The Beginnings Part Two

   The Fall

  Dread overwhelmed her senses.

 Wako’s daughter saw figures in the shadows at every turn, heard footsteps giving chase, and felt eyes watching her mad dash through the forest. The danger she sensed became a living, breathing phantom that inhabit everything from the silvery glow of the moon to the descending leaves twirling in the wild gust.

A lingering stench coiled her stomach, while terrifying echoes, carried in the swiftness of the winds, chilled her to the bone. The sight of what lay up the mountain frightened her more than anything this dark forest or its fathoms had to offer.

Wako’s daughter’s head spun with terror. A sudden misstep sent her tumbling down a rocky side. She grabbed at any and everything, trying to stop her progression down the rock littered slope.

 But she plummeted, for what seemed like hours until her free fall stopped abruptly against an aged tree that rattled her bones. She moaned in agony.  

Pain shot through her body as she lay still in the fetal position with her eyes closed, gasping for air. She couldn't, wouldn't move until it subsided.

  She's not sure how long she’d lay there immobile before she was finally able to open her eyes. Wako’s daughter shifted her head to survey her surrounds. What she saw made her gasp.

© Glynis Rankin 2014