The scent of flowers filled the air like a heavy fog. Trees towered over me, yet there was still a sliver gleam of light shining on the trap door. The sound of a stream flowed in the distance, right behind the desolate woods. Fresh green grass covered the earth. Not even an iota of dirt could be seen. I turned my head sideways, and I narrowed my eyes trying to see what was in the distance. Nothing. Getting up from the ground, I stood upright, straightening myself to see where I was. The trees were still in my way. Using my hands, I pushed the branches away. There was a quick snap, and the branch fell to the ground. I stared in awe, but I continued to get deeper into the trees. There were very sharp branched. Closing my eyes, I walked through them, waiting for them to cut me. To my surprise, the sharp branches tickled my skin. My hands grabbed the empty air; there were no more leaves of branches. I opened my eyes and stared into the distance. I took in a shocked breath.
I was on top of a hill. A very high hill that could almost look like a mountain. Looking down, anyone would think that this is a cliff. A stream trickled down from the top, down to the bottom of the high hill. From down below, a great forest stretched from the edge of the stream, to far beyond what I could see. The forest was interminable. Moonlight shined on the climax of the hill, exactly where I stood. The light made my skin glow.
I was entranced at the beauty of the place. Turning my body, I continued to look around the place in wonder.
After a few moments, I started walking towards the sound of trickling water. Through the trees, I easily snapped the branches out of my way. Pine cones crunched under my bare feet as I walked toward the stream. The sound of trickling water became louder and louder. Ducking from one big branch, I stepped into the small open area. My eyes widened when it came into view. A small pool of crystal clear water lay in the middle of the small space. A small stream, connected to the pool, stretched from the top of the hill, and flowed down into the river down below. Rocks and pebbles lay inside the water.
Walking to the pool, I dropped to my knees at the edge of the water. A few fish swam inside the pool, but when they noticed me, they immediately swam back into their holes. I saw only black. When the moonlight came into the pool, I gasped at what I saw. Inside the pool, a beautiful women with long black curly hair stared back at me with the same shock I had. Even though she wore a ragged nightgown, her body was attenuated and slender. Her skin was pallid white, though she didn't look sick at all. I stared at her face the most, for it was the most beautiful part of her. The cheeks weren't overly gaunt or rotund, they were just right. Her lips were small and full, and pallid as well. When I looked up at her eyes, we both squeaked out a shrill. Though quite beautiful, the eyes were full of venom red. The ruby red eyes didn't seem to fit on the woman's face at all. It looked very out of place.
When I moved my hand to touch the water, the woman moved with me. We looked at each other with matching expressions. Then comprehension filled her face. Oh…this is me. Except, it looked nothing like me. I couldn't stop staring at my reflection in the water.
I stood up again. Bored at staring at my reflection for so long, I followed the stream down hill. Going down hill was really hard; it was so steep, I almost had to run. But I held onto the rocks as I made my way down.
At the bottom, the stream had turned into a river, connecting other streams as well. More trees surrounded the area. The trees were so tall it looked as if they touched the sky. My head lifted and I looked up at the moon. The clouds that blocked the white circle slowly moved away. A full moon shined down the trees with radiant moonlight. I stood there, entranced again, at the beauty of it. My lips pulled up in a small smile.
Then, a loud howl broke out from the forest.
My face turned toward the sound, shocked. I froze where I was, and listened closely for anymore sounds. My eyes stared into the green trees. I didn't even breathe. Wolves, I thought. But it sounded closer to a beast than a wolf.
Frightened, I quickly ran into the other side of the forest, toward the opposite direction from where the sound came from.
The trees passed by me in a blur. Branches hit my face as I ran through the trees, but I was unscathed. I didn't dare stop running. Though the howl faded away, the beast might still be there. My instinct told me I had to get away from it.
After an hour, I stopped. My back leaned on a large tree trunk, and my hands gripped the wood. Hearing no more sounds, I began to breathe again. I sat down onto the roots of the tree. The tall tree created a canopy of where I was sitting. Closing my eyes, I sighed.
I was in the middle of nowhere. This is just a forest, an interminable forest. I was lost. What was the point of running away? There was no way I could find my way home in this dense forest. Maybe Aro would have come back and taken me home. He would, he's my brother. If I asked him for something, he would do it. He is my brother. But…if I stayed in that dark tunnel, I would have suffered under more pain. My body cringed at the memory.
Frustrated, I got up from my short break, and continued walking.
After a while, trees started clearing away. Lesser trees started to appear, and a path started to open. The dirt path was narrow at first, but widened as I continued to follow it. Many scents stirred in the air. The enticing scent of apples, peaches, oranges, and flowers, of all kinds, attracted my nose. But there were no apples, peaches, or oranges. There were no flowers. It was only this dirt path in front of me. Even so, the smell made my throat throb in pain. My throat was so dry; I was so hungry. I sped up my stride.
