I looked at the crowd, my arms bound in front of me, my eyes level with the noose. I blinked, prepared to accept my fate with pride, although I didn't fully understand the why of my execution. I took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. The people beneath me cheering for my death, and I was simply forced to watch as they prepared the stand where I would fall from, and die. There was only one other person up on the stand with me, the one who was going to murder me, who's face was covered in a black mask, and he wore black clothing. As if he were one of those demons that the people were accusing me of supporting. I wanted nothing more than just to laugh. No human in their right mind would ever support those devils, the ones that kill, take, destroy, and forced to rot in their own sorrows. I despised them, the ones that destroyed the village I was visiting right now, just a few moments before this event. On this very day. And they blamed me because their village leader, one who owns a Mark, told the people that his hounds informed him that I was working with the demons.

The executioner raised his hand to silence the crowd, and he began to speak in a tongue that I didn't understand. In the very back was the man who blamed me, his two hounds sitting on either side of his shoulders. They represented owls in their material form, black with white spots, and a golden raindrop on their foreheads, a symbol that must be engraved somewhere on the man's body. His Mark. Marks allow humans to control what we call "hounds." Hounds are demons, however are capable of creating a material form for themselves using human's spiritual energy. They are given Marks, and whoever carries that Mark is their master, they must obey them at the cost of their lives. However, Marks can be "revoked," if the human becomes either unable to sustain their hounds' material form, or because so irresponsible that the God of Hell himself strips the Mark away. The hounds are then free to either chose a new master, or remain free and do as they please.

The speech in the foreign tongue was over, and I was harshly shoved forward so I was standing on a platform that opened underneath your feet, and the man yanked the noose over my head, tightening it. I looked back up at the hounds, not understanding why they would think I would betray my own race in such a disgraceful way. I have nothing to gain by following the demons. But I have nothing to lose by dying to the hands of a man whose face I cannot see. The executioner grabbed the lever, and the crowd went wild. I closed my eyes and prayed for a peaceful descent, and in that moment I was saved by the last thing I would have ever thought to by saved by.

The two hounds flew at me, one turning and attacking the executioner while the other freed my hands so I could undo the noose around my throat. I took a step back in shock, falling backwards on my butt as the two hounds began screeching at whoever began approaching. I narrowed my eyes at the man, "you are a lier."

He stood and glared, trying to summon his hounds at his side, beginning his approach when they wouldn't obey. I pushed myself off the ground, standing up to him. His voice held a heavy native accent as he spoke, "you know nothing." He was nearing me, and I was hesitant to hold my position.

"Your hounds cannot communicate with you like you said. How do you know that I did anything?" I glared at him, "you have wrongly accused me of something I couldn't ever bring myself to do!"

"You are but a trespasser on our lands!" His hounds took action against his own words, one flinging itself at him, knocking him down, while the second perched on my shoulder. I gave the one on my shoulder a confused look but was thankful for their support against their own master. The village master threw his hound off him, the owl-like creature screeching in some emotion humans could never understand. The man stood, raising a knife and his free hand, exposing a golden raindrop on his palm. In a flash, red spilled from the hold he created, and his two hounds dissolve in red flames. I took a step back this time, not understanding. He held the knife in an offensive position and I turned and ran. I heard the old man laughing as I broke the forest line, entering the hunting grounds of the demons.

I took a deep breath, unsure what to do. Growing up, everyone is told to always stay on paths, as the demons don't often attack there. As soon as you entered the forest, you were considered free game. The only reason I ran here was because I knew I wouldn't be followed. No way in hell would I be staying with someone crazy enough to kill their own hounds. I don't think that idiot realized that his hounds were the only reason that his people were as safe as they were. Which, admittedly, isn't that safe, but now they're just sitting ducks waiting to be eaten.

I put my arms up to defend my face from oncoming branches as I rushed through the forest. I wasn't sure where I was going, but it was in the middle of the day, so I hoped that it gave me a little bit of an advantage, seeing as they didn't favor daylight. My heart was racing, adrenaline flooding my systems. I didn't want to stop, but I knew I had to. I forced myself to calm, slowing until I was leaning against a tree, panting. I looked back, glad to see I had covered a fair amount of distance, before realizing I had nothing. No food and no water. It was still high noon, so I had some time, but not enough.

I began to tremble a little, realizing what I had gotten myself into. I could easily fall down and die at any moment. I looked back at the way that I came, thinking about how much I'd rather be hanged than become food for the most despised things in the world. But it was too late, I already had made the decision to move forward, so I told myself that I'd better toughen up and push forward.

I found a nice steady walking pace, heading a little towards my left where I knew at some point I would hit a path, if I made it out alive. Stuffing my hands on the pockets of my old hoodie I found in the trash can while in a city, I surveyed the area. There were mainly the native trees, Uuin. They don't produce fruit, nuts, or seeds. They reproduce by growing out their roots, severing it, and a new tree grows from it. They're bushy and a bright green color, while their wood was a very dark brown. It almost looked like candy, making me a little sad.

Most of the undergrowth were simply weeds that I didn't know the name of, and flowers that were poisonous. Most of the plants came from twisted versions of their former selves, caused by the release of the underworld. It happened on the day of my birth. Apparently when the wave of fire was released, was the moment I came to be. It killed my mother, not long after my village disbanded, and I was simply forgotten about. I don't know how I survived, other than the fact that none of the demons touched me during some of the first attacks. All my luck was spent on my early life, and I honestly wasn't surprised when I spotted a demon in the distance, pasted the Uuin trees.

I stopped, seeing that it was standing in the path where people treaded. At least you found the path, my mind said, and I took a deep, slow breath. It's form wasn't complete, meaning it was weak, but it resembled a very skinny person, a three-dimensional stick figure with long, pointed fingers. In the distance I heard voices, probably prey it was waiting for, or prey that it missed. I was honestly scared, if it turned around and spotted me, I was screwed. I slowly stepped behind a tree so I would be able to watch the demon, but not be so easily spotted.

Everything was slow and tedious, but one mistake and I was dead. Breathing slowly, I stood as still as humanly possible as I waited. The voices grew louder, and the demon disappeared. Releasing a breath I had been holding, I stepped out, going forward in the hopes of finding the path and fleeing to the next town-

I heard the sound of breaking trees in the distance, and when I turned to look, all I saw was the opening mouth of the beast, poised to attack.