A Twist of Fate

 

The eerie cry of a Noctowl echoed out over the shadow laden forest. It was dark. Early enough the sun hadn't even begun it's steady ascent into the open sky, yet late enough that even the night owls should be cozied up in bed sound asleep. The perfect hour.

An indescribable stillness encompassed the area. That soothing quiet that you could only achieve in isolation or death. Through it walked a lone woman, breaking the stillness with a blaze of movement. Long red hair streaming behind her, she strode through the ink black trees with an air of finality. Her heavy footsteps were swallowed up by the dense forest, silenced among the lush overgrowth. She obviously meant to be here, despite clearly not looking like the type to ever traverse this far into the wilderness.

Tattered white jacket fluttering from her determined stride, she seemingly had no intention of stopping. Some deep-seated emotion drove her boot-clad feet forward. Her unfamiliarity with the terrain showed however, in the way her steps were slightly clumsy and awkward. Determined as she was, it rather minimized the effect when she kept plunging her feet gracelessly into natural dips in the ground or tripping on slightly uprisen roots.

Clearly, she hailed from a more... concrete jungle.

Her foot snagged on a irreverently placed rock and she stumbled for what had to be the umpteenth time that night. After spouting off a flood of various expletives, she regained her footing and kept onward. Her gaze was sharp and alert, searching for any sign of movement. She knew the dangers the forest posed. She'd heard chatter about plans to reintroduce Pokémon. Until just recently she'd only ever heard about them, maybe seen the occasional critter. But lately that reservation's efforts had become the big news around town. They'd pop up in conversation almost all the time in excited, fearful, or even frustrated tones. She'd even seen the occasional critter from afar before it skittered out of sight.

To be honest, she didn't much care about it all. However, she knew Pokémon had the potential to be dangerous. She wasn't about to walk directly into their territory without a hint of caution. That would be suicidal at best.

Taking a deep breath of the crisp, damp air and tucking her arms behind her head in an almost carefree posture, she eased her stride a bit. She was already decently far in, no reason to rush at this point.

You might be wondering what the hell a city girl was doing wandering through a forest at this ungodly hour.

To be honest? She'd like to know that as well.

An outburst of whimsy? A stroke of irrational impulse? Whatever it was, she couldn't have resisted that feeling bubbling up in her chest whether she liked it or not. She just needed to run.

So, she did.

Hell if she knew why, hell if she cared why.

But she was here now.

That tug in her chest continued to draw her forward steadily, drawing her towards a satisfaction she knew she'd never reach. This cynical attitude that stained her deepest thoughts only really surfaced when she was alone, but nonetheless lurked even in the best of times. She lied. She knew exactly why she was here tonight, but that didn't mean shit. She ran out here on a whim, sure. But it was a whim driven by a bone deep urge to feel something. She was frustrated, restless, and all together pissed. Maybe doing something like this would ease some of that.

Risking her life to try and feel like she had a purpose.

Pathetic, right?

Still, it didn't stop her. Somewhere in her mind, she dared the forest's unseen inhabitants to come and get her, fantasies of conquering or even befriending one of the elusive beasts echoing past her mind's eye. Visions of being a heroine that would inspire, having a reason, having purpose. She didn't know who she was trying to impress. What was she trying to prove? Who was she trying to prove herself to?

Her breath tumbled from her parted lips in a frustrated sigh as she drove the toe of her boot into an unlucky nearby tree trunk, dry bark splintering from it's surface from the force of the blow. Chilling pain echoed up her shin, tingling over her spine in a unpleasant yet satisfying way. Flipping around, she leaned her back up against the very same tree, grinding the heel of her palm into her forehead.

Arceus, what the hell was she doing?

She must be insane. What level headed person would charge out into the forest at...

She glanced up at the sky, only to realize she couldn't see the sky anyways through the dense canopy of leaves overhead.

... dark o'clock in the morning.

Shaking her head at her own stupidity, she turned to go back... only to realize she'd been wandering for so long lost in thought that she'd lost her bearings.

"Fffffuuuuck."

Well now what? She didn't know where the fuck to go. She didn't know where the fuck she was. How the hell was she getting out of here?

The sneaking fear that she might not make it out of this forest pricked at the back of her neck, but she drove it back hard. Fear never helped her in the past. Sweeping her surroundings with a piercing crimson gaze, she chose a direction and started walking. The forest was finite, no matter how large it was. Eventually she'd find the treeline if she just kept walking in one direction. It seemed like her best bet at the moment.

Before long, the trees seemed to thin slightly and the tension she hadn't realized had gathered in the muscles in her neck and shoulders eased a bit. She must have been closer to the edge of the forest than she'd realized. That slight tug in her chest continued to pull her forward, but she drove it to the back of her mind. She really should just go the fuck home. She'd done enough stupid for tonight.

A sharp snap about eight feet behind her caused her head to sharply swivel in the direction of the sound and her senses to go on high alert. Her eyes were greeted by nothing but inky black. Great. She quickened her pace ever so slightly, taking that as her cue to get the hell out. Fantasies about being a badass aside, she wasn't suicidal. Nor was she that stupid.

Her foot caught on something yet again, sending her crashing hard to her hands and knees.

... turns out she was still stupid.

Growling in frustration, she popped to her feet and continued stalking forward. This damn forest was out to get her. She was nearly out of here anywa...

"Fuck!"

She found herself standing on a cliff overlooking the forest and quickly realized she wasn't anywhere near the edge of the forest. She appeared to be dead in the fucking middle of it in fact. How in the ever living fuck was she going to get home now?

The low, warning growl that rumbled out from the through of whatever beast was behind her chilled her blood.

She wasn't alone.