Frozen Secrets of the Wilds

"The Wild Hunt has been seen in the skies over the forest."

The words rang loud in my mind, beyond the whispering of the leaves, the chatter of a squirrel, and the rustling of a deer. I slowly followed Henny down the path, watching her feet with every step she took. She never looked back at me.

My clothes were dusty and torn. My hair had not seen water for days. The smell of death clung to me, even though I could no longer feel my own sweat against my skin. I had followed Henny through this cursed forest for so many hours that I had lost count. We had stopped only to rest and eat.

She did not know that she was leading me to my death along with all of her people. The heathens that wandered through these woods were just as doomed as we were.

I watched Henny's back as she paused at a stream and bent down to dip her hands into the water. When she raised her hands, they were full of small white flowers that grew near the bank. As I watched, she crushed them between her fingers and let the liquid fall into her mouth before spitting it out again into the water. She drank from the stream before taking off again down the path through the forest without a word to me or any of her people behind us. She was but a child, but she led us all still.

We walked for what felt like hours until we reached an opening in the trees where our paths crossed another smaller trail running through the middle of two large hills and a steep drop-off on either side of it that led into a narrow valley below us. There was a strange sort of structure there made out of rocks and sticks that looked like some sort of altar from which smoke billowed up from into the sky above it into a dark cloud in front of which sat an old man dressed in dark robes wearing a wooden mask that covered his face but for his eyes and mouth which stared down at us all from atop one of those hillsides. Each hill held figures that stood together in silence before all looking down at us with cold, empty eyes that seemed to pierce right through our souls as we slunk out onto the path before them. They wore black robes and formed lines on either side of an empty space in front of them where they stood facing each other with arms folded across their chests as if they were guarding some great secret or treasure that lay there in front of them waiting for our arrival among them on that path between those two hills with their sharp slopes pointed down towards us and their sharp edges pointing up towards heaven so that anyone who dared venture too far would find themselves impaled upon those edges by heaven itself if they weren't careful about how far they ventured along such paths as this one before us now. I saw spears rising up among those edges out past those men standing there at attention silently staring down at us as we approached them along that narrow path between those two hillsides guarded by troopers who are sworn to kill any who attempt to pass by without permission from above those men standing there with their arms folded across their chest like statues carved out from stone with expressions fixed upon their faces that never changed even when a man dressed in simple brown robes stepped forward from one line into the open space between them to block our passage along that path like he had appeared out of nowhere stepping between those two lines like he had materialized there out of thin air while behind him others moved back into formation on either side to fill in his spot so as not to leave any gaps between those lines above us on either side blocking our passage along that path leaving us no choice but to stop before them all looking up at them with trepidation looking up at those men standing there in silence staring down at us with cold, dead eyes behind their wooden masks knowing full well why we were here and what awaited us around that corner on this journey through their lands while beside me Henny stopped cold in front of them staring up at them wide-eyed watching these strange men dressed in black robes look down at her silently wondering what it was they wanted from her people who never ventured outside these woods unless it was to hunt for food or gather herbs for medicines yet now found herself surrounded by strangers who looked down upon her silent people staring up at them curiously wondering what it was they wanted from them here deep within this cursed wood before this strange altar made out of sticks and stones where smoke billowed up into the sky above it forming some dark cloud swirling above this place like some sort of portal waiting to swallow you up once you passed through its veil upward into heaven or whatever lies beyond it above the clouds where birds live and fly among those stars twinkling brightly above you surrounded by nothing else but dark emptiness stretching out forever outward toward infinity where you might disappear forever never to be heard from again left alone forever floating alone forever among nothingness without anyone else around except for yourself left trapped there staring up at yourself endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly endlessly infinitely infinitely infinitely infinitely infinitely infinitely infinitely infinitely infinitey infinitey infinitey infinitey infinitey infinitey infinitey infinite infinite eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternal eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eternity eterity eterity eterity eterity eterity eterity eterity eterity eterty eterni ty eterni ty eterni ty eterni ty eterni ty eterni ty *

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"Das Wilde Heer ist über den Himmel geflogen," whispered one voice echoing another growing louder throughout my head as water dripped onto my forehead waking me up back amongst these men dressed in black robes guarding this path before me who stared silently down at me waiting for someone else besides myself to speak first then perhaps allow us passage along this path between these two hills where Henny stood looking back towards me hesitantly wondering what was wrong with me here standing frozen like someone made out of stone standing still forever staring up towards heaven waiting for something else besides myself to move first then perhaps allow passage along this path between these two hills where these men dressed in black robes stood silently staring down at me waiting  at something else besides myself - something other than myself - something beyond myself - something more than myself - something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? Something more than myself? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it?" whispered voices echoing voices growing louder throughout my head just beneath my skin as water dripped onto my forehead waking me back amongst these men dressed in black robes guarding this path before me who stared silently down at me waiting for someone else besides myself to move first then perhaps allow passage along this path between these two hills where these people stood looking back towards me hesitantly wondering what was wrong with me here standing frozen like someone made out of stone standing still forever staring up towards heaven waiting for something else besides themselves to move first then perhaps allow passage along this path between these two hills where these people stood standing silently staring down waiting for someone else besides themselves - something other than themselves - something beyond themselves - something more than themselves - something more than themselves - something more than themselves - something more than themselves - something more than themselves?" whispered voices echoing voices growing louder throughout my head just beneath my skin as water dripped onto my forehead waking me back amongst these men dressed in black robes guarding this path before me who stared silently down at me patiently waiting for someone else besides themselves - something other than themselves - something beyond themselves - something more than themselves - something more than themselves - something more than themselves - "Something More Than Myself?" whispered voices echoing voices growing louder throughout my head just beneath my skin as water dripped onto my forehead waking me back amongst these men dressed in black robes guarding this path before me who stared silently down at me patiently waiting for someone else besides themselves - "Something Other Than Myself?" whispered voices echoing voices growing louder throughout my head just beneath my skin as water dripped onto my forehead waking me back amongst these men dressed in black robes guarding this path before me who stared silently down at me impatiently waiting for someone else besides themselves - "Something Other Then Myself?" whispered voices echoing voices growing louder throughout my head just beneath my skin as water dripped onto my forehead waking me back amongst these men dressed in black robes guarding this path before me who stared silently down at me patiently waiting for someone else besides themselves - "Something Other Than..." whispered voices echoing voices growing louder throughout my head just beneath my skin as water dripped onto my forehead waking me back amongst these men dressed in black robes guarding this path before me who stared silently down at m-

"Something Other Than...?" whispered whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers whispering whispers