The Prince of the Forest

A Bad Situation

     I woke up. I was in a forest. I didn't know how or when I got there, but I knew something was wrong. I got up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, and surveyed my surroundings. I didn't know what I was looking for. There were obviously no signs of civilization, or even a clearing big enough to build a shelter without having to build it around a tree.

I started walking in the direction of the sun. The sun was creeping down below the trees, so I decided I was going West. Sunlight was running out, so I had to act fast. I gathered up small stones and made a circular wall about six inches tall. I found some dry leaves and made a small layer of them. I made an upside-down cone with some small sticks and started the fire.

After I had the fire going, I noticed that the sun was even lower. I tore the sleeves off of my shirt and wrapped them around one end of a big stick. I lit the stick to make a torch and ventured off into the thicker parts of the forest to try to find more materials. Most of the materials I was looking for were sticks, stones, and leaves to build a shelter.

I couldn't have made a worse shelter. It was terrible because I was working in a hurry to get the shelter finished before the sun had gone completely down. This goal was trashed, as the sun had been down for at least half an hour before I got finished with the stupid shelter.

It was about an hour after I finished building the shelter when I was lying in it, unable to sleep. The forest noises- cicadas, crickets, and the occasional hoot of an owl- were soothing to the mind. There was another sound, though. I couldn't really explain it, other than it sounding like footsteps, crunching the fallen leaves. I quickly- and quietly- got out of my abode and put a large rock over the fire. I got the rock, knowing that it would come in handy if I needed to put the fire out.

With it being so dark out- and without the popping of the fire- it made it easier for me to listen to my surroundings. I can't explain why, but I can hear better when it's darker. It's strange. I didn't even remember my name, but I could remember one of my greatest advantages over opponents in the dark.

I got back to the shelter. As soon as I got back, I put the lit side of the torch in the ground to put it out. I was in total darkness, excluding the moonlight.

The footsteps stopped for a few minutes. They began again when I was almost asleep. The footsteps seemed to be traveling around me. Then something happened. The footsteps stopped right by the firepit.

"H-hello?"

The voice sounded weak. I don't know why I thought that I was the only one in these woods. At first, I thought I was hearing things, but then the same voice said something else.

"I saw your firelight. I know someone is here." The voice seemed a bit stronger than the last time.

"Alright, you caught me. Are you a forest ranger?" I said. I was startled by my voice. It was a little bit on the deeper part of the spectrum. Just think: all these hours and I still haven't thought out loud at the least.

"No I am not," said the voice," I know who you are and what you are capable of, but I mustn't tell you."

"Why can't you tell me?" I asked.

"All I can tell you is your name"

"Alright, then. What's my name?"

"You name is Cole. At the crack of dawn, you will follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"You will see."

And with that, I fell into a deep sleep.