"Well the good news is I've got plenty of time to find my way back." Stella said to herself as she started limping in one direction.
After about ten minutes of walking, Stella was overjoyed to hear the sound of rushing water. This could mean only one thing. A river! And only one river flowed through the forest.
Stella was exhilarated. If she would just follow the river, she was bound to either stumble across Den's cottage or come to a city, either the one where she jumped, or the one on the other side, where she had gone to do shopping.
Stella followed the sound of water and sure enough, soon came upon the river. She washed her hands, feet and face in the river to rid herself of all the dirt and clean her wounds. She then stood up, "Hmm? Which way to go? Left or right?" Stella thought to herself.
She finally decided to go on the right and made her way along the river. Stella was lucky, as after about an hour and a half's walk, she came upon a clearing and in that clearing stood, the sunlight bouncing of it's surface, Den's cottage. "Lucky!! I got saved the trouble of going to the city and back." Stella thought to herself as she dragged her body into the cottage, tired with all the walking and the blood loss.
As Stella walked into the living room, she stopped dead. Her eyes widened at the crouching figure. The bag of whatever groceries were left dropped from her hands as she looked down at herself, blood dripping out from the various cuts and her dress almost drenched in blood due to the wound on her thigh. She then looked back at the crouching figure as he raised his head.
Stella turned stiff at the sight of the eyes. Den's eyes right now were firey red. More red than she had ever seen anything before. It was obviously the result of going for too long without eating, and now there was his perfect meal in front of him, blood dripping out, inviting him.
Stella inhaled a sharp breath and waited. Sure enough, she felt pressure on her thigh and she stumbled and landed on her buttocks due to the weight. Stella looked at her leg to see Den crouching over her thigh, the dress ripped off from over her wound, drinking the blood coming out of her wound. Stella waited patiently, "He will be full in about ten minutes. Then he'll stop." She told herself as she tried to even her breathing and prevent herself from fainting.
Sure enough, Stella felt the pressure leave her leg after about ten minutes. Stella looked at Den who swore, "What the hell have I become? I'm drinking from a wound."
"Huh?" Stella barely had time to register what was happening before she heard a rip close to her left ear and felt a sharp pain that she had come to know too well in her shoulder.
Stella could barely keep herself awake as she turned her head towards the right, to make sure that Den got proper blood at her shoulder and did not focus his attention at her throat.
Den stopped and looked up after five more minutes, Stella was already feeling her vision turning black, but she was relieved to see that Den's eyes were now a deep red. He was no longer hungry.