In The Brush

In The Brush is a fanfiction by Little Anonymous Darling.

Cast

 * Hunter Huntsman - the main, sole character of the story.
 * Cerise Hood (implied) - makes a brief appearance.

Summary
It was like any other day in the woods... or was it?

Tags / Genre

 * Fantasy
 * Suspense

Story
There was an odd presence in the woods. Something unnatural. Something that just felt... different. Even though who have never stepped foot in the wilderness would've been able to tell. The atmosphere was sticky on this hot autumn day and for Hunter, it was like anything else, aside from this spine-chilling aura. He of all people would notice the weird sensation in the depths of pine trees and thick grass in the backwoods of the Enchanted Forest.

He was just strolling through the woods, like he always did before and after school began - enjoying the feeling of being in his element.

But for some reason, today, it almost felt like he was being watched...

Sure, the animals kept their gazes locked on him, like they always did - he just had that talent with them - but it was like something more than that. As if someone in particular was following him. Yes, it might've been a bit strange to believe such a thing, but the woods were actually a dangerous place (especially if they were enchanted, he had learned).

The twigs were snapping underneath his feet as he calmly made his way through the brush and the sun was beating down on him as squirrels and mice dashed across his pathway. Truly a place of solitude for the nature loving lad. He could just sit back, relax, and not really worry about a thing. However, it did strike him curious to the fact that the birds weren't normally chirping their little lungs out like they always did at this time of day. It was early in the morning, roughly around six - about the time they'd normally be happy and joyful, but it was almost as if a spell of silence was cast upon them. Hunter wasn't that fazed by it, though.

It was probably nothing. The weather was most likely messing them up. After all, it was fairly humid for the ending of September.

He let out a sigh, seating himself down on a boulder overlooking the sights of the Enchanted Forest, only before a flood of mice, chipmunks and squirrels ran by him, all squeaking frantically as they desperately scurried into their shelters.

Now, this was odd.

Hunter knew the animals well, and they had never acted like this before. It was just too weird.

Glancing back, he saw nothing but the usual sight of trees that pierced the clouds, wildly growing grass, broken branches littering the ground... and all that was missing was the menagerie of endless critters. Definitely suspicious.

"Hello?" he called.

Could it have been a poacher? It seemed unlikely - due to all of the signs hung outside the border, alerting everyone not to kill any sort of animals in these woods. But nothing was impossible.

A light thud was heard, followed by the crack of branches, and a crash, with a final whimper. And according to Hunter, the only thought that could register to him was that some sort of dog, perhaps a wolf even, was around.

Cautiously placing a hand on the pocket of his jeans that held his trusty ratchet, the teenage boy slowly got up, walking into the direction of the sound... and the location, it had seemed wasn't very far at all. Only inches from where he was sitting, to be precise.

There, cowering underneath a pile of pine tree needles, was an wolf. But not just any wolf.

In fact, Hunter had never seen one like this in all of his life.

It was much bigger than any other kind of wolf he had noticed - and that was saying a lot, seeing how he had practically lived in the woods - and it didn't seem to run away or lunge at him, like the others had. This one just... stood there. And its' size wasn't the only peculiar thing. It seemed strangely different, and he didn't know why. Fur as black as a midnight sky, stormy grey eyes, alert ears, and blood from its' latest meal covering it's muzzle. And what really truly caught Hunter by surprise was the expression the wolf bestowed.

It almost seemed... guilty.

And within the blink of an eye, it was gone, rushing away through the trees. Trees that were much too thick for any human to trample through without getting pricked multiple times.

Puzzled, Hunter just gave a shrug and sighed at the sight of the sun. He could tell it was almost seven, and the last thing he needed was another tardy on his record. And so, he dashed off from whence he came, but the expression of the canine never left his mind...

~xoxo~

Maybe he was just imagining things. Maybe not, though. But everyday since then, Hunter had never seen the wolf, even though it haunted him. And the strangest thing was, memories of it always seemed to show up. The colors black and red would stand out to him, although they never had before. He suddenly grew a liking to wolves, whereas fear used to spark inside him near them. He just seemed more... loose.

And the stormy grey eyes.

The same day he had seen the wolf, he had noticed a girl in class, dressed in all red, with the same ones. They almost sparkled on her, though. And perhaps it was just his imagination but he could've sworn he heard a growl from her when she caught him staring...