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Prompt: You wake up in the forest. How you got there isn’t important right now. But the thing is that you’ve been given a time limit by a sinister voice who acts like this is just the first round in some demented game. Whether or not you really want to play, you do know that you don’t want to stay here.

What you need to do:
Write out facing 2-3 obstacles/riddles to overcome before you make it out of the forest. Your prompt should end with you making it past the edge of the woods.



He woke up alone. This was unusual, as he lived in a very crowded glen that seems to get bigger by the moment. He shook off the sleepiness invading his brain as his dark eyes scanned the area in confusion, a frown deeply cutting his face. The voice was alarming when it started, coming from nowhere as it did, but the stallion remained stoic as he looked around for the source. Finding nothing he concluded this must be some prank by the spirits. His son Agares could see them and Samael wished he was with him now. Maybe Agares could make sense out what was happening. As it stood this appeared to be some twisted game someone or something was playing, and not the type of game his daughter Berith usually played. This was unsettling. Besides, he didn't have time for this nonsense. He had a wife and family to get back to, including 3 small babies still in their baskets. His family needed him. The woods looked the same in all directions and with no idea where he was it was unclear where to go, but he was no stranger to being lost or alone. He located the sun and decided he'd head west. It was as good a direction as any to head it so he simply started marching onward, determined to get home.

After a short while he came upon the most massive downed tree he had ever seen. The trunk was taller than himself and stretched in either direction farther than he could see through the other trees. To go around might take much longer than he had, if that voice's sinister tone was any indication to the type of game they were playing. He had to find a way over it. After a quick look around he found another tree that looked like it could bear him and kicked it down against the much larger tree, creating a ramp. He carefully scaled it and jumped off the other side, landing hard. The large stallion shook off his legs as he kept plodding forward, feeling the pressure of time ticking by.

He tried not to let his mind wander too far towards the horrible things that might befall his family if he couldn't protect them. He knew they were safe. Even if he wasn't there the others would all look out for his newborns and he knew that, despite the nagging fear gripping his heart. His grimace deepened as a simmering anger built up. How dare this spirit or whatever it was take him from his family! Outwardly his face was merely dour but inside was a raging fire. His heavy footfalls were all that could be heard for a while. Then came the sound of rushing water, and Samael kept towards it.

He came upon a river that ended in a waterfall that fell away from him down some immeasurable distance. It looked like quite the cliff. He looked upstream but the river was a rapids as far up the river as he could see. He growled out a frustrated sigh. He really didn't have time for this. Not for the first time he thought about going back and starting out in a different direction but that seemed pointless. All he could do was press on. He moved up the river a ways, away from the thundering waterfall. He found an area that was narrower and calmer, though was still running perilously fast. If he lost his footing crossing he'd be swept out to the waterfall in moments. There weren't any trees big enough for the large stallion to use as a bridge, but perhaps a guide across the river would be enough. He knocked a tree across the river and then used it to keep himself from being washed away. The river was shallow enough here for him to walk across, though the water was savage and protested his every step towards shore. Panting, he made it finally. He paused to take a drink and then continued on.

He was bone-weary and now cold from the freezing water, but he soldiered on the same grim determination on his face. He growled out his frustration as he pushed through the tangled masses of underbrush and dead branches that stood in his way. He had countless superficial cuts and bruises by the time the light through the trees showed the tree line. Finally. He picked up the pace as he neared and finally made it through to the grassy opening beyond the trees.






Word Count: 757