Some principles in this cosmos are law, some principles simply must be, and forever will. The very fabric of reality itself will always find a way to maintain the great principles, the great cogs in the machine. And so, I could only fall for so long, before, reality rectified itself. Thankfully, through terror alone I blacked out before the earth and the heavens met one another.

I don't know how long had passed before I finally opened my eyes, nor do I fully comprehend how I survived the fall. And yet, as I warily pulled myself upright, testing my weight and awaiting the nausea to pass I quickly discovered that despite the destruction around me, despite the mound of earth that yielded to the force of my impact, despite the crater that obscured my surroundings, I was completely without injury. I would have said it was divine intervention, if it weren't for the feral screams that had awoke me in the first place.

The scream wasn't that close and issued forth from the north, as I was dragging myself up and out of the crater another scream responded from the east, then another, and another, and another, until breathing heavily and sweating from every pore I was free from the crater at last only to discover that I was now standing in a blanketing and seemingly endless fog. "Great..." At least the screaming had ceased. This discovery should have put me at ease, instead my heart pounded so hard that I could hear it. A great and powerful drumming, erratic, yet purposeful, beautiful yet horrid. I closed my eyes, attempted to centre myself, and yet the ceaseless drumming thwarted any and all attempts to hold back the terror that threatened to sink its teeth into me.

I staggered forth into the great mist, my body walking as if a mere puppet of the will of another, all the while internally I was fighting tooth and nail for control over the terror that had washed over me and second by second threatened to drown me. I don't know how long or how far I had wandered in my haze, all I knew what that I was far from alone, twigs snapped under feet, rocks tumbled, one or twice, something ran ahead of me in the mist, the encounter lasted mere seconds but, in that instance, however brief, something humanoid revealed itself. The control over me finally broke just as what I can only assume was a hand reached out and caressed my back. I turned on the spot only to discover that I was alone. Then I heard from all around me the sound of entities that were once upon a time, children, giggling.

I ran, not knowing nor caring what I was running toward, I ran with the single-minded drive of survival, my inner self was abandoned, I operated now on pure base instinct, the illusion of the self was abandoned, the vanity of the soul, of the mind, of the individual, lay discarded on the ground somewhere in the mist behind me. Every fibre of my body, every limb, every organ, every muscle, every tendon, every part of me agreed. I had get the fuck out of here.

And so, I ran, and I ran, and I ran, until I could run no further, but even then, I refused to stop, refused to turn my head and glimpse behind me, and so I pushed on, beyond exhaustion, beyond pain, until suddenly, the mist was long gone, and I was fully embraced into this world, not by the sights, nor the sounds, but by the thickness of a great tree trunk. That's right. I had ran head-first into a tree's trunk and knocked myself the fuck out.

"He's clean?"

"I don't care if he's clean or covered in shit, hurry up and search his pockets."

"No. you don't understand. he's fucking clean."

"Oh."

"No signs of the Rott at all, where the fuck has this guy been hiding?"

"It doesn't matter, soon he'll be like the rest of us, the silly prick should have stayed where he came from."

"Should we wake him?"

"Should we make him some breakfast while were at it? Don't be such a tit."

"Other than his clothes and his boots, this guy has nothing."

"Then take them."

"Really?"

"I suppose you're okay not eating tonight then?"

"Fine."

When my boots were almost undone a voice whispered in my ear.

"I know you're awake, and I'm sorry, but keep still and keep your eyes closed."

I breathed a sigh.

A hand tapped me on my bare thigh. "Good lad. When you open your eyes head straight for the ravine. No deviations. No detours."

"What's taking so fucking long? Are you raping the poor bastard?"

"I'm coming."

Laughter sounded from nearby. "Oh, I bet you are."

XXX

I waited, and waited, and waited some more, until finally, I was sure I was alone, only then did I open my eyes and wished I hadn't. A hound sat before me, its wild eyes bearing down upon me, it stared at me, it's muscles taut, the beast rigid, poised to tear my throat open at a moments notice. We stared at one another in silence, before the hound snorted and slowly turned away from me. It lingered, paused, then snorted once more in what could only be frustration before turning back around to face me and glaring. I pulled myself cautiously upright, never taking my eyes from the hound, and it grinned. Yet it remained where it was, it was only when I took a step forward that the hound grunted and once more ventured down the path beyond, heading downhill to the nearby stream. After a few moments it paused once more and turned back to face me and howled. It was only then that I realised that the hound wanted me to follow it. I comprehended the notion, but it was laughable. Why should I follow some wild beast, naked and unarmed, to where? Maybe to its den so its ilk could surprise me and feast on me while I screamed in the complete and total darkness of its den. As If reading my thoughts, it snorted and shook its head and lowered its belly to the ground, its eyes never wavering from me, nor blinking. I approached the hound with extreme caution, and it bared its teeth in a yawn. Inches from it, the hound rolled over onto its exposed belly and panted. Waiting. Its intelligent eyes fixated on me. I stared at the beast in bafflement and a single word voiced itself in my mind, the voice was alien, wild, barely comprehensible. It took several seconds for my brain to translate it. "Trust?" I asked the hound.

The hound whined and waited. I knelt before it and inched my hand closer and closer to its exposed belly. Aware that at any moment the hound could attack me. Slowly I rubbed the hounds exposed belly and it panted and stopped baring its teeth. "Trust." I repeated, no longer was it even a question. The hound trusted me. Satisfied the hound rolled back onto its front and resumed leading me to its destination. Rooted to the spot, unable to decide upon a course of action, even though the path before me was plain to see, I questioned my sanity. The question was answered for me in the form of an agonizing scream of terror. That was followed by another. The screams came from behind me, from the path that I had already walked. It was obvious it was the two men who had robbed me. Upon hearing the scream, the hound snarled and began pacing back and forth with clear impatience, all the while glaring at me. "Hang on, Hang on. I'm coming."

I set forth, following the hound, my pace quickening with the passing seconds. Occasionally the hound was stand still and sniff the air, waiting patently for some sign that only it could read. Minute's past, then with a grunt, we would once more set forth, the hound leading, me following.

We walked through a rich and wild terrain and yet it was barren of life, no birds, other animals, mankind, nothing. The silence of the forest was more disturbing than the prospect of what had been the source of the two men's screams. The terrain was barren and yet I never felt alone, throughout the entire journey I felt like I was being watched, whether it was merely a figment of my stressed mind was neither here nor there, all that mattered was that with each passing minute I was growing more and more fearful. The hound sensed this and tried to calm me by no longer walking ahead of me but instead by my side. Which of course, I saw as an animalistic act of protection, he is under my protection, hands off, which rather than calm my frenzied state, reinforced it. I started to look around me, as I walked, my eyes seeking ambush points.

We finally made it to the riverbed and the rushing sound of the water appeared to calm my nerves, I focused on it entirely, letting it sooth me, letting it nourish me. So, absorbed in it I was, that it took me a while to notice that as I was calmer, now the hound was agitated, clearly panicking, I paused and looked around for the source of the hound's anxiety and the beast snarled and nipped my ankle. Not properly but with enough force to get my attention. I cursed and at once resumed following the rushing river. However, call it curiosity, call it magic, mysticism, I turned around one last time and as I looked behind me, I saw them, humanoids standing amongst the trees, watching myself and the hound, the vibes emanating from them was enough quicken my pace. No longer would I look back. No thank you.

"We're being followed?" I asked the hound. The hound snorted in reply its eyes met mine and even though the fright was evident, the need for survival clear. I once more heard that alien voice in my mind. Trust.

"How far?" I asked. The hound shook its head and at once no longer keeping pace with me began to take the lead, not quite a run but neither a trot. The hound led me.

XXX

The river ceased abruptly, and in its place stood a great towering oak, hundreds if not thousands of years old. Old enough to blot out the sun if it ever intended to do so.

Upon seeing the oak before us the hound bayed and without pause began to sprint as fast as its legs could carry it. I struggled to keep up with its pace, and before I knew it, the hound was at the base of the great oak tree.

Waiting patiently for me, baring its teeth, and snarling in my direction. It was only then that I realised I wasn't alone. Those things were behind me, I dare not look behind me, for fear that I would be rooted to the spot by whatever horrors awaited. I pushed on and was almost at the foot of the oak when something crashed into my back and knocked me to the floor.

The hound howled yet refused to come to my aid. Hands or maybe talons dug for purchase in my flesh as I attempted to throw the weight off my back. Then I heard it, the sound of a multitude of others running, rushing forward, no longer skulking. Without thinking about it, I twisted my body onto my back, squashing whatever was now underneath me, and with all the force I could muster I raised my head and slammed it back, smashing the back of my skull into whatever was attempting to restrain me. The thing hissed but I felt it release its grip on me, and then I was back on my feet, once more running for my life towards the hound and the great oak. The creatures behind me were gaining, ushered on by the pain I had caused their brethren.

The hound grinned at me as I made it to the oak. I was about to ask now what when I noticed the hole in the trunk of the oak, barely big enough for the hound. The hound turned immediately and darted into the dark depths of the trunk. I knew I couldn't possibly fit, even if I tried. So instead, I screamed a curse, believing myself to be betrayed, and turned to face the monstrosities that approached in the long grass.

"Bastard!"

Trust. The hound replied in its alien voice. I tensed myself, steeling myself for a quick battle. My fists clenched bone tight. Then I heard it, a scurrying from the hole in the trunk. I turned on the spot just in time to witness an old, frail man sliver from the trunk and pull himself warily to his feet. He was wearing a makeshift garb fashioned from the fur of the hound that had led me here. Sensing my confusion, he laughed and quickly slapped a wooden branch in my open palm. I stared down at it with bewilderment and the elderly man snarled just like the hound. "Use it." He groaned, straining his vocal cords, as if they hadn't been used for decades.

What at first, I mistook for a branch, was in fact, a whittled dagger of oak. Crude and yet beautiful in its own way. I turned to look at the gathering humanoids and sighed.

"Thanks, but I don't think this pig sticker will do much good to be honest."

The frail man glared at me with such animosity that despite his frail nature I knew that he could end my life with ease if he desired.

"How?" I asked.

"Bloody hell." He sighed and stormed over to me. "Like this." He scolded and held my hand holding the dagger to my other wrist and sliced.

Despite being made of oak it sank itself into my flesh with ease and as the blood spouted from my wrist, as I dropped to my knees holding my injured wrist in my hand in an attempt to staunch the blood-flow. The man stood before me and the pouring blood and began to speak in an alien accent. And as he did the heavens grew restless. The skies darkened, the air sizzled and charged, hummed, my teeth hurt. With his strange proclamation finished, the man began to stomp the blood-soaked earth at his feet and with each stomp lighting bolts hit the earth, each bolt causing death and devastation to our unknown pursuers. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Soon the valley was ablaze. A horrid blend of lightning, fire, and blood. In my ever-diminishing state I barely could make out the pursuers fleeing, what was left of them at least, for their numbers had been severely culled. "That's right flee you cowards. Flee before..." it was then that he noticed the fact that I was dying, and dying fast, and he dropped to his knees before me with panic. "Oh Shit."

*And so, from this day forth, until time ending, the humanoids of the forest, whispered horror stories to each other in the dead of night, spreading fear and terror to their children with tales a mad wizard who lived inside the great oak, a hurler of sky fire, and bringer of death, known only as Ohshit. *