#shadowfiend

I slowly pulled myself to my feet, hand on the closest tree to steady myself because I was feeling a bit light headed. ‘There must be a road nearby, right?’

With that single flicker of hope, I started my trek through the woods, leaves and trigs snapping beneath my feet. I could hear the sound all around me, though I couldn’t be sure if it was just echoing or if there was some wild animal nearby. I really hoped it wasn’t the latter.

Thunder rumbled softly overhead and I could see dark clouds rolling in through the break in the canopy. They were slowly covering the sun, the forest growing dark. I felt around my pockets for my phone, coming up empty. Am I the type of person to go without their phone? I honestly had no idea. It didn’t feel like me, but I couldn’t be sure.

The farther I walked, the more anxious I became. I couldn’t hear any cars in the distance nor could I see anything but trees surrounding me. I couldn't help but wonder just how big this place actually was. ‘More importantly, how the fuck did I get here?’

Rain started to fall from the sky. The sound of it hitting the leaves was calming to me and the little bit of rain that did hit me felt cool against my skin. ‘How long have I been walking? It feels like hours.’

With a sigh of frustration, I paused beside a rather large tree. The others had straight, medium thick trunks. Pine trees, maybe? This one, though, was quite thick and had no singular shape. Its roots stuck up out of the ground, its branches curving over me like an awning. I leaned back against it, slowly sliding down to the cold grass.

‘What do I do? If I know how to survive in the wilderness, I can't fucking remember any of it. I'm so confused.’

There was a rustling to my left and I quickly turned my head, scanning the area for the source of the sound. I saw nothing yet I felt as if I were being watched. ‘Should I stay put and hope it gets bored or should I try and escape?’

Before I could give it any real thought, a wolf slowly slinked out from the bushes. Only, it wasn't like any wolf I've ever seen before. His body appeared to be made of shadow, red eyes glowing brightly. He was massive, easily towering over me as it slowly approached, teeth bared and low growls coming from his throat.

I swallowed hard, pressing my back up against the tree. “E-Easy there, boy,” I called out in the calmest voice I could muster given the circumstances. “I'm not gonna hurt you, so don't you hurt me, okay?”

To my surprise, the wolf paused and tilted his head to the side. “Can it… understand me? No way, that's not possible,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head.

The wolf nodded his head, taking a step closer. My eyes widened. That had to have been just a coincidence… right? Slowly, I shifted until my left knee and my right foot were on the ground. I held out my hand like you would to a stray dog.

“I won’t hurt you,” I told him again. “So, please, don’t hurt me. We both know you’d win that fight.”

He nodded again, slowly closing the distance. The growling had stopped, his teeth no longer bared. His nose was like ice against my fingers as he gave them a tentative sniff. 

“Can I… pet you?” I asked cautiously, waiting for him to nod before I lifted my hand to his head. 

It’s hard to describe what it felt like, honestly. It wasn’t like putting your hand through smoke, it was solid yet it didn’t really feel like fur or skin, either. As I rubbed his head, it felt as if the shadows were wrapping around my hand, clinging to me as if afraid to let go. It was also extremely cold, like stone in the winter.

“What in the world are you?” I wondered softly as I continued to pet him.

Suddenly, his head shot upward, teeth bared and a loud growl leaving his throat. I tensed up for a moment before realizing he  wasn’t growling at me, but at something behind me. I turned just in time to see an arrow whizzing toward us. The wolf put a massive paw on my shoulder, shoving me backward before he jumped to the side. The arrow lodged itself into the dirt between us.

“W-What the hell?” My eyes shot toward the trees where the arrow had come from. I could just barely make out the outline of a person kneeling on one of the branches above, bow poised and ready for another shot.

“Hold on, Eror.” A man appeared from the darkness between two trees, wearing a purple robe with the hood covering most of his face. In his hand was a long wooden staff, taller than himself.

“What do you mean, Abrah?” questioned the man in the trees. Eror, I’m assuming. “If we don’t put that beast down, it will kill her!”

“Look again,” said Abrah. “The wolf protected her from your arrow.”

“Huh? I wasn’t aiming for her.”

“No, you were not. I used my magic to redirect its course.”

“Are you crazy?” Eror jumped down from the trees, looking angrily at the other male. The first thing I noticed about him was the pointed ears sticking out from white-blonde hair. “You could have killed her!”

“I had a hunch and it turns out I was correct.”

“And if you had been wrong?”

“I would have stopped the arrow before it hit her. I was not wrong, though.”

Eror turned his head to look at me, a frown on his lips. “Why would a shadowfiend protect a human? There has never been such a case before. They are vicious, cruel beings that exist to consume.”

Abrah hummed, reaching up to stroke his chin. “So we have been taught. However, perhaps we have been taught wrong. There is also the possibility of an exception to the rule.”

“Are we really willing to take that chance?”

He lifted his head enough so I could see his golden eyes. “Would you be so kind as to tell the shadowfiend that we will not harm it or you, should he agree to do the same?”

I looked at the wolf but there was no flicker of understanding in his eyes, nor did his aggressive posture change. I cleared my throat and the wolf glanced at me. “Please don’t attack them,” I said hesitantly, not the least bit confident that this wild creature would do as I ask. “He won’t hurt us so long as you don’t.”

The wolf turned his head, red eyes staring into my own. After a moment, he shifted so he was standing between me and the two men before he sat down, head lowered. His eyes stayed trained on them, teeth bared in warning.

“Fascinating,” murmured Abrah. “It truly does as you command.”

“I don’t know why,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my head.

His eyes met mine and, for a moment, he just observed me. It felt as if he were looking into my very soul, reading me like an open book. It was invasive and made a shiver go down my spine. “Am I right in assuming you are not of this world?”

“I… huh?” My brow furrowed in confusion.

“You come from another world. One, I assume, unlike our own.” He motioned toward the wolf with his hand. “You do not have shadowfiends where you are from, correct?”

“I, um…” I frowned, trying to recall any memory of them. “The truth is… I can’t remember much of anything. I just woke up in this forest. Maybe I’m dreaming right now…”

“I assure you, this is no dream. The fact that you have lost your memory is most curious, indeed.” He glanced toward the sky and hummed. “However, we should leave the forest before the sun sets. It will be far too dangerous to stay here.”

I frowned, fingers nervously tugging at the fabric of my shirt. Going with two strange men hardly seems like a smart idea. The alternative, though, is to stay in the woods at night without any food or light with who knows what animals or creatures. I slowly stood up, glancing at the wolf who looked up at me.

“Can he come?”

The wolf stood up, growling at them as if to say, ‘I’m going, no question!’

“Yes, of course he can.”

Eror snapped his head toward the other male, eyes wide. “Are you insane? The institute will shoot him on the spot and have us all thrown in jail for treason!”

“Fear not.” He held his hand out, a ball of light forming against his palm. It exploded in a burst of light and, in its place, was a brown bird. “Adelle, be a dear and go ahead of us to the institute. Do let them know that we are coming back with two special guests.”

The bird squawked loudly before spreading its wings and shooting toward the sky. It weaved through the canopy like it had done so a million times before disappearing.

Eror huffed, arms folded over his chest. “Just because you tell them doesn’t mean it won’t still happen.”

I frowned, looking from them to the wolf and back again. “Is he… really that dangerous?”

It was Eror who answered. “Shadowfiends are the biggest threat we face. They have wiped out millions of us over the years. There’s no effective way to fight them, either.”

“Oh…”

“You have much to learn about this world, but that will come in due time. For now, let us make our way to the institute. Follow us, if you will.” He turned, returning the way he had come.

Eror stepped aside, waiting for me and the wolf to pass by before he followed. He had an arrow nocked and ready, green eyes scanning our surroundings for any sign of an enemy. I expected them to lead me to some kind of road or city. Instead, we ended up at a large rock formation just as night fell.

What little bit of sunlight that had been filtering through the clouds was now gone, leaving behind an inky blackness that gave me goosebumps. The white orb on Abrah’s staff emitted a soft white light, creating a circle around us - not unlike a street light but much brighter.

I heard snarling and hissing behind me and I made the mistake of glancing over my shoulder. Dozens of pairs of flowing red eyes were watching us, surrounding us. 

The wolf put himself in front of me, growling loudly. The shadows that made up his body became spikier and more solid, like rocks.

Eror cursed in a language I've never heard before, readying the bow to fire. “Hurry up, Abrah!”

But the robed man seemed to be in no rush at all, humming a tune as he drew a symbol on the rock wall with… was that magic? My brow furrowed as I watched him, his fingertip glowing a faint blue color. When the symbols were completed, he took a step back, holding up his staff. The orb glowed brightly, resonating with the glowing symbols. The light steadily grew until I had to shield my eyes.

The wolf whimpered, lowering his body against my legs. I put my free hand on the back of his neck, hoping it offered some comfort to him. The rock formation began to shudder, the ground shaking as it split in half, forming a path. 

“Inside, quickly!” Eror yelled at me as he loosed an arrow into the woods. There was a howl of pain as one pair of eyes disappeared behind a tree.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I darted past the robed man into the pathway, the wolf on my heels. The two men quickly followed and, as the wall began to close, I couldn’t help but notice all of the eyes as they darted toward us. Wolves, bears, snakes, tigers - all shadow animals that wanted to destroy us.

The wall finally closed, just seconds before they slammed into it, trying to break it open. For a moment, I could only stare at the wall, wondering if they would be successful at breaking it down if given enough time.

Abrah patted me on the shoulder. “I told you the forest would get dangerous, no? You made the right decision.”

While it’s true that I’m probably safer here with these guys than I am out there with the shadow beasts, I still didn’t feel safe. It was like choosing the lesser of two evils - both are bad, it’s just that one is less bad. 

‘If this is a dream, I’m ready to wake up…’

The wolf nudged my hand with his nose and, when I looked down into his eyes, I felt safe. I felt as if everything would work out in the end.

I rested my hand atop his head, lowering my voice. “Let’s protect each other, okay? You watch my back and I’ll watch yours. Is that a deal?”