Me: Hey guys! Here you have it, my promised fic for September!
Danny: Of course, this is only the prologue. So like, TTWtW, it's short. Like, really short. But chapters will be back up to Hayden's usual 3000 word-count after this, promise!
Me: Enjoy!
Prologue
Waldeinsamkeit.
It is a word one of my teachers had taught me long ago, back when we were out hunting. The word is German and it has no English equivalent, so I had simply told her that I would never have use for it, since it was silly and I would never go to Germany. And if I did, I was dreadful at pronouncing German words anyway, so the people there would never understand a thing I said.
I take another step, the heel of my boot catching on a fallen branch and I stumble, ripping the side of my dress on the way down. My hand is grazed and I know if I could see the palm of my left glove it will be stained crimson. My head doesn't hurt, but instead feels strangely light and cold from the bitter air around me.
My breath hitches as I get up and carry on, not sure how deep into this silly forest I am supposed to go. The trees that I pass by have thick leaves and they block the light of the moon almost completely. I can barely see two feet in front of me and the birds seem to have stopped singing long ago.
Waldeinsamkeit.
My hair snags on something and I whip round, alarmed as I see a sharp branch almost touching my face. I swallow and let out a heavy sigh of relief as sweat begins to appear on my face.
No, I tell myself, ladies do not sweat, they glow.
But ladies also do not sneak away from their manors in the dead of night without telling.
I am still walking, rather awkwardly through the forest as I argue with myself. I know why I am here and why it has to be now, but I do wish it wasn't this daunting. I don't think anyone is following me, because they probably would have caught me by now so at least I have that comfort.
I'm sure deep down that I'm terrified, but I am too busy to be thinking about that. This is important, what I am doing, so I try not to care that I don't like it at all.
The last time I checked, it was about one o'clock in the morning, but I am sure it is later than that now. I think can hear a wolf howling in the distance, but there are no wolves in England so I flinch a little before continuing.
It is now so quiet that I can hear my own heartbeat. Well, actually, I could hear that before because it was beating so loudly, but now it seems like the only noise in the world. It should provide comfort, reminding me that it is working and therefore I am alive, but I keep feeling that it is somehow attracting attention, like when a predator is listening out for the pumping of the tiny heart of their prey as they stalk through the shadows.
Waldeinsamkeit.
The cry of the animal suddenly starts again and a startled gasp escapes through my lips. This time it echoes louder and reverberates in my ears - soon I find myself running blindly, branches tearing at my clothes and skin as I try to get away from the dreadful, awful noise. But it keeps going, keeps ringing, keeps piercing through the night like a hundred needles and it grows louder and louder until I almost want to scream and then I-
"Hello, Elizabeth."
Waldeinsamkeit.
The daunting and bloodcurdling feeling of being alone in the woods at night.
Danny: *winks* review? :3
