"Are you okay?"
Ashryn's voice soothed my headache. It was soft, yet very intimidating. Her eyes were fixed on me awaiting my response as she rests her head beside a tree. "no" I replied. Her clothes rustled as she squirmed around, gripping her ankle. "Good" she grins and shuts her eyes "you seem rested enough, take watch for me. I need to sleep" she peeks a glance and I nodded. She breathes in deep, then fell asleep.
There are no wildlife nor shrubs or flowers. All I can make out through the mist is a bunch of oak trees that seem to never end. The fog was also weird. It's not dense or anything, just still. Not even a Cicada or a Cricket can be heard, it's just way too silent. The trees make it seem like humanoids surrounding us, it's straight from a nightmare.
I guess those stories were true. Gossip and rumours about a never ending forest, thickened by mist and ever so silent, those who enter will cease to want to exist. It goes by many names. Ashryn called it the Enten woods, probably how the Elves call it. It's more famous as the Forest of Mist or the Lost Forest. I don't see any way out. What I do know is that my sanity is slowly dropping. It helps to have Ashryn by my side, albeit asleep.
She has such long lower eyelashes. I continue to admire the little details on her face. I never got to take a proper look during our escape. Ah, speaking of which, where is Egill? Is he searching for a way out? Is he calling for help? I hope he comes back alright, if he is coming back at all. I close my eyes for a while to reconvene, but I wished I had kept it open.
A silhouette of a tall man appears among the trees. It's too tall to be human, yet its figure is humanoid. Its torso is longer than its legs. I can't find its arms, however its face is what instills every ounce of fear within me. It seems to be wearing a mask in the form of a bull with horns, or is that its head? Nevertheless, I'm left frozen in place. I scrambled for a weapon without losing eye contact. It does not seem to be moving, but I can see the rise and fall of its body following each heavy breath it takes. The longer I stare the dizzier I get, it seems to breathe heavier for each movement I make.
I can't find my knife, I must have dropped it somewhere. My only hope is for Ashryn to wake, but can she do anything at all? She can't even run if she wanted to. But there's nothing else, I glance away to jolt Ashryn awake. I whisper her name as I struggle to turn her over, but I wished I never tried to. Her face was gone. Empty sockets were left from where her eyes once was. All that's left is her pale skin. I kept myself from screaming, I glance once again to that, thing.
But all I see is its branch-like legs in front of me. I can't move, my body is shaking so much. I don't dare look up at its face. I'd rather kill myself than come face to face with whatever this devil is. I didn't notice I stopped breathing. No, I can't breathe, it feels like I'm breathing smoke. I hear inaudible laughter. I don't know what it is about it that makes it so unbearable to listen to, and I don't care. I attempt to bite my tongue off when I feel a sharp pain on my chest.
I woke up with my lips blocked. I pushed Ashryn away from me, gasping for air, as if I've not breathed for hours. I see Ashryn looking down at me, exhausted, wiping her lips with her left hand while grasping my chest with the other. "I thought you died! what happened to keeping watch?!" she slowly slumps back to the tree she was leaning on to, panting hard. I take a look around to look for the demon, but I can't find it. Ashryn looks at me all breathless "don't die right after we saved you! There'd have been no point if you do";
I swallow hard to muster a few words "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened either" I push my temples to alleviate the raging headache I have. My lips feel wet, as if doused in water. I wipe it off and slowly stand "I don't think we should be here any longer" I look around before glancing back "where's Egill?"
Ashryn's eyes plummeted, she slumped more and gripped her ankles tighter "I don't know," her eyes met mine "I lost him when we entered"
"Is he -" Ashryn grits her teeth before I could finish "he's not dead. Egill is too stubborn to get himself killed over a few bastards" she cuts me off.
"That's not the issue at the moment. We need to leave, now" she barely picks herself up, limping away at some random direction her nose pointed to. I offered to carry her once more, yet she shakes her head as she continues forward. I follow suit, but the eerie silence of the forest slowly ate away at me, and I know it's the same for her. My back is still in pain, the open wounds sticking against my leather coat makes every movement incredibly painful, so the most I can do is be a meatshield between her and whatever is lurking around us.
I wished I had just died back then.