The weather reflected her soul: dark and cloudy. The day of her life had come to a close. It was dark now, the light of her life had been extinguished, reduced to the amount of light the moon reflects on the ground on a dark, cloudy night. She couldn't follow the path of the moon. She had been reduced to wandering in the dark with the creature of the darkness at her side, who can only be vanquished by the light of the moon.

She was running. Running from the blinding light. She was only to be freed from the confining prison of the dark if she opened up to the light, but it burned her. Her very soul screamed in agony when she opened up the the light. She yearned to escape the prison, but the prison was as thick as honey, it seeped into her body, her soul, and it corrupted her.

She escaped her agony by hiding in the darkest places in the world, but she was still suffering. Hiding in the dark strengthened the control it had over her. The angel of light, engulfed in darkness, that what she was. She yearned for the light, the sun on her skin, the elation it brought her. That was how she battled the darkness residing her soul. She thought of the time she was an angel.

The wind on her face, the glee that came with soaring on the winds, over the clouds, though valleys, and around mountains. She missed her large, white, wings. She still had wings, or course, but they had been corrupted by the darkness. Now they were midnight black, more like crow's wings unlike the elegant white plume she used to have. She missed the brightness of her home, but she knew she was never going back.

Nathan Strider was a very responsible person. He was the one that everyone asked if they needed help with their homework. He was the one person who didn't get in detention for missing homework or getting into fights. He was, as they called it, a teacher's pet. He had graduated with flying stars and had gotten a full ride scholarship to the University of Washington. He planned to major in medical sciences and was well on the way there.

He also had a long bucket list consisting, but not limited to: climbing the Eiffel Tower; visiting Niagara Falls; touching the southernmost point of the United States; finally trying the buffalo wings challenge at his favorite local restaurant. The list went on and on. The very top one on the list was to go backpacking on the Snowy Lakes course in the North Cascades. He had heard wonderful things about it from his friends in Boy Scouts who had made the trip previously. It was summer and class was out, so he decided now was the perfect time to go on the trip. He, being the responsible person he was, looked on the website before we went so he would have an idea on what he was getting himself into.

23 miles, 2-3 days, hike in August or suffer the consequences of hiking in ice, might want to bring a hat. The website had random information on the trail and recommendations on what to do when hiking it. He then clicked on the link to things to bring when going on a backpacking trip in the area. Insert things to bring on a hike. Seeing that he already had those items packed, he set out on his adventure. It took him a hour to get to the trail.

He lugged his backpack onto his shoulder and chuckled when he realized that it was lighter than his backpack in high school. They gave way to much homework in high school.

He started up the trail. The day was cloudy and dark. Not ideal, but at least he wouldn't get sun in his eyes. The wind rustled the leaves in the trees and pounded against his coat. Well, maybe not so good, but at least it wasn't raining. Luckily, he didn't jinx himself and the hike was as dry as a desert. The trail was full of animals. He saw a bald eagle, a hare, and a falcon. Ask what animals are on a Washington hike and more about backpacking. The leaves rustled on the ground when he stepped on them; the crunch barely heard over the caws of birds and the whistle of the wind.

He hiked on for hours. HIs feet were becoming sore and his throat parched as he continued upwards. Night was closing in fast and the moon was peeking in over the horizon, its gaze slowly resting on the world. He hurried onwards, desperate to reach one of the campsites before night had fully consumed the Earth. Suddenly, a loud rustle pierced the air.

"Hello?" Nathan called. "Who's there?" All that replied to his call was another rustle. "Hello!" He called again. "Anyone there?" Yet another rustle replied. "Are you ok?" The sound seemed to be coming from his left, a direction if followed would lead him off the path.

He was about to follow the noise when he remembered the number one rule the website had said: Never leave the path. It constantly stressed the need to stay on the path and not to leave.

A pained shriek then pierced the air like a knife. Ok, rules or no rules, he was going to find out who made the noise.

He trudged through the maze of fallen logs and overgrown wildflowers and weeds. Another shriek even louder than the first one rang out, then a pained whimper.

'Hurry Nathan!' He said to himself as he moved through the forest. 'Whomever it is might be dying right now!' He, being a medical student, couldn't stand having someone hurt and not take care of them. It was his number one pet peeve behind slightly opened doors. Who has the door slightly open? Either have it open or not open, your choice.

A rustle broke him from his thoughts. It seemed much closer than before. He continued on and heard whimpers and a groan. He soon came upon a cave set into the mountain. The sounds were even louder here. 'Well, there's no turning back now.' He thought to himself. The sounds resounded from the cave, echoing against each other. He shook himself from his thoughts and stepped into the darkness 

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First real novel. Rough draft. Need I say more? Tell me anything I can improve on please. Sky out!