Chapter 2 - Year 1632, Day 1

It was midday.

I ponder the morning events while I seek refuge under the shade of a wanderer tree on the western plains. 'What did my brother need to tell me, and why does my father never allow me to join them in the village?' Surely the sheep can spend a day munching hay in the barn.'

Realizing that my breath had faded out for a few minutes as If my body hasn't noticed that I'm still alive, I close my eyes and inhale a fresh mouth of air.

I expire softly looking at the landscape.

The western plains weren't all that different from where I live. Aside from what you can see from the horizon, which is largely plants and trees here and there, grass fills practically every location where there are no rocks. The grass isn't as tall or as dense as it is back home, but it conveys the same sense of untamed nature and mystery.

'When my father tasked me first time to come here, I remember being so angry, so frustrated that I had to walk all the way here through that creepy forest just to feed 6 sheep. After some time, I discovered that this place can also be a blessing. It become my sanctuary.' I think, leaving a sad smile forming on my face

Just a couple of metres away towards the forest, beyond a tall rock that was easily distinguished as being a bit taller than the tip of the grass around it, the sheep fed. Fenrir was on the other side of me, halfway between the sheep and the trees.

He was taking his job seriously. I couldn't be more proud of him.

Sometimes, he would go into the forest, doing what dogs do, and come back one hour or so later. I stopped asking myself a long time ago what was he doing in there. It was a usual thing for him to snick out of our house in the middle of the night and come back in the morning.

"He isn't probably a dog, just looks like one." I mumble under my breath

I let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding, and the hours passed.

It was late afternoon. The sun was gently losing its strength, and I, without a care in the world, was having a nice nap in the middle of nowhere.

I was inside a bustling tavern, sipping a large cup of ale. The light was warmly golden, possibly from the several candles scattered around; although I sat alone at the table, the voices and vigorous laughter around me made me shiver for a while. "Unusual..." I decide to say.

Behind the counter, to my left, was a maiden, 'probably in her twenties,' wearing a long Lineweaver dress with a cut-out breast displaying some of the largest boobs I'd ever seen. For the record, I hadn't seen many ladies or any of the opposite sex in particular at the time.

When she caught my fixed attention, she smiled and bowed respectfully; then, one instant later, she moved toward me, and I feel like my breathing becomes obstructed with each step she makes.

I pick up the mug, still staring at her treasure that bounces with every step, and raise it to my mouth to take a sip. I awoke with a huge, sloppy doggie kiss from the chin to the forehead.

My eyes widen in immediate realization and I raise to my feet. "Oh, Dear God! I fell asleep." I look around to see whether I'm still intact, stroking my body as if I had an unnoticed injury. I look after the sheep by making sure that they are still in the usual location. Not far from here, they were all huddled together.

"Uhh, everything seems right... but we're late. We should have left around 2 hours ago." I steady my breath while guessing the time by looking at the position of the sun

I wipe my forehead of sweat, but my hands only found the dog's saliva.

"Hah... good job, buddy!" I sigh at Fenrir, who was focusing on me and rub his fluff

He dims his eyes and thoroughly enjoys the gesture. I made the conscious decision not to pet him too much, preferring to do it only when he did something good, or I felt proud of him so that he would cherish it more.

'I learnt it the hard way. Not being shown appreciation at all.'

I approach the sheep with the wooden staff in my hand and the tiny bag that used to be full of food and water, and sling the staff towards them to make them walk in the route direction. Fenrir begins to bark at two of them who appear to be too indolent to move.

We come close to the Willow forest's entrance, and I'm working hard to maintain the sheep in a narrow line since sheep are known to follow another of their kind if it's in front. This reduces the chances of losing one of them because they determine some bushes seem tasty.

The deeper we go in, the less wind I feel and hear. I can only hear some of the top branches of the tall trees being blown in the wind if I concentrate hard enough. I whistle an order for Fenrir as I walk by a fallen tree that had been coated in moist moss for perhaps more than 60 years.

It was the simplest approach to give directives because it was quick and simple for him to comprehend. Fenrir jumped to the left side of the pack after hearing the instruction, snarling less frighteningly than usual. The sheep that had been nearly two metres apart from the rest of the flock had to return and walk in step with the others.

"Good job, buddy! Without you, I wouldn't be able to do this!" I catch him grinning.

After another 30 minutes of walking, the path was barely visible less than 10 meters ahead. I began to feel anxious. It never occurred to me that It will get dark so fast. And yet, there I was, cursing all known and unknown Gods and Goddesses for such good fortune; while trying not only to check if I was still travelling in the right direction but also to keep track of the sheep, who appeared to be acting oddly.

They walked quickly, then slowly, leaning slightly to the right or left. I instantly remembered seeing Clime so wasted that he couldn't stand in a spot for more than two seconds.

I shake my head to focus on the moment, but something came to my mind again when seeing some footprints on the muddy ground. By whistling a command to Fenrir, I was able to stop the sheep.

'We've been here before. Are we going around in circles?' looking frustrated

"However, something appears to be off." I take in my surroundings. Only the tips of the branches are visible through the darkness. Only the night birds and the occasional hushed rustling can be heard.

I stroll over to the next tree and look for a hand-made circle, similar to a hay bracelet. When I go to the western plain, I normally leave them hanging so I don't get lost on the way back. I stopped requiring the hay bracelet once I discovered how to get in and out, and I stopped collecting them when I returned; but, things have changed lately. I'd never been caught during nighttime in the forest before.

"It should be around here..." I attempt to feel the hard tree bark at roughly 2 metres above the ground level where I generally cling them.

When I don't feel the bracelet, a terrible notion makes my body tremble with terror as it's never done before, and Fenrir's snarling grows louder.

I quickly turn around and walk back down the path, exactly where I checked the footprint earlier. Returning my gaze to the ground... To test if the measurements match, I positioned my foot next to the footprint.

'Please tell me this isn't what I think it is. Please tell me this isn't what I think it is. Please tell me this isn't what I think it is.' I repeat in my mind

And I was absolutely correct. It wasn't another man's footprint... because it wasn't a human footprint. My eyes widen as I gently touch the front of the footprint, with my left hand, which appears to have little holes as if the person who produced it had long and very sharp nails.

Fenrir was becoming lauder, and the sheep were becoming more distressed.

The saliva stick in my gut and couldn't swallow. Although it was freezing outside, I was dripping with sweat as if I had just completed a 40-kilometre marathon. Daring to rise on my feet while still looking at the ground, I catch in my field of vision another pair of feet other than mine; dark green with long nails pointed toward me.

My heart began pumping blood at an unusually fast pace. Four things happened in a very short period, as though in slow motion thanks to the adrenaline.

Firstly, I raise my head and see something that cannot be unseen. I couldn't determine whether I was terrified, disgusted, or both. The hideous creature with red eyes and black pupils tries to leap on me, and it opened its mouth, which had teeth of all sizes.

Secondly, I lost my balance and landed flat on my back. Fenrir collided with the creature's midsection just as it was about to fall on me, knocking it a few m away to the side.

Thirdly, I try to regain my footing when I notice two more of those creatures leaping from the bushes, wreaking havoc on the sheep, ripping them apart, opening their wombs like a door and devouring the raw meat while the animals still move their legs as if they were running, unaware that they are already dead.

Lastly, because the beast, that had been tossed to the side a minute before, was rising up, I did what any true man with confidence and a clear mind would do. I run for my life.

The sickening sounds which the creatures made while chewing at the sheep corpses were loud and would make you vomit just by listening. Fortunately, I wasn't there anymore to be withness to their feast or be their feast.

Right now, I was the fastest man alive, or at least that was my perception of myself when the trees appear from the front darkness at speed and were lost one by one into my peripheral vision while running like a maniac with Fenrir by my side.

"Buddy, if somehow we survive this... I'll cook for you the biggest chiken you've ever seen and I'll go the tavern and drink a mug of the strongest ale they got!" I glance at him

"Wouf!" he seemed happy

I was sprinting, jumping, and propelling myself ahead by placing my hands on the trees as they approached. Behind, the thing was still around twenty metres far from us. It was losing ground since it was slower, but it didn't appear to exhaust. It seemed quite possible that It would catch me at some point if I let down my guard and halted even for just a second. But I couldn't keep running all night. It was dark, and I didn't have a weapon, so I had to find a place to hide...

'But where?' looking all directions while my breath was harder with every step

On a whim, I sprint to the left with my final powers quicker, widening the space between me and the creature, causing it to lose sight of us. After passing through a few dozens of trees and a stony terrain difficult to travel on where the roots were exposed, I notice some dense bushes on the side of a tiny clearing that would offer the ideal camouflage.

The ground was sturdier than in the deep portions of the forest where I was emerging from, which increased my confidence that I wouldn't be discovered by leaving tracks.

I jump headfirst into the largest bush I can locate and stay low. Fenrir followed suit, making no noise in the process.

The atmosphere was tense. My breath was heavy and I tried to regain control over it. I was afraid that my breath would blow up the cover. After waiting in silence for a couple of minutes, I let out a sigh I didn't realize I was holding.

'The creature lost strack of us. We're safe, for now.' I rub my friend's back fur

With the most immediate threat gone, I was beginning to comprehend the similarities of the view.

'This clearing, the shrubs and tree on the opposite side, within the clearing... Isn't this the location where I met Fenrir four years ago?' my pupils dilate

'Which means I'm only a half-hour walk away from home. I should wait a little longer to make sure that creature isn't around, then flee as fast as I can. But what will I tell my father? Would any of my brothers take me seriously? What if they assign me to look for the sheep, assuming it was just an excuse, and I actually lost them while sleeping? What if they go themselves and get killed?

I, most certainly, won't come inside this forest for as long as I live. No matter what.' I contemplate

Then, a warm sensation began to wash across my back. For a short moment, my vision dimmed, forcing me to look behind. Inside the bush, a narrow tunnel of leaves and thin branches were emerging. At the end, a small light was penetrating between the leaves hanging from the tunnel's walls, and I swear I heard people talking but couldn't understand what they were saying. It was a really complicated cacophony as if several people were speaking at the same moment but from afar.

I look at Fenrir, who is already on all fours and witnessing the same thing I am. He raises his head to meet my eyes.

"Should we check?" I wonder, and we both pursue in **for legs** the light at the end of the tunnel.