Shifters

The Forest

Josh sat cross-legged on a bed of leaves, canteen in hand, as he closely studied the path of a narrow stream. Beneath the serene flow of water, were pockets of exposed, glittering ores spaced evenly apart as if they were artificially placed. Herman, who'd discovered their current resting place, stooped at the water's edge as he looked at the stream skeptically. Removing a sharp looking knife the size of his arm from his waist, Herman sliced an immature branch off of a newly budding tree. Although deemed young in nature when compared to its elder siblings, the severed branch stood shoulder to shoulder with Herman's huge build. Stepping further up onto the embankment, he slowly dipped the green limb into the flowing water. Receiving no reaction, Herman tossed the branch aside, removing a glove from his left hand as he once again neared the water's edge. Squatting as he did before, his hand hovered mere inches above the water as if intending to replicate his earlier actions with the branch. Climbing to his feet, Josh stared intently as Herman plunged his hand beneath the water's surface. Just as with the foliage, no external damage could be seen from the simple contact. Rising, Herman shook the liquid off his hands as he made his way over to their makeshift campsite. Canteen still in hand, Josh guzzled it's contents freely. 

"Not too much now," Herman scolded gently, "We should preserve as much as we can. No telling how long we'll be here for."

"Don't we already have an infinite supply?" Josh asked, pointing at the glowing stream, confused by his companion's words. 

"It may be safe to touch but that doesn't mean it's safe to drink," Herman responded, skepticism written plainly on his face, "We've no idea what kind of side effects may occur on consumption so it's best to limit the risks of the unknown by rationing what we know to be safe."

"Makes sense," Josh said screwing the cap back on, "What now?"

"For now we should focus on getting some rest, preferably somewhere far away from the water," Herman responded staring at his pocket watch. 

Josh nodded, getting ready to move, as he studied the light penetrating the dark confines casted by the towering trees. Although from their point of view, it appeared to be the middle of the day, it was in fact nighttime in Lore at this very moment. This stagnant, time discrepancy resulted in them sleeping in odd stretches. It was only after their third day within the forest, that Herman had noticed the permanent setting. Since then, they'd rebalanced their sleeping schedule accordingly. During these resting periods, Herman had always insisted he kept watch whilst he slept. Josh, who was strongly against this, complained that he too should shoulder the burden of guard duty as he feared his companion was not getting enough rest. Herman however, blatantly shut down his requests, claiming he got more than his fair share of sleep. On their fourth night within the dark forest, Josh had awakened to see Herman seemingly fast asleep. However, the moment he sat up, Herman reprimanded him, saying he should get more rest. Although Josh wasn't exactly sure how he managed to sense his movement through closed eyes, he realized that Herman, was somehow capable of simultaneously resting and keep watch. After the incident, he'd ceased his pestering, resigning himself to a full night's rest. 

After a few minutes of walking, the two settled into their respective spots, assembling beds of leaves before nibbling on their still plentiful rations. As he lay, staring up at the light filtering through the treetops, a sense of relief washed over him. This wasn't the first time he'd felt this way. Ever since they entered this forest, Josh had felt a sense of freedom, whenever he stared at the light descending from the forest's canopy. Even though he wasn't sure what it meant, he strangely felt that this feeling was somehow closely connected to his lost memories. Regardless of its failure to produce further results with respects to regaining his memories, Josh continuously stared at the glimmering treetops religiously, in hopes of gaining a clue to his past.