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Once, long ago on the midway of my life's journey, before my fur was grayed and tattered, I received the perceived joy of being welcomed to visit a friend of mine from childhood as a guest to a feast he was attending. A letter was delivered to my doorstep one bleak winter's day where not a single ray of sunshine escaped the palisade of clouds guarding the sky. My heart was elated to discover that the letter was from a Mr. Allen Alhegri, whom I had not had the pleasure of hearing from in several years since he had received a position as governor of a large province separated from my home by a stretch of marsh that made travel difficult at best.

The nature and the apparent cost of sending such a letter by courier at once implored me to prepare myself for the journey to the house where my friend had indicated to meet him. While not speaking of any definite danger, the tone of the letter conveyed unto soul a message of unshakeable dread by the hand that had penned the letter, which I could not dispel no matter what tactic I tried. Once I had finished packing what I believed to be a sufficient number of provisions, I immediately began my trek across the bog, a journey which I had to undertake on foot because any other means of travel would inevitably become stuck in the deep mud of the marsh, with the hopes of being able to remove any shadows that clouded his mind these days.

The journey into the swamp began smoother than I expected. There had not been a significant amount of rainfall recently, which made finding solid footing easy enough, and my spirits rose at the thought that my feet would not be soaked with mud when I exited. The fact that the foliage overhead would have blocked most sunlight did not seem as bad as it otherwise would have, since my eyes were already accustomed to the dim lighting due to the dreary weather.

I stopped one last time after I had advanced several paces to steal one last glimpse of my humble abode. Through the dense vegetation it was just possible to make out the front of the home, windows like eyes searching for its master, door like a mouth decrying a tragic loss. Turning back from the gloomy sight and towards by destination, I again took the time to survey the landscape before me. Many times I had peered out into Maicon Swamp from my parcel of land, though the darkness from the overhanging trees and thick shrubbery made peering in more than a few feet impossible. Already having broken the outermost barrier of the alien landscape, I had difficulty recognizing where I was. Again I found that same sense of dread as earlier beginning to impose itself on me, likely due to the fear of being lost in such an inhospitable place, and my journey had only just begun. Doing what little I could to cast aside my fears, I began again to the far side of the swamp.

No sooner than I had taken but a few more steps, just enough to make seeing the home I had left behind impossible, I began to hear strange noises somewhere in front of me, a low thud reverberating off of a stone chamber's door. I quickly dismissed the notion, as finding a stone chamber that would cause the echoing I thought I heard in a place such as this impossible, attributing it to some unknown phenomenon that existed only within the confines of the swamp. However, every time I took a step deeper into the marsh, I heard the sound again, each time louder than the last, slowly increasing in volume at rate almost impossible to discern, but still audible in the unnatural silence in the surrounding landscape.

Ahead of me some ways I could just make out what appeared to be a hill, which I thought may have concealed something unknown within the heart of the bog. Making my way toward the geographic feature, I was surprised to be met on the way by what I first thought to be a leopard, and in some respects I was correct in my judgement. However, this creature walked on all four of its legs, its eyes dull and piercing, slowly circling around where I stood. Not knowing how to approach the situation, after an indefinite period of watching the creature circle me, it eventually stopped directly on the path I had just marked, setting its eyes directly on mine, though it seemed more to look through me than at me.

Not wishing to risk a confrontation, I slowly began again on my path towards the hill. By the time I had deemed that enough space had been put between myself and the leopard that I could safely turn my body away from that direction and back towards my mark, I was surprised to find that I had arrived at the base of what I believed to be a hill. What surprised me even more though, was the sheer size of the landmark, which stood taller than any building I have witnessed before or after, it's size hidden by the dense treetops.

As I slowly began to scale this new obstacle that loomed before me, I was again stopped well before reaching even the halfway point, this time by what I believed to be a bear. Again, however, this beast was but a pale imitation of any bears that I knew in my life, like the leopard, only worse: again the beast walked on all four of its limbs, though its eyes were a piercing black rather than the dullness of before. This creature did not circle me however, standing directly to my front, blocking any possible advance I had hoped to make. Again the creature's eyes pierced my heart like a dagger, sending chills up my spine. I slowly began to make my way around the creature, which still followed my movement with its head, and released a cry every time I tried to sneak behind it, forcing me to follow the circumference of the hill, which now seemed more a mountain.

I had not made it halfway around the mount when I found myself stopped for a third time, this time by a wolf that bore a striking resemblance to myself in the pattern of its fur, though that is where the similarities ended. Like those beasts that came before it, this creature used each of its legs for locomotion, its black eyes piercing through the darkness of the landscape straight into mind it felt. This creature barred its fangs at me, revealing a rabid mouth of foam as it did so, however, unlike those that came before, this creature charged at me, forcing me to race down the mountain, though it was not long before I felt its claws rake into my back, it's fangs sink into my shoulder. Throwing the creature from me, my eyes darted near and far to find something of use to me before the next attack, of which there was only dry rotted wood that would shatter after a single hit. I then began to look for a place to hide, which I did manage to locate in the form of a small crevice in the ground. Fleeing towards it with all speed, I managed to wedge myself into the tiny space. Within moments the creature again showed itself at the entranceway, lunging desperately trying to reach me, trapping itself in the narrow entrance in the process.

With my original plans for escape now worthless, I soon applied my wit to locating another way out, once I was assured that the feral wolf was indeed trapped. Slowly making my way further down the crevice, I realized that it led deeper into the mountain, perhaps an ancient waterway that eroded a path and had since dried up. The longer I followed the pathway, the wider the trench I followed grew, eventually widening to the point where I could easily walk with both arms outstretched and barely touch the both walls. My journey at this point grew almost leisurely, only threatened by the diminishing light the further I went, though even that was mitigated by my ability to follow along the walls for guidance. Eventually I located a flickering glow around a twist ahead of me, which after my eyes had adjusted, I immediately began towards it.

In my haste I must have stepped into a depression, for I instantly felt the sting of a twisted ankle shoot up my left leg, forcing my speed to reduce to a limp. Still I made my way towards the source of the light, and much was my surprise at the sight that greeted my eyes. Before me stood the the exit to the marsh, only now I was on the opposite side. Peering out of the wall of foliage, I could make out a large pond with a single causeway across with a large, imposing stone structure just beyond. Again I heard the same reverberating sounds as before, much louder now than then, but quickly it was pushed to the far corners of my mind as I realized the extent of my wounds.

Making my way out of the marsh, I was relieved to find the gates of the keep open. As I crossed the narrow walkway my body felt strangely pulled towards the water on either side of me. At first it was simply a desire to drink from the waters, to quench my thirst; but soon I felt called to jump in, almost as if voices from the depths were entreating me to join them. Relating this feeling to blood loss from the wounds I sustained, I continued on my way much more rapidly than before.

I must have fainted due to my wounds, because the next thing I remember was awaking in a small room with bare stone walls not more than a few feet away on either side, my wounds bandaged. I saw no one around with the light from a small window, so I slowly made my way from the bed to a oaken doorway, which I opened and stepped into the hallway. I wandered the halls for an indeterminate amount of time, taking a torch with me to light my way as I searched countless doors that led to rooms identical to the last for whoever I could thank for what I imagined to be saving my life. I must have wandered aimlessly for the rest of the day, for I soon felt a chill within the stone corridors that must have signaled the nightfall.

However, in the approaching darkness, I finally heard the first sound of civilized life other than my paws scraping along the cobbled floors, in that in some far away chamber I heard what sounded like laughter. The lord of this castle must be throwing a banquet, I reasoned, where I could hopefully find my savior. Straining my ears to lead to the location of the sound was not easy, as the sound readily echoed and reverberated off the stone walls, but after many turns where I heard the sound grow fainter, I eventually found my way to a grand hall filled with dozens of people surrounding a long table filled with delectable dishes and gilded fixtures.

Sheepishly I made my way into the hall, all too aware of my appearance when presented with the exquisite dress of those in attendance. As I made my way to the head of the table, head bowed in respect to those I was disturbing by my mere presence, I noticed that they took no heed of me, so intense was their focus on eating. The only time they seemed to take a break from feasting themselves was to goad on each other by placing plates filled with food more delicious than the last. I could only wonder how they did not suffocate or drown so rapid was the speed that they downed the food placed in front of them.

As I made my way to the head of the table, my eyes eventually laid on a familiar sight, one that even the long hand of time could distort, that my eyes now rested on my old friend who I had set out to meet, Mr. Allen Alhegri. After the initial shock of seeing him, it did not surprise me that someone of his importance and status would be invited to a meeting of this kind, or that by chance I had stumbled upon the house he had spoke of, often he planned seeming coincidences like that, and many 'coincidence' were the reason he was elected governor. The bright orange fur I knew as boys had dulled, the eyes sunk in more, but I still recognized him, though time and stress had clearly taken their toll upon his body. The biggest barrier that caused my mind trouble, however, was not his physical appearance, but rather the way that he gorged himself, though the manner in which he ate seemed more hesitant, and, though I most likely imagined it, I thought I saw a tear run down his cheek.

Finally I made my way to the head of the table, where the master of the hall, sitting in front of a roaring fireplace that blasted my face with heat like a furnace, resided for the banquet. He alone of all the guests did not feast, but instead made orders to servants for what dishes to bring out, and just as those who ate those dishes, he never stopped barking orders in a way that seemed more fitting a canine than a feline. His imposing frame and majestic lion's mane gave him the grandeur of a king, though he was just as powerless as those at the feast to have a voice outside of the duties he carried out now.

Trying to gain his attention, I soon found, was pointless, so involved was he in his duties as host to the great feast, just as it was futile for me to seek aid from any of those feasting, or from those delivering the meals. By this time the hunger in my own stomach was almost unbearable, having not eaten anything all day, having been called out before I had the chance to eat my morning meal. Looking down the row of seats, I could see that at the far end there was an empty seat with a plate already set in front of it. Surely, I thought, with such an abundance of food, they would not mind if a few pieces of bread would be taken by a weary traveller. Walking down the hall I stopped again at my friends seat at the table with the hope of peeling him away from his meal. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he merely shrugged me off and continued eating. It was then that I began to further examine those who attended this great feast.

By the texture of the tunic Allen had on, I could tell that it did not flow as such a luxurious fabric would, and upon examining the robes of my friend, I realized that they were lined with lead, weighing down all who wore them. Even through the extra thickness of the fabric, I could tell that the limb was emaciated and thin, and all around me, under the fine fabrics and gold jewelry, I could tell everyone present had a shrunken stomach, almost as if they hadn't eaten in days. Finally making my way to the last open seat at the table, I took a closer look at the food that was laid out for me to eat. The meat crawled with maggots, the wine spoiled to vinegar, the bread covered in mold, which, looking back, I could see the food brought out to the patrons was all the same that I had.

Rising from the table, I suddenly became aware that all eyes present were laid upon me, eyes dull like those creature in the marsh, eyes that pieced my body like knives. Racing out of the hall into the maze like passage ways of the castle, I heard the same pounding noises as before, only this time I could discern that they came from behind every door, which bellowed out the sounds of captives trying to escape, the sounds of hands beating against locked doors, cries and screams, all mingling within the stone passage as a cacophony of pain.

I was not sure if I was being followed, I never looked behind me and the noise of any pursuers would have been indistinguishable from the noise of the imprisoned, but I was not willing to take the risk. At the end of the passage a single pane of glass offered a look to the world outside, and directly below was the pond and pathway. Not wishing to find myself lost again in the twists and turns of the keep, I leapt out of the window into the waters below.

Falling out of the window, I told myself to keep my legs straight to absorb the impact, though the fear of falling immediately caused me to start flailing my arms and legs, my tail being the first thing to make contact, sending a shiver the length of my spine. The frigid waters next came as a shock to my whole body, a stark contrast to the heat I experienced at the feast. As I swam to the top, I again heard the voices in the water, louder now than before, imploring me to return and join them at the feast. As I finally broke the plane of the water, an apparition appeared to me from below surface, a shade, one resembling Allen. "Flee. Flee as far and as fast as you can. It will not matter. You will never leave this place. Not now." Once he had finished, I made as quickly as I could for the narrow stretch of land in the center of the pond, and from there into the marsh. I thought I could hear laughter from the house as I fled, but I never looked back to see from whom such a noise could could originate, followed by such a loud crash that it could only be the house sinking into the surrounding land, which being mostly mud, was not surprising, especially when compared to how such a magnificent structure could exist to begin with on such a shaky foundation to begin with.

Making my way back across the marsh, I was surprised to find that not only were the beasts that hindered my path on my way out had vanished, but also had the mountain from the center of the quagmire. This made the journey back a straight line back to my home, though the bog had seemingly gained water which made travel treacherous and slow, causing me to get stuck several times as high as my knee. I know not what was meant by my friends letter, but I know his final words to me were correct: I have never left the place that was envisioned that night for me. And I doubt but a select few of the many who step foot in those halls ever will.