Heart of The Wild Part II: Dark Spruce
“Lemming by Leo-setä licensed under CC BY 2.0”
A Fantasy Serial by Mackenzie Dysinger
I screamed long enough for my throat to become sore, and even then we were still falling. My dog had long since stopped howling and became so comfortable with the feeling of free fall that she had quickly fallen asleep. Hearing the mutterings of the lemming somewhere in the darkness ahead of us, I yelled out for help but my cries were met with silence. We fell for what felt like hours when suddenly the darkness below seemed to be glowing. The light at the end of the muskeg hole grew brighter as we began to fall faster.
I heard the lemming yell from below us, “Best to tuck and roll!” I shoved my sleeping dog awake and before Mika could let out a yawn, the hole opened up. We were dumped out onto a pile of neon colored lichen. Rolling uncontrollably we tumbled down the small lichen pile, eventually coming to a stop.
I groaned, clutching my stomach. It felt worse than the time I went on the egg roll ride at the state fair after I had consumed one too many elephant ears. Trying to sit up I began muttering to Mika about how stupid it was to follow that menacing creature. I rubbed my eyes trying to get them to see straight and when they finally focused I gasped at what I saw. Surrounding my pup and me was a horde of peculiar animals. Peculiar because while I had seen a caribou, a fox, a lynx, and a bear before, I had never seen them all together so compliantly. All the animals stood in a circle around us, staring quizzically at my dog and me. Mika froze in front of a grizzly bear with a homemade winter scarf wrapped around his neck. My Alaskan instinct kicked in and I began waving my hands, yelling at the creature trying to scare it off.
Mika made no move to retreat and neither did the bear. Instead the massive beast cocked its head to one side and with a low growl said, “What on earth is it doing?”
My jaw dropped, “You’re talking!” I exclaimed.
“And you look ridiculous,” the bear replied, its eyebrows raised.
“I’ve never seen a two-legger before. Do they all act this way?” another voice questioned. I turned to see a curious white rabbit jumping around at my feet.
The nearby fox licked his paws and with a low chuckle said, “Do they all act like fools? Certainly.” I was just about to argue with the seemingly pretentious fox when a deep booming voice cut in.
“How did it get here?” I turned from where I was standing towards the sound of the voice where a giant man-like figure stood. He towered over the other animals, even the bear who was standing on his hindquarters. The giant was pale skinned, his legs and chest wrapped in soft leather. His arms extended much farther than a normal man’s and rings of blackened skin snaked around his wrist all the way up to his shoulders. The rings reminded me of a birch tree, his long arms like the branches, his hair black and thick like the stems of the leaves. His face was pale as the moon and his eyes burned an intense yellow.
“I...I...” my tongue tripped over itself as my brain fought to find the words. A small voice came from the tundra floor.
“She followed me. Despite my best efforts to lose her, the two-legger and her friend were relentless!” I looked down to see the lemming with the red and black musher’s hat. She had her arms crossed and was glaring up at me. Instinctively my hand fell on Mika who I could hear licking her lips in delight. The lemming raised her tiny paws into fists, “Come at me you ugly little creature! I’ll show you who’s Queen of the Tundra!” It seemed, to the horror of every animal in the gathering, Mika was about to accept the lemming’s invitation when a raven’s caw echoed across the sky.
“Dark spruce!” came a cry from above. It was a tiny chickadee who fought to stay ahead of the murderous ravens coming for her. “Too many,” the bird cried, “Run to the mountain!” Immediately panic swept across the animals. In droves they raced towards the mountain looming in the distance. The giant man did not flee, but raised a wooden horn to his lips. The sound of the horn shook the ground, sending waves across the tundra. I watched in astonishment as men and women in appearance like the giant man seemed to step out of the bark of the trees. Strapped to their backs were axes, swords, and bows. The eyes of the tree folk glowed an ominous yellow as they ran towards the dark spruce army.
The dark spruce were smaller than the birch. Their hair was black as night, slick and greasy, falling down their backs with skin a harsh pale in comparison to the tarred black spots that freckled their bodies. Their faces were contorted and cruel. I watched as the spruce flung arrows in the direction of the fleeing creatures -- few missed their marks. The animals or tree folk that were struck with a weapon dipped in the spruce’s sap dropped to the forest floor. The victims’ skin and fur turned grey, their eyes drained and their senses gone. After a wound from a spruce tree’s weapon, they were turned into nothing but a brainless beast or lifeless tree.
In one swoop the man picked me up and placed me on a passing moose with ease. “Take her to the mountain,” he yelled, “Blackburn has awakened.” Nodding in acknowledgement, the moose took off with Mika following behind.
“Hold on tight!” it yelled back at me. I shook my head in disbelief as we raced towards the shadow of the mountain. I could feel the tundra shake violently underneath me--Blackburn Keep was awakening.
What happens next? Part III is online now!
If you missed the first installment of Heart of The Wild, you can catch up here.
