ARIANNA’S CHOICE: Crowns Or Fangs

Arianna blinked a few times, but the image before her of the dark eerie forest didn't change, so she closed her eyes to wake up from whatever nightmare she was in.

She was surprised seeing herself there, in the middle of the forest putting on an old ancient clothes with a huge sword in her hand. The last thing she remembered was being in her house, in her small yet cozy bedroom trying to sleep so how the hell did she manage to be here. This must be a dream, she thought.

She opened her eyes again and was met with the same view, the same place and the same eerie feeling. The forest was so dark that not a single life could be found in it, it was full of dried twisted trees that look as old as s thousand years and would fall if any little thing touch them.

A dark figure appeared before her, a man with a straight face and red eyes was staring at her... intensely. Then another appeared, and another until they were seven in numbers— four men that look so alike and three woman who didn't say anything but stared at her.

She felt frightened wig their appearance, with a gasped she pushed herself behind, away from the strange people in her midst.

"W...where am I?" She asked.

Seeing that this was real and those people standing before her were also real she was convinced that she wasn't in her room or her parents house, but where was she?

The man who appeared first in a smoky form took a step forward, Arianna took one behind.

"There's nothing to fear child, we're called the seven and we're here to guide you to your destiny." He said in a high voice. His face was cold, devoid of any emotion just staring directly at her eyes and as Arianna stared into his she felt a dark feeling building inside her, his eyes sunken into his skull like they would fall off.

"You are about to face your destiny, embrace it child." He yelled and the other chorused.

"Embrace it!" They chanted.

"Embrace it!"

Trepidation gripped her, with her chest heaving she let out a crook cry. What is happening to me? She asked.

Something was walking in her body, biting and chewing her inside.

"Wh....What are you talking about?" She managed to squeeze the words out, then the pain intensified.

"Argh." A little groan left her mouth.

The Seven didn't give a reply to her question, their continue their chants, and the pain increased more. Arianna could feel an invisible hand strangling her neck, holding her limbs tightly like it didn't want her to move. She panicked and tried to free herself from whatever hand that was holding her but all her efforts was proved futile, she couldn't fight it and she also couldn't take it anymore, she wanted it to stop. No, she needed them to stop whatever thing they're doing to her body.

"Stop, pl...please stop it." Her voice was shaky, bead of sweat formed on her head.

The Seven increased their chants and with the little straight she could gather, she raised her head up and gasped seeing their eyes all white. They were facing the sky, the women among the Seven was making a different chant like a spell. The pain climbed from her legs to her abdomen before moving to her heart and she let out a loud scream, black smoke coming out of her mouth and immediately the spell and chanting died down once she was on her knees.

"This is your destiny child, and now you have to embrace it." Another one among the Seven said, a man's voice. Letting out another cough and gasped Arianna raised her head to look at them.

"What do you want from me?" Her voice was croaky, her throat sore from her screaming.

"Embrace it child." The Seven said before disappearing from her sight.

Arianna shrieked backwards in fright, her body shook greatly and she doesn't know why it was shaking, was it the fact that she just met some mystical being with real powers or because she almost died. She stayed on the ground with her breath coming out sharp and shaky, this must be a dream. She chanted in her head over and over again.

A dream.

But she knows too well that was no dream, she could feel the pain in her gut, the strangling on her neck and pains in her body especially her heart. What was the meaning of that? Who were those people and what destiny were they talking about.

Lost in thoughts Arianna jolted back to life when she heard a growl coming from one of the huge old tree in the forest. Gaping, Arianna turned to the direction the sound came out from but couldn't see anything due to how dark the forest was. She scampered on her feet almost falling on her face due to how weak and shaky her legs were, the growl came again.

She became alert if her surrounding, roaming her eyes everywhere, looking for the danger lurking around that would attack her when she drop her guard. Another growl was heard but this time it was filled with both pain and anger, like the beast was protesting against something that was a harm to it.

She was tempted to take a step towards the direction the beast was hiding or waiting for her, still contemplating what to do she wasn't aware the beast was standing before her.

"Argh." She screamed falling on her butt in both panic and fear. The beast stared at her with its red eyes that looked enchanting, pulling her into the depths of them.

Arianna gasped and tried to push herself back, away from the beast that was coming slowly to her. It took another step forward whimpering in pain, his eyes were still on her and although they looked lifeless and cold but when she looked closely she saw that it was trying to pass a message across to her..... a warning.

The beast growled again this time he walked faster and before Arianna could move he was already towering over her, she whimpered her heart beating like a party drum. She didn't want to die, not now and not here where she wasn't even aware what the pace was called.

She gasped in horror when the beast opened its mouth and with fear, she closed her eyes waiting for whatever pain she was going to receive or worse death.

A minute passed, when she didn't feel any bite or nib on her skin she took a peek at the beast with her one eye, but immediately shut it close when she didn't see the beast atop her. Where was it? Did it realize I was too bony and skinny to be its meal and it let me go? With those thoughts in her mind, Arianna pokes her eyes and sat up but she her mouth dropped she she saw the thing before her.

In the place of the beast, a man no rather a huge man was standing there.... naked. Her eyes almost bulge out when she saw what she was staring at directly.... his.... his..... Gosh she couldn't even say it.

Arianna face flushed greatly, she took her eyes away from his lower body then moved them to his naked chest, he was tall and huge. His chest was so broad, biceps full on display and Arianna subconsciously licked her lips. He was really manly and oddly enough something felt familiar with him but who was he? She couldn't tell. She took her eyes from his chest to his face and time stilled for her, ignoring his chiseled jaw, perfect nose and kissable lips with his silver locks falling into his eyes, there was only one thought in Arianna's mind.

"It's him, the man haunting my dreams."