I my eyes shook, while I continued to stare at the map—unable to read anything.
"Yes... is there a city we can reach, without going through the forest..."
"There are beasts there..."
"NO! I don't want to see any beasts! There is another city if we follow the path west—it goes south at the end. It's between two different colors?"
"I think that's the border..."
"Good job Mim! We will follow that path then."
"OKAY!" She jumped on the seat on pointed down the road.
I pulled her down,
"Let's go now then—"
"PLEASE SOMEONE... HELP ME!! ..." Someone screamed down the road ahead of us.
"Mim, what did she say?" I turned towards Mim, who sat their trembling with her eyes widened.
"Her son..."
"Her son has disappeared into the forest!"
"Where has disappeared...?"
"The forest."
I felt my arms tremble, and my sight blur.
"Please... help..."
I need to help her.
Mim who hung out of the carriage said,
"She is on her knees... shouldn't we help her?"
"I will, but you stay here."
"Why... let me please stay with you... I'll be safe anyway!" She looked down at the bracelet she wore.
"No."
"I won't let you take such a stupid risk, we don't even know what that bracelet does..."
"So stay here and I help her, or we will just leave and ignore her."
She just crossed her arms and looked away from me in silence.
"Okay thank you for understanding... please wait here—I'll be fast."
I got off the carriage and walked over to the woman, who jumped in front of the moving horse with no fear for her life.
"Can you please show me where he is? I can help you."
"HE is in the forest! All alone... I left him behind..."
She jumped forward and held tightly onto my leg, her head touched my boots,
"Please... kill me! I can't—I can't live on without him..." With each word she said her grip loosened, until she was just someone—someone begging me.
I crouched down and put my hand on her shoulder,
"Do you think your son can live on without you!?" I could feel my fingers tensed, pulling them away from her.
"He is de—"
I held my left arm,
"Have you seen it with your own eyes? No—you haven't, so show me where he is!" My fingers dug into my muscles with each word I said.
"Can you really do it..." She looked me right in the eyes.
"I promise you—I'll find your son, and bring him back."
"Okay... please follow me." She stood back up and ran in front of me.
Her legs trembled with each step, but that did not stop her.
She kept running, each step she took kicked a cloud of dust behind her, with me stepping in the same prints.
We ran down the road, and went left—to the south—with The Sonian Forest waiting on me.
Her legs stopped trembling... A slight smile appeared,
She can go for a bit longer then.
The town was not that far from the forest, remembering what Wode told me to do, I asked her,
"Does the town not get attacked by the beasts?"
"No, not really... they can't escape the forest."
So it is common knowledge then.
"Thank you, I was wondering."
We reached the forest borders, the trees cast their shadows down on us.
She stepped forward alongside me,
"Wait! Shouldn't you wait outside?"
She turned back and look me in the eyes, saying,
"Let me take you to my son, you probably can't find him otherwise." Her eyes had dried already, I couldn't see any tears.
"Ah thank you..." I continued with her, keeping her next to me as we walked—we walked into a path of the only green trees in the midst of the trees that shone orange—but their leaves were still hanging.
Nothing had appeared yet—no matter how deep we went.
There were no beasts, no animals—nothing.
Each scenery I saw, looked similar to the last—as if we kept walking deeper into the same place.
"We're almost at the nest, so stay close to me," she said under her heavy breathing.
"Okay please show me." I grinned slightly which she saw.
"Why do you look happy?"
"I am not happy... I am just glad I can save him."
"Aren't you a really nice human..." She turned away from me, and pointed in front of her,
"Please walk in front of me, the nest is right there." She was pointing at a tightly packed trees—denser than what we passed before.
"So, we have reached it then..." I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"Yes, my child was taken here." It was in a monotone voice, with her face hidden from me.
"Tell me—how did you know—" The first rays of light started reflecting off my blade,
"How did you know where your child was!?"
"I told you he ran away!" Even its screams had become monotone.
"But you still knew where he was?" I twisted my fingers around my handle—with the blade pointed at the sky.
"Yes, exactly—it's called mother's instinct!"
The tip of my blade had reached her throat,
"Show me your real body—" From her shoulder down to her waist—I had cut through it..
But she was still there,
"H...o—w lon—g have yo—u known?" It was as if I brushed a fog away.
It slowly connected to the severed part of its body.
"LEAVE!"
"Leave me and MY CHILDEREN ALONE!" A distorted voice echoed through the entire space, but nothing moved—not even the leaves.
But then a rumbling could be heard, my balance slipped away, followed by the trembling of the trees—it was as if the entire space was moving.
The tremble came closer—and closer.
Until I could feel where it was.
It's right below me.
Something is coming.