Forest

'Perhaps you're smarter than I had initially credited you for..' He rubbed his thumb against the side of his smooth pale chin. He was looking ahead, as though he was thinking and not waiting for me to react, and so I didn't. We carried on walking and I had purposely let him overtake me, though I could still see him from where I was.

'I would have to reach a state of consciousness that will outtake my subconscious, if I wanted to wake up.' I mumbled. But apart of me didn't yet want to wake up. I wanted to know exactly why I was here, or rather what this place was. Either way, I still had no idea how to trigger my whole state of consciousness.

'That's right' he exclaimed. How did he hear me! We're at-least 15ft apart. It was then that I'd noticed his odd ears, just like a cats, would twist in the direction of the faintest of noises. I examined them for a whilst, I knew they were a mix of two species. I just couldn't figure out the second. A cat and.. what else. It would need to be an animal with ears which are hidden. I could tell from the spikey white fur and pointedness of it that they were part feline, but they were also very stout in size and slightly folded at the bottom. A cat, and an animal with no ears but has good hearing.... it was when I looked to my surroundings and saw the marvellous birds that it came to me. An owl, of course.

'So an owl and a cat...' I murmured.

'Makes for the best hearing.' He exclaimed with too much joy.

'The fish scale tail?' I wondered.

'Do you not find it beautiful, why else would it be there.' He shouted promptly.

I guess I should be nicer to him, since I have been following him for a whilst and he's yet to notice, or make a harsh remark about.

'Of course.. it is.' I said with gritted teeth.

'You've been following for a whilst now are you not going to ask where I'm going?' As expected, he finally remarked but with a slight sneer.

'How did you find me?' I stopped.

'My ears picked you up, since I happen to live nearby I wanted to see if yet another of your kind had visited. All of them end up within that same cave.' He flicked his hand, almost in a manner which suggested disgust.

'Then what?' I said sternly.

'Most of them stay in denial for more than 20 minutes which in this city is enough of a reason to die here and in their world.'

He meant earth. So to die here would also be equivalent to die in real life.

'And what of those who live?'

'Well, the others who do not stay in denial just like you have then tend to take their own route and eventually live here I guess.' He glared.

'Since I seem to be such a nuisance, I'll stop following you. But I just need to know three things.' I sat down on the grass, so to make it seem that I was indeed going to stop following him.

'What?' He looked over to me.

'Where you headed?' I asked.

'The city.' He mumbled.

'Could one completely die.. in a place like this?'

'That's for your to find out.' He said relentlessly. I hated his arrogant tone.

'This city you speak of.. what things live there?' For a lack of a better verb, things seemed appropriate.

'You'd be surprised at the array..' he sniggered '.. but nothing that could threaten your kinds safety, if thats what your worried about.' He guessed right, I only asked so that I could know wether or not it was safe, for the sake of my livelihood, to ever go there.

'Thank you.' I nodded in approval.

He then strutted away, as if he was some sort of royalty.