I decided to spend the night in the tree. In the dark, I had no way of knowing whether or not the wolf was lurking nearby in order to catch me by surprise. It wasn't very comfortable sitting in a tree, nor very relaxing, but that honestly didn't matter. Safety over comfort. I dug out a ration bar and ate it down as my midnight snack, drank some water, and tried to relax enough in order to get some rest. 

   Sometime during the night, I opened my eyes to the sounds of crystal. It was as if someone had tapped two wineglasses together. I looked down, confused, but there was nothing in sight. Something in my gut told me to stay in the tree. I didn't argue.

   The sun began to rise by the time I decided to get down. It looked as if the wolf was gone for good. I climbed down and landed on my feet with a jar, my foot aching. I checked the sun's position and started trekking towards what I hoped was the south.

   I spent about an hour just walking. The sun had risen far enough that it was beating me with its rays, making me sweat. I wanted more water, but I knew I had to save it. I'd just stepped into a small clearing with a thin creek of water when a shadow covered my head.

   Darting across the clearing was an alien beast with a wingspan of four feet. The wings were made of a leathery kind of skin that attached to a slim body. A thin line of fur ran down its spine from the neck to the tip of the stub tail. The head was similar to a dog's face, with a nose and long snout. Pointed ears sat atop the head. I stared at it. What the hell was that? It looked like a CGI program had wigged out.

   As if it sensed that I was gawking at it, it banked gracefully around the clearing, directed its nose, and began to dive. Sharp teeth glinted. My eyes shot wide open and I yelped, throwing myself at the ground. The clawed feet of it sunk into my pack and I was dragged forward with the momentum. The beast snorted and released the pack. I scrambled to my feet and backed up.

   It turned and dived straight for me again. Yelling a curse, I bolted for the trees. Its shadow was catching up too fast. I lunged for the safety of the trees just in time. Claws cut through my upper arm as I tumbled to a stop, panting. The bush crashed as I flopped onto my ass in a small clearing. There was a harsh beat of wings as the beast skidded to a halt and darted away.

   Three translucent beasts bolted upright with vicious snarls of surprise. I sat there, gawking, at them. They appeared to be panthers, but instead of flesh and bone, they were made of crystals. Ragged, glass edges made up their whole bodies. Their eyes were gemstones. The first had eyes of sapphire. This one was being circled by the other two, one with garnet eyes and the other emerald. All three sets of eyes were set onto me.

   My mind blanked for a second. The emerald panther's tail flicked as it stepped to the side, angling its front toward me. The sapphire panther exhaled sharply and took a step back, only to be snarled at by the garnet one. I felt like I was standing on a tightrope -- one wrong move, and I'd fall. I slowly stood up, reached for my knife, and hesitated. Would a knife even damage those things?

   The emerald growled and its tail flicked its own leg, causing a clinking sound. It was the same sound I had heard multiple times last night. Glad I didn't get out of that tree... 

   The sapphire panther's ears turned up and he glanced up just as a hawk screamed. My eyes widened as a dark brown -- almost black -- hawk divebombed the sapphire panther. It snarled and jumped backwards. The hawk banked, talons narrowly missing the hilt of a knife buried in the spine of the panther. I hadn't even realized it was there.

   The charcoal hawk twisted and dived for the panther again, talons extended. The sapphire slashed at it angrily and the emerald and garnet looked towards the sapphire, confused. The moment all eyes left me, I turned and sprinted. There were growls and the ground shook as two gave chase. Just as I got out of the trees, the flying beast was there. Its teeth widened and I shouted, frantically rushing back into the treeline. Where the hell was I supposed to go?!

   The panthers were gaining on me and would have my blood in a second. I fumbled for my knife, drawing it from the string on my pants, and cleared a fallen tree. Ahead, the hawk was harshly attacking the sapphire panther, causing the feline to have flattened its stomach on the ground as it tried to slink away. Why it didn't bother attacking the bird that was half the size of its head was beyond me.

   I darted around a tree and the panther skidded around the corner. With a screech, I jabbed my knife into its eye. It jabbed between the garnet jewel and the crystal socket, causing the beast to scream. It swiped claws across my arm. I staggered backwards. Agony swept up my shoulder.

   The panther backed up to try and tear the knife from its eye. I hurried away, praying I'd bought myself enough time, but the emerald panther was still after me. My knife was gone, too. I sprinted again, panicking, but I remembered one other knife.

   The knife in the sapphire's back.

   I was going crazy, but if I didn't try, I was going to die. And I was not dying in this god forsaken place. I rushed for the sapphire panther and and the emerald one leered closer and closer. The sapphire was too distracted by the hawk to notice me. I lunged for it, stepping onto its back, and grabbing the knife. The sapphire screamed and jerked upright. I yanked the knife free and tumbled off of it, landing flat on my back.

   A paw slammed down on my unharmed arm and pinned it down. The knife clattered from my grip. I shrieked, kicking furiously at the sapphire's stomach. My knees were jarred by the impact that did absolutely nothing to get it off of me. The panther didn't budge as it leered into my face, lips twisted and long canines bared in fury. 

   I'm not dying like this. I snarled right back, spitting into its face, and lifted my other hand. It reached for the barrier and hit the wall too soon. My hand should have been dripping with crimson and gold. Instead, my head started to feel like it was in a vise, but a thin line of crimson oozed from my palm. Ragged breaths tore from my throat as I jerked it around the throat of the sapphire.

   The crimson string snapped and dissipated into sparks the moment it touched the sapphire's skin.

   "Shit." I hissed.

   The sapphire's hot breath made me want to cough. My mind raced for options, and just as I started to reach for my staff, the panther moved. Its paw very slightly loosened from my arm. The moment I felt the pressure release faintly, there was a yowl. The emerald panther smashed into the sapphire's side. It was torn off of me and they rolled away in a tangle of claws and glass.

   I shoved myself upright. Grabbing the knife I'd stolen from the sapphire, I ran for an exit, bolting an entirely new direction and straight into foliage. Within seconds, I found a large river just on the other side of the small clearing. It roared down its banks. I looked over my shoulder, saw the garnet panther rushing at me, and yelled. I smacked aside a thorny bush and bolted for the water. Something caught my calf and sliced right through the skin. I screeched as my leg was jerked back. My front hit the rocks. My fingertips brushed the water. The garnet panther growled and hauled on my leg, its crystal teeth further digging into my calf muscle.

   For a scary second, I actually had no idea what to do. I had no way of getting out of this. No magic, no weapons, no way to escape. No way to fight. I was underprepared to be in the Ghost Realm, and I was paying the price.

   Just as my heart started to sink, another panther arrived. Great. Just great. I reached for my staff again, unwilling to go out without a fight, as the sapphire panther tackled the garnet. The garnet released my leg to turn on the sapphire, both front paws slashing furiously for its face. The sapphire danced backwards and its tail lashed back and forth.

   This was my chance, and probably the only one I was going to get. I climbed to my feet and threw myself into the river. The water stung the numerous open wounds across my body and I swam across to the other side of the river, climbing onto the bank. My breaths shook my ribs as I looked across. The garnet panther was staring across the river, visibly furious. The sapphire panther was no where to be seen.

   The panther stared, unwilling to cross the river. I groaned, letting my head fall back onto the ground. I hadn't been here twenty-four hours and I had almost died so many times that I'd need three hands to count the encounters on my fingers. The wariness Alexie had spoken with as he spoke of the Ghost Realm made sense. He had stressed its dangers. I'd been stupid to ignore the warnings that came from one of the most powerful mages of the century.