chapter 25

Sara's POV

Hours have passed since exiting the portal and still, every cell in my body still has a distant zing from the trip. "Walk straight when you arrive and keep going, you will find your way." Yeah right, but was this the straight Arius meant? Have I even come out at the correct place? The weariness from the day is weighing heavy on me and the sun is close to being fully set. Searching desperately, I hoped to find some sort of shelter but all I found was the path I was walking, with a forest on either side. Great. This is just great! Having run out of motivation to even look, I decided to sleep against a tree tonight. It won't be comfy, but then it wouldn't be the first time I've slept on a cold hard floor at night. Nervously, I checked my surroundings but found nobody, so I perched against a tall thick tree. Its trunk was huge and covered in mahogany-coloured bark that every now and again would snag my hair. For the first time since stopping, I decided to peer into the bag Alwyn gifted me. Pulling open the opening of the drawstring bag, I quickly found an apple and some bread. My gut gurgled ferociously as though if I didn't eat something now, it would vacate my body to do the job itself. I took a small chunk of the bread, it was chewy and a bit dry without butter, but at that time it tasted like the nicest thing I could have eaten. Shuffling the items of the bag around further, I located a cape. The bag was deceiving and held much more than it first appeared. The sun was all but set now and would be fully gone within the next hour. Pulling the cape over my head, I left the hood up and tucked my body into itself to stay warm. Resting my eyes and listening to the birds tweeting, I dozed off trying to recover from my exhaustion.

The cold night air wakes me from my sleep as I groggily blink, trying to take in my surroundings. The moon is high in the sky and illuminates the trees. It is hard to see anything except in between certain trees where the moonlight has broken through. Having nodded off with the bag around my wrist that had made it slightly sore - I gave it a rub to try and help it feel better. As I do, a slight movement catches my eye between the trees. My heartbeat quickened as the silence of the forest left me feeling malaise. As quietly as I could, I rose to my feet, pushing my back against the rough bark to help myself up. Praying I was seeing things, I tried to glance deeper into the forest again. It was pitch black in the direction I was looking, but a sound reached me, it sounded like multiple things coming toward me scratching the ground's surface simultaneously.

Unsure of what was out there and my heartbeat felt like it was thumping into my ears, I strained my eyes to look out into the darkness. Having just about to give up, the moonlight caught onto the creature I could hear and it was huge. The creature was like an overgrown spider, easily the size of a horse! I have never seen anything like it and would not miss ever getting any closer than I am now. Carefully and slowly I moved out of the trees, terrified to turn my back on the gigantic arachnid. Foolishly, I decided if I could just reach the path I would be safe. One step at a time is all I need to do and then I'd be safe. A foot from the path and the terrible sound of a branch cracking underfoot sent chills down my spine. I knew at that moment I had made a mistake. An awful mistake. Horrifyingly, the creature changed its course, now coming in my direction. The sound of blood pumping in my ears, and the whooshing reminded me of waves at the beach. My feet felt stuck to the ground and everything seemed to slow down as if I was watching and not part of the show. The water that was once in my body has fled and my mouth has completely dried up. So this is how I die. Ironic. I leave to try and save Edward and now, instead of him dying, we both will - and they will never know what has happened to me. Perhaps Drew will wait for me as I asked and never marry, never have a family or children, just let his life go by waiting and die alone - just like I am now. Oh god, I closed my eyes tightly, squeezing them shut hard. I can't bear to watch. The woods fell silent, no animals were moving so much as a muscle, that really should have been my first clue something wasn't right! The sound of the trees rustling sends my heart thumping harder than before. Reluctantly, I peeked into the woods, seeing nothing. Where did it go? The weight in my feet somehow lessened, allowing me to move once more. You can be sure I wasted no time in leaving, quickly exiting the trees and getting back onto the path. Having debated briefly between finding a new place to sleep or walking, I chose to walk on further. My body is too wired now to sleep. 10 steps away from the tree line and I hear the treetops rustle as the creature falls from the highest points using all 8 of its needle-sharp legs to balance itself spinning in all directions. Bile rose in my throat, as I realised it had landed right where I stood 30 seconds prior. The creature was still spinning, the scurrying of its limbs sounded ever so loud in the dead of the night. It was looking for me. The realisation hits me like a ton of bricks. Without thought or warning, my feet began running in the opposite way to the spider. The sound of my feet hitting the floor echoed in the empty between. Gusts of wind fought against me as I desperately tried to outrun the creature, which as of now had not left the tree line but was gaining on me with every step. Faltering and tripping over my own feet, I find myself in a dilemma. In front of me sat a forked path. Left or right? No, no, no, this cannot be happening. Follow the path straight, they said! Which way is straight? My long hair swished and flicked me in the face, getting stuck in my mouth as I spat it out. Right. As I decide to go right, a huge grey wolf jumps from the tree line, sinking its teeth into my arm and pulling me to the left. Throwing me onto its back, it runs through the trees with ease, as I clutch onto it with all my might, the wind dancing around us as they do. Abruptly, the wolf came to a stop, throwing my body into a huge wet muddy puddle, causing my bag to drop a few feet away, then he joined me and shifted back. "Cover yourself. Quickly!" He commanded as he painted his own body in the muck. Frantically, I copy what he was doing and I bathe myself in mud. He placed his finger to his mouth. "Shhh." A screeching cry followed seconds after we finished, the beast had followed us at some speed. My heart was beating so loudly that I was convinced the spider would hear it. My muscles ached and began to cramp from my pose but I dared not move, the burning sensation sending tears to my eyes. After what felt like an incredibly long time, the creature left scuttling its hairy limbs back through the trees, and yet I still did not move until the man who saved me did.

Another wolf, I sighed, grabbing my bag from the ground - this could only mean I have gone in the wrong direction after all wolves aren't welcome outside their packs. Edward is surely going to die now and my mistake has cost him his chance at healing. I followed like a lost sheep as the mud-man walked on through the trees silently. "What were you thinking? The wayward woods are no place at night!" His frustration was clear, as he stepped into a river. The water was pitch black with only the moonlight shimmering over the surface. Thankfully, the winds had settled and the night seemed calmer. "The wayward woods?" I asked, watching the naked man emerging from his muddy cocoon. He made no attempt to hide himself from me and as much as I tried to avoid looking, curiosity got the better of me. He was tall, over 6 feet, easy and he had a body the gods would fight over and his man weapon would leave many fearful. I bit my lip while admiring him before quickly diverting my eyes. What was wrong with me?

"You're not from round here." He stated matter of factly. "Figures. Why were you in the woods?" He asked, washing the now dried mud from his skin, slowly unmasking the new wolf.

Can I really trust this man? What did I even know about him? Something about him left me unnerved. "Just passing through."

"Strange place to visit. Why didn't you shift yourself? no way you were going to outrun the Gigaranea on foot."

"I'm not a wolf." The mud was drying on my body now, making me itchy as I looked into the water. I needed to get washed, the thought of getting naked right now made me feel very vulnerable.

"You smell like a wolf. If not a wolf, what are you?"

"That's not your concern!" How dare he? I don't even know him!

"Makes no difference to me. You're welcome by the way." He said sarcastically, washing the mud from his mid-short hair, it was hard to see what colour it was but under the moonlight, it appeared as though each strand was made from pure silver. "Get washed, we will camp here tonight and go our separate ways tomorrow." He walked from the water with his whole glory hanging out and as much as I tried not to, I snuck just one more glance.

"Is it safe to sleep?" I looked over my shoulder as he carried on walking.

" Yes, the Gigarnea is gone tonight. It won't be back. If it did, we could mask in the river. It would struggle to pick up our body heat and move on." He explained as if it was simply an everyday occurrence. "You can get washed, I'm going to find some firewood." And with that, he walked into the woods. I hesitated briefly, then began to undress from the dirt-covered clothes, leaving them in a pile. Slowly, I washed in the freezing cold water, wishing I didn't have to bathe in it. He didn't even shiver, there was nothing to suggest the water was this cold. Nevertheless, I carried on washing the dirt off as best I could before sheepishly exiting the water. I picked up my dirty garments but realised there was no way I could wear them as they were. So begrudgingly I reentered the water with the clothes shivering as I tried fruitlessly to clean them. Dripping wet, I exited the water once more, hanging up my soaked clothes over branches. The mystery man had still not returned, so I curled up trying to find a way to feel less exposed, as I sat there naked. I was sure I was going to catch hypothermia soon. Part of me is wondering whether my new companion will even return. Why would he? I would just be a hindrance. Catching sight of Alwyn's bag, I grabbed it and opened it, searching for anything to help me. Yes! The cape! A long full-length purple cloak, I pulled it out in awe. It couldn't possibly have fit into the tiny bag with all the other items there. Without hesitation, I threw the cloak on, the velvet material caressing my cold naked skin. I dug further into the bag and located a healing ointment. My arm! I pulled the arm of the cloak to reveal my arm, to find nothing but a few scratches. He had clearly been more gentle than I had imagined in the moment. The adrenaline must have made it feel much worse. The glass jar clicked as it fell again other bottles Alwyn thought to provide. My teeth had started to chatter by now as I dug further, locating some crunchy brown bread, I removed the small loaf before closing the bag. Wrapping my arms around my body, I attempt to warm myself up, breaking for short periods to nibble the bread. What was I going to do now? Alone and lost. The thud of logs hitting the deck was the only reason I had realised the mystery man had returned, as I had not heard so much as a footstep. He said nothing to me as he set about creating a small fireplace. He blew on the sparks in such a way the fire jumped to life. I immediately crawled closer to get warm. His eyes wandered up and down my body, briefly stopping at my chest where my wet hair had dripped, causing the material to stick to my naked body. He looked confused as he noticed the bread. Oh my, I hadn't even thought about giving him some. Snapping the loaf in two, the crumbs fell onto my lap as I reached out to share it. He accepted the bread wearily and watched me bite first before he tucked in. "Thank you for your help back there...?" I said for the first time, guilty for not having said it much earlier.

He nods but doesn't speak as he still sat there in front of the fire completely naked, the flames being the only thing blocking his body from my view. "Get some sleep." He commands again, he's quite bossy and it's starting to grind on me a little. For now, though, I will let it go. As he says, we will go our separate ways tomorrow. My body suddenly felt the toll of the day catching up and all the adrenaline I had disappeared. Contemplating trying to fight the sleep, I figure if he had wanted to hurt me, he easily could have already. Plus, I'm not convinced I could stay awake if I tried. Grasping out, I squeeze my bag to ensure it is there and decide to just rest my eyes a little. Then the darkness took me. There was no fighting it and exhaustion sunk its teeth in.