Chapter Two - Through the Forest

Felix was walking on a path that had been worn down by many years of use, mostly by travelers and their array of goods. The scenery was purely magnificent. The sun was setting, giving the grass an orange glow. The birds flew in small flocks, trying to beat the sun to their homes. Felix did not notice any of it.

He was lost, deep in thought of his brother. He thought of the times when they were still young, and played with the flocks of their neighbour’s sheep. He thought of the time where Levi came back from his first hunting trip, with a dead rabbit in his hands, a wide smile on his face, and hundreds of red scrapes where the rabbit had scratched his skin after tearing open parts of his tunic. Then, Felix remembered all of the arguments that they had. There were times when Levi would go into the forest for days, because of one of these fights had hurt him so much, just to come back home with an apology and a great amount of fish. Felix felt utter remorse and his conscience could not take it.

As he walked, he came upon a travelling salesman, who was going the way that Felix had just left. The man offered to show the boy his merchandise. Felix just watched with a blank expression as the man advertised his items.

Interrupting the man, now trying to sell his wares, Felix asked,” How far away is the next town?”

The wide smile on the man’s face shrank, and he replied, “You mean the town of Wide Willows? Oh, it is just a two-day trip from here, if you take the forest road, that is. Now, this here is a …”

With the details he needed to know, Felix said hastily, “Thank you for your assistance. I will be going now,” Then sped off towards the woods.

After a while of running along the path, Felix came to the dense woods. The trees were humongous, reaching one hundred and ninety feet tall. Many travellers have gotten lost because they strayed off the path. He had to be sure that he wasn’t daydreaming, otherwise, he might lose his way, and that would spell disaster in twenty different languages.

He then started through the woods. The road was dark, and humid. The only light came from where the moon peeked through small gaps in the trees. There were bugs everywhere, on the ground, in the air, and some even had the nerve to sit on Felix, and were swatted on the ground for their trouble.

As he walked, he decided to sing a few lines of a poem.

The seven headed monster waits,

Behind the Lorly forest gates,

With eyes of ruby,

Scales, like black pearls,

Eight inch long talons,

Sharpened and curled.

Teeth of ivory,

Covered in blood,

Brooding beneath,

A rushing flood.

Waiting in the lake,

Hour after hour,

Silently searching,

For prey to devour.

The hydra and his breath of fire,

Lured by the fools voice and lyre,

Shall hide in wait, in the deep mist,

And the poor victim, shall cease to exist.

He is smarter than most,

And of that, he will boast,

For if you deny, you’ll be his next roast,

Then he’ll order some butter, to go with his toast.

With some fumes that he breathes, he will put you to sleep,

So there is no tenseness in the meat

He’ll gather your bones, throw them into a heap,

He will save them for last, (a delectable treat)

If you ever travel, into the wood,

Please watch your toes, because they could,

Be eaten in a matter of moments

The beast is not evil, just simply violent

After a while, the trees thickened, and Felix could hardly see a thing. Stumbling across a clearing, he decided to rest his eye for a while.

What’s the harm? Thought Felix, as he dozed off into slumber.

Felix had a dream that night. In it, there was a long, long road. When he finally got to the end, he was at Frondletin’s lake. It was exactly as Felix remembered. The pond, the foliage. Everything. Then, he saw something that made his heart jump. Levi was there. Fishing. Felix said Levi? How did you get here? You were killed by the Rulers of the earth.

True. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t talk to you in your dreams. said his younger brother

Felix stared in disbelief, as Levi reeled in another fish

Would you like one? They are freshly cooked. as he spoke, Felix noticed a fire, and fish on the pan.

Felix took one, and his stomach rumbled. Although, it wasn’t his stomach. It came from the trees. Levi turned into smoke and blew away. Everything else followed suit

Levi! Felix yelled. LEVI! There was no response.

Felix woke up with a start. He heard a low, dark growl. He sat up, and reached for his bow. He held it, waiting for what was to come.

A while of silence, then, it happened. The growl came again. He could not exactly pinpoint where it was coming from as It seemed to come from everywhere. What is going on? Felix thought. Then, a warm, bubbly, clear blob of liquid plopped on his shoulder. It took all of his willpower to look up and when he did; a pair of glowing, crimson eyes, and fangs, dripping a mix of saliva and venom, met his gaze.

Felix lurched to his feet, dropping his bow on the ground, and ran to the other side of the clearing, just as a orange flame licked the ground, turning it to embers. But when he looked up, he found that the head was there, too. Yet it was slightly different, more pointed was this one's snout. Then, he realized that while he was surrounded by seven dragonheads. Then, the truth hit him. It was not Dragons surrounding him. Instead, the worst possible creature surrounded him. The Hydra was stalking him.

Felix examined his weapons. He had his sword and his quiver was full of arrows. Unfortunately, his bow still lay underneath the first head. Thinking quickly, he huddled in a ball, and started shivering. To the Hydra, it would seem that he was cowering on fear.

In reality, he was waiting for a head to get close. One did. Felix jumped up, while simultaneously drawing his sword, and chopped off the head. It fell to the ground, still spurting the relaxing gases, and rolled out of the clearing. Felix congratulated himself for such a great strike, when he then heard a squelching noise. He turned around, and watched in horror as the neck split in two. Then, from each neck, a head sprouted. Nice work, Felix thought. Now I'm dealing with an eight headed creature! Felix needed another plan, and fast.

If only he could distract the first head from his bow long enough to gather it, he would have a chance. He wanted to throw something in frustration. Throw something. he thought. Then an idea sprouted in his mind. He slowly reached in his quiver, and grabbed two arrows. He then tossed them both at the head's eyes. It happened so quick, that the hydra didn't have time to close his eyes. bad mistake on his part thought Felix proudly as both arrows landed directly on the pupils. An ocean blue blood spurted from the hydras eyes. He howled in pain, swishing his head back and forth, clawing at his eyes to get the arrows out.

That was all Felix could have asked for. He darted under the swaying head, grabbed his bow, and darted out again before he the melee of talons tore him apart. He notched his arrow, and fired at the head. The homemade arrow whizzed through the air, striking the creature in the temples.

The first head roared with pain, then dissolved in a pool of highly corrosive acid, dissolving the earth and plants. Felix grabbed another arrow to shoot, but then something funny happened. All of the heads, one by one, went cross-eyed and then went limp, until the body itself fell to the ground, dead.

I must have killed the main head. Thought the boy, as he went and collected his arrows. He then began walking toward the town. Not two hours of walking, before him rested the town. His body crying out for rest, he went to the gate and knocked on a hatch.

A purple, fat creature with a bird’s beak and black midnight eyes poked its head out and said in an irritatingly high voice, “What do you want?"

"I wish to come in." said the youth, “I have travelled long to get here, and am in great need of true rest."

All the while, the thing was watching his face closely."Now listen, boy. My name is Albanifie and I can tell a lie from the truth easier than one could tell stone from jam! That is what makes me such a valuable gate keeper!” He told Felix nodding his head, his double chin wobbling and he did, “Let me tell you, your face tells me that you are telling me the truth. So please, come in!" He exclaimed and a jolly laugh escaped from his dark purple lips.

Then, after a ruckus of levers and the creak of wooden gears turning, the reinforced gate opened, allowing Felix to enter. The large gate closed in the same manner, and Felix went to search for a place to rest his head.