The Girl Beneath The Tree

A girl's voice fills my head entirely, and suddenly I feel my energy has been renewed. Still not fully aware of what is going on, I quickly dash to my side just in time to hear a loud and horrendous crack that reverberates through the forest. I turn around to confirm that my prediction is indeed correct, it was the sound of the boar slamming head first into the tree right where I had just been standing. It is then that I am able to recall the girl's voice and her message floods into my brain "Run, quickly you can't die here, I know that you are capable of saving me."

Understanding what the words mean does nothing to console my curiosity and instead leaves me with more questions than I had had before I was aware of what she had said. Suddenly dozens of questions swarm my head as if it were a bee's nest, "Who is this girl?", "How was her voice in my head?", "Is this the voice I had heard before?" "Why did she save me?" "What did she mean I was the one capable of saving her?" and lastly "What happened to the boar?" Upon thinking that last one, my senses return and I turn to see that the boar lies heaped over right where it had nearly killed me.

Upon further inspection, I realize that the boar's neck is broken, presumably due to it trying to move itself to compensate for my sudden and unexpected last minute parry. Although, it had only managed to move its head, before meeting its unfortunate demise as it's partially turned head collided forcefully with the trunk right at the moment of impact, killing it instantly. I think back to the horrible sound I heard earlier and decide this must have been the actual source of it. Seeing the beast in its current grotesque state, I nearly feel sorry for it. However, this feeling of sympathy soon dissipates as I remember that I was a split-second from being the one lying against this trunk.

Thankfully, all of those extra lessons I had taken had just saved my life and I couldn't help but feel I'd been given a miracle. Unfortunately for me, it wouldn't be long before I realized that all things come with a price, and this was no exception. Finally free of the boar's fierce rampage, I feel the burden of all the injuries I had sustained along my body. The most evident being the large gaping gash across my chest that I knew needed to be treated relatively quickly. However, I couldn't just abandon my quest, so I wrap my wound and tie the cloth with an intricate knot. I then retrieve my sword from the tree that it had landed in.

I decided to give myself ten minutes to find a rabbit, and for the first time since I started this quest something goes my way. For a mere two minutes into my search, I find one grazing on some nearby vegetation. After catching it and returning to the boar, my entire body is washed over by an incredible sense of accomplishment as I finally have all the items required to finish this quest. Fully aware that I just don't have the energy to take the boar, I slice off its ridiculously large head and determine it'd be best if I at least have a way to prove that I *had* a boar. I realize that a few hours have passed since I first entered the forest and the sun is slowly starting to set.

I am just about to head back to the castle when suddenly, I hear another voice. The first voice I had heard. No, disregard that, it's different. While it does sound eerily similar to the other two, this one is different still. I realize that while it does sound like the other girl's voices, something seems off. It sounds more mature than the other two, and for some reason, the other two feel much more connected; almost as if they are the exact same voice, with subtle differences. This one however, has a much colder and darker feel to it. It tells me to return to the area where the boar lies, and an image of a spring suddenly flashes through my head.