Into the Darkwood

Rebe

It was immediately dark. Rebe couldn't see anything past her elbow. She felt totally blind. She began to panic. 

Then she remembered her sixth sense. She didn't need to see to see. She could feel. 

Suddenly, it all came alive. She could feel every tree. It was like a labyrinth, like a maze. It didn't feel natural or random. 

She felt Dasher by her side. The komodon was spooked. Maybe she should have left him outside. But what were the chances she would exit where she entered? The wood was vast and sprawling. She wanted Dasher right by her side. She tried to calm the komodon. Her attempts were in vain.

Now that she could feel where she was going, she went deeper. The outer wood was so thick that most places were impassible. Without her six-sense she was certain this place would be impenetrable. Perhaps that was why it was still here, the only wood in a sea of grain. 

Even with Rebe's sixth sense, it was a puzzle and a challenge to make her way inward. Most paths led back out or in a circle around the outer edge. Only due to her sixth sense pointing inward was he able to know the way. Rebe knew if she left now, she might not regain the nerve to come back in. She had to push forward. Deeper. 

Dasher had an opposite perspective. This place was not a place for a komodon. The brush canopy was low and thick. The paths were narrow and windy. This was no place for a komodon. Dasher knew that. He kept fighting Rebe as she pushed. Deeper. 

The deeper she went, the more erratic Dasher grew. Rebe wondered if Sam could calm him. Maybe she should have let her come. What would Gran say? Rebe wasn't sure. Her head felt so heavy and busy. Was Sato okay at home? Hopefully, he was resting and spending some time with his mother and cat. She couldn't think about him knowing where she was right now. What was Daniel doing? Prince Leo? Luci? Bruno? Rebe's head was hurting worse and worse. She had to stop and rest. But where? What was this place? 

It was then that Dasher made his escape. While Rebe still was dazed, the komodon bucked, pulling the lead from her hand and bolting in the opposite direction. She called out for him. Then she tried to feel for him. Despite the large size of the beast, she felt nothing. Not nothing. She felt the trees. All she could feel was the trees. 

She felt the forest. She felt the trees speaking, soaking up the sun's rays, producing oxygen, and consuming carbon dioxide. She felt them slowly move. She felt the roots. She felt the ground beneath her feet, too. She felt the fungi web that connected everything below. She felt the giant serpent below carving their passages. She felt the little people living alongside them.

She felt as though she could somehow more them. The roots, the branches, the leaves. The soil, the fungi, the passages. It was like they were all connected. All part of her, even though they weren't. It was an overwhelming feeling. She felt powerful.

Rebe's head felt like it was a bout to explode. It was pounding. She collapsed to the ground, and the ground rose up to catch her. She fell into a deep, uncontrollable slumber. 

That was when the visions started. The dreams. Rebe saw flashes. Auggie, her little brother with evil red eyes. She saw her father in this very forest, just like her. She saw a woman with long red hair. She looked just like Rebe. Rebe was sure it was her mother. She saw a great big oak tree reaching out and embracing the land with its canopy of auburn leaves. She saw Sato lying, torn to pieces, blood soaking his blue hoodie. She saw Daniel in the armour of a knight. She saw a wind-up doll with no face. She saw a girl with green skin and fiery hair. She saw a boy with green hair. She saw some sort of spy. She saw two kids from her school. She saw so many more things she couldn't begin to describe. She saw horrors she couldn't name. She saw beauty defying description.

When Rebe finally awoke from her slumber, her head hurt a lot less. It was still busy with feelings, but she felt more in control. Was this the spirits of the forest talking to her? Was it her mother talking to her? Was it the Faerie? Was it her own mind? 

Rebe had far more questions than answers. All she knew was that she had to go deeper. She felt for Dasher one more time before she continued on. Rebe walked on and on. Deeper and deeper. Towards what she had no idea. Only that she had to do this. Her head finally started to clear. She saw a bright light in the darkness. She walked into the light.

Rebe found herself in a clearing. What passed for a clearing in such a dense forest. There was still a high canopy above, but there was light that penetrated the canopy. She could see with her eyes. It was a strange feeling. She once again looked for Dasher, the komodon. No such luck. 

This place was different, though. Rebe could feel more than just the forest here. She could feel life. She felt wolves, big ones. She felt owls, hares, squirrels, and cats. A surprisingly large number of cats. How she could tell what each object was, she wasn't quite sure. It was like she could feel their shape and size, kind of like how dolphins and bats echolocate. That was the best way to explain it. 

All Rebe really wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry. She did just that. Her war paint had faded. She was just a girl alone in a very big, very dark forest. She wanted to find Dasher and get out of this strange place. She missed Gran, Sam, Sato, Dan, and even Leo. She wanted to go home. Wherever that was. She wanted to see her mother, though she knew that was impossible. She settled herself to being alone and cried on the forest floor. 

"Lady Rebe," a familiar voice called out.