---
The wind howled through the mountains of Japan, carrying with it the whispers of ancient stories—stories of creatures that had lived long before man walked the Earth. Among these creatures was the Tengu, a mythological bird-like figure whose reputation among the locals had only grown over time.
I had come to Japan to visit a friend, a fellow traveler with a keen interest in folklore. We were staying in a small village nestled in the mountains of Kyoto, surrounded by dense forests that stretched for miles. It was the perfect location for someone like me—a lover of ancient tales and mysterious legends. Little did I know, the legend I was about to encounter would blur the line between myth and reality.
It was an unusually warm evening, the kind of evening where the air seemed thick and alive with anticipation. My friend, Akira, had invited me to join him on a hike up the mountainside. He spoke often about the Tengu, but I had no idea how seriously the locals took the myth.
"Do you believe in Tengu?" I asked, half-mocking.
Akira paused, his eyes scanning the forest ahead. "I do," he said, his voice low. "They're not just stories, you know. The Tengu are real... at least, in the sense that their presence is still felt. They protect the mountains and punish those who disturb the balance."
I chuckled nervously. "Sounds like something from a ghost story. You're not telling me that we're actually going to meet one, are we?"
Akira didn't answer right away. Instead, he led the way up a narrow trail, the ground uneven beneath our feet. The trees above us towered like ancient guardians, their gnarled branches swaying in the wind. The shadows cast by the forest seemed darker than usual, as if the trees were watching us.
As we walked deeper into the forest, the air grew colder. I felt a strange sensation, like eyes were following me. The whispering wind carried soft voices, but when I turned to ask Akira if he heard it too, he was gone.
"Akira?" I called out, my voice trembling slightly. There was no response.
I walked farther, trying to make sense of the situation, but the forest seemed to close in around me. The whispers grew louder, clearer. They were no longer just voices on the wind—they were coming from the trees themselves.
"Go back..."
I froze. The voice was unmistakable, deep and ancient. It didn't sound like a human voice, nor did it sound like any animal I'd ever heard.
"Turn back..."
My heart raced. The trees around me swayed again, their branches creaking as though they were alive. I spun around, but Akira was nowhere to be seen. The wind grew stronger, and the whispers started to sound more like commands.
Suddenly, I heard a rustling behind me, followed by a low, rumbling laugh.
I whirled around and saw it.
A figure, standing tall among the trees. It was humanoid, but its features were distorted, twisted. Its body was that of a man, but its face was bird-like, its beak sharp and gleaming in the dim light. Its eyes were like black pits, staring at me with a cold, unblinking gaze. The figure wore a long cloak made of feathers, and its hands were claws, curled like talons.
The Tengu.
I couldn't move, couldn't speak. The legend that Akira had told me—the myth of a creature that could control the forest, that could manipulate the wind—was standing right in front of me.
The Tengu tilted its head, as if studying me. Its beak parted slightly, and a voice—rough, like stone scraping against stone—spoke.
"You dare disturb my domain?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice caught in my throat. I was paralyzed by fear, unable to utter a single word.
The creature stepped closer, its talons scraping against the earth. I took a step back, my body shaking uncontrollably.
"You must leave now."
With a sudden, sharp movement, the Tengu extended its wings—huge, dark, and feathered—and in a blink of an eye, it vanished into the trees.
I was left standing there, breathless, my heart pounding in my chest. The forest around me had returned to its eerie stillness. The whispers had stopped. I could hear nothing except the sound of my own breath.
"Akira!" I screamed, my voice cracking. But there was no response.
I stumbled back the way I had come, trying to retrace my steps, but everything felt wrong. The trees seemed to close in tighter, and the path that had once been clear now seemed to disappear into darkness.
It wasn't until I heard Akira's voice calling my name that I finally felt a sense of relief.
"Hey! Where are you?"
I turned to see him standing at the edge of the forest, looking confused but unharmed.
"Akira! Thank God! I saw something... something... It was the Tengu!" I gasped, my words tumbling out in a panic.
Akira's face went pale. He looked behind me into the forest, his eyes narrowing.
"Tengu..." he whispered, as if trying to convince himself of something. "You shouldn't have gone deeper into the forest. It's forbidden to disturb the sacred grounds."
He motioned for me to follow him quickly. "We need to leave. Now."
I didn't need any convincing. We hurried back to the village, and the strange feeling of being watched never left me. The forest had felt alive with the presence of something ancient, something powerful.
That night, I couldn't sleep. I kept seeing the Tengu's face in my mind—the bird-like features, the unblinking eyes, the sharp beak. The creature had spared me, but I didn't know why.
I finally understood what Akira had meant when he said the Tengu were real. They were not just stories or myths—they were protectors of the forest, and they were not to be trifled with.
And as I lay there in the quiet of the village, I couldn't shake the feeling that the Tengu was still watching, waiting for the next intruder to cross into its domain.
---
To be continued...
---