#once-thing

They walked into the woods with a knife. What they wanted to do seemed innocent enough. They were going to carve the initials of them and their true love into the bark of one of the many trees.

They ventured deeper into the forest, looking for the perfect place to make their mark. As they progressed, the sunlight faded, consumed by the ever-growing canopy. There were no birds, just the sound of their footsteps and the gentle breeze.

Finally, they found it. the perfect place. They walked up to it, and began chipping away at the bark. And on the wind came a sound. It wasn't human, yet not like any animal of this world. It was like a cross between a low moan of pain and a howl of unrelenting rage.

The carver froze.

The endless tree trunks looked foreign now, and it looked like dark shapes were moving quickly among them. The wind howled again.

This time, it said their name.

The fool broke into a sprint, blindly trying to flee the forest. In their peripheral was something big. Something lean. Something angry.

The shape moved from tree to tree, barely even moving. It was far taller than the fleeing carver, and was catching up fast. He ducked behind a thick-trunked tree and looked back. The woods seemed to be getting even darker, and there was the scent of flowers and rotting bark nearby.

That's when they realized it.

They turned back around.

And there it was.

The moss green figure reached out with its long, clawed hand. Its face was black as pitch, its eyes like two dying embers. And in those eyes was a great sadness... And an unrelenting fervor.

It kept approaching, its talons drawing nearer, its mouth slowly opening like the gates of hell.

"YOU CARVED THE BARK..."

Its hand was inches from the carver's face.

"IT'S TIME TO REPAY THE FAVOUR."

- - - -

The search party scoured the woods, but found only the knife and the shredded remains of the victim's clothes. If only they had looked up. If only they could see the treetops.