Aldred Corelin stood motionless. He peered steadily into the murky twilight of the forest surrounding him. Shadowed branches encased the clearing where he stood. It was silent now. The chipper birds had retired for the night, as had the chatty squirrels and chipmunks that inhabited this forest throughout the sunny hours. 

Now the darker inhabitants had emerged, come to lurk among the shadowy hours of the night. Aldred knew he should be at home, sitting peacefully by the fire, his smiling wife seated beside him and his seventeen-year-old son lazing before the hearth after a long day's work.

They should be laughing together as they discussed the days' events, but instead, Aldred was still miles from home, held in the clutches of the Dark Forest by an unknown force. He shivered as a chill wind caused the branches of the monstrous pine trees to dance creak ominously around him. Aldred took a deep breath, attempting to calm his quivering nerves.