Natura Noctis short stories

Whispering shadows: an encounter with the creatures of the night

It was a warm summer evening when I decided to take a walk through the forest. The sky was clear and the full moon cast its bright light through the canopy of trees. I loved walking at night, enjoying the peace and quiet of the darkness. I had my mobile phone with me with a torch, but I decided not to use it so as not to ruin the atmosphere.

I walked along a narrow path through the forest, surrounded by whispering shadows. It was silent except for the crunch of my footsteps on the forest floor and the occasional rustle of leaves. Suddenly I heard a soft rustling in the bushes beside me. I stopped and listened. I heard nothing more and decided to move on. But when I turned around, I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye.

I froze. There in the darkness I saw the silhouette of a figure moving through the shadows. It was hard to tell what it was, but it seemed like a human-like creature, with long arms and legs and a thin, muscular body. I hesitated, but my curiosity drove me on. I followed the silhouette through the thicket until I came to a clearing.

There I stood before a group of beings I had never seen before. They were tall, slender and had long limbs. Their skin was black and shimmered like silk in the moonlight. Their faces were flat, almost featureless, except for their eyes, which were large and round and shone in the dark like two twinkling stars. I was amazed when I realised that they did not speak a word but communicated with each other through thought.

One of them stepped forward and introduced herself to me. It was a woman, but she had no hair and her skin was as black as coal. Her name was Anara and she was the leader of these beings. She explained to me that they were night creatures who lived only at night and fed on the shadows.

I was fascinated by this discovery and asked her if I could stay and learn more about her world. Anara agreed and invited me to accompany them on their nocturnal hunt. I followed them through the forest as they scurried silently and quickly through the shadows to hunt their prey.

I saw them feeding on insects and small rodents, but I also noticed that they didn't kill animals, just caught them quietly and quickly before disappearing back into the darkness. I asked Anara why they acted this way and she explained that they respected nature and creation and only killed what they needed to survive.

When we returned at the end of the night, I thanked Anara and the other beings for the fascinating experience and the insights into their world. They bid me a friendly farewell and then disappeared into the shadows as if they had never been there. I left the forest with a new understanding and respect for the beings of the night and the life that hides in the darkness. From that day on, I began to take my night walks with even greater reverence, hoping to come across more encounters with the Whispering Shadows.