1 A Young Woman

A scream echoed through the cool night air.

Cowering behind a tree, the hunter clutched his axe tightly. He did not expect this. None of them did. °We should've believed that woman!°, he thought.

He carefully looked around the tree. His eyes widened in shock and surprise. He was expecting to see the bodies of his friends lying on the ground but, there was nothing.

He glanced around and realised that he was the only one still alive. Gathering his courage, he walked out from behind the tree. He walked slowly, clutching his axe with shaking hands. Closer and closer to the bridge he moved.

A hiss made the hunter swirl around, axe ready. Then he saw it. On the other side of the bridge stood the creature they were looking for. The most dangerous creature in all of Bregaldia and the one with the biggest prize on its head.

And gazing upon it, the hunter suddenly realised why the people had taken to calling it the Blue Death. The seven-foot-tall ghost-like creature made him tremble with fear. His eyes glided over its body that was covered in a dark blue hue and finally met the creature's fiery red eyes. He shuddered when he remembered the stories of hunters who were driven mad by its gaze.

Suddenly, the creature turned around and slowly walked away.

A strange noise made the hunter's eyes flick to the bridge. He saw a flash of white and then it was in front of him, reaching for him. He screamed and slashed wildly.

The screams abruptly stopped as the hunter's axe fell to the ground with a thud…

***

It's early morning in the forest.

The sun is slowly rising in the east. Its rays are soft but brightly shining on the sleeping face of a young woman lying high in a massive old tree.

She slowly started to stir and opened her beautiful dark brown eyes. She loosened the whip around her waist and stood up, stretching with a yawn. Her long dark hair cascaded down her back, tangled and full of dry leaves and bark.

She looked down. A sigh escaped her lips and then she jumped down the tree from branch to branch until her feet touched the moist ground. Tying the whip around her body, she grabbed her bow and quiver hanging on a thick branch and started walking towards the middle of the forest.

The closer she got to the middle of the forest, the quieter the birds became. The eerie atmosphere clouded the shadow-filled forest, making the young woman rest her hand on the hilt of the sword dangling by her side.

For the umpteenth time, she couldn't help herself and reflected on her life and the forest.

Known throughout the kingdom of Bregaldia for its dangers and its beasts, the Shadow Forest attracts hunters from far and wide to hunt its precious beasts. But those who came for the Shadow Forest's treasures never found their way home.

For the Shadow Forest has a dark secret that the unwary hunter has yet to uncover.

But for the young woman, this secret is part of her. For she called the Shadow Forest home. She grew up alone in the forest ever since the forest's secret claimed her parents.

But that was many years ago…

Since her parents died, she knew she had to fend for herself. She had trained herself to live in the harsh forest and to protect herself from its dangers, leading her to finally hunt the beasts with the dog-like bodies and heads like that of a horse. Shadow Beasts. Their thick pitch-black skin was thick and difficult to penetrate, but she had found its weak spot.

Her attention returned to the present and she thought about where she was heading. She sighed, her thoughts drifting away while her feet carried her towards the Inner Ring.

The place where the bridge was. The place where her life changed forever. The place from which she tried to protect the people that entered the forest. She warned them about the dangers of the Inner Ring, about the bridge, how many died trying to cross it.

But no one ever listened to her warnings.

They all thought she was crazy and would carry on. Because to them, the Blue Death is just another dangerous creature worth a fortune in gold if slain. She would always go after them, trying to protect them, yet she failed every time. But she had learned her lesson well.

Now she would warn them, and if they did not listen, she would leave them to continue following their foolish path, only going back to look for survivors and to pick up everything they dropped during their time of horror.

Last night was one of those times. A group of hunters yet again ignored her warnings like so many before them. As a result of their ignorance and greedy hearts, they met their fate. She could hear their screams echoing through the night. The young woman sighed.

°Fools, how many more must die before they realise what they're meddling with°, she thought.

She sighed again and slowly came to a halt at the border of the Inner Ring, pushing away the shiver that threatened to run down her spine.