Bloodlust

You don't know what made you venture into the dark forests of the world, even after being advised against it, after being told about the horrors that lurk in the darkness. Inimaginable things, things that no one, save for the Dark Goddess, have seen. But here you are. Your adventurer heart is stronger than all the advice given to you. You want to see what the Tangled Wood hides. You're moving through a narrow path, so narrow that you need to keep your wings folded tightly against your body, else you'd damage them on all the brambles and gnarled trees growing along the trail. Cold mist surrounds you, and it would be impossible to see anything if it wasn't for the torch you tightly grip with your claws. Even so, the mist makes it hard for the torchlight to penetrate the darkness, and it's so moist that maintaining a flame lit requires you to use your magic to keep it alive. As you wander along the trail, you see something lying in the middle of the path, half covered in fallen leaves and branches. You approach cautiously, keeping an eye and ear on your surroundings. It appears to be... a book? You pick it up. Its pages are moldy and damp, but you can clearly see it's some sort of diary. You store it carefully in your bag, maybe you can study it later if you find a safe place to pass the night... Well, what you assume is night, since here it's always dark. But you feel it in your muscles and your legs. And you're starving too. Must be late. Should camp soon.

You manage to find a small clearing. Just big enough for you to sleep curled up and make a fire. You sit down, eating your rations and making some nice warm tea by the fire. You took the diary from your bag and placed it where the fire heat could dry it up a bit. By the end of your meal, it's dry enough so you could take a peek at it. Some pages appear to be missing, but there's still enough to read. It appears to be the diary of a hunter. He got severely wounded pursuing his prey through the woods and a rotten tree fell on his leg. You keep reading: Day 5 I feel I'm going to die here... Even though I managed to bandage my wounds and they stopped bleeding, I'm weak. I lost too much blood and I have no strength to try to lift this tree and release myself. I have no food and I'm so thirsty.... I've been licking the condensation the mist leaves on my scales, but it's not nearly enough. Feels like it makes me even more thirsty... The only other source of liquid, it's the pool of blood from my wounds... The mist keeps it moist... But no, I refuse. Maybe help is coming. Just gotta hold on a bit longer... Day 7 I can't resist any longer. I must drink something... This is survival. I must survive...

Day 8 I feel better. I feel slightly stronger... Drinking that blood wasn't pleasant, but it seems it gave me some strength. I must rest. I left a bit of it for tomorrow. Maybe I'll get enough strength to lift this tree enough to release my leg. Then I can go find a nice and cold stream and drink all I want. And then go home... Day 9 I managed to lift the tree. I'm free! But it sapped all my strength away. I'm even weaker than before. I need to rest. Just need a little drink... Day 10 I think I'm strong enough to walk. Thankfully the tree didn't break my leg, but it hurts to put my weight on it. Need to find water. And some food. It will help. Day 14 My scales are losing their colour... My once crimson scales are turning completely white. The water and mushrooms i found seem to not be helping at all... I lost too much blood... Blood... It wasn't so unpleasant to drink it... I need more... The next pages are smeared with old blood, but still readable: Day 15 16? I managed to catch some mice. I couldn't eat any of their meat, I'm too parched. But the blood... oh yes, I drank their blood. I feel better. But I need more! Day My leg seems to have healed completely. Strange... That tree fell on it yesterday... Yesterday? No, what am I saying... It's been days... I'm losing track of time, it's hard to think when all I want is a nice warm drink. I can hunt something. [Illegible] The blood.... I live for it... [Illegible] It's hard to think. Feels like I'm losing myself. My vision is blurry, I think I'm going blind [Illegible] This might be the last time I write... It's so hard to see... [Illegible] see footprints and the heat of animals [Illegible] can hear the heartbeats [Illegible] need to [Illegible] Kill...

After this last page, it seems theres some scribbles, but it's impossible to read. Theres old blood everywhere. You lift your eyes from the diary, and suddenly you feel too aware of your surroundings. You notice that the bugs and animals in the forest went quiet. You hear the trees around you creaking, as if a ghostly wind is shaking their branches. Everything in the enviornment suggests that theres a predator nearby. You refuse to believe the old tales, it's probably just a lone wolf. You look at the diary in your claws... This can't be real, can it? A branch cracks in front of you. You look up to the campfire, and as your eyes get used to the fire's light, you see something beyond it... A pale face, covered in bloody bandages staring at you. It growls, and as you panic and try to get up, that thing jumps at you.