The soft grass shifted as a gust of pleasant wind blew from the north, without bothering the two men that unloaded the foldable table, as the heat was much more bearable here compared to the other location. The meadow was perfect, still…
“Why would the other people not swarm this place? A wide field under the sun and a nearby forest for a bit of shade, excellent for a nap. Next time we should invite our friends” The father commented as he assembled the table and chairs quickly. After all was ready the two parents relaxed and started to sunbathe, mentioning to the children how lunch would be in about one hour and they could explore the nearby area a bit if they didn’t want to stay close.
Andy immediately expressed the desire to see the forest, followed shortly after by Cassie, that didn’t want to be left alone to play.
“Be careful in the forest Andy, and remember to keep your sister out of trouble!” Abby reminded the teen as the duo entered the woods.
“Don’t worry dear, they will be fine”
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“Andy, this place is scary… Let’s turn back!” the boy’s sister whimpered as she beheld the quiet woods from behind Andy, following him even as he continued. Andy noticed something unusual just nearby, something probably made by men, and wanted to investigate this finding unlike Cassie.
It was a tribal altar with the skull of a deer, identifiable by the large a wide horns, placed on a flat rock surrounded by various offerings and knickknacks. Something beckoned the youth forward, to place his hands on the bleached bones… Something urged him to bring his family in this clearing to witness the strange shrine and bask into the glory of nature…
“Andy!” Cassie tugged his arm backward as she tried to divert his attention.
“Huh, what?” The boy shook himself as if to wake up from a dream, and watched questioningly the girl “What is it?”
Cassie hesitated for a moment, before pointing to the edge of the clearing all around them, especiall the direction they entered “Was the fog this thick before?”
A veritable wall of fog surrounded the altar and the children, such that they couldn’t see the second line of trees behind it, and swirled slowly with every change of the wind, but didn’t disperse. Andy too hesitated as he beheld the mist, his sixth sense told the boy that this was not normal, and that there would be dire consequences on contact.
As the children waited the decision was taken without their consent, as two thin and unnatural strings of fog came out of the deer’s skull, and swiftly extended into the two sibling’s direction. Before the two had time to shout a warning, the rope of fog reached their position, as the first string encircled Andy’s wrist while the other touched briefly Cassie’s nose.
The frightened boy swung the captured hand with force as to dislodge the unnatural substance, and succeeded with an ease that surprised him, and left him a bit stumped and with a rising tingling o his hand. Cassie was the same, judging from the nervous scratching on her nose, and the siblings had only a few moment to compose themselves before the impossible started to happen.
The young girl removed her hand from before her nose to show a growing dark spot on the tip of the area touched by the mist, while her eyes widened at the same time as her brother as a thin layer of brown fur sprouted from Andy’s hand. The teens freaked out as under the incredulous gaze of both his fingers assumed a dark coloration and changed rapidly into a hoof, while her sister found a brand new pair of tufted ears that came into view from her long hair. Andy was still looking at his new hoof with an incomprehensible face when the tingling migrated up his arm, and the removal of the sleeve showed that the clumps of fur were climbing his arm, probably to spread completely on their bodies.
“HELP!” Cassie shouted as his nose elongated into a snout under her eyes and a layer of fur reminiscent her brother’s started to appear on her ears and face.
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“Was that Cassie?” Abby raised her eyes from the magazine with a worried frown, crossing the upsed gaze of her husband.
“Something must have happened, let’s check it out” The two adults entered the forest, unaware of the thick mist that closed up on them as they ventured to the clearing with the two children.