The forest was impassable. David had to go back. He had dared to go far into it, but now he simply couldn’t get any further. He screamed his desperation into the dusk, birds flew away twittering. David couldn’t believe he had gotten himself into such a predicament. He had been rock solidly confident that he would have made it through the forest in time before nightfall. At the end of the forest was the village of Bala, which he wanted to reach. Now, however, it looked like David would have to spend the night in the bush and look for a better way tomorrow. “Shit and cow fuck!”, David shouted out his furiousness once again. He knew exactly how much danger it could be in this fucking forest at night. Once apart from predators, he had always heard stories about hikers and hunters vanishing without a trace. That’s why hardly anyone ventured into this forest, and that was also why David’s wares would be so much valued in the village of Bala.
In a small clearing, David now set up his evening camp, tense as a bow. He ate some cold meat, cheese, and bread, but did not dare to light a fire or attract who knows what. After four hours of keeping watch as quiet as a mouse, he slumbered against his will into a deep sleep full of nightmares. His longsword lay ready to hand next to him.
In the dead of night, the witching hour must already have passed, he was jolted out of sleep. He had heard a loud crash, but in his sleep, he wasn’t sure whether he had heard the sound in a dream or reality. Quick as a flash, he seized his sword and jumped silently to his feet. There was a rustling sound behind a tree at the edge of the clearance. He fixed his eyes on it, ready to take on a pack of wolves or worse. But then he heard another loud thump; it smacked like a big drum. Whatever had been loitering in the thicket was now quickly moving away. David turned again, this time in the direction of the loud beating drum. “Oh, I’m going to regret this,” David was thinking to himself, but still crept in the direction of the sound. The drumming got louder and louder. Finally, David saw a flame light and ducked. At first, he couldn’t make out anything, then five meters away from him a large rider on a huge horse passed him. At least that’s what David thought at first. When he realized what he was seeing, a mute cry of horror escaped him.
Only a few meters away from David were tigers, lions, and black horses with red eyes, and on them sat orcs.