The early morning sun filtered through the trees as two men walked in the forrest. Each carrying an axe in hand, the younger one leading horse over the muddy dirt path. They trudge on in silence, the mist separating as they cut through.
"Stop, right here," the older man commands pointing to a large beech tree, "we'll start with that one."
The younger boy started off into the wood, a distant figure caught his eye and sent shivers all throughout his body. They didn't hear the older man and continued forward distractedly. The figure flashed in and out of his vision, transfixing the younger boy.
"Æsc!"
Jumping out of the trance the boy spun around, nearly tripping over the horses legs. Clumsily he picked his way over to where the older man was pointing.
"Wake up boy," grumbled the older man.
Æsc tied off the horse a distance away, picked up his axe again and started toward the tree. The two set to work, hammering into the tree making a wedge as they went along. Alternating quickly, working like a machine to bring down the big tree.
Soon, others came into the wood, they joined the pair, bringing down more trees, loading them up to their horses and then dragging them away. Hours passed without falter, leveling the land around them, soon it passed midday and working it's way to nightfall with little to no breaks between chopping.
Æsc dragged a pine and heaved it onto the wagon when the older man called it quits. He instructed him to take the horse farther along the path to their village.
"Are you not coming?" he asked.
"You're a big boy now," the man mocked, "you can follow the scary path and bring your horse with you to sell this wood"
He held out the reins to the boy,
"Yes, father." grabbed the reins and bit his tounge to keep himself from snapping off.
Clouds were covering the late afternoon sky, making it seem later than it was. It would soon start to drizzle, worsening the path more and more. Still he worked his way through, shaking off the embarrassment his father always caused.
The rain soaked through his clothing causing him to shiver. However it wasn't the cold that was making him shiver. The path was becoming slick with the new rainfall, and soon Æsc's foot slipped and he fell into the mud.
"For the love of..." he paused looking up he saw a figure moving among the trees.
The horse reared, whinnied and took off back up the path, dislodging it's self from the wagon and toppling it over. It's contents spilling all over the ground.
Exasperated, he cursed aloud and stooped over the wagon. Reaching over he righted it, and began reloading. He'd have to go back and find the horse, but it probably already reached his father. He would never hear the end of it, how distracted and lazy he has been.
An uneasy silence fell around Æsc, the sound of rain drops stopped, and all other animal sounds as well. He paused again in his work, stoop straight up and scanned around him. His eyes looking around each tree when they settled on a figure that made his veins run ice cold. He blinked and the figure disappeared.
Æsc's body told him to run, all the way home, to his father where he knew he would be safe. But the mocking words echoed in his mind, pride got in the way and he stood where he was.
Wind whistled through the leaves eerily, speaking nonsense to the boy. It didn't mean anything to him but it was warning him of the creature hidden within the forrest. It stalked from the ruins through the wood towards him.
Two glowing blue orbs watched Æsc with a sinister purpose. Growing ever closer and colder, it could hear the boy's breathing speed up and it could smell the adrenaline pumping it's way over Æsc's body.
With the last log in the wagon, Æsc was finished and he was about to look for the horse when something grabbed at his arm. It jerked him around and Æsc looked down on a terrible beast.
He could hear his heart beat in his head, and the growls of the creature before him made him whimper slightly. It's inky black hand made its way up to his face, grabbing his jaw and forcing it open.
It's face separated into a gruesome toothy grimace that looked like ink separating and dripping down. It's eyes began to glow the same blue, it's mouth opened and Æsc was gone.
---~---
Nighttime came fast in the wood, and with torches up many of the other carters had already gone back to their homes. All except the one Baumhauer man remained, fretting whether to return home or not. They all told him the boy would be fine, it was a short walk to the mill and he would return home right after but that did not quiet the man's anxiety.
He paced, back and forth across the path, twisting strings on his shirt causing small cuts in his opposite hand. Suddenly he heard crashing through the woods and he turned around to see his horse without a wagon or a boy.
He settles the torch into a holder and calmed the horse,
"Where's my son?" he asked stroking the powerful animal, trying to hide his fear.
He got on the animal's back, talking to it, calming it down, more so trying to ease his own fear. The man kicked the horse along and they trotted down the dry dirt path.
"I swear," the man chuckled to himself, "That boy acts more like a six year old than a sixteen." then continued on in complete silence.
The winds picked up suddenly, blowing dirt all around him, a sudden down pour appeared out of no where and the older man lept down from the animal. As soon as he was off, he lost control and once again had horse took off in the opposite direction.
He didn't have time to worry on about the animal for he was already fighting his way towards a toppled wagon, his toppled wagon. The wind was pushing him away and the rain turned to sleet, pelting him. It didn't matter, for he saw a flash, and everything died down, a silence formed and one loud thump was heard.
Soaked and weary the man saw his son fall from a few feet above the ground down, unmoving. He ran to him, lifted him up to his ear but no heart beat could be heard.
"N-no," The father choked, "This-this can't, be," tears were starting to come to his eyes.
Grief took over, and the man sat on the muddy ground holding his sixteen year old ice cold son to his chest. Muttering the same word over and over again,
"No,"
~
