Just as the forest grew nearly too dark for Kiri to see, a brief burst of illumination cut through the trees. The setting sun had finally become low enough for its rays to filter through the tree trunks rather than being obstructed by the dense canopy. This made travel much easier and Kiri hastened her pace, hoping to find an end to the forest before nightfall. The further from the clearing she traveled however, the more silent the her surroundings became, making the occasional sounds of whatever was following her undeniable. Kiri could hear it from all sides now, and though she could see the forest more clearly, her stalkers remained concealed. She didn't slow, moving steadily towards the sun, which was lowering alarmingly fast. She knew that when it disappeared fully she would have to stop, and the prospect was terrifying. Just when Kiri was on the brink of a full-on freakout she discerned a new sound above the thud of her own heartbeat... A stream! If she could cross it, maybe she could lose her stalkers, or at the very least there would be no trees to conceal them.
Abandoning her path heading west, Kiri veered to the right and followed the sounds of the stream. It was growing pretty loud, so it had to be close! As her excitement grew, she moved more carelessly- her canvas sneakers were nearly destroyed and the branches scratched her calves mercilessly. A loose rock underfoot gave way, sending Kiri tumbling head first into a dry creek bed that had been disguised by several waist high bushes.
She lay in the soft earth for a while, groaning to herself in frustrated defeat. How many times would she take a dive like this today?? It felt as if some cruel god had robbed her of every ounce of gracefulness she once possessed. It took several more moments before an alarming realization set in. The river... it had gone quiet.
Looking around, she found that she was surrounded by mushrooms of various shapes and sizes, all growing out of the creek bed. They were more beautifully colored and patterned than anything Kiri had ever seen in biology class. She had learned that many mushrooms were toxic, and quickly looked beneath herself to see if she had crushed any, but there was an empty space where she lay and several feet of radius around her.
Truly creeped out, Kiri struggled to get up but her sudden movements sent the mushrooms scattering further away from her. They were alive somehow!! On further inspection, she could see little faces and bodies that pulled their caps down in fear as she crawled closer. Kiri found herself completely charmed by the magical little things, and extended a delicate finger towards what seemed like the boldest of them: a little red guy speckled with white, who stared at her as she neared.
"I wouldn't..." A raspy male voice advised from her left.
Holy s***!!!
Kiri nearly jumped out of her skin. She yanked her finger back, eliciting a tiny hiss from the 'lil red guy, and scrambled to her feet. She whirled around to find the speaker, but in that direction there was only a deer skull that somehow had grown part of the base of a large tree. It was almost eye level with her, jutting out right where the tree's roots fell over the side of the creek. Kiri continued whipping her head around in search of the voice.
It coughed politely.
This time she was sure the sound came directly from the deer skull. It actually tilted its head as it appeared to wait for Kiri to process what she was seeing!
"Hello."