Ethereal Angels

Folke's Chapter

Folke stopped and plopped his small body up against a tree, his legs refusing to go any further. His breath was ragged and he coughed as he tried to find a steady breath. He leaned his head against the tree behind him as tears began to pour down his face and onto the ground beneath him. The sobs racked his body as he let the fear really set in. He sat there until his sobs turned quiet and the tears had dried up.

The forest was quiet with the occasional bird chirping in the distance. His ears perked up as he heard the crunching of footsteps in the distance. Panicked, Folke looked around before he swung his body upwards and began to climb the tree he had rested on. Limb by limb he climbed and climbed. His arms begged him to stop, but the adrenaline kept him moving upwards. When he could no longer see the ground below him, he stopped and pushed his body up against the trunk, tucking his legs in to his chest.

The footsteps below grew closer and closer. Folke peered down, but the branches were too thick to see around him.

"You saw him run into the forest?" A raspy voice questioned.

"Yes, the little twerp headed straight towards the forest." A second voice sounded.

"Let's spread out and search through these woods. He's too small to have gone too far." The first voice stated.

Folke peered down again and his heart stilled in his chest as a warm fear spread through his veins. Below the tree stood a creature unlike anything he had seen before. The top of the creature's head was red and had black splotches of scales spread throughout it. Folke could see that the creature had large black spikey hooves in place of feet. As the fear pumped through him he pushed his body farther up against the trunk, until pain shot through his back. He listened, quiet, as the footsteps retreated deeper into the forest.

He sat like that as long as he could until his back throbbed from the rough trunk behind him. He let his body fall slack and pushed his legs out onto the sides of the limb he rested on. He looked up towards the sky that was dusted in purple and pink hues. He rested his body, preparing for a long night in this tree and hiding. He watched as the sky turned darker and darker until it turned black. He watched as the stars came out and began to glitter up above. They twinkled and shone as he fought to focus on them. His eyes became heavy but he forced them to stay open.

He laid there all night. His eyes felt like lead as he made his way down the tree with slow, cautious moves. His feet touched the ground and Folke swayed on the solid ground. Gripping the tree, he found his balance and pushed himself up and off of the tree. He walked through the forest this time, keeping a careful eye on his surroundings and listening for anything out of place.

He made his way through and saw the clearing that opened into a tall field of wild grass right by his house. He peeked out from behind a tree and saw his house sitting at the bottom of a hill. Everything looked eerily quiet as he sat behind that tree, but as he watched he saw no sign of anyone or anything close. Folke crouched his short legs down and began to make his way towards the large barn. As he opened the door a smell arose causing him to take a step back outside the door. He grabbed the door and pushed his head towards the barn. Bile rose in his throat and released onto the floor as he saw Rosy lying to the side, dead. As his eyes made their way across the barn he saw the rest of their horses had been murdered as well.

Folke's stomach churned as he ran towards the house without caring the noise his feet made. He threw open the backdoor and it swung in the wind. He screamed as he saw his mother's body lying in a pool of blood next to the oven. The room had been destroyed and pieces of furniture were scattered around her body. As he moved closer he grabbed onto her hand.

"Mommy, wake up please. Please mom." He shook her hard as her body felt stiff and unmoving. "Please..." he begged.

He bent his body down and lifted her pale face into his chest holding on to her tightly. The tears rolled off his face and onto hers, washing the blood away from her slender face. He sat there holding her in his arms for a while before releasing her and moving deeper into the house. He came up into the living room and saw his father's body slumped against the wall closest to the front door. His dad's eyes were open in terror looking towards where Folke stood, but no breath escaped his lips. Folke lurched towards him, reaching out as he neared. His father's body was as stiff and cold as his mothers had been. Folke sat there next to him letting the painful truth set in. He held his father's hand in his as he sat there staring at the wall before his eyes began to shut against his will. Folke let his head rest on his father's shoulder as he let the exhaustion take over and his body fell asleep.