Echos : 2

Its been months, likely years maybe, since ive seen someone. Ive been dreaming while awake. I see the vast forests that never end. The winter approaches, i feel it in the air, i feel it in the water that runs wild through the land. I hear it call, the voice that heralds the cold, her sweet yet stern call leads me to my prey. I run, dashing from tree to tree, a shadow, a hunter. I stop, as my ears pick up the faint sound of a small creature moving several feet away from where i was. I crouch down and begin to make my way to where i heard it. My breath softens as I approach, I know where it is, I dont need to see it to know. I jump and sink my claws into the small animal. My fangs make small work, I savor my prey, and honor it by eating it all. No sound was made, it was fast, one moment alive the next dead, just as it should be. I finish my meal and continue on my way. I have no real place to go, i go everywhere and see everything, i live in the dream of the wild. I lay down near a slope, where a small crevice is formed, i take shelter for the nigh. I curl up and close my eyes hearing the cacophony of sounds of the night. My dreams are always strange, i am always in the forest but there's someone with me, I can never recognize her. I do feel peace with her at my side. I wake up from a sudden change. The wind begins to pick up and i feel each strand of hair prickle up. I sensed something else, different, a presence that was familiar yet stranged. I come out from the crevice, and it hit me. the forest for once was silent. There was no longer a single sound, no insect that sang their soothing night song. I sniffed the air and i felt it,some was right behind me.

I dash forward as the creature lands right were i was. A hairless, big eyed beast, several large protusions line its back, sharp and solid. It looked at me, its yellow eyes amber and bright. it opened its mouth showing several rows of sharp, needle like fangs, its tounge sliddered out as a snake. Then i heard it, a shrilling high pitch shriek. it launched at me, i saw the four claws on each hand, long black as obsidian. I leaped to the side as the creature landed next to me. I placed my hind legs on the ground and turned with force, my fangs sunk into its side. I felt its blood in my mouth, like an acid it burned me. The creature shrieked in pain and hit my body with a claw. I realeased the creature and fell on my side. The creature was quick to recover and launched at me again. I leaped to the side once more and aimed for the creatures head. My fangs sank in its neck and i placed my claws on both sides of his body as I bit down hard. The creature began to flail trying to force me to release it. It flung me to the side and made me hit the ground. The pain coursed my back, i let go of the creature again. it backed away a few feet. I lift myself up from the ground, i looked at the creature as it yelps in pain at the wound. My mouth burns from the blood, i hurl from it, blood from the monster mixed with my scent.

The created then did something unexpected, it howled. Then i heard how his cry for help was answered by several similar howls. Soon yellow eyes began to surround me. What were they i knew, i had seen them before, but i could not remember their name. I fled.

One creature i could fight and win, againts a pack, hardly would i come out unscathed. I made my way down the slopes into a more even ground. I could feel the creatures make their way down the slope along with me, I could feel their unnatural claws hit the ground. I felt the pain of the land, this creatures where not welcomed in the forest and the land itself was hurt by their presence.

I made it to a clearing. As soon as I made it, a creature launched at me from the side, its body crashed on me, we both tumbled to the ground. I lifted my self up quick but soon had another creature launch at me. I dodged it, and tried to flee. something landed next to me, a rock. Two of the creatures began to hurl rocks from behind the tree line. They missed several times, i made my way to the other side, three of creatures had come out to the clearing and made chase. I dodged a creature as it waves its claws trying to grab me, then the second one, I jumped over sinking my claws on its back as i used it to jump onto the third creature and bashed it. It fell flat on its back with me over its flobby body. I bit his neck and ripped it with my fangs. I fell of the creature i was on, and felt the others began to surround me, circling like vultures.

Things went dark for a moment, and i felt a sharp pain on the side of my head. this was it, the hunter became prey.

"Promise me you will come back" I heard that voice, a woman. "remember who you are, never lose sight of that" who i was? I know who i am, i am nature, i am the hunter at night and day. I am the call of the wild. I am...what am i? "remember who you are" I am more.

I remember, I remembered who i am.

I open my eyes and see the creatures. they launch at me but this time they stopped. They are suspended mid air. I raise my self. I remember who i am.

I stood up, not as a beast but as a man, my claws and fangs sank back. my legs turn back into feet and front legs into hands. I felt as the beast left, as it went into the back of my mind. I take a deep breath, for the first time in a long time I see the world as a man.

I look at the creatures, their deformed bodies trap in the air, unable to move. I sensed an object approaching me and I move out of the way. A rock lands at my feet. I look down at it. I pick it up and with a small movement i hurl it back at from where it came, the rock left as if it where a bullet. I heard the wail of a creature as the rock hit it.

I approach the two creatures mid air.

I carefully examine them, i know what they are, i have seen this type of creature before. Rare to find and even more rare that they are here. Ghouls, creature made from the dead. They are made by necromancers or inexperienced sorceres.

I lift a finger close my eyes and with a single whisper i create my spell. i back away far enough. I open my eyes and form a fist with my hands, both creatures implode into a pool of their foul blood.

i feel the presence of the last creature, i point my finger at its location and utter a small phrase. Its wails confirmed my spell worked.

I make my way back to where i had come.

the blood trails were hard to follow as a man, i was not used to it. Walking was awkward. I may no longer look like a beats but some of my animal senses remained unscathed. I found the crevice where i had laid, from there i followed the trail back to where the creatures had come.

I made my way half a mile east until i stumbled upon what had caused it.

Men are truly stupid.

A circle with four mangled bodies, a small pit fire in the middle. at first glance it looked like a spell gone wrong, but it was different.

Five ghouls were made, but from where? They had to come from dead bodies, transformed by excessive magic. But here are four bodies, meaning five others had to died prior. I find a strange blood trail and follow it, not far i found the rest. Five more bodies torn to shreds but they were not sorcerer's. I examine the bodies and find that they were armed, blades, and other artifacts that would nullify magic, i also found several objects, strange made of metal, i saw objects of what seemed to be guns, though far more advanced than the ones i remembered. I knelt down at the side of one of the corpses and see torn pieces of fabric. several scorched patches where around the area, i could also see pools of water. I close my eyes and feel the tingling sensation of magic which overflows the area.

I piece everything together, a group of of armed men came to kill the sorcerers while they performed a ritual. The sorcerers fought back, which is noticable due to the high pressure of magic and scorched land. They also used ice magic which after its use, turned to water, their spells would have little to no impact on the men and the sorcerers where killed. the remaining four used their magic to turn their dead companions into ghouls and kill the men, they lost control of the ghouls and became victims to their own creatures. How sad.

I see a light and several voices approach. I leave the area, not wanting to be involved in this matter any further, it does not concern me and it does not involve me.

I wander for a few days as a man. I slowly began to awaken from the dream i was in, it was beautiful while it lasted. Everything happens for a reason, i had left my humanity long ago and traveled aimlessly through the land, there was curiosity in me. How many years had it been, how had the world changed while I was here?