The Woods

In the middle of it I saw the stone as it glowed slightly in the filtered dimming light. I looked around then reached for the stone, but as I did, I froze as I heard a slight shuffling. Paralyzed as I was, I saw a thick grey vine move toward my hand and the stone. I made a wild grab for the stone, but with lightning speed, the vine grabbed my wrist. I jerked back and emitted a small scream, but the vine clung to me. it began tightening and wrapping around my arm. I pulled back harder and the vine pulled back with me. then I found that it wasn't a vine. What I thought was a vine was attached to the face of a creature with dull white eyes and gnashing jaw of teeth. It was covered in rough bristles. It was short and long with a long twitching tail. The head of the beast was large and square with tusks on either side of its jaws and three sharp horns down the middle of its face. It had small ears and its neck was a large hump covered in a mane. Muscles ran visibly down it's back and legs to huge paws with unsheathed jagged claws. Its ghostly eyes latched onto me hungrily. I jerked back and it lost its grip on me. I stumbled back into a bush and dared not to move as its trunk fumbled around in search of its prey. I looked around for something to throw or to defend myself with. I spotted my garden knife laying just a few yards away and lunged for it. I got my knife, but it sensed my movement and swiftly wrapped its trunk around my leg. I slashed at it with my knife as hard as if could, but all that came of my attempt was a little cut which slowly oozed a thick blue liquid. the knife ricochet off the tough bristles of its trunk and flew out of my hand. Helpless I didn't know what to do, but scramble farther back from the creature as it moved forward with its giant grotesque muscles rolling. I felt a tree at my back and knew I couldn't go any further and closed my eyes to not to see the beast take hold of me in its drooling jaws. I could feel its sickly warm breath on my neck, and it's pleased wheezy moan in its throat. Then suddenly it was knocked away with a powerful shove and it yelped as it hit the ground hard. It jumped to its feet and looked around unable to see it's opposer in the dimming light. I opened my eyes to see the stranger I had seen that day standing in front of me. I started, but he motioned me not to move and said in a low voice.

"don't move. It can't see you if you keep still."

The beast was turning in circles trying to find what hit it, or its prey. Then it stopped and listened. It stood still as a statue made of rock the only movement was its ears flicking back and forth. Then the stranger unable to stand still ran at the creature. The beast sensed it and ran toward him his jaws gaping and its trunk outstretched. The beast and he collided, and I saw the trunk wrap around his torso, it started dragging him toward it's gnashing jaws. I heard a quiet raspy scream and looked around to find the source only do discover it had been emitted from my throat. The person grabbed the beast's tusks and smashed both feet into its jaw then took my knife and gave a heavy stroke to the underside of its trunk. It let go of him and he shoved the trunk into the monster's jaws. As Its teeth set into its own trunk the animal emitted a painful whimper. The guy ran to me and grabbed my arm, half dragging me to my feet and pulled me through an opening in the brambles into the woods.

"we need to get to the meadows; it won't follow us there." He explained as we ran through the woods. We finally slowed and he looked around at the trees on all sides of us carefully so not to miss any detail. Then he led me through the trees into the open meadow. When I saw it, I took in a deep breath. The meadows stretched on and on, a field of lavender and bright green grass. From the grass arose golden and silver dust that glowed against the turning sun. I stood motionless until I remembered the outsider. I turned suddenly and he looked up from where he was cleaning my knife on the purple grass. He saw me look at it and he held it out to me.