Washed Ashore

The night was pitch black as the waves crashed against the shore. The wind howled through the trees and the rain poured down in sheets. Amidst the storm, Cerys has washed ashore, barely conscious and clinging to a piece of driftwood. Sand stuck to her face and her hair. She was so weak that she could not get up. Her body was soaked from the rain and the sea.

She lay there for a moment, shivering from the cold and trying to gather her strength and her bearings. She had no memory of how she had ended up in this place but she remembered being pushed overboard and the black tentacles that surrounded her. After that nothing else. Her mind was blank. She knew that she had to find shelter from the storm.

With a heavy heart, she stood up with the strength she could muster. Everywhere was so dark that she could hardly see. She could see a dense forest but nothing else. No light, no moon, and no stars. She stared at the vast ocean which was rising and falling. The rain hits the tides and the crackling sound from the sky. It was better to risk the forest than to drown. The ocean may have served her once doesn't mean it would happen again.

Cerys stumbled to her feet and made her way into the thick forest. The rain made it difficult to see and the darkness made it even harder to find her way. But she pressed on, driven by a fierce determination to survive. Ever since she was given this new life, dangerous adventures have been thrown her way and she doesn't like it one bit. She wished she wasn't reborn or transmigrated.

The forest was dense and the underbrush was thick. Cerys struggled her way through, her clothes torn and her skin scratched by the brambles. Her bare feet were pierced by the sharp woods on the grassy land. She stumbled and fell several times, but each time she picked herself back up and pressed on. She had no idea where she was headed but she prayed that her walk would lead to something positive. She had no strength to fight a snake or a bear or any creeping animals.

Hours passed and the storm showed no signs of letting up. She was exhausted, her clothes were soaked through, and her spirits were low. She wanted to stop, there was no hope. She had nowhere to go. She was freezing and feared that she might die from frostbite. Her hands were already shaking from the cold and her body was dirty. Though, she refused to give up. She knew that if she stopped, she would surely die. Maybe a snake could bite her or the cold would stop her blood flow.

Just when Cery was about to lose hope, she heard woods cracking as someone had stepped on them. She removed the leaves from her face and turned backward. She could see nothing which made her scared. Fear gripped her heart and her mind felt jumbled. Now she wished she had stayed on the beach.

Cerys stumbled forward carefully, her hands against her chest, her heart filling with fear. As she drew closer, she realized heard the sounds more. Heavy footsteps. Even in the rain, she could hear it clearly, which means the person was close. That's if it was a person.

Fear gripped her and she stood frozen She had no idea where to go. Her human senses were numb. She did the first thing that came to her mind, to pick up a stick. At least, she would know she died trying.

She was just about to bend when she felt something sharp slice through the rain droplets and straight to her neck. The fear made her raise her hand. She looked down to see a sharp katana directly below her neck. His eyes trailed down the sword to the hand that held it.

A dark figure stood before her. She found it difficult to see who he was, his face obscured by the hood of his cloak and his face covered with a black mask He was dressed in black and he looked like a shadow rather than a person. The old thing showing is his blade.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice low and menacing. "What are you doing here?"

The girl tried to back away, but her legs were too weak to support her. She stumbled and fell to the ground, fear gripping her heart.

"Please," she stammered. "I'm just looking for shelter from the storm. I didn't mean to intrude"

The man stood over her, the katana pointed at her throat. "I don't believe you," he said. "You could be a spy, sent here to find me. I can't take any chances. How did you get here?"

"I don't know. I was pushed overboard by pirates. Sacrificed actually. That was what they said. But when I opened my eyes I found myself here, washed ashore"

Her heart raced as she looked up at the man. She had never felt so helpless and afraid in her life. She didn't know what to do or what to say.

But then after a moment, something shifted. He lowered the katana and offered her his hand.

"Come on," he said gruffly.

With his help, she stood up firmly on the ground. It was only then she saw the white wolf that stood by the side watching her with clever eyes. Her eyes widened and she wanted to flee but she had nowhere to go and she swallowed air.

The man started walking forward, the wolf followed walking side by side with him.

Despite her fear of him, the girl felt the need to follow him. He was her only ticket out of the forest. They seemed like lost souls, adrift in a world that seemed to offer them no comfort or hope.

He walked further and Cerys followed with little enthusiasm. She was weak, parched, starved, and bleeding from various parts of her body. Her eyes were drooping close, and black dots fill her gaze. The world started to spin, the ground seemed to deepen, and then her legs gave out. She fell face flat on the ground.

The man heard the thick fall and turned. He looked at the body that lay on the ground unconscious. He had used his powers to identify who she was, but it was dark within her. He could not know. But he knew she wasn't a demon.

He found it hard to trust her…but her eyes were so innocent. With his sharp gaze, he was able to identify she was telling the truth. He could hear her heart beating with fear and tiredness. She didn't lie.

So he turned and picked her up in his arms. The wolf looked at him with surprise and moved his head to the side in confusion.

"If she does anything bad, you get the opportunity to eat her. But for now, I believe she is just someone who fell into the wrong hands"