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Authors: M. Lee Holmes
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to learn how to shoot a bow. He took the weapon nonetheless, not wishing to admit his ignorance to the man before him.
“What is she doing in there, anyway?” He asked curiously as he held fast to the bow.
“She is hunting the shadow beast.” Mayvard said with a grin. “She swears this time she’ll be able to capture it.” Terryn shuddered again.
As he walked away from the training grounds and towards the forest, the beating of his frightened heart grew louder in his ears and the thought of the shadow beast- which was much more frightening than the High Protector herself- flowed through his mind as an image of fury and death. What if the beast finds me while I am looking for her? His steps grew involuntarily slower as he approached the forest’s edge.
The density of the forest proved to be just as terrifying and treacherous as Terryn had imagined. He knew many men before him had entered this forest and come out unscathed but there were those who trudged into the thickness of the trees, never to be heard of or seen again. Terryn had only heard stories of the beasts that lurked in the shadows of the dark corners of the woods. That is why it was called The Shadow Forest .
As frightening as the shadow beast was, he had heard stories of much more frightening beasts being spotted amongst the trees- ghost wolves that howled menacingly as they followed your footsteps, insects the size of a person’s head that stung and paralyzed, and some claim to have seen shadow walkers, though Terryn was uncertain how much he believed that.
With each step he took, Terryn looked all about him, focusing his vision on the dark corners surrounding him. He held the long bow tightly in his grasp and felt it quiver with his shaking hands.
If I am attacked by anything, I doubt I’ll be able to use this thing. He thought, but he held onto it nonetheless, afraid to let go.
After half an hour of walking, Terryn came to a small cliff side that jutted up before him, blocking the path he had been following. He stood motionless for a moment, contemplating which way he should go to get around it. It was in this moment, when Terryn was still, that everything around him grew quiet. At first, he didn’t notice the change but something within him was screaming the warning. A small and sudden chill ran up the length of his spine and his eyes darted up to the skyline. I could have sworn there were birds chirping a few moments ago. They had been singing joyfully with an almost deafening volume since the moment he had entered the forest. Now, however, they had all stopped and the only sound he could hear was the furious beating of his own heart.
Terryn spun around when his heartbeat was joined with another sound- small footsteps coming from behind him. They were light but he could hear the crackling of dried leaves and the breaking of twigs underneath the feet that followed.
Terryn tried to peer through the shrubs and trees but there was nothing but dark forest and cold stones.
It could be a ghost wolf. He thought as his eyes darted from one tree to another. They are masters at hiding themselves. Then the horrible thought came to his mind; what if it is a shadow walker?
Though his hands trembled with uncontrollable fright, he held the bow in front of him, pulled an arrow from the quiver and prepared to shoot anything that moved. He turned himself around, looking at the surrounding forest by the tip of the arrow. He turned again and then he saw them- two large round eyes staring at him from behind the bushes. They were dark and menacing and he thought he could hear the low grumble of whatever beast it was growling.
Terryn nearly dropped his bow in panic but realizing it was his only means of defense, held to it tightly and tried his best to aim the point of the arrow at the beast- that’s when it emerged.
He saw its massive head first, black and round as a boulder. The pointed ears
“What is she doing in there, anyway?” He asked curiously as he held fast to the bow.
“She is hunting the shadow beast.” Mayvard said with a grin. “She swears this time she’ll be able to capture it.” Terryn shuddered again.
As he walked away from the training grounds and towards the forest, the beating of his frightened heart grew louder in his ears and the thought of the shadow beast- which was much more frightening than the High Protector herself- flowed through his mind as an image of fury and death. What if the beast finds me while I am looking for her? His steps grew involuntarily slower as he approached the forest’s edge.
The density of the forest proved to be just as terrifying and treacherous as Terryn had imagined. He knew many men before him had entered this forest and come out unscathed but there were those who trudged into the thickness of the trees, never to be heard of or seen again. Terryn had only heard stories of the beasts that lurked in the shadows of the dark corners of the woods. That is why it was called The Shadow Forest .
As frightening as the shadow beast was, he had heard stories of much more frightening beasts being spotted amongst the trees- ghost wolves that howled menacingly as they followed your footsteps, insects the size of a person’s head that stung and paralyzed, and some claim to have seen shadow walkers, though Terryn was uncertain how much he believed that.
With each step he took, Terryn looked all about him, focusing his vision on the dark corners surrounding him. He held the long bow tightly in his grasp and felt it quiver with his shaking hands.
If I am attacked by anything, I doubt I’ll be able to use this thing. He thought, but he held onto it nonetheless, afraid to let go.
After half an hour of walking, Terryn came to a small cliff side that jutted up before him, blocking the path he had been following. He stood motionless for a moment, contemplating which way he should go to get around it. It was in this moment, when Terryn was still, that everything around him grew quiet. At first, he didn’t notice the change but something within him was screaming the warning. A small and sudden chill ran up the length of his spine and his eyes darted up to the skyline. I could have sworn there were birds chirping a few moments ago. They had been singing joyfully with an almost deafening volume since the moment he had entered the forest. Now, however, they had all stopped and the only sound he could hear was the furious beating of his own heart.
Terryn spun around when his heartbeat was joined with another sound- small footsteps coming from behind him. They were light but he could hear the crackling of dried leaves and the breaking of twigs underneath the feet that followed.
Terryn tried to peer through the shrubs and trees but there was nothing but dark forest and cold stones.
It could be a ghost wolf. He thought as his eyes darted from one tree to another. They are masters at hiding themselves. Then the horrible thought came to his mind; what if it is a shadow walker?
Though his hands trembled with uncontrollable fright, he held the bow in front of him, pulled an arrow from the quiver and prepared to shoot anything that moved. He turned himself around, looking at the surrounding forest by the tip of the arrow. He turned again and then he saw them- two large round eyes staring at him from behind the bushes. They were dark and menacing and he thought he could hear the low grumble of whatever beast it was growling.
Terryn nearly dropped his bow in panic but realizing it was his only means of defense, held to it tightly and tried his best to aim the point of the arrow at the beast- that’s when it emerged.
He saw its massive head first, black and round as a boulder. The pointed ears
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