The little girl in the woods

The sun was halfway beneath the horizon, its orange rays peeking through the thick shrubs of grass and gently swaying trees.

Celeste was walking aimlessly along a path littered with dried leaves, her curious eyes scanning the different plants, animals, and insects she came across. They looked no different from the ones in the celestial kingdom.

The woods made her feel at peace. The scents, the sights, and the sounds were all so familiar; she felt at home. For the first time in a while, even if it was just for a brief moment, she genuinely smiled.

The birds were beginning to quiet down as their songs were gradually replaced by an uncoordinated orchestra of crickets. The evening grew colder and shadows materialized darker. The swaying trees now looked haunting; there was an eerie feeling in the air.

Celeste sat by the broad bark of a large oak tree with her knees tucked to her chest, her silver eyes darting about the darkness. It might've been her mind, but she couldn't help but feel that she was being watched.

She bit her quivering bottom lip as she thought, 'The woods haven't changed Celeste; it has only gotten darker.'

Celeste tried curving her fear, but the sounds she heard were unfamiliar. The friendly atmosphere changed the second the sun dipped beneath the horizon and the moon and stars made their appearance.

And it didn't help that the old giant's words were continuously repeating in her head. She wasn't familiar with goblins or trolls, but the monster that cut off her wing was a vampire.

Celeste inadvertently touched the scar on her back as the painful memory played in her thoughts. Her eyes welled with tears, but she quickly blinked them away as she shook her head and wiped her wet cheeks.

Celeste rested her head against the smooth bark of the tree as she stared up at the beautiful sky littered with stars. The large, glowing moon loomed above her from behind a large grey cloud, illuminating the dark woods with a blue glow.

The little angel's lips slightly parted with a silent gasp at the beauty of the full moon, her eyes remaining unblinking. She was mesmerized.

A loud howl resounded through the wind, forcing Celeste's eyes away from the moon and to her dark, shadowy surroundings.

It sounded so close.

Celeste tightly clenched her fists as she rose to her feet, her wide eyes carefully darting about as she slowly stepped back into the bushes. Another howl echoed, shaking the trees, it sounded a lot closer and a lot more ferocious than the first.

Celeste's heart hammered against her heaving chest as she took short breaths.

The woods suddenly went silent.

A shuffle in the bushes caught Celeste's attention and she looked in that direction but saw nothing. She could hear footsteps surrounding her and the low growls, they weren't in her head.

A pair of glowing red eyes met her wide-eyed gaze from across where she stood frozen in fear. Slowly emerging from the darkness came a beast she thought could've only emerged from the pits of Hell.

A big black dog, Celeste would've described it, but it was a werewolf. It bared its sharp teeth at her, a ferocious growl vibrating in its throat as it slowly crept toward her.

'I should run,' Celeste thought as she stared at the werewolf, but her feet weren't working; they weren't listening to her at all.

Another growl came from behind her, this one a lot less ferocious, but it didn't make her feel any less terrified. Her body was shaking uncontrollably and her bladder felt like it was going to burst.

'There's another one behind me.'

Celeste wondered if it was as terrifying as the one glaring at her, but she didn't dare turn around to find out nor did she move an inch.

'They're only animals,' Celeste tried convincing herself. She was still of the presumption that they were only big dogs. Supreme Mother taught her not to judge, for all creatures are beautiful on the inside even if they are ugly on the outside.

Celeste took a deep breath to calm her raging nerves before slowly raising her trembling hand, extending it toward the large beast. Her lips quivered as she questioned in a small voice, "C-Can you hear my voice?"

Celeste screamed and fell to her knees, clenching her eyes shut when the beast suddenly lunged at her baring its sharp teeth and claws.

'Did I die?' Celeste didn't feel anything; she thought the giant red-eyed dog gave her a quick death, but could the growls have followed her into the afterlife?

When she opened her eyes she was a front-row spectator at an angry dog showdown. Opposite the vicious black dog was a much smaller dog with brown fur.

Celeste was astonished at the brown dog's bravery; the other dog was much bigger. 'Shouldn't it run away,' she thought as she watched. 'There's no way it can win.'

'I should run away,' Celeste thought as she slowly rose to her feet.

The black werewolf sank its teeth into the neck of the other werewolf and threw its body into the bark of one of the trees. The brown wolf staggered as it got up, blood seeping between its teeth. It was obviously badly wounded, but it charged at the black wolf yet again.

It only took a swipe of the black wolf's paw for the brown wolf to be down again. Celeste watched in horror as the black wolf mauled the whimpering brown wolf, spilling its blood across the dirt and leaves.

The black wolf's red eyes fell on Celeste, its menacing gaze piercing her soul as it dropped one of the brown wolf's paws from its bloody mouth.

Celeste's eyes pooled with tears as she took a step back. 'It killed it.' Her heart hammered so roughly against her chest that she could hear it pounding in her ears.

She was going to die.