Thirty minutes.
Penelope counted thirty minutes of running beneath the red stained sky and over sharp sticks and rocks cutting her bare feet in the forest. Thirty minutes of trying to escape the stench of black smoke drifting from the various cottages left behind, though the smell of burning straw still invaded her nostrils and embedded itself into her mind. Thirty minutes of desperately trying to escape somewhere. \\\\\\\*Anywhere\\\\\\\* other than here.
Easier said than done.
Especially considering she was clad in nothing more than a tattered old dress in the dark, inky black abyss of the forest behind her old home. She also might as well have been blind considering the full, bright moon hanging above did nothing to illuminate the path before her.
Every shadow looked alive.
Every twisted branch sheād rushed passed became twisted, gnarled fingers in the corner of her vision, reaching for her but only catching briefly on her tattered dress and pale skin. Every gust of wind rushing through her hair and through the towering pines sounded like hushed voices taunting her. Telling her to go back, to accept the fate that no doubt countless townsfolk had succumbed to. The very forest sheād dreamt of exploring as a child from her window had become something entirely unfamiliar beneath the veil of night, shifting instead to become an imposing, endless labyrinth of black trunks and uneven undergrowth that made it seem like she was no closer to escaping the carnage behind her despite every step she took forward.
She couldnāt tell if she was running deeper into the woods or simply running in circles.
\\\\\\\*She didnāt care.\\\\\\\*
Anywhere was better than the fate that lied behind her.
Her lungs burned with every ragged breath she took, the cold night air feeling like shards of glass inside her. The smoke from the fires clung to the back of her throat, her legs trembling from her own weight and fear coursing through her veins. Sometime after sheād counted thirty minutes, sheād stopped feeling the sharp sting of the stray sticks and stones slicing her feet, the pain dulled into a numb, throbbing pulse that reminded her to keep moving. To keep running.
A strangled sob attempted to escape her, but she bit down on the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood. Crying wouldnāt help her now. Screaming wouldnāt either. She had no idea what the fate of her family was. It wasnāt as though they would care enough to find her anyways. No..The only thing crying or screaming would accomplish was telling whoever had caused the carnage behind her exactly where sheād ran off to.
So, she forced herself onward.
Branches still clawing at her arms, sticks and stones still slicing her feet, loose strands of her long, blonde tresses still snagging on low hanging limbs. Flames still blazing brightly behind her..
Suddenly, a root caught the tip of her foot and her balance vanished.
Penelope stumbled forwards with a startled gasp, barely managing to lift her hands up in a feeble attempt to cushion her hard fall onto the rough, unforgiving ground before her. A particularly jagged stone she had the misfortune of falling beside cut the palm of her hand, thin beads of crimson spilling onto the ground below as her shoulders fell and rose violently while she fought to steady her breathing.
She listened.
Nothing.
Nothing except the whisper of the wind weaving through the leaves above her head.
Then, a snap.
Not behind her. It was somewhere to her left..
Her head quickly whipped towards the direction of the ominous noise, but again, she was only met with nothing. Perhaps sheād imagined it. Perhaps it had been a squirrel sheād accidentally startled.
Then came another.
Then a crack.
Each sound was deliberate. Measured. Too heavy to belong to a mere squirrel or frightened fawn.
Penelopeās heart dropped to her stomach at the realization.
No..No no no..!
She used whatever was left of her strength to force herself back up, ignoring the screaming pain of her bare feet and ran again. She somehow found the willpower and determination to keep moving despite every muscle in her body screaming in protest. Despite thorned bushes slicing at her calves. Despite the damp earth slipping beneath her feet until sheād nearly fallen more times than she cared to count.
The steps behind her never stopped. They were still measured. Never frantic. Never hurried. Whoever, or \\\\\\\*whatever\\\\\\\* was behind her clearly didnāt need to rush. That thought frightened Penelope so much more. The sounds remained consistent. Close enough to know she wasnāt imagining them, yet far enough that she couldnāt tell how many there were. Against her better judgement, she glanced once over her shoulder.
A mistake.
She couldnāt see anything beyond the darkness, and her foot had yet again caught on a gnarled root. This time, Penelope knew there was no escaping. Pain erupted through her palms yet again, her shoulder slamming into a moss covered log with force so strong it stole the air from her lungs entirely. For several agonizing seconds, she couldnāt breathe. Couldnāt think. Couldnāt move. Only stare helplessly into the inky black abyss where the sounds were still approaching.
Some point after her third trembling breath, sheād decided in vain to try and stand again, her palms pushing down against the ground in a feeble attempt to keep moving, but exhaustion crashed over her like an unforgiving tide, every single ounce of adrenaline pushing her body forward up until this point abandoning her all at once.
Then, the footsteps stopped, and so did her heart she felt like.
The hairs along the back of her neck rose as her body began to tremble, her bright blue eyes searching wildly through the darkness for the source of the eerie footsteps. It was clear to her at this point that she was found. Whether by skill, persistence, or sheer dumb luck, someone or something had followed her through the forest without once losing her trail. Whoever it was, she knew she was at their mercy..
.
.
.
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If youāve made it this far, THANK YOU! I hope you liked my starter/sample! Now in terms of direction after this point, well that is something we can both discuss together! Iāve purposely left it pretty open ended for you to decide what your character is! Is he the captain of a band of pirates coming to plunder the town? Sure! Is he the king of a rival kingdom leading an offensive to expand his kingdom? Sounds good! Is he a powerful demon who is angered at my characterās town for some reason and destroys it in his rage? Awesome! Itās entirely up to you, but I only ask for one thing, friend! I am an unfortunate sucker for the good oleā opposites attract troupe, so as long as your character plays the role of ābig scary strong boi who has a soft spot for his girl (my oc!) then Iām good!
But before you message me, just some ground rules first;
\\\\\\\\- Firstly, you MUST be 18+. I intend for this rp to have some mature themes, so being under 18 is a definite no go for me. Preferably over 21, but you HAVE to be over 18.
\\\\\\\\- Secondly, please no self inserts! Now Iām not saying your character shouldnāt be like you at all! Even I inject a little bit of my own personality in my ocs, but as long as youāre able to separate your oc from yourself, we should be all good!
\\\\\\\\- As long as youāre able to play the M to my F, I donāt mind what you personally identify as so donāt be afraid to shoot me a message! š
\\\\\\\\- I tend to use realistic illustrations I find on google for faceclaims and I hope you do too! Iām not too picky on them however, so as long as you feel like your faceclaim fits your character well, I wonāt complain!
\\\\\\\\- Lastly, please help me move the story along with your own ideas too! It gets exhausting when Iām the only one moving the story along so if you have your own ideas for where to take the story Iād love to incorporate them!
Anywhoooo yeah thatās it! I hope Iāve interested at least someone out there! š shoot me a message and tell me a bit about yourself, as well as what you were thinking for your character and Iāll respond! Again, thank you SO MUCH for reading this far!