It was early in the morning when Dom was interrupted from his chores by a clatter of heavy hooves on the cobblestones of the village center. He had been heating up the forge at the smithy that was also his home, a task he had been performing every sunrise ever since his father's death a month ago. Dom brushed away a curl of black hair from his face and listened. He heard the horseman stop at the town square of his small village, and a ponderous thump as he dismounted. A short silence followed, and then a lone horn rang over the sleeping village.
''Hear ye, hear ye, the people of Umak!'' a clear voice cried. ''The king promises land, gold and a knighthood for who shall save his daughters, princesses Alilei and Lorelei, from the clutches of a fearsome monster. The beast is known to make his lair in this region.''
The horn rang again, and as soon as he had arrived the horseman rode off, leaving the drowsy villagers stupefied.
Later that day while fixing horseshoes Dom pondered the message of the king's herald, and the more he did, the more he was overcome by a lust for adventure. At dusk after finishing the day's work he got it into his head to dig out his father's old sword, which had been lying unused for years on a dusty shelf. It was a shortsword of good hardened steel, long as a man's arm and simple in its beauty.
Dom drew it from the dusty scabbard and slashed the air a couple of times, feeling the blade's weight in his grip. His father had taught him well with a sword, and despite him holding one in his hand for the first time after his father's passing, familiar skills quickly awoke in his wiry arm. Dom's own sword was a mere toy compared to this blade: terribly balanced, too heavy and shorter.
Dom decided he had made up his mind. He wouldn't spend the rest of his life as the blacksmith of a sad one-horse town. He yearned for adventure, thirsted for danger and wished to see the world outside his home.
He changed the grip of the sword with fresh leather, sharpened the blade and wiped the dirt off the sheath. He found his backpack, and – careful not to wake his stepmother – loaded it with a block of cheese, two loaves of bread and some dried horsemeat. Finally, in the quiet of the night, Dom closed the door behind him and sneaked into the woods.
He made his way for an hour through the densely wooded thicket, the moonlight only barely streaming through the leaves to light his way. No roads came this way. After he felt he was a comfortable distance away from his village he made camp under a steep, rocky cliff.
**********
It was some time before midday, he presumed, when he woke up and continued on his way. Less than a day's walk away would lie a small, abandoned tower, Dom knew. He had used to play there as a child with his friends. That was where he was headed. Had he been a princess-robbing beast, that would've been his choice of hiding place.
Passing through the woods skipping roots and rocks Dom wondered what kind of a beast would wish to, not to mention be able to, kidnap princesses of the crown. It might've been merely a group of goblins, but Dom suspected a larger breed of their kin: orcs, who had the intelligence to ask for a ransom in gold for such a prize as a princess. Perhaps the kidnapper was a werewolf, a troll or an evil witch. Maybe Dom would meet something even more fearsome in the tower.
Dom wasn't truly afraid, at least so he told himself. He figured he could assess the situation from a comfortable distance, and if the enemy was deemed unbeatable, he could fall back. Dom had seen eighteen summers, and as was the way with young men, he felt he could take on the world. He did possess a different kind of courage, too, one stemming from his skill as a swordsman. Dom's father had served in the armies of a dozen kings while young, and had taught Dom ever since he had been able to hold a wooden stick. When Dom had been fourteen a group of goblins had raided his village, and Dom had blindly charged out with the other men to defend, slaying two of the foes with his short blade, first dismembering both arms from the other. He wasn't a boy anymore, but tall as a man and strong-bodied. Hard work at the forge and swordplay with his father and peers had toughened his arms and his legs were thick with muscle.
**********
Late that evening Dom arrived at his destination. Amongst the trees rose a high hill covered with ruins, like a green head with a rocky crown. Around it the trees grew densely, but the growth thinned up the hill and the top was bare. After the people had left the crows had taken over, and they now populated the ruined fortress, with several flying in circles high above and many perched on the crumbling archways. Only a few of the buildings were still standing – including the main tower of which only the jagged tip was visible – most had collapsed to the ground.
After the sun had sunk behind the faraway mountains Dom left his bag next to a huge, ancient oak, and with only his sword and scabbard began climbing up the hill, keeping his ears and eyes open, careful not to make a sound. The slope was steep and rocky, and in the dark it was difficult maintaining balance, or avoiding placing weight on a round stone and rolling down with it.
A deep roar broke the silence, echoing over the forest. The crows answered, croaking lazily in the night. Dom couldn't quite make out where the sound came from. He looked around, frightened, but saw nothing but the dark shapes of the ruins against a black sky and a black sea of trees under.
Finally he made it to the top, and he took a while to take in his surroundings. The peak was almost flat and some fifty meters across. Entirely or partly collapsed buildings were all around, all black and grey with no sign of anything living but the crows, except for a warm light shining through the ruins. The main tower was some fifteen meters tall and encircled by three stories of windows, the lowest of which were bright with light from within. In the dark it seemed like the tower was a part of the hill itself, rising above the ruins like an ugly arm.
Wary, Dom sneaked through the ruins to the tower. A crow croaked up in the sky and a light breeze whispered dark secrets amongst the crumbled piles of rock. Approaching a window Dom heard something, a faint voice, and for a moment he thought it was a ghost. The voice echoed like it was coming from the bottom of a well, but after getting to the window it turned out his mind was playing tricks on him: it was crying he was hearing. The hole in the wall was at a level with Dom's head and large enough for him to stand in.
A window is like to be a safer entrance than a door, Dom thought. He unbuckled his swordbelt and placed it in the window before grabbing the ledge and pulling himself up.
In the middle of the dark hall below burned a fire, the light it cast dancing on the ancient stone walls like a thousand fiery warriors. Dom saw shelves, broken and still standing, and tables and chairs in the middle of the hall. He saw barrels in the corners and toppled over on the floor and tattered sacks spilling with flour. And he saw two feminine shapes, chained to the wall opposite to him.
The other was chained by her wrists so high, that her feet only barely reached the ground. She was a petite thing, clearly the younger of the two, but by her shapes it was obvious she was no child. Her clothing was partly torn, and a perky breast was exposed. Wavy auburn hair framed her charming facial features, which had a hint of childish roundiness left to them. By her appearance Dom recognized her as the younger princess Lorelei.
Next to her princess Alilei was only chained by her other ankle, and sat on a stool next to the wall with her legs tightly together. If Lorelei's appearance was charming, Alilei's was alluring. She had the brightest eyes and the fullest lips with features that defied the works of the greatest artists with their beauty. Her long, light hair caught Dom's eye, shining in the light of the fire like it had been spun of silvery thread. She wore a simple green dress that left her arms and ankles bare. Her skin was a lighter cinnamon than her sister's, perfectly smooth and flawless.
They were both well under twenty summers, Dom knew, their beauty flowering in full bloom. Dom couldn't help but stare in wonder at their equally exquisite beauty. Lorelei's naked breast drew his eye, and he found himself becoming aroused despite himself.
Both girls were looking at Dom, he realized, both remained silent, yet Dom could read a voiceless plead for help from their lips. Assessing the scene Dom estimated that it was a two-meter drop to the ground from the windowhole, and though there were piles of sacks of flour next to the wall, there was an empty spot right below. He threw his swordbelt on the sacks – it landed with a soft thud. Then, hanging from the ledge he lowered himself, and finally dropped to the ground.
He crashed on the floor with a loud thump. Afraid he had awoken whatever made the tower its lair, he froze in place to listen. He saw a wide staircase in a niche caved in the wall on the left, and he half expected a throng of furious orcs to come storming down the steps, but nothing happened. Only the fire blazed and the wind whispered, and the beautiful prisoners remained quiet, too, despite looking ready to scream. There was no sign of the master of the tower.
Dom made his way through the hall, leaving distance between himself and the fire, sneaking through the shadows quiet as a ghost. Reaching the girls he was surprised to find their clothes, skin and hair in mint condition, apart from the tear on Lorelei's dress on her breast, as if they had been carried there by palanquins, not forcibly dragged by monsters.
''Help us,'' Lorelei whispered, her voice quivering.
''Where is it?'' Dom hissed. ''The... what is it?''
''Thank you,'' Alilei said, her voice only slightly betraying fear. ''We had... it went somewhere many hours ago, and we're afraid it will... Help us, please, help us!''
''I will do what I can,'' Dom said solemnly, and continued, ''But I must know what is the nature of the beast which has you captured.''
''Goblins!'' princess Alilei whispered. ''But there is also...'' her voice trailed off and she stared towards the staircase. ''They're here!''
Dom heard them too now, quickly approaching scurrying footsteps, ugly voices and laughter, and clattering of metal on stone. Without hesitation he reached to his side for his sword – but it wasn't there, and he realized he'd left it behind! Lorelei screamed and the footsteps came closer and closer; Dom glanced around but saw nothing to arm himself with, and he felt the cold grasp of fear almost paralyze him.
As shadows swayed in the staircase Dom finally moved: he bolted a few meters to the right and dove in a large oaken barrel, which, as luck would have it, was empty.
The barrel was old and full of cracks, and Dom could see a part of the hall from his hideout. Down the stairs came to view one, two, three, four ugly goblins, their tattered harnesses spattered with dried blood and their faces made even uglier by scars old and new. They carried crude axes and daggers in their grasps, waving them in the air and cackling and yakking while skipping down the last few steps. One of them, clearly the eldest and the chief judging by its heavier equipment and a feather-garnished helmet, noted the prisoners chained to the wall and grinned menacingly.
It gave a joyful laugh and said something to its young underlings, who began laughing like they had heard the best joke of their petty lives. They scooted to the girls on bent legs and put down their weapons next to the wall, apart from one young goblin, who fiddled with its rusty dagger while eyeing the younger girl, princess Lorelei. Her exposed breast seemed to entice the goblin greatly, and it gave the pert globe of flesh a poke with its finger, its grin widening even further.
Next to the petite, sniffling princess it was clear how small in stature the goblins were: they were even shorter than her, and only slightly heavier. Dom knew he could have taken on at least two of them and emerged victorious, but four? And without his sword? He silently cursed his foolishness for leaving his sword behind. He imagined he might have been able to bolt across the room and unsheath his blade before the goblins would be on him, but that wouldn't end well. He had no choice but to wait for a better opportunity.
''Leave us be!'' princess Alilei said defiantly while the goblins circled her younger sister, but her words were ignored. She attempted to stand, but the old goblin chieftain gave her a push, growling, and she fell back into her chair, her expression a mixture of disbelief and fear.
The young goblin who had poked Lorelei's breast yanked her dress forcibly, and when it didn't come off easily, slashed it clean apart with its dagger, tearing the remnants off and throwing them to the ground. Princess Lorelei screamed as her royal nudity became exposed for the goblins to feast their eyes upon. The sight provoked amazed ''Oohs'' and ''Aahs'' from the goblins, and Dom found himself equally astonished despite the situation; such was the beauty of princess Lorelei's delicate, naked body. Her young breasts were full and firm with coin-sized pink nipples against her cinnamon skin; between her legs fuzzy brown hair only barely covered her soft nether lips.
''Please...'' princess Lorelei pleaded tearfully, but the goblins wouldn't listen, and the young one who had disrobed her had already thrown down its dagger and was upon her, groping and fondling her while hastily undressing itself.
Dom watched the scene in horror, his heart telling him to act, but his head knowing that that would be the death of him. He almost teared in frustration, forced to witness such horrific acts and unable to do anything about it. He swore to himself he would take full revenge for the princesses for every atrocity the goblins committed. Grinding his teeth and clenching his fists in righteous anger, he waited.
Soon the young goblin upon princess Lorelei had had enough of fondling her breasts and behind, and it threw off its loincloth, a dark green shaft already standing erect between its thin, crooked legs. Princess Lorelei looked down at it and screamed again, but it was no use.
''Don't do this!'' princess Alilei cried, but was silenced by another growl from the elder goblin.
''Please, no...'' Lorelei pleaded again as the goblin pressed itself against her body, spitting on its member to lube it up and guiding it between her smooth legs. ''Uhhhh,'' she gasped when the goblin entered her, the goblin grunting in pleasure.
The other goblins cheered the young one on while undressing themselves, watching and waiting for their turn. Hanging by her wrists and pressed against the wall princess Lorelei sobbed and panted helplessly while the ugly green creature began to molest her, driving its hips up between her legs and its cock in and out of her young vagina. The goblin reached its arms around princess Lorelei, holding tightly onto her body while pumping ever deeper.
Shortly the sensation of her warm tightness overwhelmed the young goblin. ''Guhhhr, urgh, gurrrh,'' it grunted, thrusting fully inside the princess as it climaxed, its hips jerking.
''Noooo....'' princess Lorelei whimpered as the goblin spurted its seed deep inside of her pussy, grinning happily as it did.
No sooner than it had ejaculated in the princess the young goblin was pulled off of her by one of the other goblins, a bulky one, who hurried to place its visibly thicker cock at the entrance of princess Lorelei's come-seeping vagina. She cried hopelessly, realizing her misery had only just began. Princess Alilei was covering her eyes, wailing quietly into her dress, and Dom silently cursed once more.
The bulky goblin grasped princess Lorelei's hips and thrust inside of her, letting out a deep ''Grraaahhh'' as it felt the princess's warmth envelope its fat shaft. After a few deep thrusts the goblin was joined by the other one who had missed out on the action so far, while the chieftain remained back and watched. The second goblin now assaulting the princess was scrawny and lanky, and visibly quite old, maybe as old as the chieftain. Its green cock was long and thin.
It squirmed behind the princess while the other goblin kept on fucking her, and though the princess realized what was happening and screamed again, she couldn't help it. Behind her the old goblin lubricated her behind with its saliva, then forcibly pushed its shaft inside her hot royal ass, grunting in pleasure as it did.
''No! Please, no!'' princess Lorelei cried as the goblins fucked both her holes, using her body for their pleasure like a doll. Together the goblins lifted her off the ground, the bulky one burying its face between her breasts while it penetrated her soft pussy. Behind her the old one was going wild in the pleasure of ravaging the princess's tight ass, its tongue hanging out of its grinning mouth and drool running down its chin.
Only after a short while the goblins started coming, holding the princess tight between themselves as they ejaculated inside of her, one deep within her young pussy and the other within her hot ass. Princess Lorelei cried in horror and tried in vain to squirm free, but that only made the goblins hold her tighter as they emptied their balls in her petite body.
Finally they were spent, and once they were, the chieftain began grunting orders. A key was produced and used to open princess Lorelei's chains, who was then carried and forced on her knees in front of the chieftain, who had sat down in a chair. The chieftain beckoned the sobbing girl closer with a rude gesture, and when she wouldn't move, it yanked her by the shoulder to kneel between its legs.
''No... anything but this...'' she whimpered as the chieftain untied its loincloth, revealing its member: a thick and short green thing with a bright pink head. The old goblin pressed princess Lorelei's head down in his lap, but she refused to touch the erect cock poking her face. The chieftain pulled a dirk from its boot and threatened the princess, and that forced her to surrender.
She grasped the shaft and with a look of revulsion, reached out her tongue to test the tip. She gave it a few tentative licks before opening her lips and allowing the chieftain's cock in her little mouth, closing her eyes and frowning as she did. The chieftain rested back in its chair, clearly enjoying the frightful girl's services. The other goblins leaned against the wall or sat cross-legged to the side, letting their boss have its way with her.
Leaning on the old goblin's legs princess Lorelei began bobbing her head slowly up and down in its lap, her gorgeous auburn hair waving as she did. This provoked deep grunts from the chieftain, who put its hand almost gently on the back of the princess's head to encourage her. Soon, however, it grabbed her hair, trying to pull her deeper. The girl struggled with it, coughing and gagging as the goblin forced its cock deeper, finally satisfied when the princess had all of it in her tiny mouth. It let go of her head and she voluntarily soon came back down almost as deep, continuing to bob and suck on the chieftain's veined member.
As the young princess unwillingly performed fellatio on the old goblin its grunts grew louder and louder, and soon it grabbed the princess's head with both hands, forcing her to engulf the length of his cock again and again. Finally the chieftain just held her down, its hips jerking up to meet her face, and growled, ''Mmmmrrrrhh,'' as it finally released inside princess Lorelei's mouth. She frowned and tears swelled in her eyes as the goblin ejaculated, the green shaft twitching between her lips. She had to swallow so she wouldn't suffocate, and she gagged and coughed, some seed spilling from the corner of her mouth, dripping down her chin and onto her bouncy breasts, but most going down her throat.
The goblin wouldn't let go before she had drank all it had to give. Eventually, having emptied all its seed in the princess's belly the chieftain was content, and it released her, leaving her to cough and spit semen on the ground, while plentiful amounts of come also oozed from between her legs.
Suddenly a load roar echoed in the tower. The goblins looked up, alarmed, and began hurrying to gather their garments and weaponry. There were heavy footsteps on stone, coming down the stairway. Thum, thum, thum, they echoed, like a heavy sack of potatoes being thrown from one step to the next. Dom wondered how could the situation possibly get any worse.
A tall shadow appeared, and soon down the stairs came a burly, fat troll, its barrel belly full of scars, one still seeping fresh blood. It had a thick tree trunk on its shoulder, which it swung down after stepping down the last step. It grinned fearsomely upon seeing the scene.
It was at least two meters tall and heavy even for a troll, and looked old and dignified: its earrings were numerous and of silver and gold; its tiny eyes were full of cruel intelligence; its loincloth was of heavy mammoth leather.
The troll gave a victorious roar and set down its weapon against the wall, and began stomping straight towards Dom, the tower echoing its heavy footsteps. The goblins were quick to make way for it, their gazes lowered respectfully. Holding his breath Dom watched the troll approach, closer and closer, next to him, it bent down – and sank its head in the barrel next to Dom's, drinking deep of the water within.
Having satisfied its thirst the troll stood up and was about to turn, when it froze. It turned its ugly head suspiciously, and Dom could hear it sniffing the air. Suddenly the beast grunted and charged forward, but past Dom, and he heard a sack of potatoes kicked across the hall, a tiny squeek, and finally, ''Crunch,'' as the troll crushed a rat under its flat foot.
Dom dared to breath again as the troll turned its focus on the naked princess Lorelei, still kneeling on the floor in a puddle of the goblins semen. It shambled to her, pausing there for a moment to feast upon her naked beauty. A bulge formed under its loincloth, and soon the troll tore it off to reveal a monstrous shaft, probably as thick as the girl's arm. The bright pink tip was blunt and gnarled like some horrific vegetable.
Princess Lorelei screamed upon seeing it and attempted to crawl away, but the troll grasped her arm and pulled her back. The petite girl was only two-thirds the troll's length and looked tiny in comparison, and the troll had no trouble lifting her in the air and on its belly, her firm breasts squishing against the beast's thick skin. With its other hand the troll held her in place, and with the other it spread her slender thighs, then guided its blunt cock against the princess's fuzz-covered nether lips.
Princess Lorelei shrieked, of fear and discomfort, as her tiny opening stretched to accept the fat intruder, until the gnarled head abruptly popped inside and her lips slid down the thick shaft, her vagina enveloping the tip of the troll's member. The troll let out a deep, satisfied growl as it penetrated the princess, its eyes closing and lips spreading to a happy grin.
The troll grabbed her with both arms now, pressing her ass down against itself, squeezing the firm globes of her buttocks in its palm. It pulled back a little, her pink inner lips stretching with the troll's shaft, then thrust back inside the gentle warmth of her cunt, pulling on her ass to get deeper. Surprisingly almost all of the troll's considerable length fit inside the princess's tiny pussy, and the troll just held her there, her naked body against its belly and, somewhere deep inside of her, the blunt tip of the troll's cock against the bottom of her stretched vagina.
The troll growled in enjoyment and began moving the girl up and down in its hold, sinking its thick shaft between her slender thighs again and again, filling her to the brim. Its movements were slow and steady, but not violent. The princess's fuzzy nether hair shimmered from the moisture excreted by her own folds and from the goblins' come, the fluids trickling down the troll's shaft and onto its ballsack, making the sacrilegious union of their interracial, unequally sized genitals almost effortless.
Very soon the troll's grunts grew ecstatic as it kept gliding its swollen member in and out of the princess's tight crevice, her young cunt involuntarily massaging the huge but sensitive intruder until it started twitching with every thrust. The twitching grew until she could feel it inside of her, and her sobs turned to crying.
But, despite her cries, her body was welcoming to the beast, her pussy gently squeezing and milking the troll's fat cock until the beast finally shook all over, held her tight, pressed her ass down to enter her fully, and – began coming inside of her. The troll let out a muffled growl and rocked its hips as it ejaculated in the princess's snug pussy, while she whimpered hopelessly in the monster's hold, her girlie parts being filled by the troll's thick semen.
When the troll finally let go, its softening member slipping out of the girl, copious amounts of thick, sticky come fell from her opening. She collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. The troll grunted a few orders and the goblins began scurrying around, while the troll sat on a thick pelt next to the fire, threw a few logs into it, scratched its hairy back and lay down.
The goblins carried poor princess Lorelei to the wall and chained her to it once more. Dom watched and took note where the key was put: on a shelf in the corner next to some dusty books. Then the little green creatures picked up their weapons and scooted up the stairs, muttering something quietly amongst themselves.
**********
Soon the troll's loud snoring echoed in the hall, and Dom realized he might not get a better chance than this. Anger grew inside of him as he stood up in the barrel, grasped the sides and pressed himself up, hopping softly to the floor. The troll's raspy, boisterous breathing covered Dom's light footsteps, and he sneaked along the wall, carefully stepping over a pitchfork and past a toppled chair, finally reaching his sword lying on the sacks of flour.
Grasping the scabbard he unsheathed the blade, the soft scrape of steel on leather soothing his nerves, and glanced over at the princesses. They were watching him, quiet as mice. The look princess Alilei gave him strengthened his resolve, and he started towards the troll, but – with his first step he knocked over a bucket, and the sound felt like a boulder coming down a hill in the silence.
Startled, Dom looked at the troll, and to his horror saw it staring straight at him. The beast roared and began to rise, but before it could Dom was upon it, slashing through the air at its neck with enough force to slay any mortal man.
But the troll was no mortal man. The steel bit into its thick skin only an inch, causing the beast to yelp in pain and rage, but still it stood up. Dom backed a step, another, a third. The troll produced a long dagger from under its bed and eyed Dom warily, gauging the threat. Dom wasn't a tall man, and the monster towered over him at more than two meters in height. When the troll realized it wasn't an armored knight it was facing, it snorted in contempt and charged.
Dom stepped from one leg to another, light on the balls of his feet, poised to dodge as the troll came closer and closer, aiming a high strike at Dom's face. Dom jumped back and slashed at the troll's belly, but the blade bounced off without leaving a mark. The troll made to strike from high again and Dom jumped back again, but was met by the wall behind his back. Out of instinct he slashed up and barely deflected the troll's attack, hopping to the side just as the troll now slashed sideways, the dagger scraping against the stone where Dom had just stood.
The troll roared furiously as the young warrior whom it had deemed an easy kill evaded him. It slashed the air, slammed a chair out of the way and smashed a bucket under its feet, snarling at the boy. Dom kept hopping from one foot to another, keeping his distance from the beast. His fear was gone; all that existed was him and his enemy.
Growling, the troll charged at him again, raising its dagger to a furious blow. Shifting his weight Dom waited, waited, waited, until the monster was upon him and the dagger fell, and then he spun to the side, slashing at the troll's face with all his strength. The blade hit right into the beast's eye and cut into its nose, causing the troll to let out a hellish cry, blood gushing from the eye it had lost.
Dom didn't wait for it to recover. He struck sideways at the troll's groin, his blade slicing the beast's monstrous cock, the detached half tumbling on the ground. The troll shrieked and flailed its arms, trying to strike at anything at all, but Dom had already spun behind it and rammed his sword down into the back of the troll's leg, causing the screaming beast to drop to its knees. He swung his blade up, grasped the hilt with both arms and with all his weight behind it, pressed it through the troll's neck.
The troll's scream became muffled, finally silencing completely as the fat beast collapsed on its side, suddenly unmoving. For a moment everything was quiet.
''You did it!'' princess Alilei exclaimed, incredulous. ''You did it!'' she repeated. Stupefied, Dom looked at her, the trance of battle slowly fading. Glancing at the naked princess Lorelei he found she had fainted.
**********
Using the key on the shelf Dom was able to unchain the prisoners, though he wasn't able to wake up princess Lorelei. Princess Alilei modestly covered her little sister's privates and bosom with makeshift garments made from the torn ruin of her dress, and Dom carried her on his shoulder as they left the tower together, praying they wouldn't crash into the goblins.
The descent down the hill was perilous in the dark of night, but they made it unscathed and soon escaped into the black forest. After they had come a good distance from the tower Dom decided to camp for the night under the roots of a gigantic redwood growing on a mossy bank.
Still bewildered by the experience, neither of them spoke much. It took Dom a long time before he fell asleep, and he was unsure if princess Alilei slept at all, though at least her sister did.
Through the night the forest was eerily quiet, and the bright sunrise gave false hope, as they were still far from safety.
End of part one ...
