As part of a recent theme from a group I am a part of. The creator has started up 'Themed Thursday', where a word is chosen and you can pick any medium to create something revolving around it.
As I am a creative writer, I decided to do something in relation to that. Coming up with a short story using elements of the word of this week, which was 'Wilderness'. I will be creating one of these to go with each theme, so I can get back into my creative writing.
'Through the dense canopy that blanketed the Ascendance Woodland below, sounds of terror and dismay could be heard as a young man fled for his life. Traversing these woods was difficult at the best of times, as not even the smallest glimmer of light could penetrate the opaque vegetation but to do so whilst running was practically suicide.
The Ascendance Woodland was so dark, it was almost impossible to see the trees in front of your face. Even the brightest of torches barely pierced through the darkness. Roots sprang up from the ground, parched of water. Hoping to catch even the tiniest bit of moisture and entangling around other trees that were close by. Steep hills that cascaded down to the Dylanek River below were prevalent, anyone could easily trip or fall to their deaths but the young man kept running.
Tirelessly and breathlessly he managed to hide behind a tree that he reached out for in the darkness. He tried to calm himself down and steady his nerves, but the deafening screeching filled the air causing him to panic. It was impossible to know where it was coming from, it sounded like it was coming from all directions up above. The young man could hear animals fleeing terror as they scurried away to find cover, that’s when he heard the rustling. This was different from the usual sounds of the breeze rustling the trees. This was focused, like it was looking for something until it suddenly stopped. The young man calmed slightly but something inside him still felt uneasy. Looking up slowly, that is when he saw them. A set of piercing yellow eyes staring directly at him from the Canopy above, they shone straight through the darkness illuminating the man as clear as day.
The young man began to panic as the eyes charged towards him, roaring in his direction. The man cowered in fear as the creature launched itself at him.
His screams could be heard for miles around; birds that flocked in the foliage flew away in terror at the screams of the young man. His fate was sealed and the Beast of Ascendance Woodland took another victim.
“And to this day, the people of this quaint little Hamlet say they can hear the roars of the creature that guards the woods. On the night of a full moon if you look carefully you can see the creatures eyes staring back at you...that is why children we tell this story to this day. To serve as a lesson that we need to live in harmony with the beast, we leave it alone and it leaves us alone. As soon as you set foot into its domain, it will hunt you until it has caught its prey”
As this father told the legend to his children, screams from deep inside the wood could be heard. Another soul had fallen to the Beast of Ascendance Woodland.'
