The Hunter in the Woods

Prologue

You were human once, a worshipper of dead gods abandoned by the histories of those who live in the light. Long ago you were chosen to become something more, a creature of the deepest dark and keeper of the blood-soaked rituals that made you. Now you roam, and you hunger, and someone is in your woods…

I can smell you, do you know that, small one? I can smell you and I am hungry. These woods are not for you.

I will find you, and maybe one day another traveller will come across the crumbling remains of your scarred and broken bones and wonder what became of you. And they will find out. But first - you.

Where are you?

Game: https://vlxcat.itch.io/before-the-dawn

Whispers

One

Forest Demon, Bartek Blaszczec
I see the thorns have taken the first blood. A bloodied strip of your clothing lies in front of me. They have ripped and torn your legs and have stripped away some of the leather leggings. Does it hurt? Has it affected your gate?

This will make it easier for me to track you – all I need to do is to follow the trail of blood from your wounds. The Gods are happy with this and are looking forward to the sacrifice I will make. I will find you, but the dawn is approaching. I have tried to explain to the Gods that I must find you before the dawn but they do not share my impatience as time flows differently for them. I can hear them all the time; mostly they ramble about the olden days and how they were powerful and feared. Ismaros is the loudest of the voices I hear; I suspect he the sanest of the lot. He want blood tonight and I am happy to appease him.

Two

Ah, did you think that it would be that easy? The gods warned me about your trap and I destroyed it with ease. You must remember that I am better than you and have centuries of experience.

What did you just do? I lost you for a few minutes while I destroyed the trap. Well, it appears that your have a few tricks for me. Good.

Why are you now yelling? Are you upset that I destroyed your primitive trap? You do sound frightened are you afraid of the dark or is there something else out there hunting you? Do I have some competition? Perhaps there will be more than one sacrifice tonight.

Three

I’m trying to remember the last time I had the joy of feeding the gods with multiple offerings. Ah yes, it was a group of fools who decided to spend the night camping out. They chose a spot well inside these woods and a little too far from civilisation. If I remember correctly, Sven was the first one, happily showing-off to his friends by venturing deeper into the haunted woods. His friends awoke that morning to find bits of Sven hanging from the trees surrounding their camp. I did enjoy myself that night tearing them apart as they tried to escape.

Sven and Gwen. I’m a poet and didn’t know it!

It was purely an accident that the first and last of my victims that day were those two. She had enough warning to grab a weapon and attempted to defend herself. She did a much better job that the rest of them, in fact she almost finished me off.

As I said, she was the last of the group and perhaps I was complacent, but more likely I was exhausted, feeling my age. As I was chasing her along a forest path she dodged and swung an axe at me, slicing my left hip and knocking me to the ground. As I fell, I threw the rock I was carrying and managed to hit her in the head. I then finished her off as she lay dazed on the ground.

Even though the gods were happy with these sacrifices they punished me for that mistake and the wound has never healed properly.

Four

This chase is making me hungry. I have not been able to see you properly but I think I shall start with your heart and leave your brains for last. Did you know that eating your brains allows me to know everything about you?

Every little secret.

I normally leave the guts around for the other things that live in these woods. It’s a reward: they warning me of intruders and I reward them with a good feed.

I always start with the heart as mine has long gone. It was the final price I paid for being allowed to serve the gods. We conducted the ceremony in the old stone temple, which lies deeper in the woods. The ceremony lasted all night and I remember the final act: the priest cutting out my heart with the obsidian dagger.

Speaking of daggers, I found yours. Well, I assume it’s your dagger. Bloodied, laying besides the small stream here. What happened? Did you run into something else here? Don’t worry, I’ll know soon.

There’s no need to get upset, why don’t you rest in the gardens ahead of you. Keep walking northward to the ruins. Some years ago settlers tried to start a village along one of the paths through the woods – the aim was to make the woods safer by clearing the old trees to widen the path and have the villagers patrol the area. The woods did not take kindly to this intrusion and one night myself and the others took care of the village. We made sure that a handful of survivors escaped to the nearby towns and villages to tell them what happened and remind them that the woods should be left alone.

Map

The village has succumbed to time and the only recognisable structure is a stone watchtower on the northern edge. The trees have not regrown there and a small grove has formed around the tower: it has full sunlight during the day and the grove has been invaded by wild-flowers. Even I find the grove delightful. If you like, you can rest there before I kill you.

I see you. You have just crested the hill in front of me and I caught a glimpse of your silhouette. What are you carrying?

Five

Have you found the flowers? Are they not beautiful, even in the moonlight?

You changed direction and I almost lost your path; my old eyes are not what they use to be but I could smell your blood. You are definitely wounded and I could smell your hand print on one of the trees, the copper scent rising above the forest odours. Did something attack you at the stream we just passed or was it the thorns at the start of the hunt? You have to be careful running around these woods at night, there’s all sort of things that will do you harm.

I see you have found a new path and are following it. Do you hope it will lead you out of the woods? I’m sorry to say that this path is a circuit through the woods and doesn’t lead anywhere. Some of the gods tell me that my predecessor wore out the track patrolling the woods: walking between the caves, cliffs, groves, streams and hills – all of the favourite tourist sights. There is some confusion on what happened to her: my predecessor is long gone and the two gods I trust have given me conflicting stories. Ismaros (the god of stalking) says that she was killed by a raiding party from a nearby village, but Talichtoli (the god of murder) says that she got lost exploring one of the caves and something from the deep killed her. Maybe one day I’ll head into the caves and see what I can find.

Do you want to join me exploring the caves? You look to be a curious person. When I first glimpsed you today I noticed your dark eyes examining the woods as you walked further into the darkness. The shadows prevented me from see the colour of your eyes. Are they blue like mine use to be?

Six

Another change in direction. Are you lost? Why don’t you slow down and let me help. I am afraid that the ceremony that bound me to the gods have left me unable to speak, but I can still whisper into your mind. Did you know that my last spoken words where “I do”?

I do find that amusing. Was I giving consent to my conversion or was I marrying the gods? Perhaps it was both. But, between you and I, they gods are not a very good spouse. Constantly boasting on how powerful they use to be and how no one worships them any more. See, they forget about me!

Did you see my house? We just passed it. I know it looks like a few trees have fallen, but they cover the entrance to a small cave at the foot of the hills to our left. I spend the daylight hours there and I am surprised on how comfortable it is. The hill protects me from the extremes of weather and also directs the rainwater away from the cave mouth keeping it dry and cosy.

Seven

I can see you in the distance beside the statue. Do you like it? It’s a very poor representation of me. Many years ago the people who worshipped the gods built it to please them. I really don’t like it, I prefer the old temples to our North and South. They would sacrifice their enemies to the gods and let me feast on the remains. But that was a long time ago and the worshippers have gone. You and I shall have to do it all by ourselves tonight.

I don’t miss the old days. The worshippers would show up on those special nights and shout their devotion. I found it be a lot of noise and spectacle that really accomplished nothing. I like a slow but simple sacrifice, especially one that gives me the time to relish the meal. But the gods liked all of the noise and pageantry: the shouts and cries of the devoted and the screams of the victims.

I was intrigued by the quiet ones. Every now and again there was one or two worshippers that stood away from the crowds and silently watched the theatrics. I always wondered whether they were true believers or were they just curious and decided to sneak into the festivities and were stupefied by what they saw. What do you think? Are you curious on what I’m going to do to you?

Eight

My woods are normally very quiet as the birds and animals shun this place. Most of the time it just me and the others, but I was startled by a noise in front of me and I hoped it might be you approaching. It appears that you scared a deer from its hiding place straight towards me. I thought about killing it, but I decided that I would let it live as I have other plans for dinner tonight.

Are you getting tired? You are resting under the stone bridge near my statue. I assume you are trying to hide from me, but the gods are watching you and tell me everything. There is no escape. Even the stream betrays you: I can hear it laughing at your struggles. The sound reminds me of my youth and hunting the animals drinking at the streams surrounding my village. Even then the gods whispered to me, helping me track the game and feed my family.

Nine

I am close. The wind has changed direction and I can smell you. There’s is something wrong with your scent: I can detect the smell of sulphur. Why is that? Did you venture too close to the pit down south?

There you are! Oh, I almost had you but you were just too quick for me. I can see you hiding in the thorns.

What did you throw? What was that?

The noise deafens me; the explosion blinds me and throws me to the ground. When I recover I will tear your throat out. How dare you!

As my sight returns I can see the woods: The sun has risen and its light is streaming through the trees towards me. I still cannot move and in a few minutes the sunlight will be here and I will become one with the woods.

Thank you.

References