A/n) Hello, for those who know me and have read my stories before, nice to see you again and I hope you enjoy this story.

For those who are new . . . welcome! I open my arms to you.

This story is the result of sheer writers block. Someone told me the only way to get ride of a block is to just write, anything and everything until something comes out. Soooo, I hope you give this a chance anyway.

Everyone is going to be in this, it's little darker than my other stories and people may or may not die. I don't think I plan for any major characters deaths but ya know how it is.

Anyway, I hope you all give this a chance, please, I really need the motivation, life is way too depressing for even fiction to sooth it right now. So please, give me some love ok.

"Kill it!" The crowd roars in agreement as they drag a thin body into the middle of their ring, punches are thrown, some hit their mark, curses fly, kicks sweep, raggedy men and woman, starved looking, eyes dark and sunken in, with malicious faces try to tear the theifling in their grasp.

"You dare steal from our food supply! You worm!" Someone shrieks, someone else screams.

"Burn it! Burn the thief!" The crowd draws in tighter in sick interest at the prospect of that actually happening.

Someone lights up a fire. The thief scrambles but doesn't beg, bright eyes, a rare color, flash underneath the almost threadbare cloak. The only sign of fear was the rapid raising of the chest. Suddenly something explodes, the earth shakes and cracks. People scream. They run, in a torrent of panic, fear gripping their hearts making them forget the joy of punishing in favor of the need to save their own lives.

The thief, forgotten, drops on the floor and runs.

Never looking back save for a measly second to find out just what shook the earth like that.

A tall, broad shouldered young man with thick windswept dark hair stands in the middle of the now empty ground. The cracks in it surrounding him. Face pulled into an uninterested sort of mild annoyed.

"Monsters." He spits on the dusty crackling earth.

"I believe I just saw at least forty people that would disagree as to who that descriptive word belongs to." An elderly man with a cane and a hand woven reed hat walks up, over the cracks, unafraid of them obviously.

This causes the young man to raise his thick eyes brows at him, grey eyes searching him over. "Depends on the heart, I guess." He answers flatly.

The old man hums in amusement and taps the ground steadily. "How long since you found you could move the earth?" He asks as if they've known each other for years, not minutes.

The young man crosses his obviously muscular arms, seemingly defensive. "Since I was ten. What's it to you?"

"Nothing. I just wondered how much time you'd had to learn control. Eight years seems well enough. Come, we have much to do."

"Woah, hold on there gramps, I ain't going anywhere with you. I don't even know you."

The old mans eyes sparkle, mischief in them much to young for the rest of him. "Wu, you can call me sensei, there, now you know me. Let us be off." He turns and heads on, expecting the younger male to follow.

This leaves the younger scratching his scruffy head. What was this geezer trying to pull? He looks after him and plans to turn away and go back to his life, as pathetic as it was. . .

But his dad . . . he'd died last week. The pain of loss was still a fresh pink scar on his broken heart. He doesn't have anything to go back to. He knows this. He's miserable. And this crazy old man may just be god sent, if there was a god.

Oh, what the Hell.

"Hey! Hey Gramps, wait up!" He turns and runs after the long bearded man.

"Excellent, glad you made up your mind faster than expected. I would have had to come back for you." Wu says with a mild chuckle.

"Yah . . . ok, that's kinda creepy. Who are you?"

"I told you, I am Wu, Sensei Wu to you. The rest will come in time. What is your name?"

"Cole." He answers after a moments contemplation. "My name is Cole. No one but my dad used it . . . and now he's gone so - "

"I will use it to it's full potential, Cole. Now, follow me." Wu says, cane tapping on the ground as if he's still feeling for the solidness.

Cole runs a hand through his bangs and complies. "Where are we going?"

"To find the rest of you."

"Huh?"

The trip is long and dry. Cole doesn't know how or why he was dragged into this. He sometimes wonders if it wasn't better to just stay in that pitiful hole he called home. His dad may have been dead but at least he had his grave to sleep next to. Cole was hungry, thirsty, the old man, Wu, was quiet. When he wasn't you couldn't get him to stop.

The dark haired male had decided a long time ago that this guy was cracked. And even with all his conversing, Cole still knew nothing more about him than he did in the beginning. Except that he liked this weird grey brewing thing. Cole refused to try it, he wasn't very trusting of grey things.'

"Can't you just tell me where we're going?"

"I did, the Dead Wood. Your next piece is there." Wu explained, the same answer again. It was no less ambiguous then the first time.

Cole was just getting more and more confused. "What next piece? I'm pretty sure I'm all here." He pulls at his patched shirt, "see?"

Wu smiles in what Cole has come to realize is his, I know something I'm not telling you, smile. It annoys him.

They travel for a week on foot. Sometimes ash rain would fall, Cole hates the chalk that builds in his throat and nose, it itches his skin too. Wu doesn't seem to uncomfortable though, he just taps his cane and hat and drinks grey stuff.

Cole begins to wish he could turn around more and more.

Then they get to the stripped cold Dead Wood. Few things lived there, mostly dangerous things, and tree monsters. They were creatures that looked like trees out of the ground. The cold built frost on their legs, or trunks . . . this was the only place this cold and people say that whoever goes in there without the permission of the spirit in charge. . . they are frozen into statues and never seen again.

Cole shudders. He'd rather not be here if he could help it.

"I don't think this is good." He mutters under his breath, trekking closer to the wood.

"It's fine. Come, we stand strong and all will be well. Just don't get eaten."

Oh yah, that makes me feel so much better.

For the millionth time since he'd been stupid enough to follow this old man, Cole wonders why he had.

They plunge into the wood. The air prickles and seeps instantly into their bones, the cold reaches in and seems like it's trying to freeze their very souls. Cole can not believe he was doing this.

"D-d-don't" He can't speak from the chattering.

Wu looks like he's strolling through a warm river. "We'll be fine. Drink this." He gives Cole a cup with steam rising from it.

The boy stares at the grey liquid sloshing inside. He doesn't trust grey things . . .

"Why?"

"It'll keep you from freezing."

Well, that was something. He grimaces, his bones were starting to ache from the ice. Fine, fine . . .

He drinks it in one gulp. It's bitter and makes him shudder at the taste. How does the old guy drink this with a straight face? But then . . . slowly, feeling returns to his limbs, his teeth stop chattering and he feels like he's sitting next to a fire. Magic? It was Magic.

"How did -

"Later boy, right now . . . I believe we have a small problem."

Cole looks up, eyes flashing in momentary fear. Something was watching them through the icy wood. No . . . several something's. They growl. Cole isn't sure what they are.

His hands fist, ready to tear the ground up.

"No." Wu whacks him swiftly on the head.

"Ow! Hey, what are you doing? I've gotta kill them before-"

"No, you can not destroy these grounds. Just follow my lead." Wu explains without explaining.

Cole is quickly becoming tired of this.

"Stand still!" Wu breaths out suddenly.

A huge white wolf like creature with black fangs jumps out, fur matted, spite frozen around its black maw as it growls at them, others step out, their muscles bunching under the shag of fur, ice crystals are attached to them, sparkling in the dim light. Cole feels himself freeze up in another way. He steps back, the ice cracks under his feet. The giant wolves, they twitch and stalk forward, eyes glinting an ice blue, glowing with intent to eat them. They must be hungry.

Cole feels sick. They should run. But they can't outrun those huge things, their legs look made of pure muscles. He suddenly feels small and insignificant, which is not a good thing to feel at a time like this.

Wu's bony hand clamps on his arm, he winces as the old man pulls him closer. "Don't show fear, just do what I tell you, slowly step back . . ."

They took slow, painfully controlled, steps back into the ice, the creatures come closer just as slow. They weren't going anywhere! Cole was starting to panic on the inside. . .

"One more - now!" Wu shoves him aside, Cole goes rolling in the cold, the creatures jump, snarl and howl, they run right into the huge tree in front of them. The structure shakes.

Cole gasps when one comes for him, it jumps and pounces, pinning him to the ground. The young man cries out as it tries to push back the animals neck, it snaps, teeth barely missing his hair, breath hot and rotten smelling. Cole chokes, his chest feels like it's about to be crushed, bones creak, the creatures growl shakes his insides.

"Gah!" It pushes harder, Cole can't - his vision is going black . .. there's no air . . . no . . . air.

A loud crack sounds off.

The next instant he's being yanked out from underneath an unconscious beast, gasping, grabbing at his chest. After a minute of harsh breathing he looks at the rather complacent looking old man in disbelief.

"You couldn't do that sooner?!" He rasps, eyes wide in post fear.

The old man has the nerve to smile, mustache quirking as he does. "I could have, but I wanted to see the limit of your strength." He looks pleased for some reason.

Cole looks momentarily terrified as he wrenches himself out of the nutty old mans grasp. "You - " He breaths, "test my strength? I could have been eaten!"

"True."

The young man gives him an exasperatedly helpless look. He throws his arms in the air. "Oh, well, great - just great. How'd I do, then." He snaps angrily.

Wu stands there and thinks. Seriously thinks. Cole's ready to kill something . . .

"Extremely well actually. You know, anyone with less strength would have been eaten instantly and I would have never even had a chance to save him. Your strength is very impressive." He pats the boy as if he's five and has pleased his grandfather.

Cole's look doesn't become any less murderous. "Good to know." He spits and shoves his hands in his pockets. Boots crunching the left over ice. "So now what?" He forces himself to look away so he can at least curb the desire to run or harm something.

"Forward!"

Cole stares as Wu very nearly skips onwards. . . It's freaking him out.

But he follows anyway.

Stupid. This is all for nothing! He doesn't even know what this is for. His heart's throbbing in his chest, the bite in his arm is burning as he hobbles into a jumpy run. Wu was gone, he'd left him in the middle of the night.

He was all alone.

He can't see anything, he doesn't know where he is, his head is spinning, the air is like lead in his burning lungs. Where, where, where?!

They had stopped for the night. Sometime after he'd fallen sleep Wu must have snuck off. Next thing he knew something bit him, all he'd seen were big yellow eyes then a shriek knocked his brain around his skull and he took off. He's been running ever since. He thinks it's almost dawn, the sky is lightening to grey.

But still, he doesn't know where he is.

I swear if I see that old man again. . . His mind takes a particularly violent turn. Something shrieks again, he yelps and grabs his head with bloody hands, clutching it as he falls to his knees and screams, eyes screwing shut, teeth set on edge, the sound comes closer, it's tearing inside his head.

It breaks his nerves, his heart clenches, it's coming closer, he can't shut it out. His arm bleeds and drips into the dry unforgiving ground.

He is so dead.

Then all at once everything goes silent.

He's passed out.

A sharp slap and he's gasping awake, eyes wide, pupils depleted as he tries to take in where he is. Am I dead? No, wait . . . if I am, then hell looks a lot like earth.

"Wake up Cole, you've slept long enough."

Wu! The freak he'd - "Where did you go!" Cole demands, trying to stand but falls back from staggering dizziness. He groans and clutches his head to steady the earth.

Wu shakes his head and puts a thin hand on the boys broad shoulder. "Scouting. I went to see which way we are most likely to survive. Unfortunately, both paths are equally deadly."

The young man groans, "Yah . . .ow. I almost died ya know." He was pretty sure the man did, just didn't care.

"I am aware. But again, your strength surpasses my expectations." Wu grabs his arm and helps him up before he can protest. "Now come along. Our destination is waiting."

Cole has some choice words to say to that. But in favor of not throwing up he keeps his mouth shut as they walk, or in his case stagger, on.

It's quiet now.

Which is strange.

He didn't realize there were so many howls and squeaks and shrieks in these frozen woods. The ground crunching was even gone. He realizes they are walking over frozen ground, there was no ice on it, it was just hard frozen earth.

No sound. This was making his hairs stand on end. His skin prickles . . . something was in the air. He can feel it. It's scaring things into silence. It scares him, he's fidgeting.

Wu walks ahead a bit, seemingly oblivious to the stiffened soundless atmosphere.

"Mustn't make a sound." He whispers suddenly. Stick not touching the ground.

So he did sense it. Cole wasn't sure if he should be relieved or not. His arm still burned, Wu had poured some of that gross grey liquid on it and tied it with his sash. But it still hurt when he moved it. he wasn't sure he could handle anything else right now.

Wu suddenly stops moving entirely. If Cole didn't know better he'd think the man had frozen into stone in front of him.

"W-"

"Shhhhh, they're here."

Cole shudders at what his voice implies. "Who?" He hisses back, not moving either.

"The tree beasts. Don't you see them. They are all around us." Wu answers, eyes darting at their surroundings.

Cole feels his blood run cold in his veins, he looks. All around are nothing but trees. Or what look like trees. . .

"Why aren't they eating us?" It was a stupid question, looking at small mercy was probably not a good idea.

"Asleep. Do not wake them. Tread lightly." Wu starts to tip toe.

The younger man bites his tongue and tries to tip toe too. His legs shake, but he continues, trying to copy the old man, just breath silently, don't step on anything, just don't-

Something cracks.

They freeze. The ground . . . it creaks, then cracks, then a sound like something exploding shatters the air and they are knocked off their feet.

Cole gasps, sweat frozen on his face. Wu looks grim for once.

"Why did you do that?" He asks, his voice higher now.

"I - I didn't!" Cole says, eyes darting wildly, he didn't . . . did he?

Wu gives him a hard, studious look. Then he hums something Cole doesn't understand. The ground starts shaking again. He looks up. The trees pull, they are moving!

He struggles to stand, legs like jelly, Wu's already on his feet. The things look as if they were great trees asleep for years as they pull their legs out of the ground, slowly. Chucks of earth come away as they lift.

Cole watches in horror as so much of the seeming wood wakes up, they turn into creatures before his eyes. They shake off the stiffness in their long trunk like limbs, they shake the earth and howl in the sky.

"Run!" Cole yells as he and Wu turn and do exactly that.

Wu is actually pretty nimble and incredibly fast for an old man. Cole almost falls behind.

"We cannot outrun them. Nor scare them away." Wu shouts over the thundering steps of the creature pursuing them.

"So what do we do?!" Cole yells back, throwing the things a frantic look.

Wu says nothing.

Cole feels sick.

The creatures come closer. They could at least hide, right?

"No," Wu answers as if reading his mind. "We can't hide either . . . they can smell intruders. Our only hope is if their master calls them off."

"M-master?" Now the dark haired boy was confused. "What Master?"

The shaking is closer. The creatures are right on top of them. Cole panics as he suddenly throws his hands on the earth and shakes. The entire ground shivers, the creatures sway.

"No, Cole! Do not-"

Cole ignores him and punches the ground for good measure, a giant crack starts from the hit point and widens as it runs towards the beasts. They stomp and jump and most avoid falling into it. Wu looks pale, and worried. But he doesn't stop the boy. He watches.

Then a creature pounces in the air, for something so large and stiff looking it jumps very high. It knocks Cole over. And aims a heavy trunk like foot down to smash him flat. Cole shouts, he's stuck, his legs stuck in a crack he made.

The irony.

The foot comes down.

Cole cringes and covers his face waiting for impact.

He should have never left his village.

"Stop!"

The beast freezes and backs away instantly, the other remaining follow suit. Cole gasps, breath cloudy in the cold, he's shaking again, sweat freezing as it goes down his face. Wu is next to him, they both look ahead in surprise.

A young man, tall and a bit on the thin side, with a shock of white hair, ice colored eyes and the palest skin Cole had ever seen. He looked like he was glowing in the cold as he reaches for one of the bowing creatures. It nuzzles his outreached hand like a dog would it's master.

Wu looks entirely to pleased suddenly. Cole doesn't believe his eyes.

"Who - who are you?" He doesn't know why, but he suddenly wants to know . . . even if the guy was freaking him out.

The newcomer turns his head, face emotionless and eyes cold. "I am master of these Frozen Wood. And you, are trespassers."

Cole fees the air instantly turn bitingly cold.

He's suddenly afraid.

Review please.

Cure my writers block.