by Blair Aaron
“I thought you guys weren't going to help us,” Elsa said.
“We're not here to help you, sister. Augustus was the one we were worried about,” Humburt said, wiping the sweat from his brow. Elsa tried to act as if she wasn't bothered by the burn.
Just then, as the boys stood with their backs to the wall of the forest's exit, Elsa saw a flickering red light, buried among the red ivy. “Guys, there's something flickering behind you guys,” she said. They turned around, to see the flickering in the wall.
“This is the Daevan God,” Niklas said. “She's not going to let us leave. You were right, Doc.”
“I told you so,” Kirbleitz said.
Humburt and Augustus looked at Elsa, betrayal in their eyes. “You lied to us,” Augustus said, finally on his brother's side.
“I didn't,” Elsa said, backing up as they approached her.
“You did, and now She's here to take us back with her. We're doomed,” Niklas said, his eyes glowing red. Augustus, Niklas, Humburt, and Kirbleitz marched toward Elsa, backing her to the edge of the swamp. They were angry and betrayed.
“Please, don't hurt me,” she said, her voice shaking. She looked behind her and saw the swamp boiling, in anticipation for Elsa falling into its clutches. She looked behind the men who approached her and saw the glowing wall, now completely transformed into a ruby stone, imbibed with the red glowing spirit of the forest, crumble into a pile of rubble. Behind the wall, Elsa saw the towns sitting idly in a valley away from the mountain. That was her getaway, and she thought maybe she could get past the boys before they took her, knowing now they would not follow her out of the forest. It was now or never. She had to make a run for it.
“Please, guys, you have to believe me. Theo lives outside of this place. He's fine. I'm telling you. Look, we can leave. Look behind you.” Yet the men continued their approach, transforming into wolves, their ears pinned back and violent snarls bared. They would pounce on her into a moment's notice, if she didn't take the opportunity to get out now. She jumped instantly between Niklas, now a thin wolf with spindly legs and tensed muscles, and the tree. He snapped at her, but missed, hitting the tree on the crown of his head. Elsa ran for her life, for the only chance she would only have to escape the forest once and for all, the chance to get back to Theo and resume her life with him, before it was so painfully interrupted by Freja and her jealous antics. The hole in the wall got closer as she ran, out of breath, her heart beating out her chest. Almost there, the wolves lapping at her feet, barking and growling, she could practically feel the fresh air on her face. But then, a black wolf, massive in size and terrifying in appearance, stepped in her way. His eyes were green, his paws black as night, the same wolf she had met upon first entering the forest. There was something mysterious about the creature in the sense that his dangerous, powerful, and potentially violent frame did not necessarily make him so. Elsa stopped, as his snarl grew big and terrible, and he braced his figure for a fight. Elsa looked behind her and saw the other wolves in defensive mode. They would not back down, but even in wolf form, Elsa could see they were afraid. The biggest wolf, Kirbleitz, approached first, and yet he was only half the size of the black wolf. Elsa realized just then the black wolf was Zamir, whom Kirbleitz told the other wolves in the pack about. It occurred to Elsa that she should probably get out of the way before Augustus and Humburt ate her alive, and as she stepped to the side, attempting to hide behind a rock formation, her hand touched a red ivy, alive and growing, as it wrapped itself around her finger and struck blood with its thorns.
Elsa shouted in pain, looking down at her pricked finger. A single drop of blood fell from her hand and landed on the soft, damp earth of the forest. From that spot an entire red ivy bloomed instantaneously from that spot, and Elsa could see it caught Zamir's attention. He seemed unafraid of the wolves ready to pounce Elsa, as much as wolves can express fear. He turned his gaze in her direction and walked over to her. Elsa backed herself against the rock formation as the lumbering black mass that was his body made its way to her location. Her heart rate sped up, as she could feel a vital force emanating from the black wolf, as if he was no mere wolf. Physically, his body was nearly twice as big as the other boys, but there was something subterranean about his presence which Elsa couldn't quite put her finger on. Being near him in proximity was an electrifying experience, as his life force struck a familiar chord in Elsa, which she didn't know she had. Panic set in when he got close enough to eat her, as he opened his large jaws and licked his lips. Her fear paralyzed Elsa, and she closed her eyes when Zamir swiped his tongue along her cheek. Zamir sniffed her entire body, clearly looking for something that was not necessarily a meal. Once Elsa realized this, she calmed down. Up close, when Elsa opened her eyes, she could see Zamir's eyes, and she shrieked to realize they were not merely green, but glowing radioactive yellow, a wild and dangerous reflection of a mysterious dark prince of the forest, a uncontrollable yet wise knowing shining gaze.
“Please leave me be,” she whispered, as Zamir stared at her without blinking for a few seconds, seemingly contemplating several courses of action all at once. Then he turned away just as quickly, as if he had made up his mind. His movement was graceful yet powerful.
“Hey, where are you going?” As Elsa tried to follow him, dress pulled back against her, in the other direction. She felt a further tugging against the surface of the rock, and looked at her sides to see the scarlet ivy tying itself in sinuous fashion around her waist. Panic set in, and she struggled to get the thorny vines off her body. For the second time, in a row, a wire chocked the breath from her waist, sealing its teeth into her skin as if to squeeze her blood drop to every last drop. Tears streamed down the sides of her cheeks, because she could now see Humburt, Augustus, and Niklas following their precious Doctor Kirbleitz, all in wolf form, approaching her from this most troubling position.
“Oh no,” she said, under her breath. The wolves growled and hissed, stepping one deliberate foot after another in her direction. Violent hunger for freedom lay in her flesh and bones, for them. “Please Zamir, help me. They're going to kill me.” But he was already far off, out of her sight. The little wolf, Niklas, was the first to get close enough to bite. He took one lick of lips, ready for the kill of his life, as Elsa knew everything this hunt represented to his pack. “No, please forgive me. I can show you where he is.” She turned her head for the inevitable bite to the throat, rendered immobile by the ivy now wrapped around her arms and wrists.
But the bite never came, and instead Elsa heard a sharp yelp from Niklas. When she opened her eyes, she saw the black figure of Zamir tearing him to shreds. There was no doubt Elsa wanted to survive and make her way out of the forest, but she didn't enjoy seeing Niklas get mutilating by Zamir. He soon dropped Niklas from his powerful jaws, and the other wolves surrounded him, ready for an ambush.
“Stop!” she said, and while the other wolves ignored her calls for them to quit fighting, Zamir looked back for a second in Elsa's direction, again showing almost no expression. But his stare spoke volumes in Elsa's heart, and despite her resolution to get out of the forest, through that clearing, back into her home village, she could not look away from Zamir. Something within her awoken, the same unfamiliar and fiery passion she felt when the crystal glowed for the first time. Why now, would she feel such a titanic undertow of longing and abandon for a black wolf she'd never seen in human form? Elsa loved Theo, she wanted to marry him, once she found him, but looking at Zamir, the seams in her soul unraveled and she found herself split in two. She could not control this other, wilder side of herself. Before she could speak, the hold the ivy had on her body suddenly lost its grip and she fell to her knees. When she looked up, Zamir still gazed in her direction for a split second, then the other wolves attacked him with all their might, knocking him over for a brief moment. He righted himself, and turned his attention to Humburt and Augustus, who flanked both his sides. With his powerful paws, he raised his arms in the air, swiping away Hu
mburt like a rag doll. Humburt flew in the air several feet, hitting the rock formation which Elsa had previously hid behind with a hard thud.
“Humburt!” she said, running over to him, unable to turn away from the heartbreaking scene. The wolves wanted to kill Elsa, but she could not shut down her own compassion for them, even if they were misguided. When she got to Humburt, she never had time to comfort him, as he was already back on his feet, attacking Zamir from behind. Elsa watched in helpless despair, doing her best to keep out of the way, lest the wolves use her as a human shield. Soon she found herself next to the crumbled wall, a pile of dying orange embers. The opening to the Forest was still there. Elsa fumbled her way over the rocks and finally reached the edge of the Forest. The heat from the woods, hot and stuffed in its own world, warmed her back. But the chill wind from the valley nestling her home town stung her cheeks. Now was her chance, and she looked down at the dividing line between the Forest and the outside world. The forest side featured lush vegetation, full of vibrant colors, bright greens, spots of blue and yellow, and of course deep, scarlet red. On the other side was dull brown, lifeless and without hope. Elsa wondered for a split second whether some rift in the universe would occur once she stepped a single toe outside the Forest. Perhaps what the boys said was true, that she was part of the Forest now.
A single shriek came from behind her, and Elsa turned around to see the most beautiful human being she had ever laid eyes on, black hair and green eyes, standing with the Jordan twin entwined in both of his powerful arms, with his hulking and muscular thigh pinning down Niklas. Zamir's human form pushed the limits of her ability to make sense of anything, as something so physical exuded such supernatural and ever-mysterious adventure. This was nothing like she had ever experienced. Elsa realized she was distracted for a split second and turned to the hole in the wall, her only escape. She saw the red ivy come alive once again, spreading its feelers out from the ground underneath Zamir's feet, over the wolves he had defeated, in her direction. She thought the forest would take her captive again, but the vines made their way past Elsa and slipped under the glowing rubble on which she stood. And before she knew it, the wall had repaired itself, imprisoning Elsa once again.
“No!” She screamed and cried, having lost her only chance to escape the prison of the Forbidden Forest. “Why won’t' you let me leave!” She spoke to the entire Forest, but got no answer other than the wall now being her cell, her cage. She beat and railed against the wall, glowing red hot now, for minutes, fighting her way out of the forest. But her struggle amounted to little. “Tell me why,” she said, her cheeks flushed and fleshy. “I don't understand. Why are you keeping me here.” She was sure to get no answer, at least in her mind, but fighting for once felt good. Once she drained her energy, she slumped down onto the ground, exhausted. She sat there, leaning against the wall, her eyes glazed and blank, for several minutes.
It's all your fault
She heard a voice in the air, or so she thought. It's the forest, she thought. Or perhaps the Daeven God the Doctor kept talking about. Or maybe she was going crazy. “Who's there?” she asked, looking up into the night, seeing nothing but swaying canopy of trees and large owls looking down on her with pity. If the other wolves were right, the Daeven God would probably have no good news for her. “What did I do to you?” she said out loud. She looked over at Zamir, who stood there with four unconscious wolves, staring at her in a curious fashion, not quite sizing her up for a meal, yet not quite showing any signs of concern over her wellbeing.
“Do you even talk?” she asked him from several yards away, still hunched over glowing wall. But he didn't answer, just glared. His skin seemed a deep tan, almost golden. “I'm guessing you don't get any sun around these parts,” Elsa joked to him. But he remained silent. She huffed to herself and got up, dusting the crumbled leaves off her dress. She thought for a second about what the voice could have meant.
I meant what I said. It's all your fault.
Elsa jerked her head up into the air. “Who's saying that?” she said, looking around the forest, getting scared now. “Come out and show yourself.”
I am standing right in front of you.
Elsa looked at Zamir again, then realized he was talking to her. She wondered why he didn't just speak out loud, and something sent shivers down her spine. The picture of Zamir standing on a pile of wolves, animals which he had effortlessly beat, staring her down and speaking to her telepathically was somehow unnerving. Something told Elsa there was more to Zamir's story, as if the person she saw standing before her was a single angle of a much larger picture which she couldn't currently comprehend. “Why did you save me?” she asked him, making eye contact this time.
Who says I did.
“What do you want with me?” she asked.
We haven't decided yet.
“We? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?” she joked, feeling embarrassed at herself for cracking lame jokes in such a eerie situation. “Are you Zamir?”
I have many names.
“Are you the Daeven God? Did you rebuild that wall?”
You did.
“How could I have rebuilt the wall? I'm trying to leave this damn place. I have no control over any of this. If I had my way, I'd get out as fast as possible.”
You put yourself here.
“What? Are you crazy? I was led here by a crazy witch Freja Stein. She tricked me into kissing a man I don't have feelings for. I don't know why.”
You knew this would happen.
“This is insane. You are crazy. What would make you say that I actually wanted to kiss Dorien, or that I liked it? I want nothing more than to get to the one person I have ever loved.”
You wanted this to happen.
“You don't even know me, guy. You must be trying to control me. You must be the one keeping me here. Why can't you just let me go?”
I have no say in that. This is all your doing. You want to leave, then leave.
“Do you not see this wall here?” she said, pointing to the ivy covered wall, red and vibrant now. “I can't leave. I don't even know my way out.”
Into these wicked woods, all can see.
“Are you casting a spell on me now, too?”
Comes a fair maiden, to see thee free
“Please just let me go,” she continued.
True as night, lit with fiery beauty
Elsa looked around, confused and at a loss as to what to do.
End her struggle, show her cruelty
Then she realized what Zamir had just recited to her. It was the prophecy. “That's the Prophecy of Asif?” she asked, walking over to Zamir this time. “It's about me?”
You believe that. I don't know.
“But Doctor Kierbleitz said you told him it was about me. I heard him telling the other shifters that it was about me. That's why they had to burn me at the stake, or at least that's why they tried.”
I did no such thing.
“Then he's making it up then. And you're the reason why I can't escape, because you won't let me go.”
Again, you are here by choice. If you wanted, you could leave.
“Dear God, I'm so confused. I never once thought about coming here. I just want to spend the rest of my life with the person I love.” She covered her face with her hands. Then she could hear both Augustus and Humburt wake up from their vicious beating. Elsa looked up. “You could have killed them,” she said, looking over the beaten and bruised wolves, still in their animal form. “Why did you let them live?” Elsa could sense an undercurrent of true evil sent in rays from Zamir's direction. “I have always been a good judge of character. In my gut, I'd know if something was not right, or if someone was up to no good. But you, I can't figure you out. You're definitely not a good guy. That much I know.” He stared at her. “But then, you do things like this,” she said, pointing down at Kirbleitz, whom Zamir had left alive and in relatively good shape. “Why did you do that? Did you spare him because he was a friend? A former friend
?” Again Zamir gave no answer. “And, more to the point, why did you let me go? You clearly saved me from them, because they were definitely going to kill me, that's for sure.”
You saved yourself.
“Zamir, you're going to have to quit that now. You seem like you know so much, but the things you say make no sense. And half of the things you say are not even true. For example, you apparently think I put myself in this situation, but I didn't. I never asked to follow Freja and have her trick me. I never asked for Theo to disappear. I never asked to meet him in the first pla.” She trailed off, thinking about the moment in the village that day when she wished for a man she could love perfectly. Elsa caught herself in a single moment of self-doubt. There was no way Zamir could be telling the truth, because there was nothing consciously that she remembered about wanting this to happen. There was nothing in her life that she ever remembered to indicate she wanted to enter the Forbidden Forest. And yet, looking back, she did sort of summon Theo into existence. She looked back at him, surprised. About this time, the other wolves were waking up. When they realized where they were, they morphed back into human form.
“Keep away from me,” Humburt said, looking up at Zamir standing over them, who stare down as if he felt a flash of pity for the men.
“I'm alive!” Niklas said, kissing the ground. He ran over to Doctor Kirbleitz, hugging him with both arms. The doctor sat staring at Zamir, betrayal written all over his face.
