Deep in the woods, an ancient world was swallowed. Armour and bone covered by roots and moss. Stone structures long since crumbled, leaving behind a story of great loss. A loss that should be remembered, but was so long ago no sorrow could be shared for the old world.
In recent years the woods seem to grow darker. The once calm of the damp forest ground gave to unrest. The bones of creatures lost to time gained malic. An erie silence loomed over the wood, stretched deep through branch and root. In the midst of the unrest, of the dense forest and dark trees, there was a small clearing. And in the small clearing stood a cherry blossom tree.
The clearing was not tangled with the thick brush that filled the woods, nor was there a feeling of dread or uneas that surrounded it. The ground was soft clovers and gentile flowers, so soft to the touch one could lay down to take a nap.
The opening above showed the night sky as the light of the moon shone down on the rocks at the base of the tree. It's red roots hugged them close into the ground, a soft moss covering their surface. The breeze that blew was gentle, lossening its petals that fell like snow in the autumn air.
The trunk of the tree wrapped around itself in a beautiful twist, spiraling in an odd pattern. A pattern that of you took a moment to look, seemed to be a young girl sleeping.
Of course, no one had taken the time to look at the tree. No one had even taken the time to look at the clearing. Infact, it had been many moons since anyone had passed by the peaceful clearing, that anyone enjoyed the calm that it brought to their souls. The old magic that lingered there. So long that they had almost all but forgotten the sleeping spirit that rested within the tree.
Almost.
Stumbling out of the woods suddenly was a hooded man. His breath heavy on the quiet night air. Blood dripping as he staggared to the tree, he had been injured. As he reached the tree he froze, listening.
The clearing seemed to bring him a sense of peace, though he quickly looked around at the tree line, knowing it was a false sense of peace. He could still hear the Howling echoing through the night, the Lycan guard close on his trail. It was only a matter of time before they would be upon the clearing, and he needed to be honest before then.
Turning back to the cherry blossom tree, he took a moment to look at its beauty. There were ni trees like this in these woods, so he knew he had found the right one. The howling grew closer, snapping him into action. Quickly, he looked across it's trunk, searching desperately for something, the sleeping girl within its bark.
Once he found her, he took a step back, in disbelief. It was on a rammer he was sent into the Lycan territory to find her. Written in ancient scrolls, a legend that seemed too far fetch to be true. Yet her she was.
Reaching into his cloak, the man pulled out a large black blade. He winced, pain shooting through his body from the large claw wond on his side. Blood poured down his leg and pooled around the base of the cherry blossom tree. He grabbed his side and braced against the tree.
As soon as he touched the tree, his senses seemed to dull. He heard hos heart pounding in his ears. He felt the gentle breeze against his back, the branches from the tree shaking gently in the breeze. He no longer heard the howling of the beasts that followed him, nor did he feel the pain in his body. He felt, peace.
He looked to the tree, realizing he had touched it with his bear skin,something he was told not to do. He gasped and pulled away from the tree, his senses hitting him as soon as he stopped touching it. Pain spread through his body again, the sounds of the woods, of the howling closed in around him. His heart beat in his throught, he dropped to the ground, gasping, but he could not move. His eyes grew wide with terror as he the tree stared back.
The girl was awake.