The night had a slight chill in the air as the full autumn moon shone over the clearing.  There was a tranquil breeze gently floating through the woods.  And faintly as if from a distance, the sound of unrest, the rustling of the bushes and the animals scurrying past could be heard.  From layers and layers of mist and fog, the tall and massive ancient gnarled olive tree stood alone in the middle, illuminated by the full moon over head.  And though it looked magnificent and proud in the light with its twisted trunk, there was something about it that made it seem quite melancholic.

Suddenly, the peaceful silence was interrupted with a sound of wailing that rented the air.  The kind of sound that could make the hairs stand on end.  There were rasping breaths growing faster and louder by the moment.  The screeching sound would not stop.  The olive tree was not long for this world.  It shook, rattled and swayed more than what was thought possible for one of its girth.  From its base, a figure of a woman could be seen crawling out from the withering tree.  It was as if the tree was dying to make way for a new life.  Her nails were digging into the earth, lurching herself into the open with much difficulty and unease.  Even with the mud covering most of her body like a cloak, it could be seen that she had lunar pale skin and long raven black hair that stood out in disarray about her head.  She lifted and opened her eyes.  Her eyes were every color and no color at all.

Without warning, the sky has darkened and everything was reduced to silhouettes.  A loud flap that seems to slice the air was heard from above.  It was almost like a giant crow, but instead of a bird, it was a tall, well-built man with dark black feathered wings that span about five meters long.  His face obscured by the darkness, but his eyes shone bright like amber.  And just as he was about to reach out for the woman, Cerese shot up from her bed.

The dream ends.

Cerese looked around before glancing at her own self and seeing that she was perfectly fine in her own room, she sighed in relief.  She was still dressed in her green checkered pajamas with a brown wool blanket that covered over her legs.  It was the same recurring dream from when she was younger and now that she turned 21, the dream seems to be occurring more and more.  It always starts the same and ends up just before the winged man could touch the woman from the tree.

The next morning, she was on a car ride of multiple hours on the road.  It’s been a couple of months since her parents passed away from a car accident.  They were on their way to their usual Thursday night movie date when they all of a sudden lost control of the car and collided with a trailer truck transporting lumber.  She has been devastated from the sudden loss, exhausting herself from crying each day and has slowly closed herself off of people and of things that may remind her of their passing.  It was like waking up one day to find everyone gone and life just wasn’t the same.

A week ago, the family lawyer came to her to inform her of a piece of land and a cabin in the woods that her parents had left.  It was the first time she has heard of this.  She and her parents were the typical city folks, who had never once stepped anywhere near the forest, the woods or even the park.  But she knew she had to leave.  Be somewhere away from the pitying eyes that reminded her of how alone she is.  She needed to go far to a place where she could release the well of emotions currently tightening its grasp on her neck.  She needed to go in order to heal.  To breathe new air until the dull ache in her chest subsides.  So she went despite the half-hearted protests of the people around her.

The woods were an ancient marvel that she only started to truly appreciate through the window of her black SUV.  She wondered why she never once thought of spending time in the presence of nature before.  The trip was mostly quiet and uneventful and another half hour more she was maneuvering the vehicle through a maze of trees and greenery.  She rolled down the windows to bask in the waft of fresh forest air.  Someone was seemingly calling her through the wind.

A few minutes more, Cerese made an abrupt turn into a bright clearing, pulling the car to a rest in the midst of tall, weedy grass.  In a long while, a smile crossed her face.  She eagerly tore herself from the car and stretched her limbs one by one after the multiple hour of long car ride before turning her face to the wide clearing in front.  It all happened so quickly, she began to sprint in full force towards the middle of the clearing, chest heaving and hair blowing behind her in the fresh wind.  She just stood there, arms wide open, eyes closed, taking in everything.  It was like she is where she is supposed to be.  It was like she was home after a long while.

She remembered how as a kid she thought the trees would talk to her when she passes them by from school.  Most of the trees’ conversation had nothing to do with her, but when asked they would answer in a slow ponderous way that only creatures, who have spent a century of watching the same moon and feeling the same dirt between their roots could manage.  She remembered how they told her what they were supposed to be.  Her parents had told her it was just the wind through the leaves and the creaking branches.  The trees could not talk just as men could not fly.  But as she closes her eyes in the middle of the clearing, she could hear the truth of the sounds welcoming her home.

Just then, she heard the flapping of wings that covered the light from the sun.  It was like a huge bird flying at fast speed, but she could not see clearly what kind.  Cerese was struck with terror clambering through the grass on unstable legs.  She had to run, unsure from what, but the growing fear in her pushed her to flee from the open land and towards the cover of the trees.

She began to sprint, her thoughts jumbled in her head brought about by fear and panic.  She was racing through the trees at a break neck pace to find where she has left her car.  Could she have taken a wrong turn?  Or went in the woods from the wrong side?  She kept on looking back trying to see if anyone or anything was following her, when she bumped into something, someone.  She looked to find a man standing in front of her and she screamed as she fell back into the ground.

“It’s alright.  I won’t hurt you.”  The man said as he stepped back, keeping his distance to calm her.  His hands were up in the air.  “Are you alright?”

He was tall and strongly built, rugged yet pleasant looking and more importantly, no wings and doesn’t look much like a threat to her life.  He was in his running gear and doesn’t seem as if he was there to hurt anyone or anything, especially not her.  “Yes.  I’m sorry, I was – “

“Lost and panicking?”  He asked with a slight smirk dancing on his mouth as he offers his hand out to help her up.

She smiles in embarrassment and takes his hand.  “Yes, very.  Can you help?  I seem to have lost my car...somewhere.”  She glanced around the unfamiliar trail as she stood with his help.

“Black SUV?”  He asks and she nods excitedly.  “I might have passed it a little while ago.  I suppose yours is the only one abandoned in the woods.”  The man’s nose twitched, a gesture for what she assumed was a smile, before he reached his hand out to take a dried leaf stuck in her hair.  “Walk with me.”

“Uhm.  Thanks.”  Cerese sputtered, suddenly feeling ashamed at her frantic chase.

“So why were you running?”  He dipped his head trying to meet her eyes.

“I thought I saw –“  She trailed off, not exactly sure of what she saw.  “I mean, I just got scared for a second.”

“Scared of what?”

“Something.  I’m not sure what.”  She looked up to survey the sky and the tall trees that surround them.

“There are some things in this woods that may seem scary at first, but then you’ll find that they mean you no harm.  Almost everything in here is friendly.”  He lays a hand over the bark of the tree.  “Have they welcomed you yet?”  He grinned at her skeptical face like he was teasing her.  “I’m Taec by the way.”  He held out his hand and she shook it.  Her fingers wrapped around his with gentle pressure.  “I have a house by the lake.  Just towards that direction.”  He points.

“I’m Cerese.”  She tucked a strand of escaped hair back behind her ear.

He stopped walking to make eye contact with her.  There was something about the way he presented himself that made him look somewhat regal.  “Cerese.  That’s a lovely name.”  Taecyeon grins.  “It suits you.”

The rush of color tinting her cheeks was like watching the sunrise.  “Thank you…I think.”  She wrinkled her nose as she lowered her eyes as they continued to walk.  “I was never really fond of it.”

Taecyeon turned around to face her as he walked backwards.  “Cerese.  Do you know the meaning of your name?”  His brow arched as a smile tugged at his mouth.  He could see she was having problems meeting his eyes and he was daring to test for how long she would keep up with it.

“No.”  She shakes her head and met his eyes.  “Do you?”  She blushed lightly before she looked down again.

“Yes.”  He nods and turns around again to face front.

“And that is?”  Her eyes flicked up in curiosity.

“Maybe, I’ll tell you later or maybe you can find out on your own.  Google is a mighty thing you know.”  He chuckled and they both continued to walk.  The rustling of the dry leaves under their feet sounded lethargic and the soft breeze was so soothing it was like lulling her to sleep.

“Do you even get service around here?”

“Unfortunately not.  You have to go way over the main road to get a signal.”  He replied.  “You know, I have lived around here for years and I don’t think I have ever seen you around here before.  Are you here for vacation?  Sightseeing?  Photography thing?”

“My parents have a cabin around here.  I was thinking of staying there for a few weeks maybe or a few days or overnight, depending on the living conditions there.”  She took a piece of paper from her pocket with the directions to the cabin to show Taecyeon with a deep breath and shook her head as the thought of maybe she rushed into coming crossed her mind.

“Oh, I know where this is.”  He hands you back the paper.  “Well, here we are.”  He points to the car.  “This is your car right?”

“Yes.  Thank you.”  A slow crooked smile spread across her face.  “Really.  Thank you.  I don’t know what could’ve happened if you haven’t found me.”  She slowly opened her car door and went inside.

“Hey,”  Taecyeon held the door before she could close it.  “you need a radio.  For emergencies and stuff like that.”

“I’ll get one….somewhere…maybe tomorrow.”  She replied.

“Actually, I have a spare I could lend you.  Just until you get your own.”  He scratches the back of his head.  “I could take it to your cabin or you could get it from mine.”

Her cheeks took on a flush of color as she looked at him.  “I don’t think I’ll be able to find your place, but if you could find mine, then I would really, really be thankful and be in your debt.”

“Alright then.”  He made a sound of delight with a wide grin.  “I’ll bring it to you later.”  He closes the door and watched her put on the seatbelt.  “And Cerese … You know, if you get lost, you could always ask the trees for direction.  They will lead you to me.”  He smiled and turned to run the other way with a wave of his hand.