Ben’s eyes went wide. His heart stopped in his chest. A chill ran down his spine, and a cold sweat formed on his neck. The air appeared to distort around the arrowhead that was inches away from his face. Jor loosed the arrow with a thunderous twang, and Ben saw white.

A few heartbeats later, his vision returned, and he was greeted by the cold grey canopy that fought against the pale sky. He had fallen on his back and realized that his rescuer hadn't, in fact, had a sudden, murderous change of heart. Fueled by adrenaline, he rolled to the forest floor and took stock of the carnage behind him.

"Ben! Are you alright?"

Jor rushed to his side, bow in hand. Ben stared, mouth agape, at the scene. It was as if a tank had fired an armor-piercing round and not the arrow of a petite woman. In a straight line from their position, grey trees appeared to have had fist-sized holes punched through them as far as he could see. Specks of blood and viscera lazily ceded to gravity all around the pair.

At that moment, he saw the source of the crimson rain. Still silently twitching, a horse-sized, insectile horror had been torn in two. Its chitin was a semi-transparent grey and it resembled what Ben thought to be a nightmare praying mantis. Its eyes were deep black voids that didn’t reflect light, and with its scythe-like pincers, it was trying to drag itself closer toward its prey. The wrongness of the scene shook Ben to his core. He watched as the bloody upper half of the mantis eerily dragged itself closer and closer, yet there was no sound to accompany the action.

The archer stood and released two more arrows in quick succession, albeit with much less force than before. The mantis stopped moving, and Ben could breathe. She kneeled down and inspected him.

"That was not how this was supposed to go," she said as she stood and helped Ben to his feet.

"It must be worse than we thought if there are stalkers in this part of the forest. That blood you’re seeing doesn’t belong to her. She must’ve hunted recently."

"What was that thing?" Ben asked, shivering from the ordeal.

"Oh, right. They’re predators that move between the weave. That’s why they’re so silent. Or at least we think so. It’s rare to find them in this part of the country. They usually thrive in lush, living jungles, not blighted woods like this area."

"So, they’ve been driven out of their natural habitat somehow?"

"More like they’ve been drawn here by something. And they don’t usually hunt for a while after they’ve eaten their fill."

She spoke while sweeping her gaze over the gore and chitin that were splayed on the ground. Jor scanned their surroundings once more and turned to Ben.

"Look, if this thing’s here, it means that our situation just became a whole lot more complicated, and I won’t be able to use my Avatar again for a while."

Jor brushed the dirt from Ben’s clothes, not looking up into his eyes, and indicated with a tilt of the head that they should move.

"Let’s head back and continue where we left off at camp. It’ll be a task to get rid of prying ears, but I think the necessity supersedes the need for privacy. We’re in a dire spot right now."

"Got it."

"Also, I don’t want to attract any more attention on the way, so let's keep the chatter to an absolute minimum."

Ben shivered as he thought of more of those creatures stalking them. He nodded and followed the tall squad leader silently through the woods. Eyes absently fixated on the long, dark braid that swayed like a pendulum in front of him. His head ached from all the questions he was restraining himself from asking. He tried to make some sense of it all, but found that he was quickly overwhelmed with more questions than answers.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The pair arrived at camp at what appeared to be before midday. Jor told Ben to return to the sick bay while she went to report the incident to her superior.

"I’ll come see you soon. Don’t go anywhere, okay?"

"It’s a pity. I was planning on taking a leisurely stroll in the forest of sweet dreams and happiness," he deadpanned.

Jor let out a strained smile and nodded before leaving to meet her captain. Ben began the short walk to the sick bay, and as he was about to enter, he heard the agitated voice of Ann berating someone inside. A man’s voice bellowed.

"I don’t know, woman! He was supposed to be with Black Swallow’s Squad Leader. I don’t know where he is!" Came the exasperated voice of a soldier.

"He’s my ward! You were given instructions to make sure he was safe! And now he’s missing!" Ann shrieked.

"Listen, lady. I don’t take orders from you, and even if I did, he’s with Jor. That’s as safe as it’s gonna get out here."

"Don’t you give me that sh-Oh, you’re back." Her voice changed from scathing to soft and motherly in less than a heartbeat.

Ben was half-turned in a masterfully stealthy escape maneuver before the complete one-eighty in Ann’s demeanor pulverized all composure he had.

"See! He’s fine! Now let go of me, woman!" The disgruntled soldier grumbled as he shouldered his way past Ben, out the tent. Ben was almost knocked over due to the sheer difference in mass between himself and the man.

"Miss Ann I-"

"Call me Annie, won’t you?" Her eyes softened as she looked up at him, smiling pleadingly.

"Annie, uh, I wanted to say thank you for taking care of me. I don’t know how to repay you."

"Nonsense, it’s my duty to serve the H-"

"-Well!" He interrupted, to Ann’s dismay. "Either way, I’m grateful."

"I was so worried- never mind that, you must be ravenous!" She revealed the contents of a basket he had just noticed she was carrying. "We have to get some meat on those bones. Here, sit and eat."

The table in the center of the tent had had its contents cleared, and there were two chairs placed beside it. Ann pulled out a chair and gestured for him to sit. Ben complied and found that he was indeed famished. She had prepared the same crusty bread and unidentifiable dried meat. There were, however, what he thought were fresh, succulent apples that turned out to have a more citrus-like flavor. It was divine. He ate slowly and with as much etiquette as he could muster. All the while, Ann sat opposite him in silence with a blissful smile and unwavering eye contact.

This is starting to get uncomfortable.

Ben thought to himself.

About a half-hour passed, and he found his limit to be roughly two-thirds of what the healer had prepared for him. He felt comfortably full and could sense the gentle warmth of food-induced fatigue settle over his body. The shock of the morning’s events was a distant memory by the end of his meal.

"Ann, can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course, my heart." She replied dreamily.

"I think you may have mistaken me for someone else. I’m not this…‘Harbinger’ person you think I am."

She seemed to perk up at the comment. Her smile grew even wider.

"Exactly as you said in my dreams that followed the vision from _________ when I was a girl. You truly are him."

"Your vision from who? And wait… since you were a girl? You mean, you’ve been waiting for someone from a dream for decades?"

Ann’s smile wavered as her expression changed ever so slightly. Ben couldn’t read the woman at all.

"From _________, of course. And yes, since I was a girl." She pointedly avoided using the word, decades.

Ah. Drawing attention to a woman’s age. Well done, Ben. Well done…

Ben chided himself. Ann continued.

"A vision isn’t a dream, darling, it’s a blessing. We have many trials ahead of us, but don’t worry, as your Keeper, I will guide and protect you with all of me. My body and my soul are yours to use as you see fit."

Ben wondered why his mind didn’t wander toward more perverse interpretations of the woman’s declaration. He chalked it up to the effects of malnutrition. He didn’t know how he knew, but he was confident that his body should return to normal after time and self-care. Ben decided it was a blessing in disguise, as thinking with the wrong brain could get him neck deep in trouble that he doubted he could afford at present.

"Alright, Let’s start over. Please call me Ben."

"Of course, my heart."

Ben forced a blank stare.

"Of course, Ben," she hurriedly corrected.

"Thanks. My memory is full of holes at the moment, so I‘d appreciate it if you’d be willing to fill me in on some things."

Ann’s smile didn’t waver at all, and she nodded knowingly in response.