#1: Tall Tales
In the time of ancient, the villagers would curfew themselves at dusk of every day. The families would huddle around the gentle fires in their homes, telling stories of the evil creatures and spirits hunting the forest around the village. The elders would take place in the large, comfortable chairs to tell their tales. The kids would gather under blankets on the floor. The stories were told and listened to, intently. Grand tales and secret whispers of the dangers that hide in the dark.
Every story would be unique, and every telling would be a new piece of art. But the lesson was always the same: Don’t wander into the Hollow Horn Woods, and don’t go out in the dark.
It was well known in the village of Marquisk that many evils were lurking in the woods. But one creature in particular was to be feared above all. He was known as the Vogresh, and described as a beast, unlike any other. Having the stature of a hunched over man but covered in fur like a muskox he was the most frightening creature you would ever see. Standing 12 foot tall, and with small, bright white eyes. Horns on his head like a ram. Claws on his hands and feet like a raven. Fangs like a hungry wolf. Growling and roaring like a bear.
Many stories would tell of brave young men wandering into the forest to defeat the creature and free the village. And many stories would end with vivid images of these brave young men being torn and mangled. Their tormented screams would be heard far and wide as the creature tore the limbs from the bodies and the flesh from the bones.
Some stories would feature children, being stolen from the village, when wondering out, after dark. What the creature would do with a child was never quite clear. Some would say the creature ate the younglings. Others would tell gruesome tales of the creature collecting the nails, teeth, and eyes from the children, before leaving them to wander through the forest. Alone, scared, cold, blind and in excruciating pain. Until they would inevitably freeze or starve to death or be taken by wolves. For many years, these stories were told on, as truth from generation to generation. From elder to child. And everyone in Marquisk new that the stories were true, for they had all heard them, time and time again, for as long as anyone could remember.
#2: Lost Girl
Kaia is half sneaking, half running through the undergrowth of the forest. She promised her mother to go and pick the einen berries today, but she almost forgot. It will soon be dark, so she will have to hurry. No one is allowed outside after dark, so she has to be fast. Luckily, she knows exactly where the bush is, so she will have no trouble finding it. The trouble is finding it without attracting wolves or bears or angry forest spirits along the way. She is not really supposed to go into the forest to find berries, but there are only so many einen bushed around, and the ones on the other side of the pasture are too far away. She wouldn’t be able to reach them and get back home before dusk.
Kaia is the only one who knows about the bush in the forest, so she is sure no one else will have gotten the berries before she gets there. It is a sure thing. Get in, get the berries, get out. No one has to know where they are from. And as long as she makes sure not to get eaten, no one will bother asking questions anyway.
Just a little further now. She pushes past a tree and spots the bush. The light green leaves and bright white berries are unmistakable. They light up the ground under the bush like tiny lanterns. Exceptionally beautiful and extremely poisonous if they are eaten raw or fermented wrongly. But in the right kind of brew, they are both delicious and are said to have all sorts of healing powers.
Kaia kneels down on the soil by the bush, but just before plucking the first berry, she is startled by a sound from the brushwood not far from where she is sitting. She turns her head to see what made the noise, and a deer limps out between the trees. It is moving slowly and awkwardly through the forest. And it is bleeding from an arrow wound on the left side; arrow still sticking out. Hunters must have tried to get this one and failed. Kaia folds her hands in her lap, while she silently studies the deer, making its way towards a small clearing. It doesn’t appear to have spotted her. Or maybe it just doesn’t care. Maybe it knows it has only moments left on this earth. The deer stops in the clearing and tries to lay down in the grass. The wound from the arrow has mostly crippled the left front leg, so it takes a while before the animal is finally resting on the ground. Then it rolls on its side as if already dead. But it is still breathing. Kaia is watching the poor animal, and she has almost forgot why she is in the forest at this time.
A shadow glides over the clearing and Kaia remembers that she has to get the berries and get home. But before she has a chance to move, a creature moving silently through the forest emerges from between the trees and joins the wounded deer in the clearing.
Kaia’s eyes widen and her jaw drops, as she stares at the beast. She can only see it from the back, but she knows exactly what she is seeing. A creature, tall as a building, furry as a muskox, with horns, moving in the shadows of the Hollow Horn Woods. It can only be the creature her grandparents have told her about. They usually refer to it as Vogresh, or Rooftrellen the Fiend. It is always described as a demon of the woods that steals and eats people. Or mangles and tortures them. It is hard to say, since no one has ever survived seeing the demon in real life. And now Kaia is here. Looking straight at it.
The furry giant slowly walks to the deer. Kaia can still se the deer as the beast is bending over it. She doesn’t want to look at the horror that will surely ensue. She doesn’t want to see the evil creature mangle the poor deer and eat it raw of the ground. But she can’t look away. Her eyes are fixed on the clearing. She was always the curious one in the family and usually that is a good thing. But not now.
The creature reaches over and places a large, clawed hand on the deer. And then it speaks. Or at least it sounds like speaking, only there are no words that Kaia has ever heard before. The creature is almost chanting in a slow, deep voice. Something that sounds like words, but from a fairy-tale language, monotone, yet beautiful. When the creature falls silent, the entire forest does as well. Even the wind seems to give the forest roof a break from ruffling the leaves for a second. The creature has taken a step back, when suddenly a bright light shines out of the deer. A spirit rises, white and glowing, like the full moon. The soul of the deer takes a few steps around the clearing before setting of and disappearing into the forest. Out of the ground grows vines and roots. Slithering like snakes they fold around the carcass of the deer, and before long the entire animal has been swallowed into the ground, and no trace is left of it.
Kaia finds herself on her feet. She doesn’t remember getting up, but she is now slowly moving towards the clearing. The creature turns and starts to walk off, still moving slowly, as if to not disturb the forest around it.
Kaia realises how dangerous the creature might be, and she immediately ducks in behind a tree. She has learned to move silently through the forest, and now is a great time to do exactly that. The creature has not noticed her, and she has the opportunity of a lifetime to see it up close. The only human to have ever survived laying eyes on the Vogresh. When she steps out from behind the tree to follow the demon something crackles under her foot. She thought she was so careful, and yet she missed whatever it was she stepped on. She has frozen in her tracks, eyes fixed on the back of the large creature. She is holding her breath, waiting to see if the creature reacts to the sound she made. But it doesn’t seem like it heard her. It moves slowly in between the trees, and somehow it manages to hide completely in the thick forest. Kaia finally breathes out slowly as she starts moving again to follow the creature. She has only taken a few steps when there is another sound. Not from her this time, but from the forest to her right. Like a large branch is pushed out of the way. Kaia feels the blood drain from her head and fingers, as she turns to face the sound. She is staring into the face of the demon. It is only a few feet away from her. She never saw the creature clearly before, but now se can. The entire creature is covered in long dark brown fur. Even the face is completely hidden behind the fur, and the only distinguishable feature is the small, bright white eyes. There is no iris and no pupil. Just pure white. Kaia starts to freeze, and her legs start to tense up. She is ready to run at any second now. But she can’t move a muscle. The creature starts to lean towards her, as if curious to see her better. They are staring into each other’s eyes for, what feels like hours, before the creature finally shifts his gaze to look past Kaia and into the woods behind her. With a gentle humming the creature reaches past Kaia and starts drawing something in the dirt around her with his huge claw. For some reason she is not nearly as scared as she feels she should be. Maybe the fact that she is still alive and in no way mangled or tortured by the creature gives her a sense of comfort. Maybe she just lost the ability to be scared. At least that’s what she managed to think during the few seconds the creature spends drawing a circle of odd symbols around her. But when she catches a shadow moving out of the corner of her eye, turns her head and looks directly at a large grey wolf, she realizes, she definitely didn’t lose her sense of fear.
Her skin tightens all over her body, like it has all of a sudden become too small. Her father has made sure to teach her that of all the ways you can die in the woods, getting eaten by wolves is the second worst one, only matched by the Rooftrellen. And given the current situation, she is starting to question that notion.
It doesn’t seem like the wolf has spotted her yet, but wolves are excellent hunters. They can track their prey for miles if they have to and they are patient, even when hungry or stressed. They will hold of an attack until the entire pack is in place and the pray has nowhere to go and no way of defending itself. Kaia knows all the tricks to hide from wolves, but when they are this close it will not make much of a difference. Wolves will spot any movement. Kaia is standing still, like a tree. They can hear even the tiniest of sounds. Kaia is breathing as quietly as she possibly can, and intensely listening to the forest. Hoping she can hear if there are more wolves moving around in the woods. She hears something and she is trying to figure out what it is. Her fear intensifies when she realises it is her own heart, beating like a drum in her chest. How can such a small clump of meat make such a noise? Se closes her eyes, trying to calm herself. When she can hear her heart this clearly, so can the wolves; no doubt about it. Deep, slow breaths.
Something tickles as it runs down her spine. She opens her eyes wide with fear when she realizes it is a droplet of sweat from the top of her neck. If there is one thing her farther always seemed to stress more than anything: Sweat stinks. And of course, wolves have the most superior sense of smell. Keeping your body odour as neutral as possible, can easily mean the difference between life and death. Even a single drop of sweat at the wrong time can attract a horde of wolves. Right now, is just about the worst time to start sweating, but she cannot help it. And even if she could, the damage is done. The sweat drop is out there for all the woods to smell. She knows there is not much chance for her now. The wolves will find her and attack. First, they will jump past her and claw at her, to see if she will fight back. When they realize she is no threat to them, one of them will grab her neck with incredible jaw strength and squeeze till she can’t scream anymore. It will shake her, violently, until her neck snaps. She will be paralysed. Lying on the ground, unable to move. Unable to speak. Only waiting for the wolves to kill her. They will start tearing her flesh from her bones. They will gnaw and eat at her. Eventually they will try to get to her heart. Chewing, clawing, and ripping at her chest to get through the ribs, before finally getting through and letting her die. It can take quite a while to get through the ribs, though. The strong bone cage, designed by mother nature to protect the heart and lungs from intruders and predators. The feeling of being eaten alive; sensing the frustration of the wolves as they fight to get through the ribcage; wishing to be dead, but unable to die.
Kaia has made it through eleven winters, fighting the cold, the dark, the scarcity of food, and all the other dangers the village faces, at all times. Now she will die alone in the woods, getting eaten by wolves. She is just a child, still. Much too young to die like this. Much to young to die at all, really. But the woodland creatures, be it wolves, bears or demons, won’t care about her age or size. They will kill her regardless.
These dark thoughts make Kaia turn her head, trying to stop the tears. Another wolf has walked right up to her. Only a few feet between them. She is startled and instinctually takes a step back, but something stops her. A large hand prevents her from completing the step. The Rooftrellen. Kaia looks from the wolf to Rooftrellen, back to the wolf and back again to Rooftrellen, back to the wolf again. The wolf is walking away. Like it didn’t even notice her. Strolling through the forest as if it were all alone in the whole world. The rest of the pack follows.
The wolves have gone. Kaia is still alive. Rooftrellen finally removes his hand from her back and starts to walk away. Kaia looks around to try and make sense of it all and realises why Rooftrellen stopped her from taking that step. It kept her inside the circle of symbols it had drawn on the ground. Curious to see if the creature will keep her trapped in the circle for good, she starts to take a step over the symbols. The Rooftrellen doesn’t even turn to look at her, but just keeps walking into the forest. Kaia sets after him. She is not scared anymore. The giant creature feels like a friend to her, more than anything. She can’t believe everyone in the village has thought him to be a monster for all these years. He is moving slowly and quietly through the forest. But even with his slow movements, his long legs make it hard for Kaia to keep up. The foliage crackle under her feet, twigs snap as she brushes past them, and she is punting loudly. She knows how to move quietly through the forest, but not this fast. She is not sure why she is following the creature further into the woods, but she also can’t stop. After several minutes he stops, and Kaia can finally catch up. She slows down as she approaches and slowly walks the last few feet to get close to him. It isn’t until he looks up at the sky, through the thick forest roof that Kaia realises it is almost dark. There is no way she will make it home before nightfall. In just a few minutes the forest will be swallowed by complete darkness, making it impossible to find a safe path, let alone the way out of the forest.
Rooftrellen looks back at her with his intense white eyes. Kaia has been told her whole life how dangerous he is, and yet looking this giant in the eyes gives her a warm sensation of familiarity. She feels safe with him. More than she ever did before. Like all the dangers of the forest are not important while they are together. She takes a step closer to him, wanting to grab his hand, but the creature turns away and starts pushing through the bushes and trees. Kaia still can’t help but follow. What else would she do anyways? She can’t be alone in the woods at night. She is not even supposed to be here during the day. Rooftrellen has slowed down since before, giving Kaia a better chance to keep up, without making too much notice. Squeezing past trees and through bushes. Gently manipulating the branches to let her through. Somehow Rooftrellen is moving through the thick forest with ease, in spite of his extraordinary size.
While walking with Rooftrellen, Kaia notice the darkness creeping in around them. The sun is steadily descending. It has almost disappeared beneath the horizon; casting the last orange traces of daylight high in the sky; slowly fading away. A familiar smell meets Kaia’s nose. Smoke, from the village chimneys. They must be close to home. Rooftrellen has stopped, looking ahead. Kaia stops next to him. She can see the glow of light between the trees, not too far away now. A small weight is lifted out of her chest as she realises, she made it home safely. She looks up at Rooftrellen. He is standing very still, leaning against a tree, staring towards the village. Kaia gently takes his giant, furry hand. He doesn’t seem to notice. She starts walking towards home, trying to lead the giant creature. She has to show everyone that he is not evil, and that they can safely move through the forest. He will protect them. The creature is hesitant, but Kaia is persistent, and he follows her for a few yards. As they move, Kaia loses sight of the light through the trees. At first it is just hidden behind a tree for a second. Then it fades away, and then it is completely gone. She stops confused. She knows she saw the village just up ahead, but now she can’t see it at all. She looks up at Rooftrellen and feels her eyes watering. A new fear is trying to grab hold of her. The giant removes her hand from his and looks her in the eyes. With a deep hum, almost like a sigh, he turns away from her and starts walking back the way they came. Kaia doesn’t understand. She is looking after Rooftrellen as he walks away. She wants to follow him, but for some reason she feels like she shouldn’t. The giant slowly makes his way through the forest and before long it swallows him completely and he disappears from sight. The sound of a door opening makes Kaia turn around on the spot. She is at the edge of the woods. There are literally only two trees between her and the dirt path around the village. Kaia’s mother is standing outside their house. This is likely the first time she has ever been outside after dusk. Their eyes meet, and Kaia runs directly into her mother’s arms. She has so much to tell, just as soon as she is done hugging her mother.
#3: No longer Lost; an ending
Seven winters have passed since that day Kaia met Rooftrellen in the woods. She has spent all that time trying to change the stories that are told around Marquisk. Most of the villagers didn’t believe Kaia’s stories at first. They said she was making it all up, to avoid getting into trouble for wandering into the forest, and for breaking the curfew. For several moons, she was wasting her time arguing with the village elders, with no luck at all. The old stories have been told for generations, and no one wanted to believe that they were all wrong. Eventually Kaia decided on a different strategy. She started telling her own stories to the village children, whenever they had time to listen. At first the elders had forbidden it, but over time they all gave up, and let her tell her tales. ‘She is just a kid; the others know her stories aren’t true’ was what they told themselves. But as time went on, Kaia told her stories to more and more kids, and they all listened intently.
Kaia would tell the story of the Vorgresh, formerly know as Rooftrellen the Fiend. A huge forest creature that was believed to be an evil demon but had proven himself to be no demon at all. She would refer to him as Rooftrellen the Friend. A protector of the forest, and all who wander through it. A gentle giant with awesome powers, who would help those who got lost in the woods. A guardian who would help the dying pass into the afterlife and set free the spirits of the creatures of the forest, when their time would come.
Of course, it is still forbidden to walk into the woods, and Kaia makes sure to warn her audience about the dangers of the forest. Even with Rooftrellen guarding you, there is no reason to risk getting eaten by wolves or bears.
Kaia’s stories have started to gather a significant attention, and lately more and more adults and even some elders have started attending her tales. They may be sceptical to much of what she says, but she has a passion and spirit that gives the stories such life that no one can help them selves from wanting to listen.
The winter is on retreat as Kaia is telling one of her stories by the fire. Well over half the village have gathered to listen to her on this beautiful afternoon. She is walking back and forth, almost dancing as she is sharing her tales. Everyone is completely emerged in her magical narration when a young boy yelling from the edge of the woods interrupts the story. The fear and panic in his voice makes the whole village stop what they are doing and turn to look.
“Kaia! Kaia! They found him!”
Kaia is frozen mid-gesture as she looks towards the yelling.
“Kaia! The hunters found the Rooftrellen. They are hurting him!”
Kaia’s heart skips a beat, just as she sets of running towards the boy. Her bare feet are leaving long tracks in the dirt as she sprints towards the woods. Nolan comes tumbling out from behind a tree, as she reaches the wood line. He is on his knees, gasping for air after the sprint. Kaia knows a small party of the village men have been going out looking for Rooftrellen lately. They don’t believe her stories, and they think the creature could be a danger to the village. Despite Kaia telling them that Rooftrellen cannot leave the forest, they decided that they have to hunt and kill the beast, just to be safe. Kaia has had many bad dreams about the men finding her friend, but she never believed they could do it. The way Rooftrellen moved through the forest, she was sure no one could ever find him, unless he wanted to be found. But now maybe they had found him after all. And then what?
She feels tears start to blur her sight, as she comes to a stop next to Nolan. She is usually good with words, but not today.
“What happened?”
Her voice is trembling, and she can hardly breathe.
“The hunters. They wounded a deer and tracked it until Rooftrellen came to take it. Then they attacked with arrows and spears. I think they hit him. I heard him moan before he vanished into the woods. And they followed him. I ran here to get you. I don’t know what to do”
Nolan has started crying and Kaia puts her arms around him.
“It’s ok. You did what you could.”
She can feel him sobbing in her arms, when she realizes she is shaking. She is trying to control her breathing, but she can’t seem to calm down. Loud voices are heard deep in the forest.
“Get him, he is running towards the village!”
The hunters are nearing, and from the sound of it, they are still hunting Rooftrellen. Kaia looks up, in disbelief as the large creature comes crashing out from between the trees at the edge of the forest. He collapses on the ground just feet from Kaia and Nolan. Kaia is on her feet and by his side immediately. The large creature is breathing heavily, and as she runs her fingers through his fur, she feels something warm and sticky on her hands. She starts to cry again as she looks the creature in the eyes.
“Hello old friend. What did they do to you”
The hunting party appears from the tree line. They stop dead in their tracks when they see Kaia and for several seconds, they are completely paralysed by the sight of the young woman kneeling over the enormous creature, gently running her fingers through the fur. Ethan breaks the silence.
“Come on, let’s finish it”
Kaia flies of the ground to face him.
“No! Haven’t you done enough?!”
She is yelling and crying. Her voice is shaking, and her blood is boiling with anger.
“But we have to kill it. It could…”
The sound of Ethans jaw breaking under Kaia’s fist cuts his sentence short. The rest of the hunting party steps back in shock. Kaia has never resorted to violence. No one in the village thought she had a violent side at all. Ethan falls backwards like a felled tree and lands on his back with a hollow thump. Kaia is ready, just about to jump the next of the hunters when Rooftrellen gives a deep sigh. All the anger leaves her body, and she kneels back down next to him. He starts to speak in his deep monotone voice. His beautiful, ancient language that no one understands. Except, Kaia does understand. Not the individual words, but she understands what he is saying. He is telling her the secrets of the forest. He is telling her how the forest must be protected, just like the forest protects the village from the world around. He is telling her that a guardian has been chosen. He lifts his large, clawed hand and gently touch Kaia’s chest. She feels a warmth from him. He says it is his time to go, and her time to stay. She understands, but not really. She can understand what he is telling her, but not what it means. Rooftrellen sighs deeply and slowly. His entire body relaxes. Tears are running down Kaia’s cheeks as she leans in to look him in the eyes, only to see the bright white eyes turn pale grey. She buries her head in his fur, sobbing quietly. A silence falls over the village and the forest. The sound of the wind in the trees disappear and the birds quiet down.
After a minute, Kaia turns her face to the hunters who are still standing mostly paralysed by the fantastic scene.
“You did this. Are you happy now?”
She is whispering, but the hunters have no trouble hearing her. She starts to stand up, and the hunters all tumble backwards in fear as a bright light shines from the body of Rooftrellen where her hands have been. She looks at her own hands in awe as she starts to understand. The spirit of Rooftrellen rises, white and glowing like the full moon. And he soon stands tall looking at Kaia. Kaia is looking into his eyes, that are whiter than ever, for a few seconds, before he walks into the woods and disappears. The ancient creature is finally free.
The hunters all retreat another few feet, when vines and roots slither like snakes out of the ground and swallow the large corpse. In just seconds the ground eats the giant, and no trace is left of him. Kaia is feeling much calmer now. She understands everything and looks to the hunters.
“Who did this? Which of you killed Rooftrellen? Who murdered the protector of our forest?”
Each of the hunters paler than the next are in no hurry to talk, but Kaia patiently waits for one of them to regain the courage to speak.
“Not us. Asher got him with the spear. But a pack of wolves got Asher just as we were running after the monster. Surely, he is long gone by now. They looked really hungry.”
Kaia looks into the forest behind the hunters. She has a feeling Ashes is in there. She knows the wolves didn’t eat him all up. Without wasting another look on the hunters, she walks of into the woods. She is moving swiftly and quietly through the thick undergrowth. It feels so natural to her now. Like the forest is guiding her the right way. Before long she finds herself in a small clearing. Asher is on the ground bleeding from many large rifts and gashes all over his body. He is crying.
Kaia feels the anger coming back. Like a boiling river flowing through her body. This man killed her oldest and dearest friend. A beautiful, peaceful creature of the forest. She is just about to walk over to him, when a small bird lands on her shoulder and chirps cheerfully, like nothing is wrong in the world. A new feeling fills her body. A gentle calmness. Warm and peaceful. She hears the soft ruffling of the wind in the treetops and the birds on the branches. She feels the breeze on her face, and she can smell the first spring flowers blooming. She walks over and kneels by Ashers side. His body is shaking from the fear and pain, tears still streaming down his bloodied face. He looks up at her and catches her eyes.
“Kaia? I’m sorry. I didn’t know”.
Kaia gently puts her hand on Ashers chest and whisper in his ear.
“It’s ok, Asher. The forest will take care of you know. You are free”
Her kind smile and soft voice eases his pain, and he stops shaking. A warm feeling of blissful peace rushes over him as he breathes out for the last time. Kaia stands up, and watches as his spirit rises from his corpse and walks into the forest. As the vines and roots shoot out of the ground to take his earthly remains, Kaia looks around the forest. Her new home.