Sci Fi & Fantasy / Spirit Magic

    The nights chill was coming swiftly to the towering woods that consumed almost the entire valley.  A small meadow was a bleach spot in the green where a young dark haired woman stood in hiking boots, staring at the humongous trees that seemed to bar her passage.  A heavy pack hit the ground with a thump and the sounds of whizzing zippers cut through the still air.  “Don’t need this, or this…yah, he’ll get mad if I bring this.”  She pushed her hair out of the way and mumbled to herself.   She threw  items on the ground by the pack: GPS tracker, packaged food, I-pod, tent, all the things that a hiker would think was absolutely necessary to survive comfortably.
    A wind started to pick up towards the woods as she put these down into a pile like an offering.  She clutched herself and her sweatshirt closer to her as she stomped her feet up and down tryint to keep warm.  All she had left in her pack was flint for starting a fire, a small hunting knife, and a large bottle of Arrowhead water.  She stood facing the threes, rubbed her hands on her jeans. and looked determined to enter regardless of their menacing presence.  The sun peaked a farewell behind her and she spoke, “I am here to see the Forest Spirit Oran, I need his help to fight an evil that is invading the world.”
    The wind stopped.  Not a rustle from any branch; everything stood in attention to the words the young woman spoke, as if to judge them.  The grass clutched at her feet, tickling her skin with little pricks but she dared not move.  She could feel something inside her, moving like a virus as if searching for a lie.  Suddenly the trees relaxed and the wind blew gently into the woods as the weeds released their grip on her.  Lifting her now light pack to her shoulders she followed the winds current though winding roots and large trunks that rose up forever.
    Pitch black met her face with a cold laugh as her eyes painfully peered into the forest.  With a sigh she touched her first step onto holy ground as the trees behind her shut the path back into the meadow.  Her steps were cautious as her hiking boots still slipped on roots, moss and rock.  The only thing that was there to guide her was the wind.  It would push at her legs, caress her arms, and slap her face constantly so to guide her in the uneven ground of the wood.  Following these demands exhausted her quickly and she thought it might have been a mistake to even come here.  I followed the directions.  But who knows the Forest Spirit might just trap me here for all eternity.  With a gulp, she felt a scratchy throat and dry mouth, she reached for her water bottle and chugged for a moment.  The breeze tugged at her clothes urging her on ward, but she hazard a look.
    Through the corner of her eyes foggy grey outlines of trees, roots, rocks were becoming clear.  She could hear a stream nearby and perhaps some hoof beats of deer taking a quick drink.  A loud shake of branches shook the whole forest as a hard push of the wind send her forward, spilling water on her front and the already saturated ground.  Pine needles fell like an attack, as she could almost hear angry whispers in the violent wind.  Standing up she hurriedly capped her bottle and continued where the wind guided her.  Don’t forget, you aren’t welcome here.  She shook the needles off at her own thoughts and decided that it was not wise to linger beyond her purpose.
    The gentle pushes of the air became numb to her, like the constant pinch when her hair was in a pony tail, she adjusted and went on.  Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dark and she could see nothing alien about the forest.  But there was this feeling of heaviness that surrounded her and she prayed that soon she could rest her aching legs.  The wind gave no ease to her pain, but egged her onward though a twisted path that seemed to circle around and around.  Her nose was becoming irritated by the musty scent in the wood and her ears were freezing off in the night air.  She looked upwards to the menacing trees, “If you just want me to wander forever Oran that’s pointless!  Even if I die, more are coming for your help, so cut the crap!”
    She almost did not notice the wind stop touching her, but she did feel the heat and heavy vibrations that made the rocks roll.  She crouched down on all fours for better balance and looked furiously for the oncoming intruder.  Oh great, I pissed it off. Her brow furrowed with sweat and she gritted her teeth, but she dared not draw her pitiful knife here, not yet.  Suddenly the rumble stoped and a more constant beat came toward her.  It sounded like a heavy clap of the beginning of applause.  Standing up slowly she started to shake with terror as the clap came closer and closer.
    Frozen to her spot the claps seised and a snorting laugh echoed all about her.  Trees danced as more needles fell onto her and the wind whipped around her again, making her hair tangle in its glee.  Humans are so impatient. Slowly appearing in front of her was a boar of gargantuian proportions.  The hooves alone looked a two feet thick as a massive body about fifteen feet in height towered with the trees.  Moss, grass and clumps of dirt clung to the heavy coat that covered the husky body of the boar.  Some of it sticking up like antennas it rose and fell with each breath of the beast.  Legs as large as some of the tree trunks in the wood flexed with powerful muscles.  The face stared down at her with heavy yellow tusks curving up to the snout.  Warts fell inbetween the pits and wrinkles of the snout as it twitched.
    With heavy hoof he came closer to the young woman looking at her with firey bown eyes.  Hot air surrounded her as scents of water, eath, wind and fire enflamed her nostils.  Pine needles were blown off with every breath as the Forest Spirit came closer to the tiny figure.  What do you want?  No mouth moved, it was the pure thought of a spirit entering the young womans mind.
    It made her gasp to feel that pure elemental energy enter her soul.  Her mind ached and shook at the four word that were adressed to her and she stated to talk very rapidly, “Myvilliage is intouble, actually the whole worldis.  I need yourspirit, yourhelp, please help…”
    Quiet!  A wiff of his breath silenced her.   You are scaring the animals.