This is the first piece of creative writing I've done for my own enjoyment. When I started, I intended for it to be a quick intro leading into pure smut. Somehow, that is not what happened. I'm trying not to be too self-critical with the work, but I'd love some feedback on what's working and what isn't. I hope you enjoy!
The Last Son: Chapter 01
Dashing beneath the trees, my bare feet pounded upon the ground. The heart in my chest pounded even harder. Dry autumn leaves blanketed the forest floor, echoing a symphony of crunching to announce my whereabouts. The turning of seasons left the air feeling cool upon my face. I heard the rustling of branches in the trees above me. Looking up, the early morning sun shone through the canopy and blinded me to what may have lurked above. My legs grew weak from running. Days of running, hiding, and praying that I might find some salvation to deliver me from this nightmare.
Humans were a dying breed. Once a feared and mighty power in realms of people, spirits, and monsters alike; brutal infighting had left the population small enough for a well-timed plague to render us an endangered species. Elated by the prospect of human extinction, several powers sought to finish the job. Orcs wandered the footpaths and roads. Ghouls wandered the woods at night. Sanctum, the last safe haven for humanity, fell four days ago. With the community's only true defense being its secrecy, all it would take was a bit of enemy luck for everything to come crumbling down. When I heard screams coming from our gates, I knew my only chance at survival was to run while the last of the people I knew were cut down.
Four days is a long time to be on the run, especially when you have nowhere to go. After getting two hours of sleep in the branches of a tree, I woke to the sound of hounds in the distance and took off. My legs ached and burned in protest. My stomach growled and head throbbed from lack of proper food or sleep, but stopping was not an option. I sprinted across the expanse of scarlet, maple, and honey colored leaves littered upon the ground. I dodged around the trees, hopping the roots that webbed along the forest floor. Not having heard the dogs in a while, the only direction I knew to run was forward. I didn't dare stop.
Suddenly, one of the tree roots crossing my path lifted and wrapped itself around my bare left ankle. Falling forward at full speed, my temple collided with a stone upon the ground. My vision became blurry as I struggled against the tree root that had coiled about my calf, but it would not budge. I managed to flip from my stomach to my back. Another tree root grabbed my right ankle and the two of them intertwined with one another. My legs were bound together, leaving me with no chance of escape. Pain seared in my eye as blood from the fall trickled down my forehead.
In my struggling, a lithe figure had sneaked up on me unnoticed. The woman peered down at me. With my vision foggy, I could not make out her features. I attempted to sit up from the ground as she moved to sit astride my lower thighs. Although her body was light, she possessed surprising strength as she put a hand to my chest and pushed me gently to the ground. Two more tree roots took hold of my wrists.
"Please," I pleaded. "Let me go, I'll do anything. I don't want to die."
She lifted her other hand and moved the palm to close my eyelids. Quiet sobs escaped my mouth. Leaning down, her cheek brushed passed my own. Her soft breasts pressed into my tunic. I could feel her gentle breath caressing my earlobe. In a peaceful and comforting voice she whispered, "Sleep."
The muscles in my body relaxed. The panic in my mind quieted. Suddenly, the suggestion was all I could want to do. With her body pressed into mine, I faded into a deep slumber.
I woke in a groggy haze, pain radiating from where my temple met forest stone. The first thing I remember is the sound of a large door closing nearby. My body was bound tightly in an animal pelt, allowing no chance for escape. Beneath it, my form was nude. A hood covered my face, blocking any sight of the room before me. Strong arms cradled me gently while their owner strode across the room, my head resting on their left shoulder. Terror left me unable or unwilling to move.
"My queen," The figure holding me spoke. "I have brought you a gift from the forest."
"A person-shaped gift? I wonder what it could be," Chuckled a woman's voice. "Acer, this must be a jest. Truly, what do you bring me?" I was lowered to a soft ground, my back propped upright by what felt like stone, and pulled off my hood. The stark contrast from the darkness of the covering to the daylight of the room left me temporarily blinded, wincing in discomfort. "A man?"
Recovering from the sudden shift in light, my eyes scanned the room around me. Thick trees rose 30 feet into the air to create a rounded ceiling with their canopies. Woven between them were thick, leafy vines dotted with beautiful white flowers. Moss cushioned the ground beneath me in various shades of green. All the plant-life formed a structure in the shape of a great hall. Despite the leaves and the flowers all over the structure, not a single leaf or petal was strewn upon the ground. Amazed by the beauty of the hall, I had become distracted from the situation at hand.
