The Dark Forest Serenade

The sun stood high in the sky, but under the thick canopy of leaves the daylight only managed to brighten the forest to a permanent twilight. Insects and owls sang out all around. Nicoli couldn't help but turn his head at every rustle of leaves or creak of dead trees. He hadn't wanted to come - rumor was anyone that entered never returned - but James, Peter, and Cameron called him chicken as they traversed the thick brush into the wood. He had no choice but to follow.

Peter stopped suddenly and Nicoli walked right into him. He turned his head to the side. The others stopped after a few more steps and looked to Peter.

"Hey, what's the deal?" Cameron said.

Peter shook his head. "I heard something. Sounded like a woman singing."

The others looked in the same direction Peter did. The crickets and hoots quieted as if to allow the boys a closer listen. But no one heard the sound. James laughed. "Pete, stop messing around. Dale said we needed to get a black leaf each from the white barked dogwood in the middle of the forest. We only have 'til sundown."

Nicoli frowned and adjusted his jean jacket with a sharp tug. "Let's just get this over with. Alright?" He gave Peter's shoulder a shove to set him moving and they set off again.

The trees loomed over them, seeming to shift closer. The branches reached toward them, grabbing for their faces. But they trudged onward. A cold wind raced through the branches, surrounding the boys with groans and creaks that stalled them in their tracks. Nicoli thought he heard the soft, beautiful voice of a female.

Something moved just to the side of the group, a flash of silvery blue catching Cameron's eye. "Guys, did you see that?"

The group stopped once more. Everyone looked around. "Come on," James urged and started to walk ahead.

The others followed, except for Nicoli who continued to glance around. Something silvery blue and flowing whipped quickly past his peripheral and he spun to try to see it better. He spun again, finally realizing he stood alone. Nicoli couldn't remember which direction he was headed or which he came from and turned once more hoping to hear his friends walking. His breath caught in his throat.

A lean, porcelain skinned woman stood close to him. Her silvery blonde hair glistened in the twilight as she caught his eyes with her own silvery gems. He couldn't look away as she moved closer. The warmth of her lithe body pressed against his own and he could feel her skin beneath the thin silk of her gossamer dress. Her lips parted ever so slightly as her eyes searched his face.

Nicoli couldn't breathe, staring at the face of a woman so beautiful. Her lips curled into a smile. A dark look glistened in her eyes before her lips brushed against his neck.

Nicoli gasped at the sensation. He didn't see her lips part more or the elongated canines. The sharp pinch when she bit him hurt. But after a moment, as her tongue ran over the wound while she drank, the pain washed away. The woman's hands slid over his body, one slid to his back to brace him tighter against her body as the other ran through his short hair to hold his head just right. A chill settled over him, slowly halting his breaths until his world went black.



The woman licked the corner of her mouth; she wanted to savor every drop. Her gaze drifted away from the body toward the inner sanctum of the forest. Three other strapping young men had come into the forest as well. She hummed a sweet little melody she remembered from centuries before as she glided away from the colorless body. Though her stomach would no longer growl, her throat burned from thirst.