* in all honesty I have no idea where the story is going... so I'm up for any and all suggestions.
and please vote, comment and share on any and all of my novels.Thanks a lot you guys.*

James Bookman woke to an indistinct rustling coming from the other side of the tent wall. He sat up, instantly alert, slowly he pulled the zipper down. Peering through the gap he almost laughed aloud.

A small silver-white ferret rummaged through his backpack that lay by the cold fire pit. He wondered where it came from, maybe a campers lost pet. He pulled on his boots and shirt. The tiny creature didn't bolt when he exited the tent. It just looked up and tilted it's head. It looked at him thoughtfully. James had the uncanny sensation that it was more than an animal. He laughed softly, shaking the thought away.

"There’s no food in there," he said as he walked over to a tree. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he noted the ferret was still there. Now it was turned to his direction, ignoring the pack altogether. He untied the rope that was secured to a lower branch and lowered the bag of food. He soon found the bags of dried bread, dates, and dried slices of beef. Keeping a small space between them, he made his way to a log.

"If you’re hungry, I don't mind sharing." He said as he placed the bag on the ground.

It took a small step hesitantly forward. With it's next step the dark moonlit camp exploded in silver light. James threw up his arm to shield his eyes. Wind blew around the small camp in a hail of light. The wind and light lasted less than 5 seconds but when he lowered his arm, where the ferret had last stood, stood a woman with long blond hair clothed in a silver cloak. He watched as she took a long deep breath. Then she looked at him.

"I have searched through time to find you. You must come at once. Time runs short." She told him in a lightly accented voice.

Shock held him immobile. Then the thought hit him. He was dreaming. That had to be it. She reached out and he didn't even flinch, it was after all just a dream.

"The spell gathers, please, you must come." she beseeched him.

It took a moment for him to realize that she expected him to stand and walk the four feet over to her. Sure why not, he thought, it's not every dream that has a beauty begging for his help. As soon as he stood, she waved a hand through the air. In less than a blink the entire camp had been packed. The tent, bedroll, everything, was sitting on the ground just inches from her feet.

"Quickly." she urged. He stepped forward as she reached for him. The world spun. He was caught in a tornado of wind, light, colors, and sound, the force of it constricted his lungs. The only stationary subject was her, the woman, her hair whipped about but her face was complete calm. Then he felt the earth under his feet. The wind receded and the world was still.

"The spell is at it's end. It was designed to find and bring you to this time. From here we must make our way a foot."

James looked around. If he had needed any farther proof that this was a dream, then this was it. They no longer stood in his tiny camp. The trees were huge here; they reached high in the sky. Most notable was the waterfall. The sound if it almost deaffening. It fell hundreds of feet to a pool of indigo and white foam. It's spray misted the air. She turned and trudged down the path. James followed. He heard sounds that he assumed were birds, not birds he had heard before, but what else would you expect from a dream?

They walked for twenty minutes but the woman didn't speak. Every once in a while he would catch something out the corner of his eye but when he turned to look only the forest would be there. Still he wasn't worried. It was after all just a dream. It was also getting quite boring. His dreams starring beautiful women usually played out in a much different fashion.

Still the woman's hips swayed when she walked and even the silver cloak didn't hide her soft curves. James smiled. She brushed aside a vine that hung low over the almost non-existent path. A scream filled the air, a harsh fearful sound. Even though it sounded in the distance, it still caused the hair on the back of his neck to lift.

The woman stopped, hand still up pushing at another vine. Her body stiffened, head tilted, then relaxed and she continued forward. The other sounds had stopped as well but seconds after she started again so did they.

Their chatter was a comfort even though he couldn't forget the scream. He opened his mouth more than once to ask about it but closed it, the question unspoken.

He sincerely hoped that this would not be one of those dreams that started out with such potential only to explode into a nightmare.

He decided to go back to watching her hips; it was much more enjoyable then thinking about that damn scream.

The distraction of her swaying hips lasted only so long. He was an experienced outdoors man but even his muscles started to ache. He had lost count of the things he had seen out of the corner of his eye that hadn't been there when he turned his head. The blasted woman didn't talk.

"Hey, what’s your name anyway? I'm James." He said. He almost expected her to ignore him. She didn't.

"I am Princess Drenoddia Raphell O' Ememoc of Sowika." she replied without pausing upon her way through the bush.

"Hmm. Okay then, Dren. I'll call you Dren. It is much easier to pronounce." He said and ducked under a thick branch that she suddenly released.

"It is as you wish. You may call me- Dren." She told him without breaking stride. Despite her words, her voice held distaste.

"If it would make you feel better I'll call you Drenotta." He said hoping to sooth her.

"Drenoddia." she said sharply. "And I said you may call me Dren." She mumbled something about sweets and names but James only caught a few words.

He had long lost interest in this dream and wished that he would wake up. Her curves were the only highlight and without the hope for more intimate knowledge of them, even their charm was wearing thin.

The woman had no intention of progressing this dream to it's natural course and he felt cheated that she could be so resistant in his dream of her. She was after all just a figment of his imagination.

He was so lost in his thoughts that when she stopped he walked right into her back.

She hissed at him to be quiet. He watched her cock her head to the right. She turned to face him but looked back the way they had come from.

"When I tell you, you run as fast as you can. Stay on the path but don’t stop. No matter what you hear, don't stop." She spoke so low his ears strained to hear.

His head nodded without his consent. What was she talking about? She wanted him to leave her. He opened his mouth to tell her he couldn't leave her, but the air seemed to become suddenly heavy, all the sounds of the forest stopped. Or maybe he just noticed that they had stopped. She shook her head.

"You'll come to a split in the path, go left. It ends at a cave. Go in and stay." She whispered urgently. She ducked low and stepped back. She grabbed his shirt and pushed him past her. "Walk slowly. No noise."

James moved. With each step, his nerves, usually as sturdy as a 300-year-old red oak, frayed a little. The tension was distasteful. He knew something was out there, he felt it. He knew that it was dangerous. He didn't know what it was, where it was or if it knew they were there. If it knew they were there then it could hunt them. He needed to know what and where it was so he could determine how to deal with it.

In the deep silence, the snap of a branch was like a gunshot in a church at prayer.

"Run!" Dren screamed. Her hands pushed at his back, urging him on. All thought of stealth evaporated. They ran. Leaves and twigs snapped under their feet. Sounds of pursuit followed them.

"Don't turn back. Run!" Suddenly her hand was gone from his back. Ignoring her warning, he spun. His feet slid on the loose leaves. Something flew by his head as he slid. A scream echoed off the trees above his head.

Dren was throwing balls of green light at the most hellish creature James had ever seen.

It was the size of two lions. It's skin was a cross between a lizard at the tip of it's nose and a wolf half way down it's back to it's 3-foot tail. It's head was the size of a motor out of a small car. It moved fast for it's massive size. It dodged a fireball and screamed at Dren. The sound was too human for comfort and unfortunantly familure. It's head jerked toward him. Then so did Drens.

"Run! Run!" she threw another green fireball as the monster, took a step towards him. "RUN!" She screamed at him.

At that moment, all he could think was that this dream needed to end. Another ball of green flames flew from her hand and hit the monster in it's huge strange face. It screamed again and twisted desperately to put out the fire.

Dren ran as it clawed at it's face. She grabbed him and pulled him. He ran.

A horrific screaming growl echoed behind them.