Under The Oak Tree 272 Novels & Stories

Then he crouched and unwrapped the larger one. The painting was larger than I had expected. Two feet by three, oil on canvas, the tree in three-quarter view against a particular quality of afternoon sky — the kind of sky that was specific to the San Gabriel Valley, clear and high and pale at the horizon. The tree itself was a California oak, old, its crown spreading in the way of something that had decided long ago to take the space it needed.

“We made sure not to touch the scene, it’s exactly as we found it.” Matthias nodded, expression grim as he stepped past her. And there she was, laid out at the base of a oak tree that was older than the pack itself. Its branches twisted up ahead in a ghostly sort of canopies, leaves swaying in the airless night as strips of moonlight filtered in through, falling to the forest floors like ribbons of silver.

Delaney "Cursey," I hear Trevor Whittle say in a sing-song voice. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" Laughter follows his words. I remain hidden behind the huge oak tree and desperately try to catch my breath without making a sound. I breathe shakily behind the hand I placed over my own mouth while my heart slams against my chest.

He released another rumble but didn't respond as the smell of death became faint in the air. "We're getting close." He told the rest of the pack. I flattened myself on his back as he raised his head slightly to mask any visible sign of my presence. Surprisingly the crunching sounds that the pack had been producing dropped to a minimum as we grew closer to the rotting corpse smell. In my mind, I could hear Paul questioning Karolina about what was happening. Karolina explained as quickly as possible, but it seemed that every answer given produced two more questions. Thankfully, Dimitri intervened with a firm word of silence to Paul. I could see the trees break up ahead where the moonlight lit

“CIARA JOY!” If I can’t see her, then I don’t hear her. I thought to myself in a sing-song voice as I reclined cross-legged with my head resting back against the trunk of one of my favorite hiding spots in the woods. Nestled on the east edge of the border of our pack’s land is my favorite oak tree, with thick, wide branches stretching out in all directions high above the rest of the woods. My oak tree also has the most magnificent views of the mountains and surrounding woods which also border on two sides of the Crystal Lake waters. “Miss Ciara Joy Callaway, you better not be up some tree again, or so help me. Goddess. I will tell Alpha Radar and your father you are flapping about again!”

Like it knows something important is about to happen and doesn’t want to miss it. We stop near the old oak tree that holds the swings. It survived the battle somehow, some part of it cracked but still alive. Someone wrapped glowing charms around its trunk to help it heal. Soft light pulses from them, slow and steady. Karl leans against the tree. I sit on one of the swings. My lips curl into a teasing smile, gesturing to the empty swing by my side. “You don't want to sit?” “Nope, I think I'm good standing here.”

She was smiling at him from the surface of the water. *“Don't just stand there, Rowan,”* her voice whispered in the wind. *“The world is waiting.”* Rowan looked up. A hundred miles away, in the center of the new world, a single, massive oak tree stood. It wasn't made of marble or silver. It was made of wood and leaf. And carved into the trunk, high enough for everyone to see, was a single word. **[START]** But as Rowan turned to join the others, he felt something cold in his pocket.

She explained that Nick said he was going to watch Bryce's house and keep an eye on Selena, but he hadn't come back until that moment. "Do you want us to go look for him?" the woman offered. "No, I'll go!" Shane replied, already passing through the door. He got into the woods, and after walking for a while, he sensed Nick's smell. Shane was very close, and when he arrived at the forest glade, he found Nick's body lying on the ground. Shane rushed to him and exhaled in relief after seeing that he wasn't dead, just unconscious. It was already very dark and foggy, so he only had the moonlight to enlighten the place they were standing.

Paul’s and Zephyr’s. Arthur went silent after my remark and must’ve been thinking hard as he bumped into the back of my legs. We had arrived at our destination. “A tree?” Yup, and not just any tree. It was mine, Elizabeth’s, and Kevin’s tree. The great oak stood high and proud amongst its fellow trees, but its age gave it a leg up among the rest. Its aged texture made its bark pronunciate the markings we had left so long ago. It was our tree. I was sure of it.

“Alright! Alright! My bad! I know you don’t do your niece! That’s completely incest!” The girl laughed as she received a stern look from Silas. I bowed my head. I just looked at the noisy dry leaves whenever I stepped on them. Do they have a relationship? The girl was just laughing at his irritability. They seemed used to each other. “What tree is this?” I asked while touching the big tree we stopped at. “Oak tree,” the girl replied shortly and stood beside me. We were out of the forest, but this area still seemed to belong to the homeowner. There was not a single person in sight, and only one type of tree was planted. The environment here is pure green—with dark green grass, big oak trees,