Stormyx
Sick Ducker
ML
SkyeOfStars
Dervish
CaliforniaState Wes leaned on the palms of his hands, with a broad smile etched onto his angelic face, his eyebrows raised in a pleading gesture. “C’mon, won’t you let me come with you? If you’re going back tonight, you might as well have a gunman at your side for protection.” Johanna had informed him after the autopsy on the stag, that she intended to return tonight, and investigate the forest under the cover of darkness in an attempt, however futile, to either catch the creature, or man, that was behind the source of the strange killings, or discover its lair, or even find fresh tracks. She glanced at Wesley with a grim frown, the thought of a man accompanying her into the forest on her investigation didn’t appease her by any means. Remaining silent, she debated inwardly, mentally, as to whether or not, he would be of any help to her. She had eyed the pistols that hung at his hips in their leather holsters, and sighed crossly, raising a hand to her forehead, as if checking for a temperature.
“I don’t know why you feel the need to come along, I am fully capable of handling myself, and defending myself.” She protested, glowering at him. Who did he think she was, some European woman that couldn’t take care of herself? One of those pathetic women that were constantly fainting from the tightness of their corsets?
“Well, I would feel just horrible if something bad were to happen to you, Johanna. What if this thing,” He waved his hand in the air, as if gesturing to some fictional creature that laid in wait for her in the forest, “caught you, and ate you alive? Now that would be most… ungentlemanly of me, were I to neglect my duty of providing assistance to you. I’m not saying that you can’t protect yourself, or defend yourself against some animal. I just think, that we’re not dealing with your atypical wolf, or bear here. This may be some creature unknown to the forests around here. If anything, two eyes are better than one, and certainly, two guns are better than none.” The smile had vanished from his face, leaving him with lowered brows, and lips set in a firm, thin line. Her eyes lingered on him as she contemplated his words. It was true, she couldn’t deny that much. Whatever that thing was that lurked in the forest, it would be safer to bring Wesley along than to go at this alone.
And that’s how Wesley joined Johanna in the cover of darkness in the forests surrounding Prague.
After preparing for their excursion out into the forest, bringing along two canteens full of water, along with half a loaf of dried bread, Wesley’s pistols, Johanna’s French rapier, two horses that they borrowed from the stables, and a letter left for Adam, which read:
Dearest Mr. Ware,
Mr. Wesley Craven, and I, have ventured out into the forest in search of the beast that plagues, and terrifies the village-folk of this area. I have performed an autopsy on a week old kill of a stag. You will find the carcass in the confines of the catacombs, four work-rooms down from the stairwell. I have asked one of the servants to keep the body until I return for further examination. Please forgive the smell, as I am certain it is most unpleasant. I have left all of my notes in the workroom, if you wish to read upon my findings. You will discover that I have unearthed the same thing, that the animal was only missing its heart. However, there are some other notes present that you may find worth examining. We have borrowed two horses from the stables, and will return either tonight, or at sunrise tomorrow. If we have not returned by sunrise, please send a search party, as some tragedy may have befallen us. We plan to visit the north-western quadrant of the forest, as several of the attacks are located here. We hope to seek out the creature itself, or better yet, it’s lair. I have taken the map of the forest’s, and beneath this letter, is a picture drawn, detailing the path we have chosen, along with the area circled with where we are headed.
Yours Truly,
Johanna Roheisia Valerivicus & Wesley Andrew Craven
Night had fallen fast, leaving Johanna and Wesley to guide their horses at a slower pace than intended, even though the moon shone bright in the sky above them. The warmth of her leather gloves aided against the chill of the night air as their horses trotted along the dirt path. She had taken a map of the forest with her, and she even found a lantern to use. White, ghostly vapors rose into the air, escaping from their mouth’s, and from their horses. While her grey, wool cloak kept out much of the cold, it didn’t keep all of it out. They continued on in silence, with a heavy tension in the air hanging between them; both anxious as to what they would discover. On the ride to the forest, which took the better part of two hours, Wesley and Johanna had argued profusely as to whether or not who should take the lead in regards to the horses. It was soon settled that they would ride side-by-side if possible. Fortunately, the undergrowth in the forest was limited, most of it consisting of common plant, and flora found in Prague, such as moss, forest ferns, and lichens. Due to the climate in the area surrounding Prague, as well as most European countries, such as France, Germany, Spain, even Italy, the forests were either deciduous, or coniferous. Yet, the location of Prague, made for the forests in these parts to be coniferous in composition, meaning that most of the trees were either, spruce, pine, or firs. Since the trees were coniferous, they grew tall and the branches of the trees didn’t grow until more than halfway up the tree trunk, allowing Johanna and Wes to move with ease under the forest canopy without the need to be cautious of low-lying branches whacking them in the face every few feet.
Suddenly, Wes held up his hand, and pulled back on the reins of his horse, a smart creature, with a chestnut coat, and a dark brown mane. The gelding gave a soft whinny in protest, but fell quiet, as its ears flicked forward, as if hearing something they couldn’t. Johanna had fallen behind Wes, and raised herself up in the stirrups of her saddle, trying to obtain a better view on what captivated his attention. There before them, lay a fresh kill. What little moonlight that trickled down through the branches of the trees, illuminated an abundant puddle of blood. With a swing of his leg, Wesley dismounted in one motion, and drew out both of his pistols. He glanced over to Johanna, and with a nod of his head, she followed after him, swiftly dismounting from her horse as well, drawing out her rapier in case the creature, or the thing was near-by. Johanna reached for the lit lantern, and held it one hand, rapier in the other, as she, and Wesley, carefully made their way closer to the downed animal. Upon drawing closer, they discovered that the animal, was actually a young bear. The behemoth of the creature lay unmoving in a pool of blood, with its eyes wide open, and its jaw slack. A thick purple tongue hung outside of its fanged teeth, and when she lifted the lantern, Johanna noted that the fur around its throat was wet with blood. Wes made his way to the other side of the bear, and ever so gently, rolled the bear onto its side. There, Johanna raised her hand to her mouth, as bile rose up, threatening to spew onto the ground, as the bear’s organs spilled from out of its abdominal cavity. Her eyes stung with salty tears as she forced the nauseating sensation back down. Pointing with one finger, Wesley spoke in a quiet voice, so as not to draw unwanted attention to themselves, lest the beast still lingered in the area.
“Do you see there? Its throat has been slit, in a straight line. And here, on its side, there are long claw marks in the fur.” He then pointed to the wounds on the side, indicating that another creature had attacked the bear. “This cut here, on the abdomen, is linear as well, just like the throat. I think a knife was used to cut open the belly of this here bear. Shall we take a look at the organs?” Wes came around to join Johanna, and stared at the bear with her. He could tell from the size of the bear alone, that it wasn’t a full, mature adult.
Even though her stomach threatened to upheave its contents from this morning, Johanna nodded vigorously, as a strand of brown hair tumbled loose from its pinned position in her bun. She lifted the hem of her dress, and did her best not to let it fall into the blood that pooled around the bear, although that was harder to do, and the hems of her dress were soon drenched in crimson. Kneeling beside the bear, Johanna pushed the sleeves of her dress past her elbows, and dove her hands into the abdominal cavity, fishing out organs, quietly naming them as she went.
“Kidneys. Intestines. Bladder. Lungs…” She stopped in her list of identification when she soon discovered that the heart was missing, and even curiously, after she had removed all other intestinal organs, the liver was gone too. “Wesley, I think it’s the same beast. The heart is missing, and so is the liver.”
“It’s got to be it. Golly, I’ll be darned. This beast, whatever it is, it sure did make a mess. I think it was hungry, had one helluva an appetite, I’ll say.” He added, as he had knelt alongside her, taking the lantern into his own hand, while he confirmed the presence, or lack-thereof, of the organs. The candlelight in the lantern flickered to and fro, threatening to extinguish itself, as a strong breeze blew through the area.
A hair-raising howl called their attention to the north, in the general direction they were originally headed. In unison, Johanna’s hazel eyes locked on Wesley’s artic blue one’s, as her brows rose in surprise.
“Do you think that’s it?” She whispered.
“Has to be. Doesn’t sound like a wolf at all…” He added, their horses had heard the howl, and they began to shift with unease, and paw at the ground, giving snorts of discomfort, and fear.
“Let’s go.” Rising to her feet, Johanna hurried back to her horse, a dark bay mare, and pulled herself into the saddle.
They headed north for another half-hour, before Wesley stopped their advance once more. She was about to ask what the matter was this time, but she had not the chance as he dropped to the ground, and began sweeping away the pine needles that had blanketed the forest floor. Underneath the cover of the needles, with the aid of the lantern light, a series of horse-prints were prominent in the dried mud, along with several fresher ones. He looked up at her, the light of the moon had been obscured by a set of nimbus clouds, leaving only the soft glow of the lantern to distinguish the horse-shoes in the ground.
“Someone’s been trekking through here an awful lot.” Wesley said, “Most of these are headed north-west a-ways. Suppose we should keep going?” He inquired. By any means, he didn’t want to place them in any danger, at least for the sake of Johanna’s livelihood.
“Yes, we ought to go as far as we can.” She returned, and watched as he mounted his horse once more, leading the gelding up a now noticeable pathway. Despite the fallen pine needles, it was easy to see that someone had frequented this path, as there were less pine needles than in the surrounding area, such as off the path.
Continuing on in an attentive watch, the two led their horses deeper into the woods, until they came to a broad clearing. In this clearing, there was a curious building, one that looked much like a mill, though in much need of repair with the need of a new roof, and several broken windows, or at least what she could see. There were even stranger, circular, metal devices, with sharp pointed edges that lay about the exterior, if she had a clue, she would have guessed them to be farm tools, but to her, it reminded her oddly, of a meat shredder, how she knew that, she could not say. A heavy fog filled the clearing, and now, the moon had emerged from behind the clouds, shining brightly upon the area below. The sensation of chills swept over her body, raising the hair on her neck and limbs, even her face felt goose-pimpled. In her chest, her heart banged away like a pounding drum, one that made her afraid that whatever, or whoever lay in wait in the area, would hear the very noise of her heart. They exchanged wary glances with one another, certain that the source of the horse-shoe prints originated from this particular area, as the dirt had been worn smooth, and there was an absence of pine needles as well. Wes made an attempt to dismount his horse when he stopped halfway, hanging off the side of his horse, clutching the seat of his saddle and the saddle horn. Johanna looked at him with wide eyes again, as they both had heard an unfamiliar, animalistic sound coming from within the interior of the mill, what sounded like a strangled growl, or grunting noise. Now they listened on in horrified silence.
“I don’t know why you feel the need to come along, I am fully capable of handling myself, and defending myself.” She protested, glowering at him. Who did he think she was, some European woman that couldn’t take care of herself? One of those pathetic women that were constantly fainting from the tightness of their corsets?
“Well, I would feel just horrible if something bad were to happen to you, Johanna. What if this thing,” He waved his hand in the air, as if gesturing to some fictional creature that laid in wait for her in the forest, “caught you, and ate you alive? Now that would be most… ungentlemanly of me, were I to neglect my duty of providing assistance to you. I’m not saying that you can’t protect yourself, or defend yourself against some animal. I just think, that we’re not dealing with your atypical wolf, or bear here. This may be some creature unknown to the forests around here. If anything, two eyes are better than one, and certainly, two guns are better than none.” The smile had vanished from his face, leaving him with lowered brows, and lips set in a firm, thin line. Her eyes lingered on him as she contemplated his words. It was true, she couldn’t deny that much. Whatever that thing was that lurked in the forest, it would be safer to bring Wesley along than to go at this alone.
And that’s how Wesley joined Johanna in the cover of darkness in the forests surrounding Prague.
After preparing for their excursion out into the forest, bringing along two canteens full of water, along with half a loaf of dried bread, Wesley’s pistols, Johanna’s French rapier, two horses that they borrowed from the stables, and a letter left for Adam, which read:
Dearest Mr. Ware,
Mr. Wesley Craven, and I, have ventured out into the forest in search of the beast that plagues, and terrifies the village-folk of this area. I have performed an autopsy on a week old kill of a stag. You will find the carcass in the confines of the catacombs, four work-rooms down from the stairwell. I have asked one of the servants to keep the body until I return for further examination. Please forgive the smell, as I am certain it is most unpleasant. I have left all of my notes in the workroom, if you wish to read upon my findings. You will discover that I have unearthed the same thing, that the animal was only missing its heart. However, there are some other notes present that you may find worth examining. We have borrowed two horses from the stables, and will return either tonight, or at sunrise tomorrow. If we have not returned by sunrise, please send a search party, as some tragedy may have befallen us. We plan to visit the north-western quadrant of the forest, as several of the attacks are located here. We hope to seek out the creature itself, or better yet, it’s lair. I have taken the map of the forest’s, and beneath this letter, is a picture drawn, detailing the path we have chosen, along with the area circled with where we are headed.
Yours Truly,
Johanna Roheisia Valerivicus & Wesley Andrew Craven
Night had fallen fast, leaving Johanna and Wesley to guide their horses at a slower pace than intended, even though the moon shone bright in the sky above them. The warmth of her leather gloves aided against the chill of the night air as their horses trotted along the dirt path. She had taken a map of the forest with her, and she even found a lantern to use. White, ghostly vapors rose into the air, escaping from their mouth’s, and from their horses. While her grey, wool cloak kept out much of the cold, it didn’t keep all of it out. They continued on in silence, with a heavy tension in the air hanging between them; both anxious as to what they would discover. On the ride to the forest, which took the better part of two hours, Wesley and Johanna had argued profusely as to whether or not who should take the lead in regards to the horses. It was soon settled that they would ride side-by-side if possible. Fortunately, the undergrowth in the forest was limited, most of it consisting of common plant, and flora found in Prague, such as moss, forest ferns, and lichens. Due to the climate in the area surrounding Prague, as well as most European countries, such as France, Germany, Spain, even Italy, the forests were either deciduous, or coniferous. Yet, the location of Prague, made for the forests in these parts to be coniferous in composition, meaning that most of the trees were either, spruce, pine, or firs. Since the trees were coniferous, they grew tall and the branches of the trees didn’t grow until more than halfway up the tree trunk, allowing Johanna and Wes to move with ease under the forest canopy without the need to be cautious of low-lying branches whacking them in the face every few feet.
Suddenly, Wes held up his hand, and pulled back on the reins of his horse, a smart creature, with a chestnut coat, and a dark brown mane. The gelding gave a soft whinny in protest, but fell quiet, as its ears flicked forward, as if hearing something they couldn’t. Johanna had fallen behind Wes, and raised herself up in the stirrups of her saddle, trying to obtain a better view on what captivated his attention. There before them, lay a fresh kill. What little moonlight that trickled down through the branches of the trees, illuminated an abundant puddle of blood. With a swing of his leg, Wesley dismounted in one motion, and drew out both of his pistols. He glanced over to Johanna, and with a nod of his head, she followed after him, swiftly dismounting from her horse as well, drawing out her rapier in case the creature, or the thing was near-by. Johanna reached for the lit lantern, and held it one hand, rapier in the other, as she, and Wesley, carefully made their way closer to the downed animal. Upon drawing closer, they discovered that the animal, was actually a young bear. The behemoth of the creature lay unmoving in a pool of blood, with its eyes wide open, and its jaw slack. A thick purple tongue hung outside of its fanged teeth, and when she lifted the lantern, Johanna noted that the fur around its throat was wet with blood. Wes made his way to the other side of the bear, and ever so gently, rolled the bear onto its side. There, Johanna raised her hand to her mouth, as bile rose up, threatening to spew onto the ground, as the bear’s organs spilled from out of its abdominal cavity. Her eyes stung with salty tears as she forced the nauseating sensation back down. Pointing with one finger, Wesley spoke in a quiet voice, so as not to draw unwanted attention to themselves, lest the beast still lingered in the area.
“Do you see there? Its throat has been slit, in a straight line. And here, on its side, there are long claw marks in the fur.” He then pointed to the wounds on the side, indicating that another creature had attacked the bear. “This cut here, on the abdomen, is linear as well, just like the throat. I think a knife was used to cut open the belly of this here bear. Shall we take a look at the organs?” Wes came around to join Johanna, and stared at the bear with her. He could tell from the size of the bear alone, that it wasn’t a full, mature adult.
Even though her stomach threatened to upheave its contents from this morning, Johanna nodded vigorously, as a strand of brown hair tumbled loose from its pinned position in her bun. She lifted the hem of her dress, and did her best not to let it fall into the blood that pooled around the bear, although that was harder to do, and the hems of her dress were soon drenched in crimson. Kneeling beside the bear, Johanna pushed the sleeves of her dress past her elbows, and dove her hands into the abdominal cavity, fishing out organs, quietly naming them as she went.
“Kidneys. Intestines. Bladder. Lungs…” She stopped in her list of identification when she soon discovered that the heart was missing, and even curiously, after she had removed all other intestinal organs, the liver was gone too. “Wesley, I think it’s the same beast. The heart is missing, and so is the liver.”
“It’s got to be it. Golly, I’ll be darned. This beast, whatever it is, it sure did make a mess. I think it was hungry, had one helluva an appetite, I’ll say.” He added, as he had knelt alongside her, taking the lantern into his own hand, while he confirmed the presence, or lack-thereof, of the organs. The candlelight in the lantern flickered to and fro, threatening to extinguish itself, as a strong breeze blew through the area.
A hair-raising howl called their attention to the north, in the general direction they were originally headed. In unison, Johanna’s hazel eyes locked on Wesley’s artic blue one’s, as her brows rose in surprise.
“Do you think that’s it?” She whispered.
“Has to be. Doesn’t sound like a wolf at all…” He added, their horses had heard the howl, and they began to shift with unease, and paw at the ground, giving snorts of discomfort, and fear.
“Let’s go.” Rising to her feet, Johanna hurried back to her horse, a dark bay mare, and pulled herself into the saddle.
They headed north for another half-hour, before Wesley stopped their advance once more. She was about to ask what the matter was this time, but she had not the chance as he dropped to the ground, and began sweeping away the pine needles that had blanketed the forest floor. Underneath the cover of the needles, with the aid of the lantern light, a series of horse-prints were prominent in the dried mud, along with several fresher ones. He looked up at her, the light of the moon had been obscured by a set of nimbus clouds, leaving only the soft glow of the lantern to distinguish the horse-shoes in the ground.
“Someone’s been trekking through here an awful lot.” Wesley said, “Most of these are headed north-west a-ways. Suppose we should keep going?” He inquired. By any means, he didn’t want to place them in any danger, at least for the sake of Johanna’s livelihood.
“Yes, we ought to go as far as we can.” She returned, and watched as he mounted his horse once more, leading the gelding up a now noticeable pathway. Despite the fallen pine needles, it was easy to see that someone had frequented this path, as there were less pine needles than in the surrounding area, such as off the path.
Continuing on in an attentive watch, the two led their horses deeper into the woods, until they came to a broad clearing. In this clearing, there was a curious building, one that looked much like a mill, though in much need of repair with the need of a new roof, and several broken windows, or at least what she could see. There were even stranger, circular, metal devices, with sharp pointed edges that lay about the exterior, if she had a clue, she would have guessed them to be farm tools, but to her, it reminded her oddly, of a meat shredder, how she knew that, she could not say. A heavy fog filled the clearing, and now, the moon had emerged from behind the clouds, shining brightly upon the area below. The sensation of chills swept over her body, raising the hair on her neck and limbs, even her face felt goose-pimpled. In her chest, her heart banged away like a pounding drum, one that made her afraid that whatever, or whoever lay in wait in the area, would hear the very noise of her heart. They exchanged wary glances with one another, certain that the source of the horse-shoe prints originated from this particular area, as the dirt had been worn smooth, and there was an absence of pine needles as well. Wes made an attempt to dismount his horse when he stopped halfway, hanging off the side of his horse, clutching the seat of his saddle and the saddle horn. Johanna looked at him with wide eyes again, as they both had heard an unfamiliar, animalistic sound coming from within the interior of the mill, what sounded like a strangled growl, or grunting noise. Now they listened on in horrified silence.