The Exit
Zac felt defeated. Was there no getting out? Zac put his head down in disappointment and stared at the ground for a split second before seeing a dent in the grass. He moved closer while Galen searched in the background. When he saw what it was, his heart raced. It was faded, but he could tell exactly what it was. The dent in the ground ended up being the footprints the bandits had left behind when making their way over it. Zac called over Galen to tell him the good news. "Yeahhhhh!" Zac screamed in victory. It was their way out of this forest; now they knew what direction to head in. They were no longer lost.
They ran as fast as possible off of the hill in the direction where the footprints led them. Galen always stuck behind Zac, even though he could catch up and run faster. Galen had never been beyond the hill or the fog. It was a new experience for Galen to feel these emotions. To witness the exciting adventures, he will be able to be on in the future. His curiosity has taken hold of him. Allowing all those thoughts into his mind, he feels like he's about to explode with excitement. But that wouldn't do any good right then. Now wasn't time yet to think of such things. Helping Zac find their way out was the top priority over his feelings.
After running through the woods for quite some time without stopping, they came upon an opening between two trees. This is where they would have to make camp tonight. There was a long road ahead of them before they reached the exit. That night they made a fire and ate whatever food they could scrounge from the area. While eating, Zac told Galen how he'd gotten here. After hearing his story, Galen couldn't believe what he had heard. Galen has met many people over the years from being the now former guardian, but he never actually knew them. He only ever fed on them, entertaining himself with hunting and eating. Galen couldn't grasp the true nature of humans and what splits the difference between wrong and right—being an animal both genetically and mentally. What Zac told him wasn't sad nor touching to have bared with what he has insured over the years. But just like the moment he saved Zac, his heart moved differently than at any other time in his life.
The human emotions were complicated, him having turned into one. Galen couldn't gouge the complicated emotion, so he didn't say a word. Zac didn't know why he told his story; maybe it was because he knew Galen wouldn't understand, but at least he would listen. Having someone to listen to Zac made him feel like he had just moved a bit of weight off of his chest. Though even having someone to talk to also brought up the memories of Ray betraying him. Something he could not get over, just as much as his mother's death. Sorrow overran Zac, and he stopped talking. And headed to bed for the night, waiting for tomorrow to come.
...
They walked for days until finally reaching the exit of the forest. They passed by the dead bodies of men who died trying to escape from Galen in the past. Zac judged Galen harshly but wouldn't do anything because there was no point in preaching about morals to an animal. It was just his way of life. They got to the exit, finally, after all this time. But what waited for them wasn't the exit. Standing at the exit were a group of men. They had smug looks and scars over their faces and even looked stronger than Kane and his men. Zac and Galen instantly knew by instinct that they were in trouble. "So I'll half, and you take half?" Galen asked Zac. "I don't understand. What do you mean I'll take half?" Zac asked. "Well, I mean, you kill half of them, and I'll kill the other half." Zac looked at Galen as if he were crazy.
"I don't want to fight. Let's just try to avoid them if we can." "So if they initiate the fight, we can fight?" Galen with the same smug look as the bandits. "If it comes down to it, then yes. But let's avoid that if we can. I'm wondering how they knew we'd be here?" Zac pondered. Zac and Galen silently talked to each other only a few feet away from the group of men while they stood confused. When Zac and Galen were about to Skim past them, the men didn't take kindly to it and stopped them in their tracks. To stop Zac and Galen from passing them, one of the men, who looked to be the leader, put his hand on Galen's shoulder. "Where do you two think you're goi-" Not taking what they had to say or wanted to do. The guy's head flew off in a split second. Not knowing what had happened, they turned their heads to the head and then to Galen, where he stood there with razer sharp claws extending from his nails and blood dripping down from them.
"Don't touch me," Galen said calmly as he licked the blood from his fingertips. Fear ran down their spines. What the hell just happened? Who the hell is this guy? Their minds couldn't comprehend the situation, and they instantly went full-blown survival mode; they couldn't understand what had happened, but they felt the need to kill this man immediately. Not for revenge, but because if they didn't, they were next to die. The sweat dripping from their bodies flew back as they ran towards Galen, forgetting that Zac was even there. While Zac stood behind Galen, frustrated at Galen's inability to de-escalate a situation or talk his way out of being what seemed to be robbers. He did nothing but watch the scene unfold between Galen and what looked to be twelve men.
"At least leave one of them alive," Zac yelled. "So boring," Galen thought as he tore through three people. Although Zac was against killing, he no longer thought that it was a good thing to keep scum like these alive, those who destroy without a second thought. It was an acceptance that killing would make sure they stayed down forever. They couldn't get back up to hurt others if he left them alive. There was no remorse for these types of people. Watching the blood fly around, Zac couldn't help but be drawn to it. It was the blood of those who probably had hurt people the same way as the Knights had hurt his mom. Turning kids into orphans, killing with no thought of those that would be affected. It put a smile on Zac's face.
Galen cut down another four men. Each one fell to the floor lifelessly. By the end, only two remained standing: one with a sword and the other with a bow and arrows. Both were armed but watching as their comrades hit the ground dead and looking at Galen before them, who didn't show any signs of fatigue, ready to kill them both. It was no longer a thought to go up against Galen; both dropped their weapons and ran for their life. It was like a rabbit running as it spots its predator. Galen didn't even give them a chance to make it far. Galen's hand went straight into the back of one of their heads, breaking through the skull and out the other end; his hand met the cool breeze hitting his wet bloody hand.
This was the most fun Galen had since he was born. Galen always had the advantage of hunting his prey. He knew everything about the forest, which made it his own hunting ground. But it also expelled any competition. There was no fun in hunting something when he knew he was going to eventually catch it. It bored him every time. He always took playing with his food to a serious level. It was all sorts of things, like pretending to be caught and eventually revealing his massive power to those who thought they had finally caught the beast and were hoping they'd be known as the ones who caught it, but then dying in despair when realizing their fate. Or his favorite, cat and mouse. He would allow his prey to run for their lives only to die thinking they'd escaped him.
He mentally tortured his prey in all sorts of ways for fun, but it was never long-lasting. His boredom kept growing stronger and stronger until he decided that leaving the foggy forest was the best way for him to have fun and maybe even get to play with someone else. Like a friend. And so he made it his mission to find someone capable of removing the SilverLeaf and turning him into a human. And that's when he met Zac.
The other person trying to escape Galen, without the mind to realize he was the last one standing, dropped to the floor in an instant. Not realizing that both his legs were crushed. It happened too fast for him to feel it, but he found himself immediately on the ground, confused and scared out of his mind. He looks at his legs to find the cause of his tripping. The way his legs dangled off the bone, his flesh still attached. He couldn't even scream. The pain was so agonizing that his breath felt trapped in his stomach. He looked at the man who had done all of this, it looked like Galen was talking, but he couldn't make out the words. Instantly passing out from the pain in his legs.
"I told you not to kill him!" Zac yelled at Galen. "He's not dead! Or at least I don't think he is." Galen inspected the man for a heartbeat. "Well!?" Zac yelled again. "He's alive!" Galen said with relief, dragging his body over to Zac, where they tied him to a sign at the exit until he woke up.