Where the Trees Prey - Teaser Short Story

Where the Trees Prey                                                                                                                                                   
 A standalone short story from the world of The Guardians                                                                                                               

A six-year-old girl vanishes into the forest bordering a small Montana town. Every cop in Sweet Grass is on the case, and they have nothing. No scent trail. No witnesses. No leads.

Inspector Terry Gibbs has five years to retirement if his heart holds up. He's not missing persons. But when the search leads him to an iron gate and the old woman who lives behind it, he finds himself walking into a forest that is older, deeper, and far more alive than anything on any map.

She knows where the girl is. But the forest has rules. And Terry is about to break one he didn't know he had.

Where the Trees Prey is a ~9,300-word novelette. It requires no prior knowledge of the Guardians universe. Footnotes provide optional world-building context for curious readers.

(There is violence, but only involving an adult. I just realized I'd better mention that. Nothing naughty, but I wouldn't let a little kid read this thinking it was a cute funny fluffy furries story.)