Reappearance

Whiskey-Jack opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed—his hands were firm. No longer transparent.

"Good... I thought I was really dying," he thought, "But who was that strange man? And why did he call himself "The Creator"?

The moment the thought crossed his mind, a sharp pain struck deep into his skull. He gritted his teeth and clutched his head as if to try claw the pain out.

"It feels like someone is repeatedly stomping on my head!" He groaned, feeling his thoughts attack him. The pain was unbearable, slowly, it began to subside. Allowing him to regain his footing on his whereabouts.

He squinted through the still bright sunlight. "Wait" he thiught, he wasn't by the river anymore. His eyes shot open as the realization hit him. "How did I get here?"

He was lying on the cold ground just at the edge his family camp, with no memory of how he'd arrived. "What happened?" His palms began to sweat nervous about the situation, but at least he was home, atleast he was safe... after meeting "The Creator".

Pushing himself up from the ground, feeling groggy, he slowly made his way toward the front door. Before he could reach it, the door swung open violently, rattling the hinges as if someone was about to burst through.

Standing in the doorway was Muskrat. His eyes locked onto Whiskey-Jack's with an expression of shock and disbelief.

Without warning, Muskrat dashed forward, closing the gap between them in an instant, and slammed into him with a hug so tight it knocked the breath out of Whiskey-Jack.

I can't breathe! Whiskey-Jack gasped, his ribs creaking under the force of the embrace.

"If the strange man didn't kill me... then Muskrat will surely finish the job!" He thought, his face turning red struggling to get air.

Muskrat finally loosening his grip, sniffled as he looked at his brother. His voice was shaky, barely able to hold back his tears.

"I... I thought you were never coming back!"

Whiskey-Jack looked around, trying to comprehend the scene before him, but his mind was cloudy from his recent experience and the pain that followed.

"Something's off" he thought, his eyes glancing past his little brother.

His eyes darted to the trees. There was a huge snow pile forming outside, with a fresh snowfall already blanketing the cleared pathways. The leaves on the trees had completely vanished, replaced by the skeletal branches of winter.

He couldn't help but stare in confusion. The whole environment had transformed so drastically, it felt like he'd stepped into a different world altogether.

He pulled Muskrat away from the hug, his thoughts racing. "I was only gone for the night, right? How did winter come so fast?"

Muskrat stared at him, his eyes still watery. He scratched the back of his head, clearly confused. "Are you joking? You've been gone for at least two weeks!"

Two weeks?! Whiskey-Jack could feel his legs begin to buckle. The memories of his time with the mysterious man flashed before him. It felt like only a couple hours...

"TWO WEEKS?!" Whiskey-Jack gasped in disbelief. How could that be?

The realization hit him hard of the risks involved. What happened to that time? What if those things attacked while I was away!? His mind spun as he tried to make sense of it all.