Auburn Skies ~The urge to make a story has cometh upon me.~ Trees swayed slowly as a calm breeze whispered its way between each trunk, tickling a mixture of coniferous and deciduous leaves and pine needles. A faint, warming orange glow zigzagged its way through the forest. The breeze reacted harshly to the sudden disturbance of its peace and so it blew a strong, icy chill towards the glow. The light went out. Frantic fingers tried desperately to light a match, but gave up after realising precious time was being taken up. The masked figure buried the lantern under the leaflitter that splayed across the undergrowth like a natural carpet and carried on their way through the forest, blindly walking into tree trunks and rocks or being pulled back by the large black cloak, that was splayed haphazardly over the figures shoulders, as it snagged in fallen branches whenever the large, cumulonimbus clouds covered up the pale light of the moon. In the sky, amongst the clouds, a sudden burst of orange lit up the sky. The masked figure gazed upwards, stepping backwards and shaking their head in disbelief. Newfound determination, mixed with fear, caused the figure to sprint through the forest. Tripping occasionally on stumps and fallen logs that seemed to want to slow the figure down. A gap in the slowly receding canopy revealed a steadily approaching large city. Smaller dots of light that were distributed outside the main cluster of lights revealed how close civilization was. There was still time. The masked figure picked up speed, the sight of smaller houses and farms coming into view stirred up adrenaline and forced muscles to move faster. The sky lit up orange once more. This time, a large shudder vibrated through the ground as though the earth had felt a chill. Trees shook with surprise and weak rocks split into pieces. Another rumble could be felt, however it was weaker than the one beforehand. The masked figure raced towards a small farm and pounded on the door. Almost instantly, a young girl answered the door and gave the figure a frightened look,"Are.... Are you hear about the ground?", she stammered with fear. "No time to explain, ma'am. Do you have a horse. It is of upmost importance I get to the castle. And fast", the masked figure replied. The girl nodded, and without a word lead the stranger into the barn towards a slim, black horse. The sky lit up orange behind them again. The orange glow was getting closer. The masked figure lept on the back of the black horse and spurred it forwards with a slap on the hind leg,"I will return your horse as soon as possible. You will be rewarded for lending it to me", the figure stated. Before any words could escape the girl's mouth, the masked figure spurred the horse onwards, carrying on the journey towards the castle. The black mane of the horse, and the black cloak of the masked figure danced together in the wind as the horse galloped onwards, tossing it's head with glee as it soared towards the castle like a four-legged arrow. A third burst of orange light pierced the thick clouds and lit up the night much more than the two before. The vibration that came after it felt like something big had just hit the Earth. An unfamiliar noise soon followed the massive shudder, that of a large animal groaning and growling. Upon reaching the castle, the masked figure lept from the horse's back and continued on foot up to the large, wooden castle door. "Where is he!?", the figure shouted towards a group of servants huddlinf in the corner of the otherwise empty throne room. "The balcony, sir", one replied with a shaky voice. The figure dashed up the steps of a long staircase . Heart racing as decorative masterpieces, tapestries and suits of armour were narrowly avoided. Finally, the masked figure reached the destination. With a sigh of relief, the figure opened the large, white marble door to reveal the king watching the sky from the grand balcony. "Your majesty", the figure spoke and removed the mask. Revealing a feminine face with bright green eyes, freckles and long, wavy brunette hair. The king turned to address the woman, but she interrupted. The three words she spoke chilled the king to the very depths of his soul. Those three words almost made him give up on #life it's self. Never had he heard more heartbreaking and utterly terrifying combination of words. "They are here". ---------------------------------------------- Alrighty, so it probably could've gone better. But. I'm happy. Please tell me if you'd like to see it continue, or any constructive criticism. Or just tell me what you liked about it. Apologies for any spelling mistakes or autocorrect mistakes!