the scream came, it fades off into the distance.
“Shit! Light the lanterns!” I command. But it’s too late. Another shadow flies past and one of us disappears into the black.
“Run!” I shout at the expedition. We take off at a dead sprint. Fear and adrenaline powering our fatigued muscles. More screeches sound behind us. There’s more than one of them. Dozens of shadows dash through the trees around us. Their terrible screeching growing louder as we run. One leaps from the darkness, impaling a screaming member to a tree. With a terrifying roar the creature bites into him, tearing muscle from bone, devouring him alive. My mind loses the battle to fear at the sight and only pushes my legs to run faster.
One by one the creatures murder my expedition. They were right. I am a fool. And I’ve led their sons to their deaths. How arrogant to think I knew this place, that my years of study were enough to overcome the dangers here. But nothing could have prepared me for this. I feel a sharp pain rip through my flesh and I crash hard into the dirt and roll to a stop on my back. Through my concussed vision I watch my crew be devoured by these monsters until only Ivar is left. I watch him, standing over me wildly swinging his axe through the air, howling like a berserker.
One of the creatures lunges at him, jaws a gap hungry for flesh. But tastes only the metal shaft of Ivar’s axe in the back of its throat. He slams the creature hard into the ground, shattering its skull and popping its head like a grape. As Ivar steadies himself to stand, another creature leaps onto his back, digging its claws deep into his flesh. He drops the axe and reaches for the creature, in a desperate attempt to stop the mauling.
I will myself to stand, to do something, but my body will not listen. The wound on my back sears with pain, I want to scream. I’m paralyzed helplessly on the ground, left to the cruel fate of watching my friend be massacred. Tears begin to fall slowly down my cheek. I watch as the creature impales its claws into Ivar again and again. Blood shoots back, bathing the creature in a thick crimson. Ivar slowly sinks to his knees, wobbles and finally falls face first into the dirt. I pray hysterically to whatever god might be listening, as the creature rears back and readies itself for a feast. To end this nightmare and save my friend. And then it happens. A voice so faint I thought it a terrible hallucination at first. Though slowly, the volume of it grows. A soft ethereal voice echoing through the woods, singing in some ancient dialect. An eerie green glow accompanies the voice. Illuminating the horrors surrounding me. The light creeps its way over blood stained trees and the disembodied limbs scattered about the ground.
Once the light touches Ivar, the creature on his back screams and darts away. With it the terrible roar of skittering claws nearly down out the voice of our salvation. Through the blur of my tears I see the source of the song, a beautiful silhouetted figure standing in the distance. With my prayers seemingly answered, I release my consciousness to The Mournewood.
