The other were stunned for a moment, then, realizing what she had said, swung their horses to the side of the trail. The only problem was that there wasn't really any side to the trail. There was just a whole lot of underbrush, too thick to get through. They turned their horses the other way only to find that the trees were behind them also, and closing in fast. A gnarled old branch that looked a disturbing amount like a hand, reach out towards Nicole. She didn't see it coming until it was to late for her to do anything. It was about to grab her when a sword cut the wood. It did not cut off the limb but bit deeply into it. The tree pulled back it's limb as fast as lightning. James pulled back his sword and yelled:

"Come on everyone! This way!"

He started towards a small trail that he had just spotted and the others followed. The trail was barely noticeable and the only reason James had seen it was because he had caught some movement in the corner of his eye and had looked that way. Just for a second he had thought that he saw a big black and tan form but then it was gone. The trail was just wide enough for horse and rider so the trees could not follow. When they were a little further down the trail they began to wonder where they were going.

"James, do you have any idea where we are going?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not really. I saw something like an animal move, and if you have noticed, there are canine tracks in the mud."

"They look an awful lot like wolf tracks," Nicole said doubtfully.

Nobody said anything else. Somewhere a bird called. A rabbit ran out from under some brush a few feet from the horses hooves. Besides those sounds, everything was quiet and peaceful. Almost too quiet. The forest was basically unbroken by sound. Sunlight was streaming through the tree tops making the forest floor a perfect temperature. They kept on plodding on, and after what seemed like hours they entered a beautiful meadow. In the middle of it was a picturesque little cabin with flowers planted all around it. A barn lay off to the sides, near the trees, and coming from it were the sounds of a horse neighing and kicking wood. They rode cautiously towards the cabin. When they were just in front of it, Jackson yelled out if anyone was there. Silence. James and Elizabeth swung down from their horses and walked to the door. When James put his foot on the first step of the cabin it creaked so loudly in the silence that they all winced. He stepped in front of the door and knocked softly on the oak wood. They all waited, subconsciously holding their breaths. No answer.