More like under new Management

Branches and thorns scratched his skin as Arthur **** himself through the underbrush as fast as he could. He rushed past a blur of trees and other flora, paying no regard to the path he took, as his singular focus was putting distance between himself and that… thing.

After minutes of running, he dared shoot a single glance behind himself and immediately gasped in shock. The creature was following him. Despite its size it made no sound as it dashed between the gaps in the trees. Arthur’s heart was roaring, and his lungs were burning, but he had **** but to keep running.

He just passed a massive tree, when his hand was suddenly caught in something, stopping his stride and almost sending him tumbling to the ground. The tree had broken the line of sight of his pursuer for the time being, but he was sure it would be upon him in just a few seconds. His eyes scanned the tree to identify what had caught his wrist and he saw… a small hand.

A face soon joined the hand, seemingly appearing from inside the tree. He could barely make out a woman with distinct plant-like features. Her skin had a hint of green, her hair looked like a bundle of autumn leaves and her eyes were a deep blue. Before Arthur could fully take in the woman appearance, he was pulled into the hidden opening in the tree. The woman was behind him, still holding his wrist while the other now covered his mouth, “Quiet.”, her voice was hushed. Arthur felt a tingle on the side of his face where she had whispered, followed by a need to obey her command. Not that it was necessary, he would have remained quiet either way.

Just a moment later, the monster appeared next to them. He could feel it’s cold, it’s malice, the threat it presented as it stopped right next to them. A thick layer of plant-life separated them from certain ****. Arthur watched the thing stop and look around with those soulless eyes. He could feel the hard drum of his heart while he prayed to every god he knew that it would not notice him. It turned a few times, clearly unsure of where Arthur had gone. Eventually it moved past the tree, disappearing into the dark forest.

Arthur finally took a breath again… through his nose though, as the woman was still covering his mouth. He also noticed that the woman showed no sign of letting his wrist go, keeping a very firm grasp on it. “Soo~”, she cooed into his ear, “What are you doing in our forest, little human?”.