Demon.

Torak bent low to the ground, his chest aching where his scar was. Wolf nosed his foot, grunt whining: what’s wrong? Torak just scratched his ears and stood up, he listened. A light whistling floated threw the trees. He looked down at the light deer tracks in the mud. He knocked an arrow to his bow and ducked under the branch. There was a river ahead, which must be where the deer is going. He went to go forward but something tightened around his ankle. His head snapped down to find a thick twine rope around his foot. He followed it to find out that is was looped over the tree and down into a bush. A twig snapped and Torak flew into the air. He whacked his head on a stone and all went black.

……………………………………………………………………………

Wolf was scared. He hadn’t followed Tall tailless into the clearing. He smelt something bad, evil in fact. In all his summers with Tall tailless he had never, EVER smelt anything so bad. It was sort of demon mixed with the Tall, strong, evil one. Then he heard the snap and Tall tailless scream. He ran around in circles. The female tailless didn’t get it and the wise man that smelt like ravens was busy. He scampered under a bush and hid.

……………………………………………………………………………

Torak woke with a start. He smelt fire and filth. Something sharp slapped across his chest. He yowled in pain and tears leaked from his eyes.

“Finally your awake.” A male voice sneered. “ Lets get started then shall we.”

He cracked the whip over Toraks chest in the opposite direction forming an oozing cross. Torak started to cry with pain. Through bleary eyes he looked up into the face of the oak mage. One of two still remaining soul eaters.

“So Thiazzi,” he crocked. “We meet again.”

“Quiet Sprit walker. Or I’ll kill you now instead of later.”

“And you will die just like the other two who tried to kill me.” He laughed and then wished he hadn’t as The oak mage slashed the whip across his face. The man just laughed as Toraks body withered in pain.

“Daddy. Can’t we just let him go?”

DADDY! Thought Torak.

“No sweetie we have need him to rule the forest.”

A little girl of about 11 summers walked into the clearing. She had limp blonde hair with dazzling blue eyes. She wore some Roebuck leggings and a light duck feather jacket on a buckskin top. Around her head she had twined a long slip of tree bark to keep her hair out of her eyes.

All in all Torak thought her very beautiful.