I splashed freezing water over my mud-spattered face. I was crouched down next to a bubbling brook, surrounded by trees bearing no sign of the trail. My breath puffed out in front me, and burned the back of my throat. Suddenly, the still brush across the water changed shape- two large amber eyes materialized out of the green. A low snarl, followed by a spine-chilling howl, echoed across the water, and my heart stilled. A stabbing pain snapped my neck back, and darkness engulfed me.
A low chanting slowly permeated the groggy haze of my head. My eyes frantically flew open to encounter a heavy, musty-smelling blindfold. My hands struggled against tightly wound ropes. A sweet smoky smell hung in the air, and the crackle of flames burned nearby. A large rough hand came to rest on my shoulder, jolting me. The hand moved up to my face and pulled the blindfold loose. I blinked at the sudden onslaught of colour- it was night-time; a circle of flapping tents was lit by the light of the fire. Standing around it were strange red …show more content…
My hand burned. A heavy clay pot was thrust in front of me, a strange sticky-sweet liquid poured down my throat. The red-brown faces before me blurred, bright smiles swimming in and out of focus. The drink hit my stomach. I greedily reached for more of the strange brew. My shouts joined the howls of the tribe, hollering out into the infinite skies. Hands grasped mine- I was connected to the universe. We flattened the earth with our bare feet, lifting our faces to the moon. The stars swum above me and I howled to them too, the cry bursting from me. Suddenly the wind was knocked out of me- I was flat on my back. Faces peered down at me; eyes alight with the same exhilarating burn that raced through my own body. I howled again. The faces disappeared, and slowly the stars blinked out until blackness