Kyanno strolled along the beach, his bare feet shifting the rocks and pebbles. Enjoying the peace of the mid-afternoon stroll, Kyyanno gazed across the curving arch of the natural harbour. Ahead of him, looming above the town was the northern headland, a sheer wall of light brown granite and darker lines of slate. It formed one wall of the natural harbour and bay that gave Tof'Marole its unique character as a town. Sheltered from the worst of the ocean weather by the twin headlands, the bay was famous for swimming, boating, sailing and extreme watersports.

Turning, Kyy looked back toward the southern headland. It was dotted with the outline of buildings, the meandering line of street lamps marking out the ciff road. It rose from a point way back from shore and made its way up toward the headland and the large lighthouse that stood proud atop the highest point of the cliff. The northern headland however was an altogether different beast, here on the beach he could make out the tops of the trees and the occasional speck of a bird.

It was an enigma, acres of unkempt wild woodland sprawled across the clifftops, following the curve of the land a good five miles in-land. The road out of town followed the edge of it, curving up the cliff’s inland slope before heading further inland to avoid the forest. The cliffside was clear, but the forest was hemmed in by an eight foot, vine choked wall. Everyone in town was proud of the forest--the town was named after it--and yet the whole thing was owned by the enigmatic merchant whose shop stood on its own grounds at the outskirts of Tof'Marole.

It had been puzzling and frustrating Kyy for weeks now, ever since he'd moved to this town the forest had loomed above him. It tempted him--a perfect environment to explore and ramble through, cut off from access to anyone. He had considered sneaking in, but he refused to scramble over the walls like some lanky, smart-mouthed, rebellious... teenager. Unfortunately his emails to the owner enquiring about access had been met with a polite yet obviously pre-written refusal. Frustrated, he had been ready to give up when he’d heard a rumour one evening at the pub of a hidden set of cliff stairs that could be found around the headland. And thus Kyy found himself on the beach with his phone off and left at home, a nylon backpack containing some basic supplies slung across his back, his visit timed during the quiet hours of low tide.

Leaving the shingle of the beach behind him, Kyy clambered up onto the series of rock pools that the receding tide exposed at the base of the cliff. The interconnected pools sparkled under the glare of the sun, home to a whole host of crabs, shrimps, and crustaceans. Kyy had to move closer to the sea to skirt the large jumble of rocks and larger pools at the base of the cliff, spray from the waves crashing against the rockpools, splashing across Kyyanno's bare legs and soaking the hem of his shorts.

With the sun warming his bare torso, a breeze blowing through his tawny, golden, brown spotted cheetah fur, and the spray cooling his legs it was actually refreshing. Free from the land, out with the raw energy of sun and sea, it felt fantastic. His bare paws gave him great grip on the slippery rocks, and after about half an hour of carefully weaving around pools, Kyy finally reached the end of the headland. The rock pools were now less than ten metres wide, the waves less sprays of salt water and more water that rose and fell around his ankles. The cheetah kept pressing onwards, scrambling over the rocks to get around the narrowest part of the cliff.

He was out of sight of the town now. The cliffs looming overhead were all the land he could see, everything else was ocean waves. Out here, away from the shelter of the bay, the wind was stronger, the waves hit harder, and Kyy was starting to feel somewhat exposed. Edging up against the cliff as close as he could, the cheetah pressed on, climbing toward the curve of the headland. He still had over three hours left before the tide turned, ample time to retreat if this fabled stairway turned out to be nothing more than a drunkard’s boast.

With the small backpack he'd brought to hold his water bumping against his back, Kyy rounded the edge of the headland and paused to take in the coastline. The headland curved away, heading back toward the shore but only half the length on this side; the cliffs continued along the coast whereas for the town there was more bay. Padding forward, bare feet gripping the rock, Kyy started scanning the rockface for any sign of steps or a slope.

The sun continued to keep him warm, though the wilder, larger waves were kicking spume up across Kyy's back and side now. He didn't mind, it was refreshingly liberating to be out so far from town. His perseverance was rewarded as well, about half way along the cheetah found a sloping shingle beach… and at the base of the cliff was a set of steps carved out of the living rock, winding their way up toward the forest.

Smiling, Kyy picked his way across the narrow beach and placed his hands on the steps. They were slick with spray, and the first twenty were covered in slimy moss, a clear indication that during high tide they were submerged. Moving carefully, crouched over so he could grip the stairs above, Kyy started to climb. It was slow going at first. With no rail, the steps were fully exposed, and one slip meant he'd be dashed on the rocks below. After the first two hundred yards however the steps switched back, carved into a natural gully in the cliff. This offered some protection and a half wall of boulders, rocks and tough grass protected Kyy from the drop below.

All told, it took Kyy a good half an hour to climb the stairs. The roar of the waves accompanied him, but the spray was way out of reach. By the time he reached the top the sun had dried his fur, leaving it spiked and clumped from the residue of salt clinging to it. Brushing his claws through it got rid of the worst of it, but he'd need a proper bath once he got home to soak out the rest. Still, as he crested the top of the steps, Kyy was feeling accomplished and successful. Perched on a rock, he watched the sea below as he took a long swig from his water bottle.

“Connecting with the wild on a base level like this was the best,” Kyanno said to himself. ”A true wild walk into the untamed wilds.” First the rocks and ocean, and now waiting for him were the unkempt wilds and natural world of this unspoilt forest. Smiling to himself, Kyy hefted his backpack of supplies and headed into the woods.

-0-

Within moments of leaving the clifftops behind, Kyy was in love, this forest was as wild as it could be. Beneath the interlocking canopy of trees the light was muted, a dim green tinged grotto that blocked out the harsh summer light. The trees themselves were wild and ancient, towering up into the air and offering a stark contrast to the well-trimmed and tamed trees he’d spent climbing in his youth. . These trees sprouted branches at all heights, creating an interlocking screen to support each other and add their own unique flavour to the forest.

It was impossible to walk in a straight line, Kyy had to weave around trees and push his way carefully, cautiously through shrubs and bushes. He was always cautious to only take a path that didn’t resist his passage, which meant lots of twisting and turning as he picked his way through the greenery. He was even forced to clamber over low branches and made especially sure to give a wide birth to young saplings thrusting their way up toward the light in mimicry of their older, ancient cousins.

After a short while, Kyy was totally lost around and loving it. The air was rich with the heady scent of loam and life. His tawny spotted fur was streaked with brown and green from where he had brushed up against moss and tree bark. He was sure he had twigs and vines snared in his thick mane of rugged black hair but he didn’t care, the forest was gorgeous. The air seemed to cling to his fur, humid and rich with life and the loam beneath his bare paws was soft and thick against his claws, every step sinking a little bit into the mat of grass, bare soil, heather or moss.

Ducking under a series of low hanging vines, the cheetah moved into a small clearing. It was hemmed on all sides by tall gnarled trees, their branches festooned with hanging vines that had small green buds on them, promising beautiful flowers in the next few days. Kyy perched on a rock and looked up at the sky, the interlocking branches stretched clear across the clearing, leaving only a small sliver open to the sky above. The sun was quickly fading and heavy grey clouds drifted across the sliver, and with a frown Kyy sat up and looked around. The shadows were growing beneath the trees as the light filtering down from above grew less.

Taking a swig from his bottle, Kyy got up and tried to work out which way was the best route home. If the weather was turning, he wanted to get clear of the woods and quick, but with the clouds in the sky he couldn’t really pick a direction. Already the shadows had become omnidirectional, and a cool breeze blew through his fur, leaving him shivering. Pulling the compass he always brought with him on these jaunts, Kyy stared in despair at the way the needle was slowly spinning in a lazy circle.

Shaking his head and picking a direction, Kyy set off, figuring that as long as he kept going in a more or less straight line he should reach an edge sooner or later. Once he found the edge of the forest he’d either be on the landward side and could get onto the road (...by clambering over the wall like a teenager), or he’d be back on the cliff tops and could follow it back to the stairs. Of course, as he had discovered during his earlier care-free jaunt, moving in a straight line was practically impossible.

The gloom beneath the trees was deepening and as the temperature dropped he quickly found his feet moving through thick waves of coiling white mist. It was thickening fast, looping and blowing back and forth between the trees. Stumbling into a low hanging branch the cheetah grabbed the trunk, his hand sinking into the thick green moss covering the tree. That gave him a moment of hope, any nature rambler worth their salt knew moss normally grew on the northern side of trees... except here in this forest that didn’t seem to hold true. Maybe it was only a rule near the edge of a wood, rather than deep in the heart of it? Carefully lifting himself over the branch he’d nearly fallen over, Kyy brought one foot down and yowled in surprise as it sank beneath the green grassy surface with a gloop.

Hurriedly pulling his foot back he stared down at the thick layer of black, green streamed mud now covering his fur. Peering through the fog and gloom he could make out a large space of what he’d thought was grass or heather, but was just a sticky patch of mud. Several fallen tree trunks loomed out of the mess, along with their associated branches and tangled greenery.

Shaking his head, Kyy wiped his foot off as best he could on a patch of loam, then circled the small patch of swamp and wove around a clump of elm trees, pausing as something rustled through the trees to his side. Turning, he frowned at the shadows and then squeaked in alarm. Shining out at him from the fog were a pair of glowing yellow eyes, he stared back trying to work out how big the creature was. The fog shifted as their muzzle emerged from the shadows and a paw that had to have been as big as Kyy’s head slipped forward. He caught a brief glint of teeth and his hackles rose as a deep growl echoed out of the fog.

That was more than enough for Kyy’s nerves. He darted off at an angle away from the beast, trying to force the rising panic under control. Stumbling over roots and shrubs he kept his eyes on those eyes but they didn’t move. The mist swirled, revealing a large body, a sleek blunt muzzle, and then the eyes blinked closed... and it was gone. Tripping over a large root, Kyy caught himself against a tree trunk, knocking loose several large mushrooms that showered spores down over his hair and muzzle. Sneezing, the cheetah pushed himself upright and rubbed his nose and watering eyes.

Kyy looked around warily for the creature for a few moments, then satisfied that it had lost interest in him he picked a direction and set off again. He made good time and was weaving his way around a small cluster of dark trunks, when the hollow thump of something walking on loam made him pause. Peering ahead through the gloom, he spied antlers glinting in the faint light that filtered through the canopy. Unlike most cervines, however, the owner of these antlers stood nearly as tall as the trees, their blue eyes glowing gently as they stared down at him. Repressing a whimper, Kyy carefully slid around the tree and headed off at a ninety degree angle to the giant deer, keenly aware of the advancing gloom.

Fumbling through the dark, Kyy tripped over a log and went flying, sliding on his side through the thick heather, green sludge and brown loam smearing itself through his fur. Rolling onto his back with a pained groan, Kyy put his hands down, ready to push himself up and get out of there. barely registered a brown flash in the edge of his vision as something leapt out of a bush and landed astride his body. Large trotters sank into the earth, a huge flat snout and a pair of gleaming ivory tusks thrust themselves into his face.

Kyy screamed, the boar bellowed back and tossed its head, bristly crest catching the dim light. The beast seemed to flow, its fur was sticky with fluid and the stench was awful, the stinging odors assaulting Kyy's nose to trip every primordial switch in the depth of his mind. Scrambling out from beneath the boar, Kyy sprung to his feet and fled blindly between the trees.

He thudded into something hard after about ten seconds and staggered back. He managed to keep his feet this time and looked up into the bright blue eyes of the reindeer from before. It snorted, warm breath harrumphing over his face and bare chest, leaving Kyy trembling as the beast tilted its head and watched him. Holding up his hands Kyy backed away then glanced over his shoulder as the crackle of twigs and branches announced the approach of the boar.

Looking left and right Kyy saw eyes watching him from the gloom to his left. So without a thought, he took off through the trees to his right, panic overtaking him as he fled from the beasts down the only avenue available to him. He could hear the beasts’ hooves thudding on the loam, giving chase. Shaking his head, breathing starting to come faster, Kyy hurried on, whipping around a tree and freezing as he nearly ran into yet another creature.

This one was low to the ground and as he stumbled to a halt it lifted its head higher, a gentle, sibilant hiss reaching Kyy’s ears. The long sinuous snake’s neck wove from side to side as it stared at him. Without thinking, Kyy turned and hurried forward, stumbling through a bush that tugged at his fur and shorts with prickly thorns. Pushing through to the other side, he found himself on a weaving trail of root covered moss, but it was a straight path at last. Unburdened by the thick trees slowing his progress, he broke into a full-bore sprint down the path, thankful for his species’ famed speed. As his legs pumped, Kyy heard something to his right and looked across to see the golden eyed, hyena like beast that he’d originally seen keeping pace with him.

Panting with exertion, Kyy picked up his pace, peering through the fog and darkness. The hooves of the antlered beast were still thudding along behind him and to his left now the snake was slithering, the crackle and snap of branches the only real clue to its presence. Gulping down lungfuls of air Kyy, ran forwards, nearly tripping as his feet suddenly hit hard packed rock. Spinning around, stumbling, desperately trying to keep his balance, Kyy grabbed onto the wall that loomed up next to him and stared back at the forest. The trees were dark, the fog was thick, and just for a moment he saw three sets of eyes watching him from the shadows before they blinked out.

Trembling from the combination of barely-contained panic and adrenaline, Kyy moved away from the tree line and took stock of his new location. He was standing in a gap in the boundary wall that hemmed in the forest. A few hundred yards away was the three story building that housed the cloth and design studio of the forest’s owner, Quinten. Shaking his head in disbelief at how far from his starting point on the headland he’d come, Kyy moved further from the trees, still shaking at what had happened.

Glancing back at the trees, he looked up at the dark sky and frowned. The sun was setting, the odd ray of red light escaping the clouds illuminating the sky. He didn’t feel like he’d spent that in the forest, so it shouldn’t have been this late, right? But then… he couldn’t really place how long he’d just spent wandering about before he’d stopped in that first clearing.

Shivering less from fear and more from the evening chill, the cheetah unslung his pack. He’d have to get dressed quickly and see about how to get back into town from here. It was a good two miles down the hill back to the town from the shop… there was no way he should have gotten this far from the headland. But after his wild, dangerous, adrenaline fuelled flight from the creatures hunting him, he had no real way to gauge just how far he'd come.

The sound of a door opening made him turn to the building, the light spilling out from inside a welcome relief against the dark of the forest. Kyy’s heart was still thumping, gradually slowing back down from his scare, and it calmed further as a figure moved into the doorway and peered out at him. It was a sandy coloured hare, dressed in a large dressing gown and idly pulling a heavy comb through their hip length hair. After what had just happened Kyy felt the residual tension draining out of him at the sight of something as normal as a person in a bathrobe.

“Evening there,” the hare said in a soft voice. “It isn’t often I have half naked cheetahs stumbling around my car park,” he quirked his ears in question.

“I’m Kyy," he hugged his arms and tried to calm down as the real world seemed to continue fading back into focus, "I was…” He debated whether to tell the truth or try and fib, but his brain was too exhausted to come up with a plausible excuse, so he settled on the truth. “I was out wild walking,” Kyy moved closer. “I came up the cliff path but, well, I lost track of time, and then there were beasts in the fog…” he glanced back at the trees, “Huge beasts… it was like they were driving me out of the forest.”

“I rather suspect they were,” the hare smiled languidly, still pulling the comb through his damp hair. “It is a nature preserve, after all. There are all sorts of wildlife roaming free and unrestricted in there.”

“I.. never really thought about wildlife…” Kyy glanced back at the trees and shivered. Turning back to the hare, he almost asked if he could come inside. But something stopped him... maybe it was the calm way the hare was watching, that curious cant to his ears, that sardonic smile tugging at the corner of his muzzle. More likely, Kyy decided it was the start of embarrassment at the state he was in after having been spooked by the forest like this. He had always prided himself on being such a level headed, sensible nature walker, and he’d let some fog and animals scare the spots off him.

“Uhm… what’s the best way back to town?” he asked lamely, trying not to meet the bunny’s gaze, settling instead for looking around the car park hopefully for some sign of which way to go.

The hare lifted the arm holding the comb and pointed, “There is a bus in about five minutes,” he smiled knowingly. “I’m Quinten, by the way. If you want to explore the woods, drop by the shop sometime and I’ll give you a personal tour. My friends tell me you were very respectful of the forest… at least until you started running like a startled hare.”

“Your… friends?” Kyy queried then frowned at the hyena tattoo marked across the hare’s right arm. The figure spread from shoulder to wrist, beautifully inked into his fur, but Kyy could have sworn it hadn’t been there before. His scare in the forest really had muddled his brain to miss something so intricate, and the light was low, but even still in the dim shadows he could feel the tattoo hyena’s yellow eyes following him.

“Yes,” the hare answered enigmatically, “Now then… I need to get back to getting ready, Kyy, or I’d see you into town myself,” he pointed again. “Bus stop is over there, and if you want to explore, drop by the shop. Have a good evening, now.”

The door shut, cutting off the light and Kyy shook himself, ears twitching up as he hurried off toward the road. He had to get his thoughts back in order and put that spook behind him. Something about the hare’s last statement was odd, it was as if he’d been watching but… that couldn’t be right, could it? Hurrying across the road to the waiting bus shelter, Kyy glanced back at the building. Even though several lights were on, the forest behind loomed dark beneath the moon… but… something made him want to go back. To learn and see more of the forest, and explore it with a proper guide this time.

Shaking his head, Kyy settled down on the bench and dug through his bag for his t-shirt. First he had to get home, have a long, hot shower, a mug of herbal tea to soothe his tattered nerves, a roaring fire to chase away the chill, and then he could think about this some more. Something didn’t add up and… did he really want to go back to the forest after the scare he’d had?

There were confusing, unanswered questions plaguing his thoughts now, but Kyy wasn’t sure he could just walk away and forget them… but at the same time, was he brave enough to come back?

~fin