Eternal Forest: Savage Rising Read Free

the ground.
                  His first instinct was run back home as fast as his legs could carry him. However, another feeling washed over him in the aftermath of his escape from death. So much of this situation was so unimaginable, so unexplainable. If the force had taken the wolves out of his path, surely any other predator in the area was either dead or fleeing.
    The woods were clear, and his curious desire for answers was overwhelming his senses. Against all sound logic and instinct, Zehlyr retrieved his blade from the mud and headed through the Savage Lands towards the north. There was a strange sense of wonder flowing through him that he hadn’t felt in years.
    He had no doubt Cherin had heard the explosion, possibly even felt it, and would be worrying where he was. Nevertheless, he decided to push on. He would let Cherin worry. After how much mistreatment he’d suffered from his older brother, Cherin deserved to sit and fret about his safety for an hour or two. Perhaps it would teach him to appreciate his little brother.
     

Chapter 2
     
                  The wilds of the Savage Lands became stranger as Zehlyr continued northward through the trees. The mysterious explosion had truly taken its toll in this area, and the closer he got to the source of the blast, the worse things got. Half a mile from where he’d started, bare limbs became broken limbs. Those eventually gave way to split trunks and then, finally, toppled trees. The once mighty oaks, pines, and elms all lay on their sides, their roots ripped from the mud like tiny weeds pulled from a garden. The smells of tree sap and fresh earth filled the air.
                  Even more surreal than the devastation was the eerie order to it all. The fallen trees were all facing the same direction. The timbers lay in a perfect order with their tops all pointing towards a single spot. Nothing about this made any sense to Zehlyr. It was as if a stone had been thrown into Cloud Lake, but the ripples created had rolled in from the shore to the point of impact. Each new discovery added more fuel to the curiosity burning inside of him.
                  All fear had been pushed aside in his mind. There were too many questions to keep him from seeking the center of the phenomena. Of course, curiosity didn’t override his good sense. He was heading into the biggest unknown he’d ever experienced, and he was doing so greatly unequipped.
                  Zehlyr came upon the uprooted base of a once mighty oak. Dirt-covered roots crisscrossed into the air well above his head. Whatever force had the energy to pull these centuries-old trunks from the earth was truly beyond comprehension. There was no doubt in his mind that this wouldn’t remain just an issue for the humans of Meadowgold. No, this would certainly be discussed at the Tri-Leaf Council three moons from now. All tribes of the Lands of Order would be involved in the investigation of this, and he would be the first to lay eyes on it.
                  He looked towards the sky and walked along the fallen trunk of the tree. High above his head, a long branch extended out from the wind-ripped bark. Like all the others, its leaves were stripped bare. Several smaller twigs extended out from the main branch, but it looked to be roughly as tall as he was and straight as an arrow. If he could cut it off and remove the twigs, the end could be sharpened into a sturdy spear. His mind recalled how poorly matched he was against the wolves with just his little hunting knife. A spear would give him a weapon that could strike from a distance, and obtaining one would be well worth the effort.
                  Reaching for the lower branches of the fallen oak, Zehlyr began to climb up and around the trunk. He couldn’t help but imagine how useful all of this timber could be for his village. With such an expansion of land suddenly cleared by…whatever it was