Chapter 1: Fate has it's Plans

"I don't see what the big deal is! I'm just taking a trip up to the old cabin we used to visit, no big deal."

"But you're taking this trip alone. You know as well as I do how dangerous those roads are, and you're gonna take your shitty ass Ford?"

"Well I ain't taking my camaro!" a bag was tossed onto the unmade bed. "Look, I'll be gone a few days, I'm not leaving the cabin, I'll take a gun, don't worry about me."

"You're my brother jackass, it's my job to worry about you."

Allen laughed, packing his bag full of everything he would need. He looked at his brother with a smirk, zipping the bag shut.

"Look man, I've done planned it all out. There's a detailed itinerary on the fridge, and the hotline to the National Guard search and rescue is there too. If I'm not back in a two weeks and I don't call you, hit the line immediately."

Matt sighed, shaking his head. "Are you really gonna do this?"

"Of course. I need to get away from this hell-hole for a bit." the redhead rolled his eyes, checking his camera equipment and sketch kit before packing them away as well. "I'll be perfectly fine. Not like I haven't done this kinda thing millions of times before."

"Bitch, you have never gone off to a cabin in such a remote location on your own. Especially not in a truck that barely makes it three miles without losing a piece of it." the blonde grabbed his brother's shoulder. "Allen, if something happens to you, the National Guard might not even be able to get you out of those woods. Don't you remember what made us build our cabin there in the first place? All those stories mom used to tell us? She knew… she knew those woods were protected by something, and she warned us to never do anything stupid."

"She told us there was a force there, yes. But Matt, mom was a Native, there was a force everywhere. Oliver and Francis, they taught us what was really there. All mom could tell us was based off of legends, passed down." Allen glared at his brother. "I know how close you two were, little Ahmik." [1]

"Look who's talking, Kwahu." [2] Matt snarled. "You look like her the most anyway."

"Alright, alright, let's not get nasty here." the shorter man gathered his bags and started out the door. "I'll be careful, okay? Don't worry."

"Can't help it. There's just something that feels wrong about this."

"Brotherly instinct?"

"Yeah." Matt sighed, opening the driver's door of Allen's truck as he dumped his bags in the bed. "Just be extra careful, and pay attention to the road."

"Alright." Allen climbed in, buckling up before his brother shut the door. "I'll call you when I get there. You know, if I can find any reception."

"You better!" Matt watched in worry as his brother pulled out of the driveway, hitting the road and within moments heading up toward the mountains. He rolled his windows down and turned up his music, letting the wind whip his hair around as he turned off the highway down a rarely used exit. It was only when the roar of fellow cars left his ears that he turned his music off, listening to the sound of his truck's engine as it tore through the peace of the woods. He flew down the winding road faster than he should have, but came to a screeching halt when a woman's figure suddenly appeared in the road. It made his blood go cold, staring out the windshield to the spot where just a moment ago he could have sworn he saw a woman, soaked in red, standing. His mother's voice began to echo in his ears, reminding him of the spirit haunting the woods. Allen slowly continued on his way, looking around for any sign of danger. So it took him longer than usually to reach the old cabin, but he was sure Matt would have been glad that he took it slow rather than let the spirit girl lead him to death as she had done to so many before.

Allen looked around as he began to pull his bags from the bed of the truck, walking up to the porch and unlocking the front door before walking in, glancing over his shoulder the entire time. But once he was inside, he looked around in disgust at the dust that covered everything. Thankfully the furniture had been protected by large sheets of plastic, so as the man began to clean up he was glad to find he could sit straight down on the couch without having a massive allergy attack. But soon enough he was done cleaning, and instead of sitting down to rest in his near exhausted state, he walked over to his camera bag and retrieve his favorite camera. Allen checked it briefly before walking out the front door, and soon he was heading for a secret spot that only he knew about.

It was a little rock formation that stood amongst tall oak tree, now covered in moss whereas they had been bare when he was young. Allen carefully sat amongst the damp stones, looking up at the sky before standing again the begin taking photos of the surrounding area. A smile blossomed on his face as he looked through the lense, but when a flash of white was captured by one click, his head popped up. He looked around, suddenly wary of the woods once more, before his gaze landed on a beautiful wolf, standing just beyond the treeline. The man dipped his head to the creature, then took a knee to take a picture. When he had finished, he raised his head again and locked eyes with the wolf, then averted his gaze and let his head drop. The wolf soon turned to leave him behind, though its ears were perked until it was out of sight.

But even though the wolf had left him alone, he couldn't but shiver. It was almost as if the wolf had appeared and left on purpose. The last time something similar had happened, it had happened to warn him.

'Is it happening again?' the man chewed his lip, lifting his face toward the sky. "Hey mom, you trying to tell me something?"

An eagle flew overheard, cawing when it spotted him before turning to fly in the direction of the cabin. That was all the response he needed, turning off his camera and giving one last look around before dashing for the safety of the wooden structure.

[1] Native American name meaning Beaver

[2] Native American name meaning Eagle