Wolf King Revamp Ch. 1

            “The great horde of beasts fell upon the kingdom. Lives, towns, everything was lost. All hope was lost, and humanity accepted their fate. There was nothing that could be done. Hiding, running nothing anything that was tried either failed, or ended in a great loss." A soft voice said, watching a small child hide partially under the blankets, only his face covered. His dark black hair hanging over his eyes, one was a deep dark purple, the other light silver, resembling that of the moons light. His skin was pale, and one might think that he was sick, had it not been for evident energy the boy had within him. “Are you afraid dear?" the voice said, in a somewhat worried/amused tone. The boy tucked his head down between his shoulders but shook his head. “N-no" was the response in a timid voice, seeming almost like a whisper. Chuckling the voice came forward again, “Perhaps we should stop?" there was a noise like a chair shifting as the person who had been talking stood up.

            “No!" the boy yelled, dropping the covers and looking at the figure that had now made it to his doorway. “I want to hear the rest of the story!". The figured turned and walked back inside, “Alright, but if you have a nightmare tonight, remember its only you who you have to blame." Seeing the boy nod, the figure sat back down, and continued. “No one was able to stop the beasts. Then, one day. A great light shone from atop the highest mountain, and the suns vary rays struck the beasts. Forcing them out of all the cities, and towns. At first, no one could believe it. There was something out there that could actually harm and stop the beasts!" The figured paused, looking at the now hopeful expression on the boy's features.

            “This light continued for almost a week, and when it vanished. The beasts were nowhere to be found. Humanity had been saved!" In an exited voice the figure stood up and threw their arms out as they said this. Then taking back their seat they leaned in. “Do you know who stopped them dear?" The boy looked a bit surprised, and then after a moment replied. “Well… god stopped them, didn't he?" There was a small light laugh from the figure. “Well yes, that is one idea that has been passed on. But those who were close enough to the mountain, they said a different story, one that passed down through the ages." Leaning in the figure ran their hand over the boy's hair, pushing it back. “They say that the true king, chosen only in times of great need, used his great power to stop them."

            The boy looked like he was about to jump out of the bed and start jumping around, so the figured began to push him down, and tuck him into the bed. Smiling, the boy looked up at the figured and beamed. “Thank you, Mommy, I liked that story." The figured stopped and looked like she was smiling at him. “Your welcome dear, now some sleep. I love you my little prince." She then turned and made her way out of the door, closing it.

            Laying alone in bed the boy smiled, looking up at his ceiling. He knew god had to be the one that saved all of humanity, but the idea of a king with great power just made him even more ecstatic. As he laid in bed, his mind began to wander and slip deeper into sleep. The last thing he could remember, was wondering what the beasts his mother had spoken about were.

***

            There was a void, utterly black with nothing around. When raising a hand, not even that could be seen when held right in front of his face. The boy walked slowly forward, hands out, trying to find the way forward. Occasionally he stumbled over something that could not be seen, and he could feel the air in this place getting heavier. He couldn't explain what it was, but it was not a place he had been. “Mom?" He called out in a small timid voice, “D-dad?".

            When there was no response the boy started to get afraid, and he began to push his way back the way that he had come. Almost as soon as he did, a noise like iron nails on glass could be heard, making him scream and cover his ears as he ran. As the noise continues a light began to appear behind him, showing a deselect land scape, with nothing but rocks in every direction.

            Slowly, the boy stopped, and began to turn around. Wincing he shut them, the sudden presence of light in the darkness that he had become accustomed too and causing him discomfort. He slowly opened his eyes as they began to adjust. His blurry vision slowly turning into a clear image. When he was finally able to look clearly at the light, what he saw made his blood run cold, and his body freeze. A ball of pure white light was hovering in the air, the noise still present but lessening as what looked like shards of glass began emerging from the light, for each shard the light dimmed slightly, and began to circle the light. Soon, there was more shards then was able to be counted, each one shifting, and circling, the light dim enough to see but not so bright as to be blinding. Slowly the shards began to shimmer, and images began to appear on their surfaces. As the boy focused, he realized the images were of landscapes. One a green, rich land, and the next a place of complete water. They appeared so real, that he felt like he could reach out and touch them.

He began to lower his hands from his ears; no sooner that he started this motion that the once calm air began to vibrate. The noise stopping, only to be replaced by a guttural roar came from the light, and the sounds of trees creaking, and leaves rustling began to form. The intensity began to increase, and anyone normally person would think they were standing in the middle of a windstorm. The shards began to shine, and suddenly all began to show a similar landscape. The light began to waiver, and the shards started to freeze in place. Motion began to form inside of the shards, as large, and numerous beasts began to seemingly form out of nothing. There were so many that the boy could not make out any definition in them. Then, the sounds of storming, and roaring stopped. The unease the boy had been feeling up until began to change into pure fear. And a growl, deep and menacing came from the light. As it did, a large, scaled paw began to push out of the light. It had 4 long claws, and it was dripping blood. The paw was the size of a full grown mans head, and as more pushed through the boy suddenly heard a woman scream out in agony.

***

            Shooting up right in bed, the boy spun in different directions. Now seeing the inside of his room, and not the dark landscape that he had been trapped in. Slowly he began to calm down, his mind coming to the realization that it was a nightmare. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. His mind beginning to come out of the dream that he was having. After a moment, the boy stretched as he started to feel better, as he lowered himself back down to his bed, his blood ran cold as a scream came from outside his door. The noise of something hitting the wall could be heard, and then a loud crashing. “Mommy?!" He yelled, getting out of bed and running to the door, and opened it. There were scratch marks on the floor, with droplets of red scattered along the wall. He turned to the top of the stairs, and what he saw left him speechless.  

            At the bottom of the stairs was his mother, laying in a pool of red, and with numerous gashes, and claw marks over her body. Her mouth was still trying to work, but a gash on her neck only allowed her to spit blood from her mouth. The boys legs began to shake, he slowly sank down to the wooden floor, his hands pushing out to stop him from falling down the stairs.

            “M-m-mommy…" He whispered, feeling tears starting to come to his eyes. The floor beneath him shook, and the struggling women turned her head, eyes filled with fear as she looked up to her son. Her mouth began to work, blood dribbling from it as she tried to mouth out, 'run'. As she did, she tried to smile, and her body jerked and flipped. She let out a gargled cry, and in the blink of an eye was gone. The only thing indicating where she was or was being taken was a trail of blood. Seeing this, as of by some driven motion his body acted on its own, running down the stairs and in the direction his mother had been dragged. Following the trail of deep red blood.

            The trail ran out of the broken window of their home, and into the woods. Hesitating for a moment, the boys mind in over drive, not truly understanding what was happening; then without any further thought he ran off into the thicket, and underbrush of the woods. He could hear faintly the noise of thudding, and branches snapping as something dragged his mother away.

            He didn't know for how long he ran, he wasn't able to think. His mind wasn't even able to think clearly as he chased down his mother, but eventually his body gave out, and he fell face first into a clearing in the woods. It was hear that he began to cry, he was no longer able to hear anything, and his mother was gone.

            His body was covered in dirt, mud and leaves. His black hair now partly brown from all the mud on the ground. The boys mind was coming down from his high, and the full weight of what happened began to hit. As he lay crying, his hands moving to hugs himself, the ground shook and a lowed thud came from in front of him. The boys head jerked up, hoping to find his mother, but instead he froze. Standing half in, and half out of the bushes was a large, snarling beats. Its scaled head as big as a horse, fangs bared and dripping blood. The scales on its head were a deep gray, tracing up with a few black scales along its muzzle and under its eyes. Those deep, blood red eyes with a single black point in the center stared at him. They seemed to be almost a vortex, and the way its scales shimmered in the moonlight seemed almost hypnotic. It took a step forward a thick muscular leg covered in the same grayish colored scales, only to have some accents of green and yellow along the muscles. There were four long, and sharp black claws coming from its paw. Just like the paw that was dripping blood in his dream. He began to shake and tried to scream but found himself unable to move or speak.

            Its face began to contort, looking like it was starting to grin in a menacing way. Its white teeth stained by blood, it began to open its muzzle. Snake like tongue pushing out and flicking at the air, “There you are~" it hissed out, the muscles underneath its scales flexing as it lowered itself into a crouched position. “It'sssss sssso nice to meet you.." The voice pushed into his mind, stopping any movement that he would have tried to make. “I thought… that you were that… ugly thing I just dragged all thissss way~" It began to move forward, its body large, and clearly as muscular as the legs he had seen. It looked to almost the size of a horse, if not a bit larger. It walked on all fours. As it emerged from the forest, it began to rise to its full height. Alone, it shoulders came up to a full grown mans height, nearly 182 centimeters off the ground, not including it head, or dark curling upward horns. Along his back was a large, thick tail, which was swaying back and forth, ridges line its back. In the center they almost seemed to form spikes and shrink down as they went down the tail. Most of which was still concealed in the underbrush and bushes.  

            It began to creep forward more, the claws leaving deep gouges in the earth with every step. Suddenly, the beast froze, its dark pupils turning into slits and it lifted its head, sniffing the air. As it did, the wind picked up, and a loud howl could be heard coming from the forest to the boys left. Growling the beast began to look in different directions. “You won't ssstop me!" It bellowed, then faster than his eyes could keep up with, the beast leaped at the boy. The howl had allowed him to partially free himself from the trance he was in, and he yelled, but the beasts voice still held him in place. The boy could see motion at the side of his vision. His mind filled with fear, the beast's paws closing in, one of its long nails cutting his left cheek. Just before its gapping jaws reached him. Two large creatures hit the beast and landed standing protectively in front of the boy. His eyes began to darken from fear, all he could see was a large furred foot paw.

            Then just as quickly as the creatures were there, they vanished going off in chase after the beast. The boy lay stunned, before his body finally gave out and he fell to the ground his vision going completely dark.

Fast Forward to present

            Cedric sat in his room, staring down at his hands. It has been 12 years, and he was 6 at the time of his mother's death. His father, and a few men had found him in the woods the following morning. They had not been able to recover his mothers' body, and the village guards had searched everywhere for any signs of the 'beast' he had spoken about. They really were searching for an animal. Saying only such things exist in fairy tales. As a result, it had been determined that a wild animal had broken into their home and killed his mother.

            After that night, his father had changed. He came home from a neighboring village the morning after the attack and helped to find Cedric in the woods. When they had gotten home, and he began to clean up the mess. He went into Cedric' room and found a plate of half-finished food under the bed. His mother had a habit of making him a snack for the middle of the night, saying that he would need it to grow strong. His father had never supported this, and whenever he found the food, he made sure to get rid of it. The plate his father found was just bread, so logically an animal would not have been able to smell or tell that the bread was there. But his father, looking for a reason as to why he had lost his wife, said that if Cedric had not had food outside the pantry, and for once followed the rules that he had placed. Then the animal would not have broken into the house looking for it, and as a result his wife would still be alive.

            At first, he resisted the idea. Saying it was a beast that had killed his mother. Each time this happened, his father insured that he gave Cedric a swift beating. Often leaving the boy bruised and sometimes bloody. As time went on, Cedric began to believe what people were saying that it was an animal, and soon believed what his father said that if he had not had the bread. Then his mother would still be alive.

Not long after his mother's death, his father began to drink, heavily. He often came home drunk, and angry. Making his way to Cedric he would beet him, and after he turned 12, he would sometimes force himself upon his son. It was not until a few years ago, that while staying with his uncle, that he learned that an animal would not force its ways into a house for bread that was on the second floor. His uncle then went on to demonstrate this by leaving bread out almost every night, and not a single time did an animal try to get it in. This brought Cedric back to the idea of this creature, making him believe that if his father had been wrong about the bread, then maybe he was wrong about the beast. But his uncle wouldn't believe him either. Thinking that Cedric had imagined the beast up. Now that he was 18, and had since grown out of the idea of a beast. Thinking that his mother's tale, and the dream had made him see something that he really hadn't.

            With a sigh, Cedric stood up, grabbing a candle and its holder and began to make his way down the hall. Out of habit, he walked quietly and quickly passed his fathers room. While he was not home, he had learned the perils of waking the man up or letting him catch Cedric in the hall. It would usually end in a beating, or his father forcing himself upon him.

            Cedric despised the man, he only called him father as a name. Not for any other reason, not that Cedric could call him anything else, the time he had attempted to address his father by name.  It had ended in a severe beating. And while he wished to be something else, Cedric was weak. In his mind, he knew what the right thing was. But he wasn't strong enough to stop his father, or even so much as stop anyone from hurting him. Overall, he came across as someone that avoided conflict, and people as much as he could. He had tried to create friends with the other boys his age, but whenever he did. They either avoided him, or his father forced him to stop. Cedric as a result had turned into a someone that despised most of the world, most of the village folk knew what was happening to him, and how his father treated him. But they chose to do nothing, even his uncle, who hated his father, only offered him a place to stay while he was young, but never tried to take Cedric away.

            All his problems dated back to that one fateful night, he had lost both his parents; and the villagers came to know him as the cursed child, one who lied, and should be avoided lest they be killed as well. His mother had come from a place outside the village, though no one knew where. There was always an air of mystery around her, and the villagers had taken some time to warm up to her. Many people who lived in the village were/are superstitious, and the more he told the story as a child, the more the god-fearing people of the village thought that his father was being punished for having him with a strange women from a strange town. Having two separate colored eyes didn't help either. According to there religion, those who had different colored eyes were heathens, and born of the devil. As time went on, and livestock began to disappear, the only evidence being strange tracks. The villagers began to blame him, saying it was he who brought this curse upon them. And if he had only died that night, then none of this would be happening to them now. The villagers had never attacked him, but they did avoid him, and turned a blind eye to his fathers' beatings.

            Walking into a room, he placed the candle on a wall and looked at himself in the mirror. He was an all-around attractive man, that is if he was to compare himself to most of the men in the village. Small amounts of definition he had gotten from manual labor around the village, as well as taking care of their home. But, like a child, he was all around pale. His father, when in one of his now rare good moods. Had told him that as a child, he had been taken many times to a doctor, as it was believed that he was sick. Every time though, the doctor had said there was nothing wrong with him, and that his parents had nothing to worry about. Never the less, with his pale skin, dark hair, and different colored eyes. Many in the village thought he was cursed, even before the incident happened. The only exception to this, was the doctor. He had come to check on him for the first few years after his mother's death. But never said anything about the new bruises, or marks that would appear on his body all the time. This overall, made Cedric even more resentful of those around him.

            Shaking his head, Cedric ran his hand through his hair. His bangs had gotten long, and he might be needing a haircut, they were just barely over his eyes. His hair was a deep, rich black color. Seeming to retain its own color and well-kept look on its own. He didn't like having long hair, not only was it difficult to keep clean. But when his father would assault him, being grabbed by his hair was rather painful. He would need to cut it later, for now he looked out the window of the small room that served as their bathroom. The evening light filtered into the room and washed over the dark wood floor. The light ended half way up the metal tub that would be filled with hot water. In the center of the room was a drain. This let them empty the tub whenever they were done with it. Across from the tub was a small table on top of which was a set of towels, next to those towels was a bar of soap. The towels, and the soap didn't smell the best. But it was still better then being covered in grime. He did his best to keep the clothes, and towels in the house clean, knowing his father wouldn't, and would most likely blame him if it wasn't done. Cedric stood in front of the mirror which was on the same side of the room as the small table. Between the mirror and the table was the window. As he gazed out the window, he gripped the candle once more and steadied himself.

            Then standing straight he turned and made his way out of the room. His father would normally be at the local tavern. As it was getting late, he would need to go and get him or risk him stumbling into the house in the middle of the night drunk and either beating or raping him. This was something that had happened more often that he could count. The only thing that he could be happy with, is that his father never seemed interested in his rear end. Though he tried not to think about that, as he had learned a long time ago. If he invited bad thoughts, it often invited bad things into his life.

            Walking to the door, he turned and looked around his house. The spot where his mother had lain, covered in blood was not covered by a carpet. The floor boards had been permanently stained, and his father hadn't wanted to move. The rest of the house was rather bland. To the side was a fire place, the dying embers of when he had prepared lunch still glowing. He would need to relight it after getting his father, he would need it to cook. Over the fire place was a metal bar, two which he could place a pot on a hook and use it to cook. In the middle of the room was a table with a set of chairs. Then, there was the stairs off to the left of the entrance. With a final glance he opened the door and went outside.

            The path from his house lead along several others. Each house made of logs, and with a dirt path leading up to it from the main path into the village. The roof was a grouping of wood that was made into blocks, and then on top of the blocks was thinner wood that let rain and snow roll off. Of course, wood did rot over time. So, after every winter most had to remove these and put in a new set. The path between these houses lead into the deeper area of town. As Cedric walked, the houses began to change from wooden to stone. People who had more money were able to afford stone houses, as they not only lasted longer, but overall gave better shelter. Though Cedric had been inside of a few, they didn't seem overly different. Just the decorations were more extravagant. Though the only time he got to see them was when he had to drop something off for his Uncle, who lived in the nicer side of town.

            His Uncle owned a tailor shop, as his was the only one in town, he was paid very well, and was constantly in high demand. His uncle had even got the attention of the local lord and would make clothes for him from time to time. His uncle was the one who paid for his father's house, and had Cedric learn how to read. He did it mainly for the sake of Cedric though, he didn't like his father, and never did. He never approved his mother's choice to marry him. He often said his father never deserved a women as fine as his mother, though whether that was sibling dispute, or something that happened during their child hood, he didn't know.

            Cedric was roused from his thoughts as he heard the noise of the tavern. He had walked quite a way into town, and it was just around sunset. As he approached, he stopped at the door. Staring at the oak frame around it, steeling himself before he pushed open the door and walked in.

            The tavern was filled with people, men and women alike. It smelled of food, alcohol, and vomit. There were tables placed around, filled with people, and a waitress was walking from table to table taking orders. She had a pine green dress on, with a white apron over it. Her hair was long and a dirty blonde. Gertrude was her name; Cedric didn't speak to her much. Only to find out where his father was, but she was a kind woman. Always seemed to enjoy doing her work. She smiled when she noticed him and made her way over, “Hello Cedric, its been a while since I've seen you. How are you doing?" He wanted to scuff at her, he had seen her just the day prior when his father had left the tavern in a drunken fit after loosing some money to a man in a bet. She was another person that knew what he went through but chose to keep quiet. She was not as religious as many of the other villagers, but she still didn't do much other then talk to him as part of her job.

            Cedric bit back his response though, she was just trying to be nice after all. His life wasn't her fault and taking it out on her would do nothing. “I'm fine thank you. I'm here to get my father… again." He added the last part at almost a whisper. He had gotten into this routine and while use it. Cedric did not wish to have to spend the rest of his life doing this, at the same time. He didn't know what he wanted to do with his life.

            Gertrude simply nodded, her smile fading softly. She seemed to understand his situation to an extent, though he doubted how much she could. And then pointed at the far end of the bar. His father was chugging a drink, a scowl on his face as he argued with the person to his right. Cedric honestly didn't care what the two were arguing about, but he made his way over anyway. Pushing Gertrude from his thoughts, if she chose to. She could say something, but as usual chose not to. As he got within ear shot, he was able to hear that his father had apparently taken a swig of the other man's beer, but his father was denying it. Saying that he had his own and had no reason too. He made his way to the side, standing so that his father was able to see him, but he wasn't in the way and waited. Interrupting his father was never a good idea. No matter how much he loathed the man and would love to simply leave. In the end, he felt responsible and trapped in his routine.

            Time passed, and the argument between his father and the man was getting more heated. His father swung his tinkered back, and some of the beer spilled onto Cedric. He jumped a bit and took a step back, raising his hand to stop the alcohol. He let a sigh escape him, and as soon as he did, he realized he made a mistake. His father suddenly spun around and spat, “You knocked ma beer!" He teetered a little before righting himself. “Useless brat!" He got up, swaying for a few moments most of the bar patrons turning to see. Once he stabilized himself, he hit Cedric along the side of his head with tinkered. Cedric almost instantly fell to his knees, pain exploding from the side of his head, his father then kneed him in the nose, making him cry out. He covered his face quickly, already feeling warm blood running down his face and onto his gray shirt. His father spat on him and took a seat. “Your useless!" he slurred, letting out a hiccup and turning away from Cedric. “Get yar arss home." He went back to his drink, the man next to him shifting a seat down. Apparently deciding it wasn't worth getting himself involved with someone who would strike someone so quickly, though no one made a motion to help him.

            Gertrude came over a few moments later as Cedric was standing up, he had a tear in his eye but wiped it away before anyone could see. The pain slowly starting to fade, and instead became a dull throb. She handed him a cloth, glaring at his fathers back and helped him press it to his nose. She then walked him to the front of the bar. “Go home dear…" It seemed like she wanted to say more, but after a moment's hesitation she turned and walked back into the tavern.  

            Cedric turned, and without saying anything left the tavern behind. The cloth he had been handed was slowly being stained with blood, and he knew it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. His nose wasn't broken, that much he knew as he had dealt with broken bones in the past. But the bleeding wasn't going to be stopping till he got home. He would have to see if he could block his door, maybe then his father couldn't get in. Though that might just make things worse if he tried to get in and couldn't. He shook his head, some blood dripping to the ground and began to make his way back.

            As he went, Cedric began to think how he wished he would have been killed by the beast all those years ago. At least then he wouldn't have to be in this situation now. Thinking about that, his mind began to travel back to what happened, how his mother had been lying in the floor. Her words for him to run, and the fear in her eyes. He wondered if she loved him, or if she would one day turn into what his father had become.

            It was a while before Cedric came to from his thoughts, his nose must have stopped bleeding a while ago, but the rag was dripping with blood. And he did feel a little light headed. Looking around, he suddenly realized that he wasn't near his house, in fact he wasn't near the village. He was in the middle of the woods. Looking around more closely he saw a familiar clearing, filled with moon light. He stopped for a moment, trying to remember what was so important about this place. The blood loss causing it hard to think properly. As he continued to think the moon light began dim as clouds washed over the sky.

            As his mind began to clear, he slowly began to realize where he was. He had managed to make his way to the very clearing that he had nearly been killed in. “Why… did I come here?" Cedric murmured. He hadn't been here since that night. Partially do to this fear the place held, and at the same time he couldn't remember how to get back here. In fact, most of the villagers never knew there was a clearing. Another thing they used to say that he was cursed.

            He slowly turned, his eyes taking in the entire site. How long was he walking? How did he even remember how to get here? He wondered if the wishes to have died here so long ago caused him to come here. As he looked the light of the moon began to flood the clearing once more. As Cedric watched, he glanced to the edges of the forest, and without thinking began to walk closer to the center of the clearing. His mind which hand been filled with questions and concerns began to clear and instead urged him to walk forward.

            As he did, the light from the moon began to shrink away from the edges of the clearing; almost seeming to follow Cedric. The area around where he was beginning to darken and looking forward his body jerked back a bit as he realized the light was beginning to close in from the other side of the clearing. But the strange calm began to take hold again, and the middle of the clearing seem to get brighter. Walking closer, the light of the moon pushed past him, and was visibly, and quickly moving toward the center making an almost perfect circle. The wind began to pick up as well. His clothes rustling in its gusts. The wind slowly intensifying till it started to form a funnel around the edges of the clearing.

            For a moment the calm was broken, and Cedric's mind was sent reeling, he had never seen or heard of anything like this. He wanted to run and get himself out of the clearing. But just like when he was younger, he was frozen in motion. Continuing to walk to the center of the clearing.

            When he reached the center, the light funneled all down to one point, and as he looked up, his hair flowing up from the force of the wind he felt himself become lighter. Almost like he was being lifted from the earth, but and glance down confirmed that his feet were still firmly planted to the ground. As he looked back up the moon seemed to move, slowly coming to almost perfectly over the clearing, and over the center of the wind funnel. The funnel of wind having picked up leaves, sticks, and dirt creating a dense bank of wind that was hard to see through. As the moon light filtered down his mind cleared once more, and the calm began to settle in. All fear, pain, and worry gone.

As if on its own accord, his right hand shifted from his side and lifted. He watched as the shadows outside the moon light seemed to darken in several places and began to push forward into the light. Even amongst the shadows, he was able to clearly see these tendrils of darkness as they moved forward. The darkness began to move forward, slowly lifting off the ground, and slowly swirl around his wrist, to meet the moon light on his hand. While the darkness moved forward Cedric tried to think, tried to wonder what was happening. But his mind seemed trapped, and his body was relaxed. The moon light filtering into the center of the clearing, now filtered into the center of his palm. Meeting the tendrils of darkness, and where the two met a small silver light appeared.

Cedric could feel something warm touch his palm, and as soon as he did the light began to lift, and the shadows moved from the ground, along his wrist and began to condense. As the darkness faded, Cedric was left looking at a dark black ring, with a wolf howling up at the moon engraved on it. The engraving seemed to pulse a deep purple. On its own accord his hand closed, and Cedric suddenly felt everything go dark and he fell to the ground. The last thing he saw, was the wind suddenly vanish, a pair of golden eyes staring at him from the edge of the forest.