Tiada Suara Chapter 1: What's lurking in the forest.

Lana hesitated as she walked though the dense forest, fiddling nervously with the hem of her short white dress. She had always heard gruesome and horrible stories of this place but now there was imbalance in Lana's village so she was sent as a sacrifice to the creature that lived in these woods. These creatures had been sometimes described as demons or vengeful gods. Whatever they were they were believed to be the ones that brought the good weather and good crops when they were pleased.

"How the hell did I get here?" she muttered quietly to herself. "I'm only eighteen…" She knew that was a stupid thought. They always chose young women to be the sacrifices. Lana shook her head pushing her long curly brown hair out of her sapphire eyes. She winced feeling the branches and roots beneath her dig into the tender flesh of her bare feet. It was tradition for the sacrifices to not wear shoes on the journey to their doom.

Lana traveled on through the trees becoming hopelessly lost after an hour or so. She groaned and licked her parched lips. As if to answer her thirst a small stream stumbled into her path. She smiled and knelt down at the bank cupping her hands in the cool refreshing water. She bent over bringing her hands and the water to her lips taking a long sip.

A loud roar suddenly erupted from the forest causing Lana to squeak and jump to her feet. She panicked making a mad dash through the trees dodging low hanging tree branches and stumbling over roots. One root, however, caught her foot sending her tumbling to the ground in a heap.

The giant black snake god, all his dark scales glistening in the sunlight, slithered towards her on its stomach its tongue darting in and out of its mouth tasting the air. It sped up the trees in its path bending and snapping like blades of grass. Lana struggled to get up and run away only to fall once more. She cried out throwing her hands up in front of her face.

All the sounds stopped at once, a calm and eerie silence coming over the forest. Lana looked out from behind her hands very, very, slowly. What she saw amazed her. A hooded and masked figure stood between her and the great snake his arms raised up his gloved hands gesturing something, trying to communicate some message she didn't understand. The snake watched the much smaller human its head bobbing back and forth every now and then. It seemed to be listening to something that Lana could not hear. After a long silence the snake nodded its head and turned and disappearing into the trees.

Lana laid there her mouth agape "Th-thank you..." she stuttered not moving. The hooded figure turned to her and nodded its head in almost the same way the snake had reaching a hand down to her to help her up. It was the first time she had gotten a good look at her hero. He wasn't much taller then her and was lean but looked strong. He wore a dark brown tunic that covered his torso including his neck and dark trousers that covered his entire lower half except for where his soft leather boots protruded from the bottom. His mask and hood obscured all his features except for his eyes; those were a very vivid and brilliant green. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. "My names Lana… What's yours?" She said smiling just a bit.

"Sasha." Came a hushed raspy whisper from behind the rag covering his face. Sasha looked her over for a moment considering what to do with her before turning on his heal pulling her through the trees quickly.

"Where are we going?" Lana asked holding on to Sasha's hand tightly. She got no answer however. Her savior remained quiet just holding her hand never letting go, and never looking back at her. Sasha stopped in front of a particularly clumped bunch of trees that all curved towards each other the branches tangling up near the top.

"We're here." He whispered stopping in front of the bunch of trees. He looked back at her and let go of her hand squeezing through a gap in between to trees.

Lana tilted her head to one side "Where is here?" She asked following him just barely small enough to get through. Again she was greeted with silence but she soon forgot her question as she took in the small sight around her. Whether on purpose, or by sheer happenstance, the trees' strange growth pattern formed a hut like structure. The walls were made up of the trunks closely huddled together, and the roof made up of the branches high above. The hut was simple very simple. A sleeping roll with large animal furs scattered around it was up against one wall were the only furnishings. A bow and quiver of arrows on one side of the entrance and a small bag sitting beside those two seemed to be the only real possessions in the home.

Sasha sat in front small fire pit in the center of the strange home starting up a tiny flame. "Are you hungry?" he whispered.

"Yes…" Lana nodded sitting down next to him "Why do you always whisper?"

He looked up from the fire and pulled down on the neck of his tunic revealing his long slender almost feminine neck. Lana put a hand over her mouth in shock. There were several long scars that went down the front of his throat. "My voice was taken…" he whispered before pulling the tunic back into its proper place looking away from her.

"Who would do that to you?" she asked gently placing a hand on his arm.

"It doesn't matter now…" Sasha looked back at her with pain in those bright green eyes. "I don't have much food I hope you like what I have…" He said changing the subject suddenly as he grabbed his bag pulling out a loaf of bread handing it to her. Lana sat there for a moment watching him.

"Aren't you going to eat as well?" she asked tearing a small piece off for herself.

"I ate earlier." He answered watching her every movement. "So just eat and don't worry about me"

Lana nodded and started to nibble at the food he'd given her. "I shouldn't stay here long Sasha..."

"And why not?"

"I'm a sacrifice…" she blushed looking down at the bread. "I feel like you've saved me and that you're hiding me from my inevitable fate..."

Sasha gently slipped a hand beneath her chin tilting her face up to look at him "And what fate would that be?"

"Everyone who's been a sacrifice has never been heard from again." She looked up into his eyes biting her lower lip.

"They usually are killed as soon as they enter here."

"Exactly"

"So you think it's your fate to die here?" Lana nodded looking away from him "Well then they've truly brainwashed you."

"How can you say that? That what I was raised with."

"Well you were raised on pure rubbish. You're not going to die here, but there are worse things then death and that's what I'm trying to save you from."

Outside their shelter the sun shone its last brilliant rays of color and light before dipping beneath the horizon. "Finish your bread and go to sleep" Sasha said standing up and stretching.

"No, I want answers" Lana frowned ignoring the food in her hands.

Sasha sighed and pulled out a water flask from his bag handing it to her as well. "I'll answer all your questions tomorrow ok? I'm not used to talking anymore… especially like this… It hurts my throat after awhile" He said nodding towards the food "Please…"

Lana looked down at the bread taking a few more bites reluctantly. She pulled the cork out of the flask taking a quick sip. Her world suddenly tilted and she slumped over on to her side the edges of her vision becoming fuzzy and unfocused. "What's… happening… Sasha?" she managed to mutter.

Sasha shook his head and pulled her to the sleeping mat laying her down on her back. "I'll explain it in the morning" he said pulling a fur over her like a blanket tucking her in "I promise, you're safe"

'Safe…' She hung on to that word mulling it over before her mind surrendered to darkness.