SHELTER

     Led by the shaman, we walked through the parts of the forest, where few men walked before. He told us to leave behind all weapons. We traveled for just a couple of hours, but the woods were dark, like if it was much later in a day. Almost no light penetrated the ancient trees' crowns, but the air was fresh and full of the bird song. 
     That is, until we passed through. Silence followed in our wake, as if the wood and the creatures in it were shocked by our invasion.
     The deeper we went, the more we began to notice that, the forest wasn't just still. The tree branches snagged our clothes and skin. Even though the birds stopped singing, we heard the animals move through the brush. As we turned a corner on the path,  a moose met us and bugled his challenge! Fortunately, something spooked it, and it crushed away through the small bushes and the trees. We soon saw, what scared it: on a hillock wolves were watching us pass through hateful eyes.

      A boar ran across the path, stopped, hoofed the ground and lowered it's head in defiance. We then spotted an owl and a small lynx, sitting on the branches of the same tree. The lynx hissed and yowled, sounding demented. 
 

     It looked, like all these creatures were channeling the mood of the wood, and it was anger!
     A white capped mountain was to our left. We trode on, feeling the tension all around us, but still in awe of the sanctity of the forest's heart.
     The shaman stopped before a large copse of cedars. If the shaman didn't point to it, we would've passed right by. Dark mist surrounded it and made it hard to see. 
                                                 

         A a large animal's musk surrounded us, so strong, that it was almost tangible, but instead of being unpleasant, it was strangely appealing! 
     We broke through the brush, but before we could orient ourselves, the ground shook, and a huge bear rushed at us!  
     

   

     





To Be Continued

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