To Stay in the Living Lands

My apologies for missing posting last week! I completely forgot!!

Cassandra stumbled into the forest, her heart beating like a drum. Instantly, her hand and leg came back from their faded state. She turned to take one last look at Ruby. But she wasn’t there. Cassandra turned, prepared to see the worst. She gasped in wonder. The forest was actually quite beautiful, and harmless. She glanced at her feet to see a path under them. This was going to be easier than she had first thought. She smiled and began to walk down the path. The sun shone golden through the leaves, casting shadows on the forest floor. She hummed to herself. She didn’t feel hungry, thirsty, tired, or even sore. She felt absolutely fine. 

Then she remembered what Ruby had said.

It was a sign of the forest’s magic.

Panicked, she began to run down the path. It wound and twisted in confusing loops. She stumbled and fell, crashing face-first into the moist soil. She got up and spat specks of dirt from her mouth. She tried to wipe her face but only succeeded in smearing it. Mud caked her entire front, from her face to her feet. She didn’t care. She was used to being dirty. Being clean had been wonderful, but the mud reminded her of where she had been. Reminded her of the life of a servant. Why was she running to the King? She took a step back on the path. Would he really heal her? Or would he force her to serve him? She clenched her fists and took another step back. What if Cedric was lying? What if Ruby was lying? 

Cassandra shook herself. Instantly, she realized how foolish she had been. What was she thinking? She rubbed her forehead and continued walking. She was yet again astounded at the beauty of the forest. She began to enjoy her walk thoroughly. This place is so beautiful. The periphery of her view seemed to be but shadows, but what she could see was beautiful beyond what she had imagined. She slowed in her walking, drinking in each picture. As she turned, she saw one of the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen. It was a violet purple, and a glow seemed to emanate from it. She felt drawn to it. It was almost as if it were whispering her name. She took a step toward it. The pull seemed even stronger. She took another. It will be mine. She took another step. Each step took her farther from the path. 

She was next to the flower. It was almost as big as her head. She reached out and ran her fingers along the tips of the petal. Immediately, something grabbed her ankle and yanked her. She screamed and hit the ground. The trans snapped as the flower rose from the ground. The flower faced her, opened its petals wide, and screamed, before turning and running. Cassandra was being dragged after it.

Vines were wrapped around her ankle. Cassandra tried to grab anything. She had to get back to the path. She grabbed a rock and turned. She smashed it against a vine. The flower roared in anger and turned. Cassandra ran, limping heavily. The path. Something grabbed her waist. 

“NO!” She screamed. Struggling as the vines grabbed her ankles. She tried to rip it with her hands but only succeeded in bending back her nails. 

“HELP!” She screamed, hoping with a wild hope that someone would help her. The flower rose up, and opened its petals, this time revealing teeth. Cassandra stood, petrified as the flower lunged. Cassandra shut her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs. No pain. Nothing interrupted the terrific sound she was making.

She opened her eyes. A sword was protruding through the flower’s stem. Cassandra closed her mouth. The vines around her wrists, ankles, and waist, loosened. She shook them off, and warily took a step back, scanning the forest for the owner of the sword. She found her standing behind the plant, taking the sword out of the stem, and wiping the sap on the ground. The owner of the sword was a tall woman, and she was dressed in golden armor. 

“Who are you?” Cassandra asked, stepping backward. 

“I am a guardian,” replied the woman, “I serve the King. He sent me to patrol his forest and help those who have left the path. You are lucky indeed that I heard you, and was close enough to help you,” 

“Th-thank you,” said Cassandra, 

“I will not always be there,” said the guardian, “I hope you have learned your lesson, Cassandra, do not leave the path again,” 

“Wait, how do you-” the guardian leaped into the air, blood-red wings spreading from her back, “…know my name?” finished Cassandra as the guardian disappeared over the treetops. Cassandra turned and ran to the path. She would never leave it again. 

When she got back to the path, she paused. The ‘guardian’ had been really pretty. Almost human-like. But with wings. The King commissioned her to help. So he did care about those who were still making their way through. 

Cassandra remembered her pack and remembered that she needed to drink water. She wasn’t thirsty, but she had run, screamed, and ran again. She should be thirsty. She found a flask of water and drank. Something inside was quenched. She hadn’t realized she needed water until she had drunk some. Cassandra corked the flask and placed it back in her sack. She began on her way again. Strictly looking at the forest floor, and the forest floor alone. If she didn’t see anything, she’d be fine. 

After what felt like an hour, her neck felt cramped from looking down. She tried to blind herself to the deceptive forest, but it became increasingly uncomfortable. She moaned and rubbed her neck. 

She heard a howl from the forest and froze. She turned around slowly. A jet-black wolf was running directly toward her. A scream caught in her throat, and her feet grew roots. She stared as the wolf ran toward her. Everything seemed to slow down and focus on him. His eyes were red, and they were trained on her. The wolf’s hind legs coiled, and he leaped at Cassandra. Cassandra fell to her knees, her arms covering her face. The wolf yelped. Cassandra looked up to see it leap again and hit an invisible wall. Realization dawned on her. She was safe. The path shielded her from dangers. She laughed, shakily. She looked at the sky. It was still bright as it had been. Cassandra guessed that the light was always there. She was sure it was night but didn’t feel a bit tired. Yet she had to rest. She needed to make it before nightfall, but what was the point if you were weary beyond words. She started to walk farther down the path, the wolf following, snarling. Cassandra was sure she couldn’t sleep with the wolf beside her. She heard another howl. This time, a white wolf with blue eyes came running from the other end of the path. But while the black wolf emanated evil, the white wolf didn’t. The black wolf saw the white one, and its ears went flat against its head as it snarled, warning. The white wolf leaped over Cassandra and tackled the black one. Cassandra watched, breathless as the black one yelped, and ran into the forest, tail between his legs. The White wolf turned to Cassandra panting. 

“Thank you,” Cassandra whispered. The wolf turned, and ran back into the forest, leaving Cassandra alone.