Into the Forest Shadows

by J. A. Marlow

  "Oh, what a wonderful personality. Just what I want to be stuck in the middle of the forest with." Ayden rolled his eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Here it comes."

  Bunbun put a paw at the opening of Ayden's coat and studied the world outside the veil of leaves. Something in the air made Kate shiver. She looked out past the drooping leaves and branches, her eyes going from one shadow to another, straining to see any movement.

  Nothing moved. The forest remained quiet, waiting.

  Her mind flashed on the dark shape moving around in Grandma's orchard. The idea of getting back into the shuttle and locking the door sounded more appealing by the second.

  The building fog made it even harder to see into the shadows. At first light wisps curled around the trees. It grew bolder, engulfing the shuttle and the trees behind it. Pinpricks of color and spark played among the white of the fog. In one instant it condensed, making it impossible to see the shuttle any longer.

  And yet, she could still see the shuttle. Because it was arcing and sparking with energy.

  Kate blinked. Nope, she wasn't imagining it. The shuttle lit up the entire area with Red and blue energy racing back and forth from one end to the other. In the stillness she could hear the arcs pop and crackle.

  "Still want to be in the shuttle?" Ayden asked softly.

  Kate shivered, "What kind of fog is this?"

  "It's nothing unusual, just happens to be the type that is dangerous to us."

  "Dangerous? As in, deadly?"

  "It can be. The human body doesn't take a constant electrical charge very well. We would light up like the shuttle if we were out in it."

  Kate glared at him for forgetting the obvious. "But we are out in it."

  Ayden let go of her arm. "That's why I dragged you to a Trailing Willow. The leaves repel the fog."

  Pinpricks moved over her skin, her head itching from the inside. The white in the air glistened. A tree across from them shuddered, the limbs came up, sticking out wide into the fog.

  Kate watched the movement nervously. She'd heard that some of the trees could move, but she'd never seen one do it. She reached to where her basket had fallen, snatching it away from the fragile barrier of leaves.

  An arm snaked around her middle and pulled her up hard against the tree trunk. Kate slapped the arm, "Hey!"

  "Look what's coming," Ayden said in her ear. She looked in the direction he pointed.

  Flowers quickly closed and the trees pulled in their limbs. A wave of fog so dense it looked like a solid sparkling white wall moved past the shuttle towards them. The shape of the shuttle disappeared.

  A flush of heat run across her skin, and yet she shivered. Something didn't feel right. She closed her suddenly stinging eyes.

  Kate blinked, finding the landscape tipped to one side. Bunbun sniffed at her chin. Her eyes threatened to cross in an effort to look at him. His ears went straight up and swiveled towards her and he placed a soft paw on her skin.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  She realized her cheek lay on rough material. She felt a hand rest lightly on her shoulder. Seeing a boot just past the bunt, she jerked upright.

  Bunbun squealed and hopped off Ayden's leg, running in the opposite direction.

  "Hey, watch it! You almost hit my chin with your head!"

  Kate looked behind. Ayden had his back and head rigid against the bark of the tree. He flexed the leg her head had been laying on.

  "What happened?"

  Ayden shrugged as he rubbed his thigh, "You keeled over. Honestly, I'm surprised. You don't strike me as the fainting type."

  "I do not faint!"

  "All evidence to the contrary."

  The comebacks flew through her head so fast that she couldn't find just one.

  "It was the fog," she muttered, then choosing to ignore him. She grabbed a corner of the cape and pulled it tighter around her.

  A group of bunts raced across the ground in front of them including Bunbun. Unlike the smooth running and leaping gaits of the other bunts, Bunbun made do with an awkward trot, using a malformed left rear paw only for balance.

  They ran out from under the tree, racing towards another. They circled and ran back. Energy glittered where the fog hit the fur of the bunts, but they continued their antics. If anything, the fog incited them to ever more energetic play.

  Kate turned to glare at Ayden's back as he rooted through his backpack, "The fog is dangerous? How come the bunts can be out in it?"

  He shrugged, not bothering to look up at her. "They're natives to this world. There are a lot of animals and plants here that aren't harmed by it. Some even feed off the fog. Others have ways of hiding or protecting themselves from it, like this tree."

  "We don't have fog like this at the city."

  "That's because the city is so far away from the mountains. It doesn't reach that far."

  Kate turned back to the frolicking bunts at a harsh squeal. One of the bigger bunts pushed at Bunbun, causing him to lose its balance and fall over. She moved to go after him, catching herself just as Ayden reached out to grab her arm.

  "Relax, let him be. Bunbun enjoys rubbing noses with his own kind once in a while."

  Kate leaned back against the wide trunk of the Trailing Willow, shaking her head, "Bunbun? Where did you come up with a name like that? It's not masculine at all."

  Ayden returned his attention to his backpack. "I don't need to prove how masculine I am. By the way, you can say thank you at any time now."

  "Excuse me?"

  "I just saved your life. With no help from yourself, I might add," Ayden said with a gesture towards the fog.

  Kate gave him her best sneer .

  Ayden smirked, "Yeah, that's what I thought I would get back."

  She bit her bottom lip, a little wash of shame welling up. She really should thank him. After all, he did save her from the fog when she didn't know any better.

  He brought out a bottle of water and offered it to her, "And yet, I'm still willing to share."

  Considering how much her mouth still tasted of Grandma's tea, Kate didn't argue. She took several sips before handing it back.

  "Thank you." There, she'd said it.

  A dense patch of fog drifted by, moving in the opposite direction as the soft air currents along the forest floor. With the arrival of the patches more tingles ran along her skin. Energy arced off the long leaves of the Trailing Willow.

  She glared at the fog, ordering it mentally to go away. The fog didn't pay any attention. It continued to swirl and move with a mind of its own. Clumps of denser and lighter fog coiled around with each other.

  Bunbun climbed up on top of Ayden's lap, pushing his way into Ayden's coat. His head popped out of the opening at Ayden's neck.

  She attempted to get as comfortable as possible, "Grandma mentioned staying out of the forest fog, but I've never seen it before."

  "Wasn't the season? The mountains have been clear? How long have you been here?"

  Kate narrowed her eyes at him, "I was born here."

  Ayden smirked, "So? That doesn't mean you've lived here long."

  The fog retreated as quickly as it arrived. The shuttle came into view. The trees relaxed, their limbs and leaves falling in their normal disarray. The bunts calmed down, settling down to munch on leaves, bushes, and short grasses.

  Kate let out a relieved breath.

  Ayden jumped on his feet. He climbed out from under the tree, pushing the veil of leaves out of his way, dragging his backpack along with him.

  "Should we leave? The fog could come back!" Kate called after him.

  "The trees know. The flowers of the Red Tip have closed up," Ayden called back to her as he walked quickly towards the shuttle.

  Kate looked around, finding only one tree with red tips at the ends of their purple leaves. The wide pink blossoms that had waved in the fog were tightly closed and pulled under the large leaves.

  She grabbed her basket and followed, finding her legs shaky. She scanned the shadow
ed nooks and crannies around the trees and forest plants. No white or sparkling wisps.

  Kate trotted to catch up with Ayden. "Are we going to make an emergency call?"

  Ayden looked back at her, "I already told you the electronics are fried."

  "Isn't there an emergency pack? Maybe something in that might work." Kate sucked in her breath and patted her pockets. She brought out her small mobile phone. Flipping up the cover didn't do anything other than show the big words "No signal" in the middle of the screen.

  If this were a normal human colony planet there wouldn't be a problem with a signal. Ever. But thanks to the Ancients, through the words of the Watcher, permanent human satellites weren't allowed. The only concession had been a long distance communication satellite orbiting the largest moon.

  She closed the cover and put it back in her pocket. Ayden was shaking his head at her. Her anger flared, "Oh sorry. Have I bothered you by trying to find a way to let people know where we are? At least I'm trying!"

  "And I'm not? Fine. Just determined you know better?" Ayden dropped his backpack next to the shuttle and walked inside.

  She heard several loud clicks and something slam. A bright orange small pack flew out of the shuttle. It bounced and slid along the ground, coming to a stop at her feet.

  Ayden climbed out of the shuttle, gesturing towards it, "Go ahead, try it. Let me know if a miracle happened."

  Kate reached down to pick up the bag, the phrase "Emergency Pack" emblazoned in bright yellow letters on both sides of it. Ayden stalked off to the rear of the shuttle and climbed up on top of the one of the lower engines.

  She turned her full attention to the pack. It contained the standard stuff she expected, like packs of dehydrated food, a water purifier and a few space blankets. It was the small red object she wanted.

  She pressed the large button on the top, but the screen stayed dark. She pressed it again and then started pressing the other buttons around the main screen. Still nothing.

  "Dead, isn't it."

  Kate found Ayden kneeling on the top of the curved shuttle hull looking down at her with an amused expression on his face that was echoed by Bunbun.

  She frowned at them. "You don't have to be so pleased about it. What are you doing up there, anyway?"

  "Checking the weather. With the break in the canopy the shuttle crash caused I can see pretty far. The fog is starting to build on the slopes of the mountains again. By tonight it will envelop the entire forest."

  Kate looked back at the tree they'd taken refuge under, "So we make camp under the tree until someone finds us?"

  "No, that tree isn't big enough to protect us from what is coming." Ayden walked to the end of the shuttle and climbed down the way he'd come. "We have a little time to get somewhere safer and I plan to use it."

  Kate dropped the dead emergency communication device into the pack. "Just what are you suggesting?"

  Ayden jumped to the forest floor, pointing in the direction of the shuttle nose, "Your grandmothers house. The tree her house is in is more than powerful enough to protect us."

  Kate eyed the wall of trees and shrubs in the direction he pointed. The sunlight angled down in preperation for sunset, accentuating the shadows. "Walk the rest of the way? You're kidding, right?"

  Ayden swung his pack onto his back, "No, not kidding. It's the safest place."

  "If there is a break in the fog for us to walk then there will be a break for a rescue shuttle."

  "If there were a shuttle nearby, which there isn't. We were on the last flight of the day. They will not be able to send anyone out here before the fogs descend. They are denser at night." Ayden came to stop in front of her. "Are you going to argue like this the whole way?"

  Kate closed the pack, "I just think we should think this over a little."

  "You think about it a little. I already have, and I know where the safest place is. You can come if you like. By the way, leave the pack. It's too bright. It'll attract unwanted attention."

  "By that logic, I should take off my cape and I'm not doing that." Kate grabbed the edge of the cape.

  She might not know much about the forest, but her grandmother's words about it keeping her safe in the forest kept replaying in her mind. And her grandma was smart.

  "Your grandmother wears one just like it all the time and isn't bothered. You can keep it on." Ayden detached a short rod hanging from the side of the backpack. With a flick of his thumb it extended into a long metal stick. Using it as a walking stick he headed towards the wall of green.

  "I don't need your permission!" Kate shouted at his back.

  Ayden continued walking, using the stick to push aside a large fern, disappearing without looking back at her even once. Kate couldn't help taking one last glance at the shuttle. The nice, safe, familiar shuttle. She really didn't want to leave it. The Trailing Willow was an acceptable place to her, just because the shuttle would still be in sight.

  A dark shadow moved near the Trailing Willow. Kate froze. Nothing moved. As fast as the dark shape had appeared it disappeared.

  She also noticed that every single bunt had disappeared. She couldn't even hear one.

  No way did she want to be alone out here.

  What had Ayden said about attracting attention? Attention from what?

  Kate yanked the cloth cover off the basket and stuffed the plastic-wrapped tea bags into a pant pocket. She emptied emergency food supplies into the basket, but only one of the blankets fit.

  She threw the almost empty pack into the shuttle and fastened the cloth top of the basket to keep the supplies from bouncing out. Ayden had completely disappeared, but Kate could still see where the branches of a dark burgundy bush were slowly moving back into place.

  With a strong grasp on her basket Kate ran after him. She found Ayden waiting for her a short distance away. Kate came to an abrupt stop, "Just absolutely sure I was going to come, weren't you."

  "No, I would never assume with you. I heard you coming through the forest. In fact, the entire forest heard you coming."

  "Go ahead, make fun. Okay, you insist we need to get to grandmothers house before the fog arrives? Fine, let's get going. I don't want to be out here when it grows dark."

  "No way we can avoid that, but if we can keep our pace up we'll be there not long after nightfall."

  The smug look on his face as he turned away from her made her want to hit something. He might have denied it, but she was sure. He knew she would follow. Kate allowed her mind to go over the appropriate means of revenge as they walked.

  She didn't count on just how fast he would walk. Soon the complaints of her feet and lack of breath brought new plans for revenge. Pushing the pace faster than it needed to be. To punish her, she was sure of it. But no way would she ask him to slow down. She would rather drop dead in her tracks than do that.

  On top of that, the forest itself appeared intent on punishing her. Branches hit her at every turn. Roots rose up from out of nowhere to trip her. All while the light filtering down through the canopy grew fainter and fainter.

  A stream of solid light through a break in the canopy gave her hope that the daylight might last a while longer.

  Ayden stopped and pointed through the angled hole. "Look at the mountains. "

  Through the break she could barely see the tops of the tall mountains that ringed the wide peninsula the humans had access to. Along the tree-line a white haze obscured some of the mountain slopes. Even from a distance she could see it move and change shape.

  As if alive.

  "It looks thick," Kate said, trying not to shudder.

  "It is. And it's building and starting to descend. We don't have much time," Ayden said.

  He left the circle of light and headed back into the shadows. Kate glared at the threatening white substance, wishing she could extract revenge on it for her lungs and sore feet.

  Kate took a deep breath and plowed on behind Ayden. With the vision of the gathering fog she concentrated on walking as fast as
possible.

  The shadows continued building. Kate's eyes alternated between watching where her feet were going and searching for moving shapes. She didn't like the thought of some unknown creature following them, but she'd now seen the moving forms twice in one day. Low to the ground, moving smoothly from one shadow to the next.

  She would ask Grandma about it when they arrived. Maybe the creature causing the shadows wasn't as threatening as it felt like.

  Kate pushed her way around a stiff-leaved bush, pulling her cloak tight around her to keep it from catching. Ayden's head disappeared as he dropped to the ground.

  She stopped, looking down at him. She laughed, "Did you trip?"

  Something large and dark flew straight at her head. Kate shrieked and dropped to the ground.

  Her head jerked up to see one of the large beetles she'd occasionally seen around Grandma's orchard. It circled around and came back at them, its wings making a fluting singing noise.

  That was scary enough, but the sight of several more joining the first made her heart drop.

  Ayden jumped to his feet, dragging her up with him. He pulled her back the way they'd come. At the sound of singing wings in flight they ducked down. She felt a small tug against the hood of her cape. She swung her basket up over her head, feeling it hit something hard.

  Ayden pulled her to her feet again and plunged through the undergrowth.

  "Are we heading back to the shuttle?" Kate yelled.

  "No questions, just run!" Ayden yelled back at her.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The singing wings came back for another pass. Ayden shoved her into the middle of one of the bushes with the stiff leaves.

  Kate tried untangling her cape from the leaves as Ayden dove down next to her. The beetles flew over the top of the bush, their red and black iridescent legs touching the top-most leaves.

  Kate looked up at them. "I didn't think they minded people."

  "They don't, unless you step in the middle of a hive," Ayden said.

  Kate shuddered. "We did that?"

  "I didn't see any burrows, so it may have been only the very edge of one," he said, as the beetles took another pass at the bush.