Am I a monster?

You were poor yet loved when you were young. They may not have had enough to buy all your school books, let alone toys, but your parents made up for it by trying hard everyday making sure you well provided as possible for school. You never made any friends in your first three years, but you had your imaginary friend by your side, your wooden princess. She used to be there for you all the time... right up until she told you scared her and abandoned you. Suddenly, no one wanted to see you. They all feared you.
Your loving parents, who while could not look you in the eye least look at your face, still tried their best. They were the only people you could count on... until they were involved in a hit and run and you knew it was the cruel neighbor from behind your house that did them in.

You never liked him and he never liked you. You over heard him threaten your mum that you were only good for one thing and it was between his legs. You may be young, but you were mature enough to understand what he said. You always hated him. And with nothing to live for, you let your anger run loose and fury overtook you.

You don’t remember what happened. You saw red and then came to with him dead in his kitchen, blood everywhere and banging on the door as red and blue lights flashed outside the front window. They opened the door, stared at you as you back into the corner screaming at them, and they fled. It started to hurt. You weren’t any different. In the midst the chaos around you, you spied a mirror and your reflection... haunted you. You scared yourself. You feared yourself.

You ran.

No one stopped you, and those that did, did so half heartedly and when you resisted, they stopped. You couldn’t hear, as if you suddenly went deaf. No, you could hear, but more like sense the sounds. No one was nice. When you were catching your breath in a park, some teenagers were throwing stones at you. Next thing you knew, you had saw red and they were on the ground, everywhere on the ground. As if you ripped them apart. As if you were a monster.

You found a mask later on, hiding in an alley behind some bins, hungry enough to sift through them for some food. You put it on, to hide the face that you fear the most. After a few months of living like this, you forgot your name. you noticed you had stopped growing. You noticed how ugly the world can be. You hated to be seen. You adapted. You feared everything, but it was okay.

Once dead, nothing can hurt you. 

Bitter Seclusion

It's been such a long time since I've spoken to another, laughed with them, played with all the innocence only a child can have. So long.
(Creeping loneliness, eating away from inside)
Am I deformed? Perhaps, but surely it's enough for a child to overcome. Young enough, they have no prejudice. No fear of the strange and the twisted. 

The laughter. Am I hallucinating? Years since I heard it, instead of the bitter tears and screams I've become accustomed to. This time... perhaps this time, it'll be different. 
Laughter. He stripped that from me when he altered me, tore my innocence away. The snow was stained berry red with blood that day, the rich liquid staining my soul. 
Closer. I can almost see them, smell them. And then they are there. 

No parents with them; as trusting as mine were with me. I wonder sometimes what they thought, whether they searched and gave up. I knew I would never go back, could never go back. Ten years old and I knew it. 

Closer. They show no fear, and I know I was right. They're too young to fear the monster under the bed, aren't they? Too young to know the real monsters are what we become. 
(what we became)
And with a burst, I spring from the trees and play. 
What's that look on their faces? It's joy to have found another playmate, surely!
No. I know the look well enough from my years of changedness.
Fear, pure and unbridled. 

My back burns and I lose control. He's at the wheel now; the Lord of the Forest pushes me to a back seat. 
He used me. Used me. What an idiot I was to think he'd ever let go of me. 

For I am not alone. I will never be alone. He will always be there, with his monstrous branches and unreadable face. He will never let me be alone. He will never let me go. I am too useful for that. 

Don't Go Into The Forest

Little Johnny had an active imagination. He would imagine himself in a world of fantasy, monsters, and thing unknown. However this was sometimes a problem: Johnny often had trouble telling the difference between his imagination and reality.  

One day, Johnny thought it was a good idea to ask his mother a question that had been bothering him for a while.

"Mommy," he said. "Whatever happened to Timmy, the kid who used to skip rocks by the lake?"

Mother pursed her lips and said, "I suppose, now that you're ten, you are old enough to know."

"You know that forest right outside of town?"

"Yeah," answered Johnny.

"Well, Timmy wandered in there one day. He disappeared for days, weeks... When they finally found him."

"That sounds terrible," said Johnny. "What happened to him?"

"Well...," said Mother, "Maybe you're not old enough to hear that part just yet..." And that's all that was said on the matter.

"Which is why you need to promise me, Johnny, that you will never, ever go into the forest. There are dangerous things in there, and I don't want anything to happen to you. Understand?"

"Yes, Mommy. I promise."

The next day, Johnny was walking around with his friends, Billy and Bobby, when suddenly...

"Hey, let's go into that forest over there!" said Billy.

"Yeah, it'll be so fun!" said Bobby.

"I don't know," said Johnny. "My mom says I shouldn't go into the forest..."

"Oh, come on," said Billy.

"What, are you scared?" asked Bobby.

"No, of course not!" answered Johnny.

"Then let's go!" said Billy, and he and Bobby ran into the forest.

"Hey, wait up!" shouted Johnny, running after them.

Soon, however, Billy and Bobby ran too far ahead, and Johnny lost track of them. Lost in the forest, Johnny had no idea what to do.

"Billy? Bobby?" Johnny yelled. Where are you?"

But then, just as Johny was about to lose hope, he heard a voice. "What are you doing here?" it asked.

Johnny looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl, and was immediately smitten with her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again. "Don't you know that He roams these woods?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Johnny, trying to ignore how pretty the girl was. "Who's He?"

"Hasn't your mother ever told you not to go into the forest?" asked the girl. "Well, there's a reason for that. There's dangerous things in here, and he's the most dangerous one of all."

"But what about you?" asked Johnny. "What are you doing here?"

"That's the thing," said the girl, "I'm dangerous. Look, I'll try to get you back home, but I can't promise anyth- LOOK OUT!"

The girl pulled him out of the way just in time as a hideous monster leaped from the trees, swiping at him with its extremely long claws.

"The Rake!" shouted the girl. "What are you doing on our side of the forest?"

The Rake smiled a sharp-toothed smile, its claws twitching. "Little Johnny shouldn't be in the forest," it whispered.

The Rake's voice was high and shrill as it continued speaking, "Mr. Operator will do worse things to Little Johnny than the Rake will. And the Rake desires a snack..."

Suddenly, the Rake swiped at them again. The girl pushed Johnny out of the way, catching the full force of the attack, falling to the ground.

The Rake frowned. "That's not good," it muttered. "The Lady will not be happy about this..." Then the creature looked at Johnny and smiled. "I'll be back for you, Little Johnny. At least, if Der Ritter doesn't get you first..."

And with that, the Rake turned around and scampered away.

Johnny bent down next to the fallen girl. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," the girl said, "Don't worry about me."

"You need to get out of here," she continued. "Search for my Mistress. She knows the way."

"Your Mistress?" asked Johnny. "Who's she?"

"To find her," said the girl, ignoring his question, "Just follow the weeping." And then she closed her eyes and... fell asleep.

At first, Johnny had no idea what she meant. Then, he heard the voices: The voices of his mother, of Billy and Bobby, of the girl who hadn't even told him her name: All of them crying. And so, Johnny stood up and walked away, leaving the girl who had helped him lying on the ground.

Johnny walked through the forest, following the sounds of the weeping. He searched and searched, until finally, he found the source. It was a woman... But it was also a tree. Branches sprouted from her arms, her back... And she was crying. Then, she opened her mouth, and she spoke.

"little johnny," she said. "leave."

But Johnny was too afraid of the woman to answer. Was she the girl's Mistress? How could he know? And why was she surrounded by the cries of his loved ones?

"i am the weeping willow," the woman continued. "i am the mistress. of the girl you met. but that is not important. what is important. is you. you need to leave the forest. in that direction," the Weeping Willow lifted an arm to demonstrate, "there is a path. follow it. quickly, before he finds you."

But Johnny was tired of following people's directions blindly. He wanted his questions answered. And so, he asked them.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. "And why do your cries sound like those of my friends? And who is this He I keep hearing about?"

At this, the Weeping Willow frowned. "he made me what i am," she said. "he changed me. hurt me. altered me. do you? see me? i am a monster. and it is all because of him."

"and so i weep," she continued. "i weep. for those who are hurting and for those who have been hurt. i weep. for those who are lost and for those who have lost someone. i weep. for those who are gone and for those who are going. the reason the willow weeps. is the willow weeps for you."

Suddenly, Johnny heard a noise. He wasn't sure what it was, but it suddenly made the Willow very scared.

"he's here!" she exclaimed. "go away now, johnny! before he sees you! i will try to hold him back. for a while. but you must go! quickly! just keep running forward until you get to the path! it will show you the way!"

And so, Johnny ran away, leaving behind the woman who had helped him, who had shared with him her pain.

Johnny continued walking in the direction the Willow had told him to go, when suddenly, he found the forest path! Looking in the distance, Johnny thought he could see the edge of the forest. He was almost home! But then, a figure appeared from the shadows: a boy wearing a strange-looking mask and a very menacing knife.

"I'm so glad you made it this far out of the forest, Johnny," the boy said. "But I'm afraid my Master will not allow you to go any further."

There was something about the boy's voice that seemed familiar...

"Billy?" asked Johnny. "Is that you?"

The boy said nothing, but Johnny felt that he was smiling underneath his mask...

Then, the boy reached up and removed the mask from his face.

"Yes, Johnny, it is I," said Billy. "I have been taken into the custody of the Tall Thin Prince of Darkness. And soon, you will too."

"Billy, what happened to you?" asked Johnny. "Why are you wearing a mask and carrying a knife? Do you know what's going on?"

Billy smiled. "It'll all make sense soon enough," he said. "If you'll just follow me..." And with that, Billy turned around and began walking away.

"But the Weeping Willow said-" started Johnny.

"The Weeping Willow," Billy interrupted, stopping in his tracks, "Has no business interfering with his great and undeniable will. Now follow me, or I will make you follow."

Suddenly, Johnny heard a rustling from behind him, along with a high, shrill whispering and the sound of metal claws scratching against bark.

Realizing what this meant, Johnny ducked just in time as the Rake leapt out of the trees with its claws outstretched, heading straight towards Billy. The boy never saw it coming.

"Uh oh," muttered the Rake. "Lord Evergreen will be very upset about this..." Then, the Rake turned to Johnny and smiled. "But maybe He'll be too busy with Johnny to worry about the Rake. And the Rake is sooo hungry..."

Johnny turned around before he could see anything else, and ran away before the Rake could finish its meal, leaving behind the boy whom he'd thought had been his friend... and the monster that took him away.

Johnny ran and ran, the forest rushing past in a blur. It was then that he realized something: He had strayed from the path! The Rake had scared him so much that he'd forgotten all about it! The forest all looked the same around him: Johnny could no longer find the path. He had gotten so close, and now he was lost once again.

Then, Johnny saw Him. One look at Him, and Johnny knew He was who everyone in the forest was talking about: The Operator, Der Ritter, Lord Evergreen, the Tall Thin Prince of Darkness. Out of all His names, only one came to Johnny's mind: The Slender Man.

For that's what He was: a very Slender Man who wore a suit and tie. But that's not what stood out about Him. What stood out was his face; or rather, his lack of one.

"Found you," said the Slender Man, His voice emanating from the blank white expanse that was His faceless head. And then, a thousand tendrils of darkness sprouted from his back, branching out in all directions.

Johnny was far too afraid to move, and so could only tremble in Fear as the Slender Man leaned in close to him and whispered, "Little Johnny. You should never have come into the forest, for now that you have..."

"I shall never let you leave."

i am not to be feared

Scrap 1 - Found in the drafts for a status update on a small social media website

I was walking down my street at night. Sometime in May. I live in quite a peaceful area that I don’t normally need to worry about my safety. I liked to walk late at night, quite calming and all. It’s a nightly ritual for me now. However, just now, I thought I saw something unusual. I saw a child wearing a blank white mask in tattered clothes under a house’s shadow... I went straight home and for the first time since the series of break-ins in the area 3 years back, locked my doors and closed my windows. Something was off and I felt it like a child alone at night feels when the shadows become much more.

I was scared. Something was wrong, but what? Why had that child scared me so?

Scrap 2 - Found in a notebook belonging to the victim

Today, I woke up feeling horrible. Had terrible dreams due to that kid. He was probably playing murder in the dark or something like that, most likely. I brushed it off. Right up until I saw him in the area again, peeping in a window at the house opposite mine across the road. I called in sick that day for work, and took a week off.

What is with that kid?

Scrap 3 - Found written in another notepad in the car belonging to the victim. The text was just legible and has been rewritten by scribes to make the evidence more readable.

I went to Arthur’s house. He has lived in the area for all his life and is hitting the late eighties. I inquired about the kid from three nights ago after I caught him peeking into my window. His response was “He is not to be feared” which I had thought to mean that the kid was okay, which clearly wasn’t the case for he continued “He is terror and dread, extreme in own fear of us that he may lash out at those that he feel that may threaten him. Now go, for I have betrayed him and I fear that we may both be killed. Go!”

I fled. I ran. And I saw him as I turned back at the end of the street, him watching me.

Scrap 4 - Found stuff in the hole of the victim’s body, where the heart should be. Should have been covered in blood had the body possessed any. Time of death unknown.

He is here. Outside my hotel door. I didn’t go home. He followed me. How did he get inside? He scares me.


Written on the walls in blood after the murder of Louis Cartel:

i am not to be feared

Hello, I've Been Expecting You

I know you. But you don't know me. I've been watching you, you see. But don't be alarmed. I don't want to hurt you.

What's that? You're afraid of me? Well, don't be, silly. I know my appearance can be a bit... frightening, to say the least. Please, don't run away! It's been so long since I've seen anyone in person...

Please, sit down. I won't hurt you, I promise. I've been waiting so long, for someone to come and hear my story.

You will stay and hear my story, right? Will you at least do me that favor? Yes, thank you! I didn't always look like this, you know. I was once a beautiful human girl... But then... Then I went into the forest. And he took me.

You know him, don't you? That's why you came here, isn't it? Well, don't worry. He's never found me here. But he can sense humans easier. You don't have much time. But don't let that discourage you. Please, hear me out. I never get to talk to anyone, you're the first person I've met in so long...

When I first encountered him, I wasn't scared.  He hadn't noticed me, you see. He had his back turned when I spotted him. If I had been smarter, I would have run away right then.

But I was a foolish child, you see. I ran straight up to him and tugged on his suit. Then he looked down at me... And I saw his face. Or, rather... His lack of one. It was only then that the fear overtook me, but by that time it was too late. He grabbed ahold of my hand and took me away.

You know the stories, don't you? About how the children were found dead, their organs hanging in plastic bags from the tree branches. How he rips you apart with his razor-sharp tendrils and feasts on your flesh with his gaping sharp-toothed mouth. Well...

I wish that's what he had done to me. Sadly, as you can see, that is not the case. Instead, he changed me. Shifted me, bent me, broke me. Altered me. He gave me powers... But what if I don't want to use them? The things I see... I'd say they haunt my dreams, if I had any. I can not even leave this cave, for fear that he will find me. He gave me a new form... but as you can see, it is hideous. I'm a monster.

But even monsters need to eat. Do you know what it's like, living in a cave, forever fearful of leaving? A family of foxes lived here once. I felt bad for killing them, at first. But eventually, the hunger got to me. I could not stand it any longer. The meat was tough and bland, but it was food, and it sustained me, at least for a while.

Animals rarely ever come here anymore, they have learned to stay away from the cave from which no others come out. Sometimes, a particularly brave, or stupid, animal will come in out of curiosity to sate my hunger. Humans come through here even less, as I've told you. I try to help them out, try to help them escape from him, but often they don't, and even more often...

There's something else I want to tell you. I need to tell you about the visions. Do you see my eyes? Not just the ones on my face, the ones all around me, all around you. Through these eyes, I can see things, things most others cannot. It's how I've been observing you, how I knew you were coming. I can also see your future, you know. You do not last long. In fact, you could say your days are numbered. A very short number, too. The countdown is almost over...

But don't worry. Everything happens for a reason. You will be dying for a very good cause. You will be helping me, you see. You will help me hide from him. You will keep me alive just a little bit longer.

Now, now, don't run. You won't get very far. He is just outside the cave, you see. If you venture out, he will see you, and you will die either way. I have seen what happens, you see. I know how it turns out. It is up to you to make the choice.

I did promise I wouldn't hurt you, and I won't. It will be quick and painless, while he will make it very slow and excruciating. In fact, he may even make you into something like me...

So you have chosen? A very wise choice indeed. Maybe someday, I'll be able to make it out of this cave. Maybe someday, someone will find some sort of escape from him. But I haven't seen it, so I do not have much hope.

I really am sorry.

Urban Legends

Urban legends.There are thousands of them floating around. A lot of people think at least a few of them are real. But most people know they're not. Although they can still scare the shit out of them.

But can anyone really say for sure that all of them are just stories? Or is there a horrible truth behind a select few of these stories? For example have you never seen the Slender man out of the corner of your eye for a second? Many people say they have seen Him after finding out about him.

But that's probably just a figment of our imagination. But have you heard the one about the Weeping Willow? Not many have heard of her. In fact her story is a rather recent one. But some have claimed to have seen her. But the one I find most disturbing is the one about The Charred one.

You see, two years ago in a small town a young girl was about to graduate from high school. She was really excited because this was her ticket out of the town she hated. Away from her abusive grandfather and the Girls that bullied her. However her grandfather told her she couldn't leave. He told her he would break into her school and burn her records.

Without those she wouldn't be able to get her diploma and would have to stay. Her grandfather wasn't a man of empty threats and indeed he went to her school. In their small town nobody noticed him. Except the girl.

She had followed him to try and stop him. She also called the police but they wouldn't arrive on time. So she attacked her grandfather and tried to take away his lighter. They struggled and she kicked him in the nuts.

Her grandfather was infuriated by this and knocked her against the wall. He then set fire to her record file and locked her in the small record room. He thought she would wake up and try to put out the fire but she didn't. By the time she woke up the fire had already spread across the small room. She tried to escape but she couldn't and was burned alive.

The Police arrived too late to save her. They arrested her grandfather and locked him up for life.

A month later the old man was found dead in his cell, burned to ashes.

Another prisoner said he saw a figure of a young girl in the old man's cell. "She looked like a burned corpse" He said. Later they found two of her former classmates dead too. A witness said he saw two glowing eyes and a mouthless face in the fire.

They say that if you ever bully a kid in any way. She will come for you too.
Others say you just need to light a fire and say her name and she will come.
Some even say she'll come after you just for knowing her name. Eliza, The Charred One.

An Eggshaped Existence

I am an egg, that's no joke
The tall man made me, crushed me, and deformed me.
Now I could die, with a single poke.
It's an eggshaped existence, that is the key.

Perhaps it is better, perhaps it is fine.
To live a torture.
To live a life, almost divine.
To have great power and no allure.

Out of my one eye I can see.
Through my broken shard, a little hole.
That the world is twisted, just like me.
Perhaps this is my role.

A closed mouth tells no tales

"A closed mouth tells no tales."

Isn't that what they say? A proverb, an old saying. In my case, it's not entirely true. I can still write, if my shaking fingers allow me to grip a pen and put down on paper my story.

My name is long forgotten. I go by Epsilon - the creature that changed me has gone through five names in his abominable existence; Set, the White Emperor, the Drowned Knight, the Ghost and now the Lord of the Forest. Five names, five horrific monsters throughout history. Epsilon is the fifth Greek letter and I bear this name as a permanent reminder of my shame.

When I was only a boy, I enjoyed playing in woods and forests. I was an avid tree climber, and I loved the smell of woodlands in Summer.

Maybe I frequented the forests too much. Maybe it was that which drew me to his attention. In any case, all I remember is the forest leaves slowly turning black and withering, decaying.

The day He found me began like any other, climbing alone. My parents were following a woodland trail. I was an only child.

The next part I only remember in flashes.

My laughter as I swung between branches.
My laughter dying as the branch started moving.
My fear as it pulled me along.
My terror as I saw what it truly was.

I will tell nobody of it. I still wake from nightmares in a sweat after dreaming of it.

I would like to say that He took me away and I woke with these... Deformities. That would be a lie. I was conscious throughout the entire excruciating process.

My lips were torn open, hundreds of tiny needle sharp shards of darkness piercing them and knitting them back together before a burning heat fused them as one, melting the skin and flesh underneath.

My hair was stripped, replaced by bristles. To make me a better tracker, no doubt, yet it made the pain no better.

The worst was still to come. He turned me round and with one movement snapped my back. All I recall is screaming and wondering why I wasn't dead yet.

I felt the hot gel pour into my spine and coat my nerves. As it cooled and solidified, I felt tendrils invading my mind and whispering dark thoughts to me, talking of the glory I would win as one of my master's Altered servants. But I could only think of the pain.

Set free? Only to be called upon for His bidding. Whenever He wished someone found, I could do nothing but respond. My body bent to His will, when He willed it.

But I still had some will left, enough to escape. It was not as hard as I thought, perhaps He could sense my despair and allowed me to leave His service. He knew I would not survive long back in my old life with my changes.

He was right. I did not even try to get that life back.

He is my master whenever He wishes, so there is only one way to stop the endless, helpless killing.

I must kill one last time.

Will I die when I stab my heart? Or will I find that only black tar seeps from the wound, healing me, dooming me to serve Him for evermore?

A closed mouth tells no tales. A silenced one tells less.

A Conversation Between Trees

The night was still and overcast, and the willow branches rustled in the soft, mist-like drizzle veiling the swamplands.

She stood beneath the boughs, letting the water drip from the leaves above into her own branches and leaves, trickling through the ridges of her bark skin, dripping like tears from the ends of her twigs. She liked the rain most of all, for when it did, the sky wept with her and she didn't feel quite so lonely. It soothed her, like the touch of a lover or the embrace of a long-lost friend.

That is, if she had anyone to call by such terms.

Oh, of course she had allies. Yes, she had many allies and enemies - she could not be as powerful as she was without both - and she did have the Melancholy to keep her company and serve her, but neither were really what she would call friends. Even her fellow Afflicted didn't trust her much, and as for her human allies... they were more afraid than trusting. Then again, being alone left one with time to think, time to reflect, time to muse.

She was not alone.

///Solace in the rain.///

Her anger mounted as she turned to face the tall, multilimbed being in front of her.

what? you want? why here? Her branches rustled in irritation at the intrusion. This was her land. Her territory. How dare he?

How dare he...?

///You believe I am in this wasteland by choice?/// He shot back coolly, bringing his long arms behind his back and clasping his razor-thin fingers together.

whatdoyouwantwantwantwant? tallone?

///To warn you.///

whytrustyouyouyou?

///Because you are every bit in as much danger as I.///

Her branches calmed, and she said nothing for a long time. In danger? How could he be in danger, what in their right mind would fool with an Abstract? What was suicidal enough to? And why would something powerful enough to put him in danger want to bother with an Afflicted?

that makes. no sense. none at all. She responded, gaze never leaving the faceless being. there is nothing. that insane.

He did not respond, his tendrils wavering like curious vines. As if he hesitated. As if something troubled him.

When next he responded, the words held a sense of slight trepidation.

///The gods are flawed, Willow. A flaw in the Abstract. Chaos exists.///

elaborate.

He did not respond.

speakspeakspeakspeakspeakspeakspeak!

He fixed her with an intense, wary gaze, tendrils vibrating at the tips. Sensing. Feeling.

///The Hunter is stalking.///

Her head inclined in dubious curiosity.

what is? this Hunter?

///It is a creature... human-like, and Afflicted-like. But neither. It is an Abstract. It is... It is pure entropy, Willow. And little but.///

She half-sobbed, half-laughed.

the operator fears? a little change? She asked, bemused. How sweet it would be if so!

He was not pleased. His tendrils thrashed angrily, threatening to run her through, threatening to shatter her utterly, tips snapping like whips.

She did not move an inch, not at all intimidated by the threat.

///Fool! It is not a little change! It is pure discord, and it will destroy us both if you do not listen for once in your insolent life!///

then explain. instead of giving. roundabout descriptors. Her face, or what remained of it, was a stony mask of pitilessness.

///Willow. You have no reason to trust me. Or to wish for my company. But this is no longer about any differences and hatred between any of your and my kind. You are being hunted, Willow. We all are. It is already in your territory, and if you do not heed my warning you will die horrifically.///

The words hit her like a lightning bolt. Hunted. Her. All of them. There were many things her creator would lie about, but something that posed a threat to him and to everything else like this... he would not.

She did not move.

She did not speak.

She bowed her head, realizing the gravity of her enemy's words, the fear in them... and swallowed her pride. Reluctantly.

speak... and i... will listen...

His tendrils did not stop quivering.

///It is highly adaptable, Willow. It can hide itself even from me, and surely can from you. It will come as a humanoid being, you will believe it human at first. You must not approach it. It will play to every weakness you have, it knows you better than yourself. It will steal your prey... and then will come for you.///

The Melancholy. will-

///Your servants are nothing compared to it. Even my strongest cannot stand up to it. Its claws... It rends them with its claws. I first saw it several sun-cycles ago, about twelve of your days. It was intruding. I intended to stop it, of course I was furious.///

and did you?

///No. I lost track of it.///

youyouyouyouyou? lost track of?

///Yes. I do not understand how. The next full moon, seven of my servants were dead, mutilated not by my hand. Even I would not have been so brutal. They were entirely torn apart and savaged. Organs chewed and marred. The sloppiest work I have ever seen, as if it were... as if the attacker were taking sick pleasure in it. Torturing them.///

and what of? the dead afflicted?

///I found them outside my forest's edge a few of your days ago, in a similar state. Destroyed utterly. They... they were all Afflicted that I myself had created, Willow. Which puts both you and I in very great danger.///

She was silent for a long time, fighting back her own internal dread. If it wasn't enough that she had to imagine her brethren horribly mutilated to death... this creature had her (and she loathed to call him such) creator on his knees in fear. Did he even have knees? She never was too sure about that...

///It is worse yet. When I found them... it was there. Its stringy hair in its pit-like black eyes, its claws tearing into its victims' flesh, Azoth spilled everywhere. It sensed me before I even drew near to it, and when I approached... it was standing. Staring at me. Grinning with razor teeth. I sensed a predator. One of my kind, one that destroys my kind... I attempted to escape, I must have run through thousands of ages and mullions of dark spaces it should not have been able to follow, and it did. I do not know if I lost it because it gave up, or because it grew bored of chasing me, but I could sense it was far stronger than I... far more alien. It does not think on any level of sanity or morality. It does not forgive, and it shows little mercy... I am astonished by it, Willow... and I am afraid.///

She subtly began to shiver, branches quivering in dread. The Tall One was afraid. Her own kind could not escape it. The Abstract of Timespace itself only barely escaped it. Her inky tears came fast and thick, dripping to the ground. Seeding her paranoia into the earth.

Why...?

///I am not sure.///

whatwhatwhatwhatmadeit?!

///Not I. Not another of my kind. I do not know what made it, or why it was made.///

thenhowhowhowhow? protect self?

///Fight with me.///

i do not want to.

///If you do not we all shall die!///

can we? divert its? attention?

///From us? Perhaps. From either of our kind? Not likely.///

She did not respond.

Neither did he, for a very long while.

///We could, you know,/// he intoned, breaking the tense silence, ///Send it upon the humans.///

nonononononononono

///Willow///

nononononono

///Willow! Listen, fool child of mine! Entropy must disperse. Humans are fascinating little fools. If we can get it to take interest in them... Yes, it would mean less for us. But survival is the precedence now. Do you want to live, or die?///

She curled her branches around herself, and was quiet with thought. Did she want to live? Not if it meant severe death. But to die in horrible agony... no, she could not abide that, she could not bear it. She would weep no longer for those she did not wish to weep for, such was the promise she had made to herself upon breaking away from her horrid creator. And she surely would not weep for a being far more horrid than him...

... i want. to live.

///Then consider this not an alliance, but a truce of sorts. Aid me in this once, Willow. This once, and I will trouble you no further. If you shall do the same for me, I will do such for you. Are you in agreement?///

i do not. have any choice. so yes.

She began to sense an alien presence, something unknown. Something approaching from behind her, behind them, behind the willow trees. A predator. A Hunter.

///Good. Then the first step of the plan begins now. I can hide us. If you will let me, I can even use us as a lure. But you must let me. This once.///

i do not. have any choice. i want. to live.

A branch extended towards him. A tendril towards her.

The Hunter approached more steadily, gaining.

///On my mark. One.///

The tendril tangled itself in her branch like an eyeless snake, and the presence grew closer.

///Two.///

The presence was almost upon them, howling, claws digging into the loamy earth, eyes blazing with a dark intensity. It saw them. It saw its prey, so close, so close, so close so close so close soclosesoclosesoclosesoclosesocloseso-

///Three.///

The prey vanished, and it skidded to a halt. No.

NO!

NnNNnOoOOOoOoOooOOsdlkfcnwef!!! It howled, shrieking with a cry that could rend the sanity of all who heard it. It sniffed at the ground, the air, it sensed with acute feeler strands of hair, it searched the swamp with its blazing black eyes that saw everything at once...

There.

ThereTHEReThErETHEREthere

Prey. A clear trail. Prey.

It grinned a shark-like grin.

Soon.