The night was loosening its grip on the sky, but tall trees, shrouded in mist, made the path ahead feel distant.. almost unreachable. After wandering the woods aimlessly for some time, an opening was barely visible, with pale golden sunrays, cutting through the mist, bringing in an otherworldly feeling.
At the edge where the forest ended, there was a slope leading down to a grass plain, similarly veiled in fog. The slope wasn't steep, but it was enough to demand caution with every step.
Standing at the edge, a faint sense of recognition finally stirred within me. I knew this place. It was a hidden ground, tucked a little too deep inside a spinney that bordered our village.
And that was when it struck me—this was a dream.
Maybe i missed this place, now that i'm 22, time feels too tight for careless wandering.."well, not that it ever stopped me." But this dream felt far too real, and I was lucid in it, like never before in my life.
Following an intuition, I climbed down and started walking deeper into the mist, the moisture in the grass felt cool to the touch, helping me notice i wasn't wearing any shoes. The ground streched, like part of some dried up river, as time went by, the sunlight forced away some of the mist, making the surroundings visible.
In the direction opposite to where i came, the forest started again. Somewhere between both sides a lone tree stood, almost at the centre of this grassfield. The tree radiated some kind of feral energy. The type of intense presence you get from someone, who is about to put your lights out. My primal fear receptors picked up the danger at first glance.
There was a huge shadow cast by the tree, forming a wide, unnatural circle around the clearing. It didn't feel right. The shape, the stillness, it all carried an eerie weight that pressed quietly against my senses.
I slowed down to a standstill. For a moment i just listened.
Then, carefully i started walking again, my guard rising instinctively - as if something unseen might be waiting just beyond the fog.
As I drew closer to the tree, something shifted within the shadows.
Before I could make sense of it, a lioness burst out.
Without a second thought, I turned and ran in the opposite direction.
She was as tall as me, her body all lean muscle, every movement precise and powerful. A pale golden light seemed to seep from her skin, faint at first, then unmistakable-unnatural, almost otherworldly.
It chased after me, and I ran with all my might toward the slope. But it was too late. The lioness, as if reading my thoughts, cut me off before I could escape. Panic surged, and I veered toward the opposite edge of the grass plain.
Somehow, I reached it ahead of her. Without stopping, I began to climb, dragging myself up the slope. But the moment my head rose above the ridge, I froze.
There, in the dark depths of the forest, were countless gleaming eyes-watching, waiting. The light had not yet touched that place… or perhaps it feared to.
If the lioness exhibited a raw untamed power, not necessarly pure or evil. The beings that belonged to the dark, was pure malice-evil was what they were. Stuck, barely hanging down the slope, i turned my head around, to look for the lioness. She was behind me, just standing there menacingly, staring at me. No it was not directed towards me, she was staring down whatever was hiding in the shadows. I had a weird understanding then, that whatever was in there, was held at bay because of her.
As she shifted her gaze slightly, looking right into my eyes, i felt something - an odd sense of familiarity.. .. like something i had been missing forever. Something that belonged to me, that completed me.
Along with it came an overwhelming longing, tangled with a fear so intense no words could hold it.
And then....i woke up.