There was a heavy fog that morning, clouding the landscape in a dense, eerily silent haze. The harsh winter winds had passed days ago, leaving the kingdom in an isolated, quiet time, almost separate from the rest of the world.

The morning sun was covered by thick clouds, leaving the world dark and murky as the Queen's Riders left their fort to proceed to the Capitol. Their horses snorted and grew restless as the day continued- for the morning fog didn't lift, but seem to grow heavier with each passing hour.

Fearful murmurs of sorcery and traps traveled around the Riders, causing unease and discomfort in the moors ands forests which they would usually be more than comfortable in.

Noon passed, and the fog hadn't lifted.

The procession stopped to hold both a meeting and a meal, discussing their discomfort.

"What could've caused it?"

"Certainly this isn't normal- never have we seen a fog like this."

"Perhaps it's one of the Sorcerer's plans."

"Maybe the goddess is punishing us," one man whispered, but the whole group instantly became silent.

"She would have no reason," a devout follower objected, standing up, trying to see through the wisps of fog which clouded his view.

"You cannot deny that you haven't heard rumors from the Capitol- of how the Queen has grown ill," another man pointed out, shaking his head sadly. "It could be that the goddess has left us."

There was a shocked silence. Yes. They had all heard of the Queen's mysterious illness, which none of the healers or priestesses could cure, or even understand, but none were quite ready to admit that perhaps their goddess had truly left them.

"But why would she?" A loud man boomed, glaring through the fog at the one who had suggested the idea. "The goddess has protected us since the very start of our kingdom! She has never let us down! Why would she abandon us now?!"

"Perhaps her love for us has dwindled away. Or it could be that something has taken her away from us," the man replied.

More murmurs of discontent spread across the group, but they were silenced as a quiet voice from the back of them softly said, "Her star no longer shines in the night sky."

There was a silence, broken only by a nervous whiny of one of the tethered horses.

"No..." Some one whispered at last. "No... it cannot be."

They finished their meal, no one speaking. The Star. Their goddess's star...

They mounted their horses, and continued on through the fog, which was now so thick that it was nearly impossible to see the man and horse in front of them as they rode single file through the forest.

Nothing filled the smoky world save for the mellowed thuds of hooves hitting dirt and the snorts of horses.

Suddenly, a loud, shrieking howl broke through the silence, screaming a rage and longing into the fog.

The men turned in their saddles, pulling out weapons, confused, nervous, and terrified by the noise.

It happened to quickly for them to stop it.

A creature jumped out from the forest around them, huge, long, crawling on thousands of sharp, pointed legs, a gaping mouth with pincers crunching down on the two nearest horses and crushing them to bits, before scuttling to the next bunch. Yells erupted out, arrows were shot at the monstrous creature, but its shell like skin protected it as it crushed more of the Riders.

The formation broke.

Men rode on panicked horses, crashing through the fog covered forest, dashing past trees- most being caught in the huge mouth of the gigantic millipede before they could get away.

A crunching, scuttling noise followed the last of the Riders as he blindly rode through the fog, his heart pounding almost painfully in his chest, ever aware of what was close behind him.

His horse stumbled- fell- he collapsed under it, crying out in pain- and then in terror as the monster moved over him.

"Good goddess," he whispered as the jaws moved down on him, "may Callisto protect our souls-"

The prayer was abruptly cut off as he gave one last scream.