Chapter 5: The Hunt Begins!
"AGHHHH!"
Oz's bloodshot eyes erupted open.
He lifted his head up, grasping his head in his hand as he sat on a thick tree branch, "Just a nightmare…"
He peered around, a paranoid aura about him as he carefully got up from the makeshift bed atop he was perched on.
The dark sky had awoken from its long slumber, illuminating the cryptic forest with its mysterious light once again, a clear indicator to Oz that naptime was over.
Though he could hardly sleep at all, paranoid that his resting spot would morph and strangle him to death like a certain pig he had encountered.
He had no other choice for the night besides sleeping in the dark abyss that was the ground below.
After Oz's last close call with that stupid piece of pork and that horrifying snake he had a new goal in mind.
The boy hopped to his feet and slid down the thick tree trunk, leaping off as he descended before breaking into a dash off through the forest and jumping through the thick greenage.
Besides just getting stronger, his goal, for now, was to find a home.
Some place to reside when he wasn't out trying to collect experience.
Going back to the Dung Den was off the table; what he needed was something… safe.
Oz had no other way to describe it; he knew he had to find somewhere to reside, especially in this dreadful forest, so, for now, it was time to find a place to call home.
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{Meanwhile... directly in front of the Dung Den fence}
A cloaked figure with a lanky build called out, "Ya'll ready?
WOOSH
"Yup!"
"Ready as ever!"
"Never better!"
"Kinda wish we coulda slept more, but I'm ready!"
Four shadowy figures gathered.
"Shutup! You always wanna sleep!"
"When ya look as good as me, ya need beauty sleep. You could use some!"
"Why you…"
"Heh, looks mean nothin' yall are the weakest anyways!"
"You say that like you're the strongest of us. We all know who it really is."
"Ya wanna back that up?"
"We can go right now!"
As the argument of the shadowy figures escalated, the lanky man interjected, "Enough!"
WOOSH!
A light rustle of wind was sent at just his words alone, causing even the surrounding trees to stir in their early morning slumber.
The four shadowy figures all respectfully bowed their heads, patiently awaiting their orders.
"Another day given to us by Yala. It's time we move out!"
His figure became blurry, as well as those across from him, "Let's hope we can at least find his corpse before the light is down. Let's move!"
His figure disappeared from sight, leaving a cloud of dust on the muddy ground where he once stood.
"Understood!" They all shouted before disappearing as well, leaving the dim forest grounds, not a trace remaining as if they were never there in the still-sleeping forest to begin with.
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{Meanwhile... in the Forest}
WOOOSH!!
Oz zipped through the air.
Though he was against sleeping in trees, he still chose to traverse through them, fearing that there may be even greater threats on the ground.
WOOSH!
It had been an hour since he had last left his makeshift campsite, and the sky had brightened even more since then, allowing Oz to see and maneuver through the shaded forest more easily.
However, with his vision becoming clearer, he also heard the quiet forest stirring more and more as the dozing creatures arose from their stupor.
Oz had no idea what particular direction he was heading, yet he felt he was heading somewhere different…
Like something was calling to him, after all the crazy shenanigans he had experienced the last couple of days, he had at least chosen to trust this feeling.
After what felt like hours of just mindlessly traversing through the forest, he felt the thick foliage starting to thin as more and more light slipped through the thick leaves and the trees became less packed.
"Something different is up ahead… I can feel it." Oz thought as he perched upon a tree branch, gazing down at the clump of bushes below.
Without any further hesitation, he leaped from the branch he was perched on and slid down the girthy trunk, vaulting off and rolling along the ground safely.
The curious boy got up from his knees, slowly approaching the bush that separated him from whatever was on the other side of this hedge.
He cautiously parted the greenery, "Woah." gasping in sheer awe at what he saw…
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{Meanwhile... Further back in the Forest}
WOOOSH!!
WOOOSH!!
The lanky man and his shadowy figures all traversed through the forest at high speeds, zipping across the forest's bushy terrains.
If they happened to come across the average Dung Den inmate, the poor fellow would barely make out blurs with the sharp gusts of wind sending him tumbling to his buttocks.
The figures all glanced around for clues of the boy's whereabouts as they dashed through the bushes and undergrowth of the veiled forest.
The lanky man at the head of the group's eyes glowed with that mysterious light, piercing through the forest's curtain and searching for clues.
Finally, he called out to his group of men, "Halt!"
WOOOSH!
Dust clouds swept through the air as the group stopped in front of a tall tree.
At the base of said tree, a small hole was dug in the ground before it.
The lanky man bent down as his group dispersed, searching around the area for any other clues.
His green eyes faintly shone a bright shade of green as he surveyed the small, innocuous hole that even his men disregarded as only a burrow from a small animal.
As his eyes glimmered more brightly, he whipped his head around, his eyes beaming towards a spot behind him on the earthen forest floor.
He rushed over, causing a spur of wind to spread, catching the attention of his members.
"Hmm," he bent down, examining the crater in the ground, the tip of his fingers touching the barely visible dried piss and blood on the mud floor.
The Earthcat corpse that had once been there was long gone.
Whether taken by its sentimental companions or a hungry creature, either was a possibility.
His eyes flashed intensely, washing the forest floor in a cold glowing green light, scattering any small critters who were still in the area and causing his members to step back as they could only gawk in awe.
Finally, he stood up, "I know where he is."
His now bloodshot eyes gazed into each and every one of his team's eyes.
A concerned look showed on their concealed face.
They hesitated, knowing asking whether he wanted to rest was a stupid choice.
The mission wasn't complete, and none of them would rest until it was.
The lanky man called out, "Let's move!"
"Yes!" his group all chanted before they leaped from the spot, disappearing without a trace once again.
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{Meanwhile... In An Unknown Area}
A round conference table sat in the middle of a pitch-black room with figures each sitting around in chairs that soared into the seemingly never-ending ceiling.
The subtle, powerful glow lingering in each of their eyes barely illuminated even an arm's length in front of them; however, they all glanced at one another nonchalantly before one of them spoke out.
"So apparently, that being has appeared in the forest."
A voice smooth enough to cut butter called out.
An eery stillness filled the room.
One of the figures broke the tension by speaking up.
"Heh, not a surprise. We knew it would pop up eventually."
A strong, gruffy voice laughed out.
The other members all had different looks on their faces, thankfully concealed by the pitch-black darkness.
"Well, I'll take care of it. I do believe it's in my jurisdiction."
An enchanting, soft voice sang in the ears of the other members; however, many of them only harrumphed, jealously shining intensely in their eyes.
"Then do see it taken care of properly. Wouldn't want it crawling into our jurisdictions."
One of the members hissed out before vanishing from their seat.
WOOSH!
Followed by the other members vanishing as well.
WOOSH!
WOOSH!
Finally, in the grim darkness, all alone after everyone had left, the lone figure's strong evergreen eyes blazed with a strong resolve piercing through the lightless veil, "I will find you."
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