The Forests

The air was heavy that particular day as Ilrina stepped down from her hidden spot in the trees. She was alone, as she often was, going about her life in the forests, rarely traveling with another sapient being. The wolves, owls, and bears were often her companions there, in the solace of leaves and streams. It had been raining that day, making the ground was soft under foot, the air thick with moisture and the scent of the forest. She had spent the greater part of the morning tracking an unknown beast, but a sudden downpour had washed away most chances of finding it. Her pace had been fairly quick when tracking before the rain, crossing four ridge lines before mid day, but after the rain she was forced to slow. It was only after she started to descend the fifth ridge that she felt a shift in the forest. There was an odd tension in the air, like the trees were hungered for the warming touch of the sun, like the river was thirsty. The creatures were scarce as well, she hadn't seen a single game animal in some time, which was unsettling. Ilrina kept her pace slow, taking in more details. The scent was vegetal and sweet, but had a tone of burnt refuse. Sounds of a bird crept through the branches when they should have been echoing. It wasn't until she saw the first living animal that she deemed the forest stricken or lost, or both. The wolf, if you could call it that, was oozing at the mouth. A foul, black tar dripped into a pool that was seeping slowly into the ground around its feet. Ilrina stared at the creature, refusing to call it wolf even to herself, and the abomination stared back. Its growl a mix of falling rocks and a harsh cackle. A movement from behind the twisted wolf caught her eye. A litter of wolf pups lay in a pile of decaying leaves, the same ooze dripping from their mouths. Her stomach twisted and her muscles felt unresponsive. Such beauty and perfection, twisted into such an unnatural state. It wasn't until she stopped running that she had realized she was crying. Tears fell uncnontrollably as she shook from exhaustion. She had run the entire night away from the sights of those twisted woods. The stench, the sounds, the unnerving sight. They seared their way into her memory. That kind of evil could not be allowed to persist.