Swan Song || The Lost Boys - & The One Who Found Them...

Chapter XVII ~ ᛏ (Tiwaz) Part III - Demonized & Demoralized

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[ Only a minute later I was already surrounded by trees, trees as far as the eye could see. Their branches were wide, their trunks massive, & the deeper into the forest I wandered, the smaller the gaps between them became. The dark was dense as matter & it took my eyes longer than usual to adjust, compelling me to slow down a little & even spread out my hands in order to 'feel' the way ahead.

Various scents & aromata entered my nose & flooded my respiratory system at once; pine, moist forest soil, tree resin & mouldering bark, withered leaves & moss, mushrooms & woodruff...
Every once in a while I paused to mentally connect with my surroundings, settling in the moment. The air among the trees was so clear & cold that I tasted it in every breath, like there was a glacier on my tongue.

Chills rose from the soil & stirred the atmosphere, & all of a sudden winter was right here within my reach, my feet & arms so cold that I began to tremble. I grabbed on to the scarf around my shoulders & crossed my arms, creating the illusion of shelter from nature's icy breath.
Small dots of light danced across the forest floor as the moon finally broke through the wall of clouds, the swaying branches shattering & scattering the pale silvery beams into particles which then illuminated the forest before me. The light was faint yet bright enough for me to see several steps ahead, providing me with a certain sense of security as the forest grew thicker & the trees seemed to inch towards me...]

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All colour, all life & sound, instantly faded from the scene &, for a period of time that I perceived as an eternity, it seemed like the world had stopped spinning altogether. An already soundless forest grew even more silent, with only a gentle murmur in the treetops as a gust of wind grazed the upper layer of leaves; the three of us near the forest floor wouldn't even feel so much as a breeze.
I heard a gasp attempting to jump from Sam's throat, however it died before it could slip past his lips. A hand landed on my shoulder, gently as a feather, & I knew that it was just Marko preparing to keep me in place should the desire to dash off again overcome me.

And as expected, that desire would soon come; building up inside of me at an alarming pace & flooding every corner of my body.
My mouth went dry as I followed Sam's gaze down a five to six feet wide gap that looked like an arid river bed right between the trees, gracefully winding its way through the forest. The ground was quite different on the other side, like it hadn't seen any water in months, with unusually shaped withered leaves from parched trees piling up on a well-nigh infertile forest floor.

And among all those leaves, a motionless Michael, completely unharmed except for a few faint bruises that grazed his arms & cheeks, at least at first glance. He actually looked like he was taking a nap, almost comfortable with a large moss-covered tree root under his head that appeared to serve as a pillow.

" It's him," I whispered, feeling both great relief & a subtle wave of dread wash over me at the current picture of him, " It's really Michael! We found him! "

" Mike!! "
Of course Sam would be the first on his way to check on his brother, skipping numerous steps & even stumbling to his knees once he reached the waterless river bed.
" Shit... Hang in there! I'm coming, Mike!! "

" Sam! Be careful! ", I shouted as I followed him, a bit more cautious & wary but certainly no less enthusiastic than Sam. My feet had barely touched the river bed when Sam was already standing on the other side, throwing a series of puzzled looks around the area, & when I was in the middle of crossing the bed as well I began to understand his sudden confusion.