Samantha Moon 49: Thanksgiving Moon by J.R. Rain & Matthew S. Cox

Author:J.R. Rain & Matthew S. Cox [Rain, J.R. & Cox, Matthew S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

7.

It feels like walking into a dense mass of cobwebs.

For a second, all I can see are various shades of green swirling around… then forest. Gone is the ordinary Northern California woods. Now, we’re surrounded by immense trees covered in verdant moss. Vines laden with multicolored fruiting pods are everywhere. The undergrowth is knee high and copious. This entire place smells like nature. It’s honestly invigorating. If corporate America could bottle and sell this scent, someone would be rich beyond anyone’s imagining.

Clayton hurries into the fey forest with a mission.

It’s rare to see him move with such determination and speed. Usually, he only did that when school ended and he headed for the door.

Paxton gets easily distracted by the sight of faeries flying around in the distance. They are so far away they resemble fireflies in various pastel colors. I keep hold of her hand to guide her from walking into trees or getting lost. Time works in strange ways here, apparently. Sometimes being here for a little while can skip years in the normal world. Other times, years can pass here and only minutes go by in the normal world. I don’t understand how that works, nor do I really want to.

After what feels like almost an hour of hiking, Clayton stops and gets down behind a tree as if hiding from something. The rest of us take the cue and get low.

I move up beside him. “What’s up?”

He points around the tree.

I look in that direction.

And… wow. Okay. Yeah, that’s an ogre. It kinda resembles a caveman with a somewhat oversized, bald head, fat nose, potbelly, and tons of body hair. The creature’s eyes are comparatively small for its head. Were it standing, the ogre would likely be about twelve feet tall. It’s presently sitting on the ground and it’s still taller than us. The creature appears to be wearing a skirt made of animal pelts, probably deer or something similar. Near it on the ground is a dead tree. No, wait, that’s a giant club.

A huge wreath of dead, thorny vines forms a massive ring a dozen feet behind the ogre. I can’t help but think it looks like a portal from one of Anthony’s video games. A faint haze of dark energy swirls inside the ring, giving off a palpable sense of evil. Whatever it is, the negative energy coming from that thorn ring is enough to push away the faerie forest, creating a clearing of flat ground about thirty feet in all directions where nothing green lives.

Bones of various kinds litter the ground beside the ogre. Thankfully, most appear to be animal.

“So, that’s an ogre,” says Paxton in a too-calm voice.

“It is.” Clayton nods once.

Yeah, Pax is terrified. It’s so bizarre how she reacts to something like this ogre with so much self-control… but if it’s a tiny, harmless spider, she screams and freaks out.

“Okay. Basically we just need to go through that portal, right?” asks Tammy.

“Correct.” Clayton taps his foot. “I’ve tried sneaking past it, throwing rocks to distract it… even circling around and going at the portal from behind.

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