drrieux

Though there was no moon out, the night seemed to be very brightly lit by the amount of stars that were scattered all over the sky. It was bright enough to penetrate the trees and light a path in front of me and even if I couldnt see very far ahead of me, as I walked forward things seemed to illuminate, like I had light coming from my body. The traveling was very easy through these woods and I felt very light even with the talk of trial from the hermit. As I proceeded I began to have the feeling that I was being watched, so I stopped to look around. Around me, in the woods away from the path, all I could see was blackness. It seemed that the starlight did not penetrate through the treetops away from the path. I called out to see if anyone was there, but I received no response and the feeling persisted. Resigning myself to being watched by what was surely just a forest animal, I continued onward. After I had gone another few feet there was the sound of movement that was in sync with my footsteps. At first I couldnt tell which direction is was coming from, but eventually I could tell that it was behind me. The steps didnt seem to be human and whatever was walking was very heavy. Now a slow fear was creeping through me because not only was I being stalked by something unknown, it was apparently quite large. My pace quickened in hopes that it would lose interest, but as I walked faster so did it. Finally, I broke into a run, never looking back because now the words of the hermit came back to me. I tried to allow his words to flow through me and find the strength to absolve my fear. Within me I could feel my doubt fading and the fear subsiding, trusting in the hermits words somehow brought comfort to me and I stopped running. Right where I was I stopped and so the following steps stopped too. I do not fear you, I yelled out and surprised myself with the booming of my voice, which sounded much more like a lions roar than a mans voice, you will not hinder me any more. There is something building in me that I cannot explain, a passion, and with it I can tackle any obstacle. You are a mere trifle in my path and my power surpasses you. You who trail behind me, but can never catch me. You who would be the hunter to dominate me can never force me to succumb to you because your weapon is fear, and fear is only a weakness. My will to succeed, my Strength, is linked with my passion and together they are unstoppable. Now, go! Pursue some weaker foe with whom you may hope to subdue, but I will not be your prey. When I had finished these last words and began my ascent again, there were no trailing footsteps anymore, and though I could still feel eyes watching me, they no longer held any weight on me. The path became suddenly steep and as I climbed up the trees disappeared from around me. From here on I would be climbing up toward the peak of the mountain, but to my left and right I could see wide paths leading around the mountain. For a moment I hesitated because these paths were very appealing because they surely provided and easy route around the mountain; however, I put no lightness on the words of the hermit. In order to meet the challenge I had to go over the mountain, no matter how difficult it seemed looking up from the bottom.