The Forbidden Forest

The mass of grey above promised heavy rain. Ahead, the mountainous path lay bare and exposed to the elements. The Traveller chewed his lip thoughtfully. Glancing sideways, he noticed the Sha Forest, sometimes called the Forbidden Forest.
"We can't go there," said his brother cautiously, following his thoughts as well as his gaze.
"We'll get caught in the rain if we don't. Then we'll be cold tonight!"
"But you know it's a no-go area..." insisted his younger sibling, whose hands twiddled and squirmed.
"We'll be fine. You got your bow and arrow, and I got my dagger. We'll be fine," said The Traveller, half-scornfully. His brother nodded feebly and with that, he went off the trodden path and down the slopes towards the Sha Forest.


The forest was vast and enchanted; the latter rumoured. It was definitely unusual, with rare species inhabiting the forest alone, such as the Golden Rabbit. Its fur was an attractive shade of yellow and made a perfect fur coat for the Winter, but no one dared try and capture it, for it meant entering the Sha Forest.
The Traveller and his brother trudged on however, through tall grass and wild flowers. The younger one moved around them tenderly, but his brute of a brother trampled onwards. When the sounds of rain whispered in the trees, The Traveller cocked his head with a smirk.
"See? We're nice and dry."
"Yeah," chuckled his brother nervously, "I guess you're right." They walked on for a while, not quite registering the eerie silence. Not until it was disturbed.


Movement in the trees stole their attention and they stared into the leafy abyss above. The rain continued to fall from a dust-like manner to a hard shower, but barely a drop penetrated the canopy.
"Oh, I knew this couldn't be good. I knew it wouldn't end well. If only we-"
"Shut up, it's just a bird," hissed The Traveller, but he touched the dagger in his pocket. His brother noticed the comforting effect, because his shoulders sagged and he began to walk onwards. Blades of grass yielded against his legs helplessly.
All the sudden, leaves rustled violently and branches creaked under a large weight moving above. The men whipped around like alarmed rodents. As they turned in one direction, a pair of legs came down from the other. The Traveller was knocked off his feet; kicked square in the head. He went down with a hard thud and the pair of legs was soon followed by a body, a pair of arms swinging off a branch and then a head. A hooded head.
His brother was standing agasp, until The Traveller barked an order at him. He went to retreive an arrow from his quiver but the hooded figure was opposite, foot on The Traveller's forehead. They held a whip.
"What're you waiting for? Shoot the damn-" but The Traveller was silenced by a stomp in the face. His brother was pretty sure he was only half-conscious now.
"Trespassers," spoke the hooded person. Their voice was oddly feminine.
"Look, we were just passing through," said the brother, unable to keep his hands still.
"A shortcut?"
"Yeah! Yes, exactly."
"That's no excuse," and with that, they removed their hood, revealing an elven face; plump-fruit lips and long hair. The Traveller groaned something which sounded surprised and in turn, his brother's jaw dropped. "You're trespassing on holy lands. Here, Sha the Great fell and his soul should be left to rest."
"Look, Miss," began the younger sibling, tenderly reaching for an arrow and readying his bow. His confidence was renewed by the groggy, but encouraging look in his brother's eyes. After all, she was a woman. "I don't want to hurt you."



The Traveller watched his brother's unsteady aim as his arms wobbled and his hands shook. He grit his teeth, still tasting the dirt from the woman's boot. The woman!
He heard the arrow leave the bow with a swift sound, but the crack of a whip interrupted and his brother was floored. Seeing his chance, he grabbed his blade from his pocket and reached up. The woman swore, feeling the blade sink into her leg.
"Now scarper, lady!" The Traveller exclaimed, propping himself on his elbows and staggering to his feet. She responded by sliding the blade out of her flesh and throwing it. It cartwheeled and spun in a single direction, cutting the air with a fast whipping sound. Like a dart, its journey ended in The Traveller's forehead, where her foot had previously settled. His face contorted into shock as blood trickled from the wound, then he stumbled. His eyes crossed and finally, he fell down.
"Not as mighty as the Great Sha, but nonetheless he falls," remarked the woman. Meanwhile, his brother looked on in horror.
"You killed my brother!"
"Then leave... while you can," uttered the woman, holding her whip in a threatening matter. The sibling glanced at it, still feeling the sting where it had wrapped around his ankle. He bolted in the opposite direction. "And don't come back!"



The woman watched his figure disappear into the forest, while the rain lashed the canopy. Her eyes wouldn't peel from his direction until she was sure he was gone. When satisfied, she looked down at the corpse. He still looked dumbfounded. She squatted and wrenched the knife from his head, sniffing unsympathetically as blood spurted and a little bit of brain oozed out with it. Smearing the blade on the grass, she then pocketed it.
It'll come in use.