Enchantment of Sorrow

Chapter 01

It regarded you for several moments, as if it was judging you to be friend or foe, taking stock of your situation. It shook its mighty head and turned its head to the left directing its gaze very fixatedly on a specific area. You turned about to look in the same direction and seen a wooden bridge. You turned back to look at the stag and seen it was gazing at you again. It gave a snort and stamped it's foot swinging its head in the direction of the bridge.

You were not one to think you could communicate with animals. But one way or another it was a bridge. Hopefully, it was still in good enough repair that you could cross it and if nothing else find the way to the road that led you through the wood itself. Why did you ever go off the paved road? You asked yourself that for the millionth time as you stood and walked to the bridge keeping an eye on the white stag. It stayed where it was watching you.

After slipping a couple of times on hidden rocks and slippery undergrowth, you came to the bridge. It was wood, but it seemed solid enough. Iced over in spots and wooden hand rails that were covered in ice were on either wide. You put a wary foot out and tested the first board. It held, and then laying a hand gloved hand on an icy rail you put your full weight on it. It held, though the wood voiced its strain with a loud creak. You followed the same with the next three boards, then assured that the bridge was solid, sped up your pace as much as an ice covered bridge would allow.

When you finally were able to set your foot on solid ground again you let out a sigh of relief and looked over to the area where the stag was standing. Regally and slowly it walked to you. This made you a little uneasy. After all, bucks are not exactly the friendly type. It stopped about ten feet away from you and turned to its left and began to walk into the forest. You raised an eyebrow and waited for a few chilly moments – the air was cutting straight through your coat- for the stag to be a more healthy distance away before you set off on your own path.

However, the stag had other plans and walked no more than twenty paces before it stopped and turned around again to look at you. It snorted again, and stamped it's hooves, then shook it's head in the direction it was going prior as if telling you to follow it. Not wanting to seem stupid you still waited. This only appeared to agitate the great beast and it stamped and snorted again more loudly, inclining its head more vigorously to the path ahead.

You shrugged and figured you had little left to lose. What did it matter if you were blindly following a deer out of sheer desperation because you wanted to believe that something in this vast, dark, and what was starting to seem sinister place was willing to help you? If mauled you to death did it matter at this point? If it led you to the middle of nowhere did it matter? If you were hallucinating this whole thing it was better than thinking you were alone here. You were at a point of no return.

You kept a healthy distance between you and the white stag, and you could not help noticing that no matter the light, the stag did indeed glow. It led you on through thicker and denser wood. The snow was started to fall heavily even through the vast tree tops. No moon could be seen when you looked up to the heavens through the branches... only black, gray and white all above and even darker below.

It was indeed leading you, you realized half way through the maze it was directing you through. If it thought it was too far ahead it would stop and let your slowly freezing body catch up. Your breath was a pain deep in your chest. The cold made it a burden. Your legs and hands and exposed areas felt as if they would never regain feeling. You had long lost feeling in your feet from the ankles down. You wondered if you were developing frost bite. You were beginning to wonder if you were going to fall down to hypothermia. You were getting so sleepy.

Then through the snow and trees the stag stopped and gave a swift indication of its head. A path! A trodden one, but it was indeed a path. The stream had apparently turned into a river for you could hear it close by. But this was a path. Perhaps it led to the road? You bowed your head in silent thanks. Your lips were too chilled to utter a thanks. The stag nodded in return then turned and headed back into the forest at a much quicker speed.