Strange Things I Noticed
The loud, scared scream in the forest made me jump.
The werewolf had whispered "Safe," but now I wondered what he meant.
Safe from him? Or was something else dangerous?
He and the clicking creature ran quietly through the plants towards the scream.
They moved fast, and their shiny eyes looked like they wanted to protect someone.
Whatever was happening, it was a danger in their forest, maybe to their family.
I wanted to run back to Oakhaven, where it felt safe.
But the scream, and the thought that someone from my village was in danger, made me stay.
Inside, I felt like I had to help, like I was stuck between the village and the forest.
The quiet of the forest was broken, and the scared sounds were human.
I held the wooden piece tight and followed them, but I was clumsy and loud compared to them.
The forest floor, which had seemed amazing before, now felt scary.
Every stick that broke could warn someone.
The smell of pine and wet dirt now had another smell mixed in – sharp and like metal, and a little like burnt sugar.
It was a bad smell, like something violent and not normal.
As we went deeper, I tried to look at the plants and bugs like I always did.
It helped me feel calm and push away the fear.
I saw some ghost pipes, white plants sticking out of the dark ground.
The villagers thought they were lost spirits, but I knew they were just plants that didn't have green in them and got food from dead things.
Thinking about science made me feel a little calm in all the strangeness.
Even when weird things were happening, normal things still felt a little safe.
But then, I saw something that didn't make sense.
Some night-blooming jasmine flowers were open, even though it was daytime.
These flowers only open at night and smell strong to bring moths.
Why were they open now?
Inside, I wondered why.
Was it something about the forest's power?
Something to do with the creatures? Or just something strange about the weather that I didn't know?
The science part of my brain wanted answers, but another part thought about the strange magic in the werewolf's eyes.
We got to a small open space.
The bad smell was strong here, and the ground was messed up, like something had fought there.
A basket I knew from the village was on its side, and berries and a little wooden doll were on the ground.
My heart sank.
This was someone from Oakhaven.
Something familiar from the village had been brought into the wild, scary forest.
The werewolf and the clicking creature were walking around the open space quickly, sniffing the ground.
They weren't just smelling fear; they were following something.
Then, the werewolf growled softly, pointing his nose to a path going deeper into the woods.
The clicking creature made fast clicking sounds, looking the same way.
They understood each other, like they had a plan.
Inside, I suddenly felt like I needed to protect someone, more than I felt scared.
Whoever had been here, whoever screamed, was probably in big trouble.
And these creatures, the "monsters" from the village's fear, were trying to help.
I followed them, not being careful anymore, just wanting to hurry.
The ground had more signs of a fight – broken branches, torn cloth that looked like Thomas's coat.
I felt really scared.
The Blackwood, which had been a mystery, was now a place where someone needed to be saved.
As we went further, I saw more strange plants.
Some shiny moss was glowing softly, making the dark ground look weird.
It was the same moss I had seen near the edge, but here, deeper in, it was much brighter, almost magical.
My science brain couldn't understand why it was so bright.
Was it something in the deep forest? Or was it something else… magic?
The line between what I knew and what I couldn't explain was getting blurry.
Then, I saw it.
A faint line of that metallic-smelling stuff, shining on the leaves like dark, thick blood.
It went deeper into the woods, away from the paths I knew.
The werewolf and the clicking creature followed it closely, going faster.
We got to another small open space, and what I saw made me feel sick and terrified.
Thomas was on the ground, his face white and hurt, his small body twisted strangely.
Standing over him was a creature I had never imagined.
It was tall and skinny, its skin tight over bones, its eyes glowing red.
It had long, sharp claws that had that metallic stuff dripping from them.
It growled, a sound that was like an animal but also sounded smart and mean.
The real scary thing in the Blackwood had finally shown itself.
The werewolf and the clicking creature attacked right away, a blur of fur and clicks as they jumped at the skinny creature.
They fought fiercely, with growls and those scary clicks.
Inside, I wanted to scream but couldn't.
I was frozen with fear.
This wasn't a monster from stories; this was something old, something evil.
And the werewolf and his friend, the "monsters" Oakhaven feared, were the only ones trying to save Thomas.
Then, the skinny creature turned its red eyes at me.
They looked smart and mean.
It jumped at me.
Before I could move, a sharp pain went through my arm, like hot claws tearing my skin.
The world went dark.
The last things I saw were the red eyes of the creature and the werewolf turning to protect me, growling fiercely.
The real fear of the Blackwood had found me, and the strange things I had noticed were about to become a horrible reality.