The Forest Wraith

There once was a famous woodsman, who was strong and handsome, but quite foolish. He liked to boast that he could fell any tree with a single swing of his axe, and he was powerful enough to live up to his claim. So when he heard of a magical tree that would come alive at night and terrorize a nearby village, he pledged to cut it down.

The woodsman was so confident in his abilities that he decided not to bother attempting to cut the tree until sundown. However, he misjudged the time, and arrived right at nightfall. As he got into position and readied his axe, he felt something creeping up his leg. Startled, the woodsman tried to leap away, but was held fast by the root tied around his foot, causing him to trip instead. As he fell, his axe flew out of his hand. He scrambled to grab it, but it was too far out of his reach, now that branches tangled across his chest. He cried out for help, but all of the villagers had already retreated into their houses for the night, and could not hear him. So there he laid, as the deadly branches slowly drained his energy. By morning, all that remained was his tortured soul and the tangled branches.

Since that night, the village has stood empty, as the villagers fled from the mysterious new ghostly soldier who roamed the woods, and was so powerful he could kill anyone with a single swing of his axe.