The sounds of flowing waters welcome the young boy as he returns to consciousness. The next moment the pain in his head flares and gives him its own tear filled welcome. Pushing his hands into the mud, the child lifts himself up. Glancing around, he sees nothing familiar to him. The water was following the valley as a large stream, which traveled beyond the boy’s field of vision. The trees were ancient and covered with pristine moss from antiquity. Sunlight shifted through the tree top from the west giving the forest a depth and life the child had never felt before.
Realizing the only sounds he heard were from the birds and insects, he began to cry. Large tears welled up in his eyes before running over like a river during a monsoon. The tranquil forest echoed with his wet sobs of loneliness. He continued till no more tears arose, and his chest hurt from expelling his fears.
Slowly he realized he was not alone. He stood up on shaky legs, weak from his exhibition of sadness. He turned to face a familiar form of a man once known to him, but the young boy could not recall who he was. The man stood at the edge of the woods stoic and foreboding; yet comforting and warm to the child. He raised a hand and beaconed the child to follow before turning to weave his way through the dense fur of the forest.
The young boy fearful of losing this companion chased him on short legs. The forest fought the child for each of his steps with large roots, and creepy insects. The young boy never lost sight of the man who seemed to always be a few feet ahead of the boy while moving at a much slower pace. Within a few moments the stream was lost to sight and sound, but a new stimuli reach tendril like sensations towards the boy.
The strange man lead the child within a hundred paces of a clearing, which the boy could only see fleeting glimpses of silver and white. The only strong indication that something was at of place in this ancient body of trees was the smell of fire. The burning brush and other materials followed the boy even when he had moved quite far away with the mysterious man.
The boy was becoming increasingly tired at such a long trek after just waking up. When the man moved through a small clearing, the child found a sit in between the roots of a large tree. It felt as if the tree had made this bed of moss and grass just for the boy and he fell asleep quickly as the darkness of night fell upon the forest. The man continued to walk before disappearing into the thick blackness.
A warm, wet feeling of a tongue across the face greeted the boy early the next morning. The light from the sun blinded the boy from everything expect the dark shadow that stared back at him. Tears began to build when the shadow gave a bark. The boy stood next to the Akita who looked into his eyes with an inquisitive expression. The child hugged his new companion began to walk no longer alone.
Together they treaded through the dark forest, navigating through the trees and brush. The sounds of the forest spoke to them like a third companion. Even though the forest song and spoke all about them it never felt safe so the boy stayed with his Hachiko. They rested when ever the child felt tired, the Akita never leaving his line of sight. Though the boy was confused and lost, he felt happy to have this red shaded protector.
As the sun disappeared from the sky, the Akita paused suddenly before dashing into the woods bearing a low growl. The child wondered where his friend had gone, and waited for his return. After a long wait and no sign of his friend, the boy cried himself to sleep. Two figures sitting in the branches watched over the boy as he slept.
His stomach growled and pounded inside of him till he awoke from his turbulent slumber. The boy clenched his tummy, and began to wonder for food. Walked for a long time looking for something like food. He tried some grasses, one or two leaves, and even a beetle he caught. His hunger was worsening when he fell down a small slope and landed in a berry patch. The child was small enough to work his way through the bushes while eating his fill. Upon reaching the other side he gazed up two figures. The man from before and a lady who also felt familiar to the boy stood a distance in the woods. The boy dashed towards them, but they simply turned around and began to keep the distance.
The boy chased the couple throughout the day, yet always felt like another being was keeping eyes on him. The eerie feeling was always there, but never enough to cause the boy to lose sight of the adults who walked in front of him. His focus on the couple prevented him from seeing the black blur rushing though the forest. Then like lightning as dark as the void rushed through the couple stealing them from the child’s sight.
Horrified the child could not even let a scream escape his lips. Scanning the forest he saw nothing of the shape nor the people he was following. He began to run without any direction through the maze of this grove of pillars to escape the attacker of his hope. Trees blocked his sight, roots reached for him, and brushes tried to hold him so the Darkness could get him; yet it was the absence of these things that froze him when in his tracks.
Heaving as he slid into the clearing, the boy gazed upon a ball of dark shadows laying in the middle of the grass. Shivers ran down the boy as it unfolded its self to look upon the small fleshing thing. The black bear greatly out sized the child, which only heighten the dread inside of him. A bellowing roar sent birds into the air, but left the boy planted like a great oak. Slowly, with lumbering steps, the bear approached the boy like death himself.
Before the bear reached the boy, a red streak tackled the forest’s god of death. A mixture of red and black rolled into the trees with a thunderous roar. The boy dashed straight ahead without looking back, but hoping his friend would be alright. The sounds of the battle faded out as the young boy pumped his legs as hard as he could.
Soon he reached the edge of this great forest that had been his home for days. The road was a comforting sight that the child thought he would never see again. As he reached the pavement, he looked back upon the trees that marked the beginning of the forest. The Forest looked back at him with three pairs of eyes. The couple smiled with warmth they had shown him while they still lived, and the boy’s Hachiko sat smiling at the brave boy. The child raised his hands and waved to them. Sounds of a vehicle began to reach the ears of the boy, and the couple faded back into the forest. The Akita let out a long howl, then also returned to her mountain home to guide the next lost soul home.