PROLOG
A cold wind whipped her face as her feet struggled to pull out of the thick snow to keep on running. Her eyes could barely make out anything in front of her but those shining eyes… those staring eyes, chasing her wherever she went.
Why has she ventured into the forest after a bunny? She could not answer that question but the bunny had quickly run away from her, leaving her alone and lost in a place where she couldn’t survive by herself. Her long puffy dress gave her some protection against the cold but it also weighed heavily over her tiny frame, making it harder to move through the snow. Those thin leather ballerina shoes were way too inappropriate to walk in such terrain. Her thin shawl had long flown away just to get stuck high up in a tree. Definitely not an attire to wear outside during this weather condition. Her only friend couldn’t really do anything as it was a small teddy bear she kept close to her chest.
She must have spent a good two or three hours trying to find her way back home. The temperature was freezing her to the bones. Several small cuts and bruises covered her white skin more and more with each scraping of the trees and the tripping over small brushes or logs around. She couldn’t shake away the shining eyes following her. They made her so afraid. It was clear that she was an easy prey here. Both hunger and cold were wearing her down. She could already not feel her legs completely, her feet felt like ice cubes, though she didn’t feel any pain in them anymore. The wind kept picking up, sometimes blowing the accumulated snow from the trees on her. It felt as nature itself was against her being there. Exhaustion began taking over after walking for so long and her pace slowed down. A pair of silvery-blue eyes shone past a short pine tree, giving her some abrupt adrenaline rush to run until she stumbled and fell down face first, burying herself in the thick snow. Desperately, she tried to pull away from all the snow to get up and run again. Her racing heartbeat a thousand times per second as she fought to get up. A moment passed where she kept her eyes shut, afraid to see those shining silver eyes. A nearby noise made her frantically check the area around, darting her head around in every single direction. How could everything be so engulfed in darkness? Not even the moonlight dared touch the snow. Another noise, this time closer than the last one. It sounded like a dog snarl.
She grabbed some nearby trees for support as she tried to stand again. All her body ached in freezing pain but still, she managed to stand and began to walk. It wasn’t something easy to accomplish. She had instinctively wrapped her arms around her chest, squeezing her stuffed toy as she rubbed her sides in an attempt to heat up. That darn dress seemed to be getting heavier by the second. Every now and then, a noise came from around her or she caught a movement behind the bushes. She anchored her vision to her feet, too afraid to look around. The wind was blowing her long ash-blond hair everywhere, making it impossible to see the path ahead as it started to snow again. Tears trickled down her chubby white face, now smeared with some blood as she sobbed. Truth was, she had tried to scream but her hoarse voice was barely audible.
A noise coming up from the trees got her attention and she saw a pair of green orbs looking at her. Her surprised face stared at what looked like a person in a black tunic. At that instant, curiosity and fear held hands as she watched that person. His face wasn’t really visible since it was covered under the black hood, but his eyes had a gentle and calming glow to it. He extended a hand, calling her to come to him but she backed away. Her mother had always told her not to talk with strangers, let alone go with them. No, she couldn’t trust him, not even if she wanted to. She stayed away, hugging her little stuffed bear. The only companion she had.
Thanks for reading! :)
AUTHOR NOTE:
Please, follow my Instagram @author_krilly_breyer and FB: Author.K.Breyer, for news! :)
