Children of the Night

Running, she did a lot of it. Mostly because she was running from "them." The creatures that came out of the woods at night were far more gruesome than any of the scary stories Luna's mother would tell her of them. The crinkling of dry autumn leaves were heard beneath her running feet as she darted through the woods, swerving past the big oak trees that stood in her way. She could hear them coming; their eerie whispers floating in the wind, sending chills down her spine. She knew better than to stay out past dusk and the sun was just about to set. "Mother will be worried about me," she thought as she brushed a strand of long blonde hair out of her face. Behind her, she could hear an owl and he seemed to be warning her of the approaching nightfall as she picked up her pace. She was panting heavily when she reached the clearing, and the sky looked like it was on fire. She was distracted momentarily by it's radiant beauty and as the sky got dimmer, she quickly made her way down the hill on the dirt path that led to the little cottage where she lived that was nestled down below. The smell of her mother's cooking reminded her of how hungry she was as she ran in through the front door and bolted it closed behind her.
"It's a bit past your curfew," her mother said, glancing over at her with concern on her face.
"I know, I'm sorry," she said catching her breath again, "Daylen and I lost track of time."
"Your head's always in the clouds when you're with that boy, Luna." her mother shook her head, "I tell you, he's nothing but a trouble-maker."
"Don't talk about him like that, mother; he's my good friend!" Luna hated how her mother always had something bad to say about Daylen. "Look, I know he's done bad things before, but he's changed. And he has a very kind-heart, if you would just get to know him."

The nocturnal creatures that inhabited the woods would come out at night and roam around like zombies in search of human flesh. They resembled goblins of some sort, but much more terrifying with long sharp teeth and claws....

Daylen was a boy who loved sword-fighting and practiced everyday.