"Why won't you listen to me?" I pleaded, but he ignored me, just like he did ever since we left the lake.

His humid skin pressed against mine felt warmer with each step he took. Sweltering droplets swept down his jaw line under deep and heated breaths, making his clothes stick to his body.

We had been walking through the forest for the past hour. It seemed to me that we were heading in the direction of where I could recall to be my hometown, but it was as if we were walking through a maze. No clear path. No village lights. And I couldn't reach for my phone. It was just me, the creeping silence of the night, and the weirdo club.

"Just so you know, I am THIS close to some really-really dangerous people, and," I threatened, "and if you don't want to be very sorry later, you must seriously reconsider whatever kidnapping situation we are having here."

They were surely decided to ignore me.

"Is...is it money that you want?" I hesitantly asked after another twenty minutes of mental gymnastics. "I am sure we can figure something... something agreeable for all of us if-"

"It would be better if you would rest," interrupted Annia. "The summoning side effects will take a toll on your body if you don't."

"Ok, so we are just going to ignore everything I said, aren't we?"

The trees were hanging from the earth's ceiling like phantasms hunting the paths in front of us. And despite the unusual night heat, and the thick fur that Rexsus covered me with, the breeze that brushed against my bare skin left me with shivers down my spine. My body was cold, but I felt like my blood was boiling through my veins.

"You smell funny," said the child who made a promise to not eat me earlier. "I'd say you smell like a deer, but we didn't have those in a while, so I can't say for sure."

"Even the children are unhinged," I mumbled under my breath, as I clasped my freezing hands together in a tight grip. "No wonders."

Barefoot and barely clothed, the child which seemed no older than ten was scrawny looking, with a burnt tanned skin, and a mop of hair, which reached almost down to his waist, laced together into several intricate braids.

"My father did it," said the child, as I met his gaze half way up. "I'd say it looks even better than all the others', but pups like us need not fret over things like this. But how can I not? Look at its length! If it weren't for Rex, I'd say my hair is the most dashing in our nest. Don't you think so?"

Upon his remark I felt the need to take a closer look at the man who, for a lack of a better explanation, was the one responsible for the current situation I was in.

"This snowy looking guy?" I sceptically questioned looking closer at Rexsus. "I must say, the white does flatter him, I never could commit to bleaching my hair, such a hassle. Could you imagine all this in white?" I asked touching the ends of my hair, and looking back at his white locks slipping down from their loose tie.

Rexsus furrowed his eyebrows and pulled the hood of his cloak over to cover his head.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way," I said rolling my eyes.

"Does everyone speak so," Annia paused as if she were trying to find the right words, "so freely, where you come from?"

"Did mister snowflake over here, leader or whatever of your cosplayer slash wannabe kidnapper gang make you their spokesperson?"

The woman pushed aside the tree branches that came in our path making way for the rest of us.

"Rex must not interfere too much with the vessel," Annia explained, but I was more confused than relieved with her response.

"I don't have the slightest idea what you mean by that," I confessed. "You are making no sense."

There was barely a path in our way, the dryness of the air stung my nose and roughed against my lungs.

My eyes felt heavy and I was sure that if I somehow did make it out of Rexsus' tight grip, I wouldn't be able to stand on my own two feet to run away. But I was ready to take the risk. Who would want to stay longer with such a bunch of lunatics?

We reached a point where you could see the mountain rocks mashed against each other forming two paths ahead, one wider with pine trees guarding it, and another narrowed down by cluttered foxglove bushes. Upon spotting them, I jolted upwards slightly, which startled the man holding me.

That was it! The path to my grandma's village. Just about two-minute sprint and a turn to the right, and I would've been there.

"Maybe, just maybe, this is indeed a very bad joke of some sort," I thought to myself, rejoicing in my recent discovery. "Maybe, they are headed to the village."

As we reached the end of what I thought was the road to my hometown, I somehow managed to release myself from Rexsus' grip, then I proceeded to tackle Annia to the side, and in the very next second, I was sprinting ahead of the small group of savages, as if my life depended on it.

"She's running! The Goddess is running away!" shouted the child as soon as I managed to balance myself steadily on my feet. "I told you guys; we should have definitely tied her up!"

The kid's voice echoed in my ears as I moved further away from them. I tried to not let it slow me down, but I huffed and puffed, and my lungs seemed to have been failing me yet again.

"My feet, my toes, my heels!" I cried between short breaths." Auch! Auch! Auch!"

The dry soil roughed against my skin as I wobbled and struggled to fight against the gravity that begged to have me pulled into a brutal fall. Naked branches in my way scraped against my arms and face, engraving small cuts onto my flesh.

The stinging sensation was keeping me alert.

I couldn't sense their hurried steps following me. But I could feel them creeping close behind. The crackling of the dried-up leaves under the pressure of their weight. Dry pine tree scents and coarse ground flavours intertwined around me mixing in with the stench of blood and sweat that ran down my body.

This was it. One more turn and a push of branches and I would be home. I could feel my pulse in my temples, overpowering all the sounds around me.

"t h u m p - t h u m p"

"T H U M P - T H U M P"

"T H U M P - T H U M P," went my heart, as I reached out for the branches that stood in my way.

And "THUMP" went the ground beneath me as my body brutally slammed against it, tripping over my own two feet.

I cursed my legs and the fuzziness in front of my eyes, crawling forward to get up so as to reach the end of the path.

Crackling sounds behind me let me know it was now or never. As I got back up, I pushed the remaining branches that tangled forward, but it was not the village that I found.

Ringing in my ears.

An empty meadow, with parched grass, mildly lighten by moonshine and surrounded by thorns and thistles, was what I saw. In the middle, I spotted an animal corpse, with its thorax fractured in half and flies hovering above it. The foul stench of dead flesh struck me as I stood still, and between the ribs that pierced out of the dead body, the head of a large furry beast rose, two dark eyes locked onto mine. Blood dripped down its snout tainting its raven mane. Raising on all fours from the ground, the mighty animal, slowly moved its stiff tail, pulling its ears backward.

The leaves rustled under my feet and it was a split second between that and the animal sticking their ears straight up and baring their teeth at me.

"FUCK!" I cursed loudly as it charged towards me with all its might, and I bolted back as much as my injured feet could help me.

There I was, big bad wolf following me from one side, hoard of lunatics, probably, close by on the other.

"And all I wanted was a quiet break from school and work!" I cried and limped without a proper aim.

Before I knew it, I was cornered, white fangs piercing at a close distance, the imposing animal howling and circling around me.

"Good doggy..." I whispered, and chills went down my back.

The animal growled as it raised its hackles, prompting his paws for a possible attack. With a small branch in my hand, I closed my eyes, wondering how it all got to this. Then those words echoed in my ears:

"The dead must stay dead"

"I know I said you smelled like a deer, but you didn't have to go out of your way to be as stupid as one!" laughed the child.

I opened my eyes, and all I could feel was my body burning, unable to budge an inch.

"For the love of the Gods! Don't move!" shouted Annia, as blue, flame like mist swarmed from the wave of her hands and breached between me and the beast.