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A disturbing night... It's been so strange lately. Normally, I spend most of my time within the depths of the forests. Last night I decided to sleep with the nature that surrounded me, not the first time I've done this. But, this time, I felt a little different about it, I had a knot in my stomach, anxiety made my heart beat a little faster. I had no cause or reason to be feeling these feelings, but there they were. This night I was spending my slumber in the Woodlands, near the swampy lands. The dampness of the swamps put a chill in the air, readily taken care of by a small fire. That fire crackled and popped for no good reason. I convinced myself it would settle down and I pulled my cloak around me and leaned against a downed tree. Sleep did not come easy, unfamiliar noises accosted my ears, not necessarily animals prowling around, but deeper, darker sounds, like roots moving under me, scraping against one another. There was no wind where I was, but the lower branches whipped and snapped near me like there was. Leaves would fly off and strike me, stinging, leaving a mark, none of this was normal, none of this was natural. I let my little fire go out, the darkness that followed was disturbing. I actually thought to return to the Sacred Grove. I rolled over on my side, put my back against the fallen tree and finally dozed off. My dreams were assaulted by unseen terrors. Turn as I may, I could not see what horrified me. Unseen arms reached for me, I struggled to keep away, my feet were held by tendrils of unseen power. I struggled, cried out, called to Awen for help, to rescue me. I felt she had forsaken me, I felt so empty without Awen's presence within me. There was a crash near me that brought me to wakefulness. I tried to move and found myself held in place by the roots of the nearby trees, vines had found their way to capture my legs, immobilizing my legs. As was my way when dealing with nature, I gently tried to remove the vines and branches, dodging the leaves that threatened my eyes with their erratic movements. Noticing my light touch wasn't working, but tightening the bindings, I grappled for my dagger and with tears in my eyes, began to saw away at the plant life. I heard screams of pain, high pitched, the kind that cuts to your heart. Finally, having cut away much of the vegetation, I was able to stand. I watched the items of my capture slither away from me. I could still hear moans of anger and pain. In the moonless night, I ran. I ran as fast and as far as I could without collapsing. My heart still crying at what had happened. I could not think of any reason why the forest would be so angry, so deadly. I needed to speak with Supply, perhaps her wisdom can explain what had happened to me. My place of refuge had turned against me and I needed to know why. /|\ Vangki | |