Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Nights ❯ Into the Woods ( Chapter 1 )

Wild Nights

 

It was a cool night; the air was heavy and filled with the smell of wet earth. He walked through the woods, hair a tangled mess, eyes wild with anger. What had she done to him? Why could he not stop thinking about her?

 

The witch… I'll kill her! She will regret ever messing with my mind. His pace quickened as his eyes scanned the trees around him. He did not know what he was looking for, only that there was something calling him, telling him to keep searching. A tree rustled in front of him. He stopped abruptly and peered into the darkness, seeking the source of the disturbance. Were those eyes he saw? Or was he going mad?

 

His heart fluttered. Glancing over his shoulder to see if anyone was behind him, he moved toward the tree. “Come closer,” a voice hissed. The man took a step back. Should he obey the voice? Curiosity got the better of him. What else could possibly go wrong? It's been hell already, he thought as he stepped off the rugged path.

 

As his rough hands pushed a branch out of the way, a cold breeze iced his breath and made his skin boil. Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump. His pulse beat furiously as his mind started to slip. The air thickened. His body drowned in darkness.

 

“Wake up Smith. I have an offer you cannot refuse.” The voice echoed in his head, deep and breathy, hissing like a serpent.

 

What is this voice? Is everything in my mind? Why can't I wake up?

 

“Smith… I know what she did to you. Are you going to let her do that? Wake up Smith. Open your eyes, or I cannot help you.”

 

I can't open my eyes. I can't open my eyes!

 

“SMITH!”

 

With a scream he jumped up. A red haze engulfed him. He took a second to absorb his surroundings. He was lying on a stone table in the middle of a clearing lit with many torches. The trees around the small opening were so thick it was impossible to find an escape.

 

“I see you have opened your eyes,” the bodiless voice spoke from beyond the trees. “Now listen closely to my voice.”

 

“First you must tell me who you are - or else I will close my ears,” Smith interrupted.

 

“A fair request - and he does not lie,” a second voice resounded from behind him. It was powerful and soothing. “Tell him who you are.”

The first voice spoke again, stronger, darker, losing the snakelike hiss. “I am Shintin, the spirit that controls these woods. I know everything that goes on within this forest, and I can see beyond the obvious.”

 

“We know what happened to you, and want to fix it,” Shintin uttered through the trees. “She is evil, and what she had done will drive you mad. You know her… Maven.” A cool hand touched the back of his neck, sending pricks down his spine.

 

Maven! The witch! I swore to kill her, and I WILL!

 

“Yes you will kill her, if you really wish to,” the second voice boomed. “She has done a great wrong by putting a wicked spell on your mind.” Smith looked behind him, to see who owned the hand on his neck. It was a man, or what appeared to be a man, small and frail, his black eyes blazed from the crimson hood of his cloak.

 

“You wish to know who I am? I will tell you.” The second of the voices calmed his nerves, though the words startled him. “My name is not important, but I will tell you what I am. I sense the thoughts of all beings around me. With my touch, I can see everything you have seen. Some call me The Seer.”

 

Smith was astounded. He pinched his arm once to make sure he was not in the midst of a dream. His skin turned red where his fingers had been. It was not a dream. Deep in the forest he was taken, and only these two strangers could help him find his way.

 

“Think,” the Seer demanded. “Think about what she has done to you. Think about her. Let us find her and destroy her!”

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