Waypoint

Interlude 1

The morning fog brought with it the safety of the sun. The boy poked his head out of the burrow he had found the night before, brushing away the loose, wet soil. The hill he had rested in was in the middle of a grove, with massive trees surrounding it. The boy smelled the cold air and kept his eye out, noticing nothing outside. He crawled out of the burrow slowly, setting out.

How long had he been walking through these woods? He didn't know. All he knew was that sensation of hollowness in his stomach. He needed food.

How long had it been since he'd last eaten?

The boy kept walking, trying to ignore his desire to stop moving. He needed to move. Moving meant he was alive.

As the sun rose higher and the fog lifted, the boy came across a hut. He had seen this hut before, but he wasn't sure when. He looked around and, seeing no one, approached it carefully.

He crept around the outside of it, peering inside through the open entry but avoiding walking in. Various objects scattered around the interior, but something told him he shouldn't be looking for food there. Something about this place caused a chill to run down his spine. He caught a glimpse of white stone on the ground as he rounded the corner of the hut. He knelt to inspect it, a sword made roughly out of stone. It was short, and the boy hefted it in his hands.

It would do.

He left hurriedly and found a herd of large animals. With long legs and heavy bodies, they were nearly twice the size of the boy, with massive antlers spread from their heads like giant hands. He observed as they roamed between bushes, sniffing and picking at them. They were covered in brown fur and had drooping snouts. A hump rested on their shoulders and flexed as they walked about.

The boy instantly moved to one of the bushes further from the animals, careful not to let the herd notice him. He saw berries around the bush, but some looked different than others. He stopped. One of these had thorns, while the others were larger. Both were a deep shade of purple. He looked at the animals, observing closely. He saw them picking at the bushes selectively, ignoring the larger berries. He noticed that when an older one did pull the larger berry, it quickly snorted and spat it out. It spent a few minutes retching before continuing to eat the thorned berries.

That was it! These beasts avoided the giant berry, and it must have been for a reason. So the boy avoided them, picking a handful to eat. It tasted bitter. A blue light appeared as before for the boy, but he ignored it. It blinked in front of him but vanished quickly; he grabbed as much as he could carry in both hands with his newfound tool tucked under his arm. He walked away from the herd, who had their heads lifted, looking every which way.

He sat down on a fallen log, eating as fast as he could before remembering what happened the last time he did so. He ate one piece at a time, watching the forest around him. The area was quiet; no bird sang, and no small creature scampered up a tree. The silence felt odd to the boy, and he froze. The last time something was this silent was-

His thoughts were interrupted by something barreling into him, and he felt a searing sensation across his back, lines drawn from his shoulder to hip as he crashed forward, landing on the ground as he felt a mass of weight bearing down on him, as sharp points latched, jabbed and tore at him. He did not scream, for he had no air in his lungs, but he willed his body to shrink into his original form. Still, the attack persisted, and he took damage, but the pain lessened. His senses opened, and he finally gained a good image. A creature with a beak, talons, and claws. Its body resembled other creatures he'd seen, save for the forelegs and head, which resembled some kind of bird. It was throwing itself at him despite his attempts to flee. He saw chunks of his body strewn around as it raked claws and beak, beating a massive pair of wings and hopping after him.

The boy fell, rolling into his newer form to run as the creature hunted him down. He didn't look back but could hear its wings and claws as it gained altitude, hopping from tree to tree. He reached a pond and slipped in, shifting into his other form, but tripped over a root that jutted from the ground. As he stumbled halfway through his transformation, the creature was atop him, pinning him down and rearing its head to attack his throat.

The boy didn't want to do this. He tried to run. As the creature brought its beak down, he lunged. His amorphous form grew to wrap itself around the beast. First, he covered the face, then the limbs. It tried to wrestle away, but resistance was futile once the boy had a firm grip on its head. He devoured the creature slowly and stayed there long after its thrashing ceased. He returned to his new form, curling his arms around himself, shivering despite feeling no cold.

Hi everyone! Not a chapter, but an interlude instead! I wish everyone who reads this a happy resolution to the year! If you guys had a great year, that's awesome! If you guys had some struggles or strife, then I hope things improve. I hope everyone has a fantastic start to the new year!!