Chapter 1
The dream is the same.
I am running through the woods, on two legs and in my human skin. The wind around me is howling, and the cold bites at my bare skin. Everything hurts, but I cannot stop. I can feel the sharp stones beneath my feet, cutting into my skin.
It is nighttime. It's always nighttime. And the trees around me are bare of leaves and warmth. My eyes strain against the darkness around me, but I cannot see beyond the trees that line my immediate periphery.
I'm scared. So scared. But I cannot stop running. I have to keep running. I need to keep running.
But suddenly, from behind me, there is an ear-splitting scream. It's so loud, so shrill, that it cuts through the air, my soul, my heart and my feet hesitate.
"Stop."
I halt. My eyes turn and I find him. A shadow between the trees, a figure clad in a hooded cloak. Terror seizes me but I cannot scream.
And suddenly, I wake.
