Winds that Muffle the Cries of Souls

Student Literary Works

Short Story by Nathan Hembree

The huge mountain stood before him like a giant towering over a warrior. The cold winds that blew around it felt like a voice, a warning, telling him to go back and never return. Any man of lesser conviction would obey the waring and return home, but not him. He would not be so easily deterred. He wanted to finally reach the summit, after so many failed to do so.

What was the name of the mountain? Mt Boreas.

Mt. Boreas was the tallest, and most dangerous mountain on the continent. Standing at 30,000’ above sea level, it was truly a daunting task for any hiker, experienced or not. No one ever managed to reach the summit, climbers would either return with nothing but their lives, or go missing entirely. As such, no one would currently dare attempt a trek, the fear of death or shame stopping them.

Stories of Mt. Boreas spread like the plague. Many said that the mountain was haunted by malevolent spirits that killed anyone that reached the top, others said that a beast guarded the mountain, who would only let those it deemed worthy pass. Some would even say that the mountain itself was alive and would contort itself to trap and kill climbers. People would tell their kids and grandkids tall tales of the mountain to spur their curiosity, but also to deter them from going there.

He ignored these rumors.

From the short cliff edge he was standing, he peered at the mountain from a distance. He was far enough away so that he could see it in its entirety, and it was daunting as ever. “I have to get through the forest before I can get to the mountain,” he said to himself. The forest was a giant circular patch of trees that circled the mountain like a snake. It was a dense forest with tall trees that created a thick canopy. He stepped down from the cliff and walked to the forest entrance, undeterred by the journey ahead.

The tall trees loomed over him like giants, watching his every move in silence as he walked along the dirt path that that fed endlessly deeper into the forest, with no end in sight. He tried to look deeper, in hopes of seeing a concrete direction, but the path seemingly morphed just to spite him. Following it would only get him lost.

Animals scurred about through the trees, using what little sunlight they could find. Sunlight struggled to get through the canopy of the trees, spreading out into fractured rays. It was late afternoon when he began, so he only had a few hours of daylight left. He would have to set up camp soon if he wanted to live.

As he walked, he began to hear the scurrying of more animals. He couldn’t quite tell what they were, but he could make out a large buck in the distance. It was drinking from a creek and seemed to be preoccupied. He knew that it could easily knock him out if got close, so he had to take care of it from a distance. It could also make for a good meal that night. He quickly dashed behind a tree and aimed his bow at the deer, making sure not to make a sound. He threaded an arrow into the bow and aimed at the deer’s head.

All was silent, all was still. Predator and prey stood in place, waiting for the other to make a move. The deer stopped drinking for a moment and raised his head, just enough for the adventurer to draw back the bow and…

THWACK!

He pierced an arrow right into its skull, killing it instantly. He silently celebrated his victory and ran over to the carcass, threading through the trees as he did. Once he arrived, He reached for his belt and pulled out a hunting knife.

He then began the arduous process of cleaning the dear. The dear’s size made it take even longer. Once he finished cleaning the dear; the sun was beginning to set. That was bad. He jumped up from his position and bagged the meat before quickly running to find a place to set up camp. Walking through the forest at night would be a death sentence for him, so he had to be quick.

The forest continued on as he ran, leaving no place for a camp in sight. It felt like the forest was trying to suffocate him. He continued to run, hoping that he could find something. His own weight seemed to increase, as running became almost like a chore to do. At this point, he was running out of breath. The forest seemingly draining him of his energy, like a parasite sucking the life out of its host.

Just as his legs began to give out, he noticed something in the distance…

To be continued