3| Demon Hunters

In a village in the interior of the Darkwood forest, the residents flocked to close all the doors and windows of their houses as tightly as possible once the night fog fell. They extinguished the oil lamps and candles. No light, no sound. Everyone was silent and closed their eyes.

Two little girls of a farmer's daughter lay on the bed terrified. They continue to attach the body to the mother. The little girl's hands gripped the hem of her mother's clothes tightly.

"I'm afraid of the dark," whispered one of the little girls.

"Ssshh... don't make a sound," pleaded the mother.

"Why?" asked the eldest daughter innocently.

"They can hear us. They can eat us. Light and sound, must be removed if we are to survive!"

Boom!

Lightning suddenly struck and split the dark night sky. The fog grew thicker and covered every house in the village. The wind was blowing hard, making the trees sway vigorously.

From the depths of the untouched forest, a dark and pitch-black passage was suddenly created. The tangled tree branches suddenly unraveled like outstretched arms. The branches formed an open tunnel and could not be reached by the end of the base.

"They will come," said the father. "Close your eyes, children. Keep your mouth shut. Don't make a sound and don't peek no matter what's going on."

From within the dark and long passageway slowly heard the sounds of footsteps and the groans of various animals in the forest. The loudest and most terrifying sound was the roar of a tiger. This was followed by horse hooves stamping on the frozen ground.

Rooaarrr!

The two little girls jumped into their parents' arms. They closed their eyes very tightly and covered their mouths tightly with their hands. They were barely breathing. They could imagine the roar of a large and threatening black bear passing in front of the house.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of the footsteps of the animals in large numbers continued to pass alternately in front of their house. The longer the sound drifts away often, the intensity of the lightning in the sky decreases.

The farmer's wife started counting down using her fingers. At seven, the voices disappeared, and the thick fog was swept away entirely. The aisle formed from the branches of the trees closed again and twisted with each other. The Darkwood Forest returned to its former form—thick and desolate.

"Is it over? Is this over, Mama?"

"Yes, they are gone, children."

"What exactly are they, Mama?"

"They are the guardians and protectors of the Darkwood forest."

"Why do we have to hide from them, Mama?" asked the youngest daughter. "If they are protectors, shouldn't they be good?"

"They protect the forest, my child, not the people. They went around to chase the bullies away. They hate humans. That's why we are strictly prohibited from entering Darkwood no matter what. We are only given a place up to the outer boundary of the forest. You understand?"

The two girls nodded.

"Can we light the candles, Mama?"

The mother smiled and turned to her husband. The prominent farmer with a crippled left hand got up to light the candles and the fire.

"The firewood is gone. Let Papa take it in the barn first."

Without thinking anything, the farmer opened the door and went to get firewood. The cold air immediately hit the stuffy house when the door was opened. On the third step, the farmer left the terrace; something very dark and significant grabbed him. The eldest daughter saw all that and screamed.

"Aahhh!"

"Close the door, Emma!" shouted the father while holding back a giant black furry creature.

The mother was surprised and quickly closed the door. But, she was too late. Another herd was already standing at their doorstep. The door was pushed hard from the outside.

"Roar!" sums the fanged figure.

The two peasant daughters couldn't help but stare. Their bodies froze—they couldn't move, couldn't scream.

The father still resisted and asked his children to go to a safe place. The mother desperately held the door so that the creatures would not enter and disturb the two children.

The claw that was pressing on the farmer's chest lifted. The claws pierced the farmer's neck, and his neck was torn apart. The second claw tore the heart until the farmer died.

"Go downstairs quickly!" shouted the farmer's wife to her two daughters.

"But, Mama, we're scared," her daughters whined.

The farmer's wife pushed hard on the door with her hands and whole body. However, a claw managed to rip the door apart. The farmer's wife was thrown in front of her two children. The three of them hugged each other in the end.

In the doorway, there was a monster with black hair, claws and sharp fangs, and a pair of bright red eyes. The beast roared toward the three of them with a hungry look.

Jedaaar!

Lightning struck the fir tree. The light illuminates the monster's figure in the form of a giant wolf with a thin body. The wolf seemed to be made of a series of bones and rough black fur. Saliva dripped from its long jaw.

"Leader of darkness, help us!" cried the farmer's wife in despair as the wolf jumped and pounced on her.

They closed their eyes in despair. They thought their life was over that night.

Seconds later, no one attacked them. When they opened their eyes, the wolf had already been thrown into the courtyard.

"The leader of darkness?" muttered the farmer's wife as she tightly hugged her two daughters.

A figure in black robes with a pair of buffalo horns on its head appeared to protect the farmer's family. No one could see his face. He was saved by night.

His robes fluttered as the night wind blew. The two wolves melted into black smoke with just one swing of his hand. Before long, in the forest's darkness, hundreds of pairs of red eyes were seen watching the figure. However, they did not dare to approach when they knew there was the leader of darkness. The whole pack of wolves watched from deep into the dense forest.

The black-robed figure started to leave the farmer's house. His body was towering, and his buffalo horn damaged part of the house's roof.

The farmer's wife suddenly crawled fast. She gripped the hem of the dark leader's robes. A growl did not like to be heard. The farmer's two daughters held their mother's hand so as not to do that.

"Thank you," said the farmer's wife. "Thank you for helping us."

The black-robed figure was silent. He walked away from the terrace of the farmhouse, and his body disappeared in the arms of the thick fog. Faintly in the distance could be heard the sound of bells usually installed on horse-drawn carriages. The sound of the bells drifted away along with the sound of the stomping of the horseshoe, which also drifted away.

One by one, the herd of demon wolves began to leave the residents' settlements. They left the Darkwood forest.

The farmer family who lost the head of the family is still pensive. They sobbed, lamenting the death of their father.

"What about Papa?" asked her two daughters.

The mother hugged the two children. Before long, in the doorway appeared a petite figure carrying a lantern and a stick. His face was hidden in a hood. As he walked, the smoke seemed to float behind his body.

"What's that, Mom?"

The farmer's wife just shook her head.

The petite figure stood in front of the three of them. "You will forget all this and live a normal life as usual. Your father died from being bitten by a bear while going to fetch firewood!"

The sauce ok moved the stick. A shimmering powder like that of a firefly emerged from the wand's tip to bewitch the farming family. The three of them just fell asleep. The stick figure disappeared.