Chapter 4: Journey through the dark forest
Deadwood Forest
"Hmm, let's see…I'm guessing I should be in Deadwood Forest right now," Grace studied the map while treading on the straight narrow path. She wanted to make sure she had been staying and following the correct route. Luckily though, she could still see her footprints she left behind from walking, which meant there was no need to turn back there. Straight ahead is her next destination. However, it wasn't until an hour later that she slowly approached a fork in the road with a sign in the center. There were letters written but in a different sort of language which Grace had never heard of. It was so confusing that the young heifer's mind seemed to be traveling in different directions.
"Now which way do I go?" Grace moaned. Both paths looked the same. How was she to go straight if there are two paths standing before her? What if this was all a trick set up by Minerva?
"Don't even think about that!" she scolded herself. "How could she trick me when all she did was help?" Part of that question seemed true to her. Maybe Minerva was so caught up in trying to explain the unknown dangers to her that she just forgot to mention about the forked road. Well everybody makes mistakes sometimes. Maybe it was possible for her to still get to the witch's mansion no matter which route to choose.
"I don't see the path on the map anywhere," she held the map tightly with her tail. "Oh well, we'll see what happens if I go left." Grace treaded on the left path, into the forest.
In the dead hush of night, she thought she heard the tense howling of a wolf or a coyote from miles away. Her throat felt watery from nerves for she knew that those kinds of animals could possibly smell her from where they were. Let's hope they don't find her in time.
The night grew darker and darker every minute; the stars in the sky evaporated deeper one by one into the black orange clouds. The light crystal from the heifer's neck still brightened in the darkness. She had never felt so lonely and dismal from having to travel alone, especially in this eerie world. All the campfire tales that she heard from Lucky Jack now came crowding deeper in her mind. The road had grown narrower as the black trees made shadows form on the ground.
A thick gray mist settled over her. The icy breeze caused her to shiver a bit. A feeling of something watching her had returned as a long shadow skittered among the trees, rustling the leaves. Grace whirled around to check for any sudden movement. So far, nothing happened. But Grace still felt unsure of it, then turned to face the dark trail again. The running of water from a stream ran in the dead silence. It was now too quiet to be exact. The heifer's fears had increased from all of this. Anything could happen anytime; so she had to keep her eyes open. And she still needed to keep her fear level down as possible to focus on her mission.
In the midst of the road stood a tall thick narrow leafless tree, which towered over Grace like an enormous shadow creature. Despite the uneasiness in her, she ignored its appearance and walked past it, hoping it wouldn't be one of those deadlier types Minerva had mentioned. Yet appearances can be deceiving; better to stay alert. Its branches seemed more similar to giant claws ready to grab her. As Grace passed by the fearful tree, she began to sing another one of her favorite folk songs for comfort. A sharp wind whistled through the gnarled branches causing Grace to shiver all over her body from the effects of the sudden cold. But now another rustle sounded in the bushes with a groan. Grace ceased singing and turned around fearfully.
"He…he…hell…o," she stuttered while still shivering. "Who's out there?" There was nothing more than dead silence to answer her call. But this time, Grace had now been certain that there had been something else following her.
"Um, uh…never mind I'll just be on my way," before she knew it, Grace could feel long bony fingers pick her up by the scruff of her neck a few feet off the ground. It was the same creepy tree she had passed a moment ago, only it bore a pair of pale yellow eyes and a long narrow mouth with fangs. It looked mighty hungry.
"Oh no, not again!" she cried, struggling to get herself down. "Put down, put me down! What, what is it; why are you looking at me with those yellow eyes?" The trees mouth slurped with a satisfying hungry appetite for what it held in its bony skeletal fingers. Even Grace knew what he had been thinking about and panicked in its grasp hysterically. "No please! Please don't eat me! You don't know where I've been!" but the tree drew her closer and lowered her to its horrifying fanged mouth. As Grace continued to struggle and kick, the tree released a harsh moaning cry as it dropped her onto the ground with a painful thud. Looking up in confusion, the tree seemed to be holding on to its long wooden nose. Could it be that Grace managed to give it a good kick in the nose from her struggling and not notice it?
"I have to get out of here!" she cried, not wanting to wait for the creature to regain its senses and zoomed off.
After a few moments of running, she slowed down to rest for a while. The creatures cry could be heard no more. Within moments of catching her breath, she glared back at the path behind her. So far there was nothing. Not even a deadly tree.
About two feet away from her, a short narrow wooden bridge crossed over a slimy mucky swamp. Beside the bridge laid a sign labeled: tread softly as you cross over the deadly swamps of the dead. If one shall fall unto this pit, there will be no hope of escape.
Grace drew closer to take a look at the swamp far below. A few logs swam through the slimy revolting currents drifting by. To her, passing this bridge would have to be like watching her step on the highest rocky canyon in the west. Yet it may be the only way out. Taking a deep breath, she crossed it slowly without having to look down into the swamps. But as she approached the center, her heart began to thump madly. Because of her startle ness, the bridge wobbled from her shivering. The same groaning had started again from somewhere behind.
Grace turned her head slowly to hope it wouldn't belong to something vicious. Her hopes had drifted away as a pack of red eyes stared at her cold blooded with long sharp, glistening teeth belonging to a pack of coyotes.