The Ancient World: All Alone
The Ancient World: All AloneIt's been a month...I think, and there is still no sign of my
brother or anyone else. The last intellectual being that I saw was that
wolfess. I can still see her dying face in my mind, like it happened yesterday,
trying so desperately to breathe as the wolf crushed her throat. Those bright
green eyes filled with terror as the life left from them. I keep thinking back
to that day, wishing I could have helped her somehow, but what could I have
done? The beast was twice my size and would have killed me easily. There's a
question I keep asking myself. Why? Why was this happening? Why did they do
this to us? My nerves are shot. I live in fear and this need for
social interaction is driving me insane. I don't know how much more of this I can take.
I've been walking in this forest through endless nights and haven't seen anyone,
and that is what scares me. I can hear movements and sounds coming from all
around me; my ears twitch back and forth. The leaves on the ground rustle, the
trees above me sway in the wind, branches fall to the ground, and twigs snap in
the darkness. The distant howls and eerie cries from whatever creature they
belong to sends chills down my spine and makes my fur stand on end. Maybe I'm
being paranoid, but it feels like everything within a mile knows that I'm here;
their eyes fixated on me, waiting to make a move, waiting for me to let my
guard down. But I don't; I grip my makeshift spear tightly, ready for anything.
Drudging through this vastness with little, and sometimes no
sleep, has deranged my mind. I feel like I am becoming part of the forest,
moving silently and unnoticed as I use the stars to navigate. I eat from the
same fruit-bearing plants that the other creatures do. The darkness was eating
away at me, turning me into a creature of the forest; a creature of the night. It
wasn't until I had collapsed from exhaustion, drained of the little energy I
had left, that I saw the first sign of there being any sun to light up this
strange world. It was strange though. All the creatures in the forest seemed to
have disappeared as it rose slowly over the horizon. I could not keep my eyes
open. I had reached my absolute limit and fell into a deep sleep.I am not sure how long I had slept, but the sun was now
directly above me, and when I awoke, I was in a better state of mind. I had my
strength back, so I took advantage of the day to gather food and make some
better weapons. I constructed a knife from a sharp rock that I wedged in a
bamboo looking plant and then wrapped it tightly around it with strips of my
mangle shirt. I saw no more need for the ripped garment, so I took it off and
tied it to my shorts; the only clothing I had left. As I moved through the forest during the day, it seemed
peaceful; the beasts where nowhere to be found. That was ok with me, but the
sun was moving quickly. I hurried to gather as much as I could before the
darkness fell. I had a new weapon, some strange fruit and berries that I was
afraid to eat, but my hunger was stronger than my will to not. The rest that I didn't eat I wrapped in my shirt and tied it back to my shorts. As the sun
disappeared, I hid myself in some thick brush, fearful that the beasts would
return and see me.The days here are very different. I am not sure how long the
darkness lasts, but even when the sun was out, it was still very distant and
cold, but the dark grey fur on my vulpine body keeps me warm. My eyes have
adjusted well to the darkness of the forest. At first I thought it was the
stars that lit up the forest floor, but I had forgotten that I am now half fox.
Surely my vision has been heightened.The forest was alive again and I was right back where I was;
alone and terrified. As time passes by, I can feel something changing inside
me. A switch has been flipped and I can't control myself. My mind is being
twisted and deranged, putting thoughts there that aren't mine. The darkness has
overcome me. I am now one of them.With my senses heightened, and my breathing controlled, I
feel in tune with my surroundings. I don't care anymore. My movements have
changed from my usual rogue-like self, hiding in the shadows, to that of a
giant, stomping around the forest. This alerts the creatures around me and out
of the corner of my eye I see movement. A creature about half my size lunges at
me, but I was faster. I took the spear in my hand, and as it neared me, I
thrust it into and out the back of his neck. While still in
motion, I drove the spear into the ground, took my knife in paw and stabbed the
creature over and over until I was covered in its blood. The creature, which
resembled that of a panther, lay still on the ground, unmoving. I started hyperventilating
and as I look back at the creature, a wolfess lay there instead. I dropped my
knife and fell atop of her with my head on her stomach, screaming and crying."I'M SORRY!" I yell, "I COULDN"T SAVE YOU!...", sobbing
between each breathe. I could still hear her screams in my head. They were
getting louder. So loud in fact, I could discern the direction it was coming
from. When I came to my senses, the wolfess disappeared and the beast was there
instead."Nooo!" my ears perked up and twitched to the direction of
the voice, "Leave me alone you bastards!"It was a female voice and it wasn't too far off. I gathered
my spear and knife, and took off towards the sound of her voice. Quietly, I ran
through the forest. As I jumped over a creek bed, I came to an area that wasn't
overgrown with vegetation. It was darker here; only the trees remain, spaced
out every few yards. I could hear running; a biped. The footsteps were loud and
familiar. Then I saw her; a vixen running at full speed with her fluffy tail
streamlining behind her, twitching as to keep balance to dodge the incoming
trees. Her attackers were at her heel. A wolf pack of three were howling and
barking as they ran after her. They weren't as big as the wolf that I had
encountered before. I ran after them, being careful not to make too much noise. I ran
next to the creek bed, parallel with the vixen. She was slowing down. Fatigue had
bested her. The wolf lunged at her and grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the
ground. It then jumped on top of the vixen as she screamed. I was at a full
sprint when I let loose my spear. When it made contact with the wolf, it
impaled the beast through its stomach with such force, that it knocked the wolf
off of her and sent it sliding. I kept running and stopped myself as I slid to
retrieve my spear. The other two wolves stood still as they assessed this new
threat. Their bright yellow eyes now fixated on me. Their fur was as dark as
the shadows of the trees.As I looked back at the vixen, her blue eyes were wide with
fear. She gasped and jumped back a bit from seeing my blood-covered face. I
turned back to the wolves and they had inched themselves closer. As I took a
step forward, they took a step back. "COME ON!!!" I yelled as I took another step forward.This startled one of the wolves. It yelped and bumped into
the other, creating panic between them. The other wolf jumped forward, lunging
himself at me. With anticipation, I lunged forward as well, meeting him halfway
as I drove my spear down its throat, impaling the beast. The other wolf was close behind him. I
dropped the spear and drew my knife just as the wolf latched on to my shoulder,
but not before burying the blade deep into its heart.I growled in pain as the wolf fell to the ground, releasing
its jaws from my shoulder. I fell to my knees in pain, exhausted from the
fighting and running, but I mustered the strength to free my bloodied knife and
spear from the two wolves and stood back up to tend to the injured vixen. She
was still stunned and scared. As I took a few steps towards her, she tried to
move back, but the pain in her leg prevented her."Whoa whoa..." I said in my most calming voice, "I'm not going
to hurt you."She said nothing as she looked me up and down. Then I realized
how I must look to her. "Listen. I may look like one of them, but I am
certainly not. Please, let me look at your leg."She gulped some air, and then finally nodded. As I walked
towards the vixen and kneeled down beside her, I stopped to meet her eyes. They
were dark blue with flecks of green. They were enticing. But there was
something different about them. They seemed almost familiar. Then it donned on
me.I tilted my head sideways, "Lilura?"Her eyes opened wide as she gasped, "Link?"