Thursday photo prompt: Calling #writephoto

The Calling

For visually challenged writers, the image shows a snowstorm with the silhouette of a stag watching between two trees.

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It had been five weeks since that day. The battle had been long and bloody. There had been but a moment’s warning, the Vampires had masked their arrival and Alicia and Lisa had only felt their presence seconds before their arrival.

It had rained blood. Rachel had seen carnage before but not like this. Bodies strewn across the valley, abused and tortured horrifically. When the Vampires arrived they had been whipped up into a blood frienzy by their leaders and refused permission to feed for days. They did their worst.

The women who had accompanied the army of men had been carried off to a worse even fate than their men. Their screams and pleas falling on deaf ears and dead souls.

Alicia and Lisa had protected Ewan and Rachel and seeing that to fight anymore was of no use had escaped the battlefield. Ewan had lost his soul, the horror of what the Vampires had done to his people had made his mind flee into some dark recess. His eyes dead and empty he sat by the fire back at his castle, unable to communicate or control any of his bodily functions.

Alicia and Lisa had left him in the care of his loyal staff, while they had set off to unite all the men, dwarves and elves that they could find before it was too late.

Rachel has been sent North to find the werewolves and convenience them to join their cause.

All was silent, all was white, a deep winter covered the land, it was so cold the unearthly Vampire winter was now unstoppable.

Rachel had been traveling for weeks now and was exhausted.There had been no trace or hint of her breed and she was ready to lay down in the snow and die. She had not eaten for three days, stopping only to catch her breath.

Suddenly she just collapsed into the snow, sleep she needed sleep. The urge to give in was overwhelming her emaciated body. Then she heard a voice. Looking up Rachel saw a stag in the distance, though the trees. It crossed her mind that it might save her if she killed and ate him. Then she laughed at herself, the state she was in he would dispense with her with a flick of his antlers.

As she lay there the stag approached , she heard him snorting, saw the hot mist escaping from his nostrils then felt him nuzzling behind her ears.

Faintly Rachel felt more than heard the stag, call her by name. “Rachel” he said, “I know who you are and who you seek, let me help you.” Too tired to answer she let the stag cover her with his weight and she relaxed as his warmth touched her body.

In the morning when she awoke the stag was still by her, she felt his warmth. Again he spoke to her but without a voice. He asked her to get on his back and let him carry her. Rachel complied and while he took her to the where here brothers and sisters were gathered she fell into a deep sleep and her body gained strength.

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To be continued.

If you wish to read Lisa’s and Rachel’s story up to this point you can find it here.

This is part of Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo prompt. #writephoto.