"Daunting shadows, withering illusions, and looming images. Nothing is what it seems. Look now child, Death awaits you on the threshold"

These words were whispered by the wind, so soft and silky that I wouldn't have picked them up if I hadn't extended my ears. This was the fourth night in a row that the dream reoccurred.

On the first night, I couldn't tell if I was dreaming as I felt awake on that path. The sky was red as the Moon bled, the clouds wailed at the demise of their Queen, and the stars were nowhere in a twinkle.

The path was trailed by the bones of humans and beast alike. The crunch I left behind was a sign that I was walking on dead beings. The path was clear despite the fact that my vision was clogged with fog, and I could see beyond the veil of the mist. 

A tree stood on a hill not far from where I stood. I could see its winged top, withering away and it beckon unto me. My body moved on its own volition and I felt like a vehicle being driven. The eerie feeling of dread engulfed me and my heart stopped beating. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something evil awaited me at the hilltop.

The hoot of an owl stole my attention and I stared right at it.

"You shouldn't be here" it hooted

"Get out of here Beast"

I was confused at what it called me, I was human, so why did it address me as "Beast"? With a shrill cry, extended talons, and flapped wings, the owl came at me. 

I awoke with no collection of what I had seen, only the feeling of dread followed me into the real world.

The second night was no better, I was right on the same path with the memory of the previous night sleeping into my pores. I walked down the familiar bony trail but the owl was nowhere to be found. Silence enveloped the land and the fog was denser than the previous day, yet I could see through it.

The cry of a raven sent my pulse racing, I looked up, and behold there were thousands of them. All clustering together to form one gigantic raven.

"The Beast is here" they cried

"Our savior is here"

The forest cried out in response to the ravens' cry, silence was engulfed by the sudden noise, and for the second time, I realized that my heart wasn't beating. 

The third night came faster than normal, I felt like it was merged with the second for I remember not what I did in my awakening moments. I came to as my feet climbed the heap to the mountaintop. Something was different from the previous nights. The air was clear of fog and the Moon was nowhere to be found. In her place stood the Sun, dark, like a red flaming coal drenched in water.

I could hear an echo in the shadows, but the words were swallowed up by the wind. The farther I went, the louder the whisper got.

"Daunting shadows, withering illusions, and looming images. Nothing is what it seems. Look now child, Death awaits you on the threshold"

I felt my heart to discern what the words might mean and wasn't shocked to discover that it played no beat.

The hilltop was no longer a mirage on the fourth night for I could see the tree clearly as I stood by the sides. Bones gave way to blood and skulls, it trailed from its vein to the root, stem, branches, and eventually, to the tree top. I was staring at a tree made of skulls and planted in blood. 

"He's here" the skulls whispered

"The Beast is here"

I was at the end of my journey yet I understood not what it all meant. 

"I'm here," I said in a voice that wasn't mine

I never understood why I was referred to as "Beast" but I knew in this realm. I wasn't human.

"Give me what I want" whispered the skulls

Although I understood not what they meant, I knew what needed to be done. With outstretched claws, I peeled the flesh off my back, drained my blood and soul and when I was all bones, I offered my skull to the tree and my bones to the path. 

I felt at peace and for the first time ever since I began my journey, I took my first breath.