The Forbidden Forest
897 Words
The gates of the Nightbane Kingdom closed behind her with a deafening boom.
Maris didn't look back.
She couldn't.
If she did, she feared she would run back to the only home she had ever known... even if that home no longer wanted her.
The leather satchel hanging from her shoulder felt unbearably light.
A spare dress.
A loaf of bread.
A water flask.
A wool blanket.
That was all she owned.
Everything else had remained behind the kingdom walls.
Including the life she had spent eighteen years building.
She tightened her grip on the silver feather tucked safely into her satchel.
It was warm.
Strangely warm.
As though it carried a heartbeat of its own.
"...What are you?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
Ahead of her stood the Forbidden Forest.
Towering trees stretched endlessly toward the sky, their twisted branches blocking most of the moonlight. A thick mist drifted between the trunks, swallowing everything more than a few steps away.
Every child in the Nightbane Kingdom knew the stories.
"Never enter the Forbidden Forest."
"Those who do... never return."
Some said ancient beasts hunted there.
Others believed cursed spirits lured travelers deeper until they lost their minds.
Maris had never believed those tales.
Until tonight.
A low growl echoed somewhere in the darkness.
She froze.
The sound disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.
"It... it's probably just the wind."
She forced herself to take another step.
Dry leaves crunched beneath her boots.
The deeper she walked, the quieter the world became.
No birds.
No insects.
Not even the rustling of leaves.
Only the sound of her own breathing.
An uneasy feeling settled over her.
It was as if the forest itself was watching.
---
Back inside the Nightbane Kingdom...
The atmosphere was no less tense.
Alpha Kaelan stood alone on the balcony overlooking the kingdom.
His eyes remained fixed on the distant forest.
Beta Tristan approached quietly.
"You haven't moved since she left."
Kaelan didn't answer.
"The council is satisfied," Tristan continued.
"They believe you protected the kingdom."
Still...
Silence.
Tristan frowned.
"My Alpha..."
"...was there truly no other choice?"
For a long moment, Kaelan said nothing.
When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"There are choices..."
"...and there are burdens."
Tristan looked at him in confusion.
Before he could ask another question—
Kaelan walked away.
His expression remained unreadable.
Yet for the first time...
There was something unfamiliar in his eyes.
Regret.
---
Maris stumbled over a tree root and nearly fell.
She caught herself against the rough bark of an ancient oak.
"I'm getting tired..."
The sun had disappeared completely.
Only the pale moonlight filtered through the branches.
She searched for a place to rest.
A small cave came into view a short distance ahead.
It wasn't much.
But it would keep her safe until morning.
Or so she hoped.
As she stepped toward it—
The silver feather inside her satchel suddenly began to glow.
Maris stopped.
The warmth spread through the fabric of the bag.
"What...?"
She quickly opened it.
The feather shone with a soft silver light.
Before she could touch it—
The light vanished.
Everything returned to normal.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"This isn't possible."
She looked around.
Nothing.
Just trees.
Mist.
And silence.
"Maybe I'm imagining things."
She closed the satchel.
Then entered the cave.
Inside, she gathered a few dry branches and managed to start a small fire.
The flickering flames pushed back the darkness just enough to calm her racing heart.
She took a bite of bread.
It tasted like ash.
Her thoughts drifted back to the ceremony.
"I reject you."
Kaelan's voice echoed endlessly inside her mind.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"No..."
"I won't cry anymore."
"He made his choice."
"So..."
"I'll make mine."
"I'll survive."
Even if she had to do it alone.
---
High above the cave...
Hidden among the thick branches...
A pair of golden eyes watched the young woman beside the fire.
They had watched kingdoms rise.
Watched kings die.
Watched centuries pass like seasons.
And now...
They watched her.
The owner of those eyes stepped silently onto another branch.
Not a single leaf moved beneath his weight.
His long black cloak blended perfectly with the darkness.
Silver markings glowed faintly across his wrists before disappearing again.
His sharp features remained hidden beneath the shadow of his hood.
Only his eyes were visible.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Unreadable.
He looked toward the glowing satchel resting beside Maris.
"The seal..."
he murmured.
"So it truly has weakened."
A cold breeze swept through the forest.
The mysterious figure disappeared without a sound.
---
Inside the cave...
Maris suddenly woke.
Her fire had almost gone out.
Something felt...
Wrong.
She sat up.
The forest was silent.
Too silent.
Then...
Crunch.
A twig snapped outside.
Maris held her breath.
Another step.
Slow.
Heavy.
Something was circling the cave.
She reached for the only thing she could use as a weapon—a burning branch from the fire.
The footsteps stopped.
Silence.
Her heart pounded so loudly she was sure whoever—or whatever—was outside could hear it.
Then...
Two enormous golden eyes appeared at the cave entrance.
Watching her.
Not blinking.
Not moving.
Watching.
Maris's breath caught in her throat.
The burning branch slipped from her trembling fingers.
And the creature...
Took one slow step into the moonlight.
- Writer
