He woke up in a fright. The fear of never waking up still haunted him even after long minutes. Then he was slowly able to sort out what happened last night, what was actual nightmare, and what was reality right now. His leg, and all his injuries healed mostly. There was still scratches and scars, but he was able to stand up and walk. But there wasn’t a single chance to feel at ease for him. The pain from the injuries might have mostly passed, but now there was a crippling hunger in its place. He felt as a dried leaf in Autumn.

It was time for the hunt. The first steps were slow. An ordinary person would easily mistake him for a vengeful spirit. He looked pale, his hair was a mess, his face was showing a constant mixture of agony and anger, and his bright blue silken clothes were torn apart and stained as if they were a millennia old.

As days passed wandering in the forest, it slowly became a routine for him. Sleeping from dawn till early dusk, hunting for a bigger animal if he could manage, then fighting through the night for survival. He even started to get a grip on these new powers manifested. There was only one problem with practicing. The more he was in control of his powers the more difficult it become to summon them when it was urgently needed. As his mind struggled to take the lead, making him able to think again, but shutting the instincts out. His reactions got slower, and he had to put more effort in to everything.

And as it was deemed the day came when he was loosing one of these battle of survival. A creature of shadow appeared before him much bigger than the usual wraiths roaming the woods. And it seemed that this thing sensed the fear of its prey. If Freyan thought of a person, even for just a split second in the back of his mind, the shadow took a humanly form but with more arms and heads and started to grow bigger than him. If it was a creature or an animal the same happened. Once it changed into a serpent. A bunch of serpents in fact, what was connected in only one point. It was easy for it to attack its prey from behind, and it almost managed to surround him more than once.

It was lucky Freyan noticed it in time, he cannot win. His protective barrier thou hurt the creature, it didn’t keep it away indefinitely like the smaller wraiths. And even if it could, he couldn’t keep it up forever. He hurled orbs of dark energy at his enemy when he could, but it only stopped it for a moment or two each time.

It became clear the cleverest thing to do again was to run. And he did, as fast as he could. The creature changed shape again first in to a shapeless black blob, than in to a freakish pack of huge dogs with shining red eyes.

As the chase continued the ravenous dogs caught up slowly. Just little by little the distance shortened. The moon shone above for a few minutes as the clouds passed giving Freyan just a little time. But it didn’t halted the killing shadow totally.

And then he noticed the light. Warm orange hued light was tinkling between the trees. It gave him the sense it was man made. Maybe… somehow they could help him. He didn’t think it through how could ordinary people help him. But it was an extraordinary forest, probably with extraordinary people living in it. If they were people anyway.

Getting closer he found a house indeed. With a cultivated garden, and if he was right, there were even animals kept somewhere behind the building. He heard them. He turned to the shortest route to the house, starting to shout not long after.

“Help! Please somebody! He’ ” and in that moment he was stopped by something. It felt like he ran against a wall, but there was no wall to see. He stood up only a half moment later and started to bang on the invisible barrier with his hands.

“Please let me in! This thing will kill me! Help! Pleeease!” he cried from the top of his lungs. The barrier fizzled on the contact of dark energy still surrounding him.

He was so hysterical he didn’t even noticed the barrier opening. He fell through the human sized hole, and the wall closed immediately after that. Looking back he saw the creature smashing in to the magical protection just as he did. The phantasm slammed in to barrier again and again, for minutes it didn’t seem to give up. By that time Freyan almost forgot about it.

Because as he turned around he behold the most beautiful woman he have ever seen. Chestnut brown curly hair running down to her shoulders like a peaceful river. Her graceful face had delicate lines, just like her whole self. Her brown eyes tried to look strict, but still Freyan could feel some warmth coming from them. Her beige toned skin looked so smooth he could not help but wish to touch it. Looking upon her whole image though she looked anything but fragile. She had a carved a wooden staff in her hand. Her clothes made of pelt, leather and animal bones.

“You’ve got until sunrise. I’ll open the barrier for you then and you’ll leave” she said in a serious tone getting tired of waiting for Freyan to speak. Who was left speechless by her image.