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The Dark Woods surrounding her castle looked never-ending. I had no idea where I was or if I was walking in circles. Most times I walked until I couldn’t anymore. I fell onto the ground and slept against the leaves.
I’d never been more tired in my entire life.
If the constant dance of my emotions hadn’t drained me the never-ending march against the forest did. The canopy of lifeless trees hanging above me danced in the wind, bringing in smells of death and rot from the lack of life in the forest.
Why was I here? Who had stolen from this demonic witch?
My mind raced with ideas. My father didn’t know about other realms, did he? He certainly never took us on vacation there. Mother? I scoffed and shook my head. She played in her garden all day and went to have cocktails with the girls.
What did she need to steal from Deidamia?
The only other people on our property were Jenny and Miranda. I didn’t imagine either of them jumping into portals and stealing whatever from this place.
Knowing who did it wouldn't help my situation. I was dream-walking in an unfamiliar forest, with the feeling of being watched looming over my head.
One lone howl echoed in the distance bringing me to a sitting position in the woods. The daze of a dreamlike state caught me off guard and I braced my palms against the ground to keep from falling over.
It made sense a predator would lurk in the swampy mess around me. The thought of being completely alone in the forest was naïve.
Of course, there were equally dreadful creatures out there. I had hoped they would find another human girl walking around to eat. She probably tasted better than I did.
I was covered in grime, and I was certain that stench wasn’t coming from the ground and my armpits were the culprit.
Maybe this beast didn’t enjoy dirty humans to eat.
I imagined him being a refined wolf who wanted his food cleaned before inhaling it.
Standing up with strained legs, I glanced around the darkened woods, my eyes straining to adjust to the dim lighting. The moon gave little to no effort in making me a path through the dense forest.
I reached for the nearest tree, sliding down to the base, I grabbed a jagged branch near me and lifted it in front of my face.
What a weapon to defend myself in a scary dream. Maybe I should just let him kill me. I’d come back, right? I’d find myself falling back from the sky like in that movie.
Resting my head against the tree trunk, I listened for anything. A bird. A breath. Something. Then I heard it. The crunch of dead leaves beneath a heavy footstep.
My adrenaline spiked.
My heartbeat slammed against my chest.
The urge to run hit me hard, but what good would running do at this point? I had no chance of making it out alive. Perhaps I die in the dream. Or try my hand at fighting with this branch.
A dark shadow formed beside me. The culprit froze, and before I could blink a pair of red eyes stared back at me. The stench of his breath wafted over me like vomit.
The sharp points of his teeth hung beneath his top lip, and drool dropped against the leaves beside me.
This was a wolf. The moon gave me enough light to see the points of his ears and the shape of his elongated face.
The fear in my stomach turned and twisted until I felt vomit climb my throat. Being face-to-face with something that could rip me into two pieces was scarier than the trip into another realm.
His ears perked upward as I twisted away from him with my makeshift sword in front of me. I felt around the ground with my feet in search of a giant rock, but only mud slid through my toes.
“Please,” I begged.
The laugh that echoed around me sent ice-cold chills down my body. “Is the little girl scared?”
Was he talking to me?
Who else could it be?
