New life

He silently walked, trying to avoid contact with any plant that would make sound but failing. Each hut he passed was a dark, silent shape, but he imagined the sleeping monsters inside, and the thought motivated him to move forward. He followed the barely formed paths in the forest, his bare feet making almost no sound on the packed dirt. He kept his head on a swivel, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.

Finally, he reached an area where he was sure he was completely out of the village. Sesh had said to run east, towards the flatlands. Kai looked up at the stars, trying to find the familiar patterns his father had taught him, but the sky here was different. He had no idea which way was east and he forgot what way the sun set. He had to guess.

He chose a direction that felt right and plunged into the underbrush.

The forest at night was a different world. It was full of terrifying and strange noises. The air was cool and damp. Every snap of a twig sounded like a pursuing footstep. The hoot of a night bird sounded like a warning cry. A sense of dread settled over him. This was the wilderness his people feared, the area of the island with the dangerous fauna.

He pushed on, tripping over roots and getting smacked by low-hanging branches. He remembered Sesh's other warning: avoid the forest, head for the flatlands. But the forest was his only cover. Out in the open, he would be completely exposed to dragons.

He thought about the dragons. He had seen two of them now. Massive, terrifying creatures that owned the sky. Sesh said to hope he didn't get spotted by one. He pictured it in his mind: the huge shadow passing over him, the rush of wind, the sharp claws snatching him from the ground.

He stopped, leaning against a tree to catch his breath. What were his options? Go through the forest and get caught by the Lizardmen and spend the rest of his life as a slave, poked and prodded like an animal? Or keep going, out into the open, and risk being eaten by a dragon?

He thought about the misery in the cages, the dead look in the other slaves' eyes. He thought about Briar, stolen away. A quick death from a dragon seemed almost better compared to a long, slow death of a slave. At least it would be over fast. There would be no more cages, no more being called Scrounge.

He made his choice. He would take his chances with the dragons. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself away from the tree and continued on, following Sesh's instructions.

He walked for probably a hour. He kept waiting for the trees to thin, for the ground to level out into the flatter land Sesh had mentioned. But it didn't happen. If anything, the trees grew thicker, their branches weaving a tighter than before. The air grew heavier and much more humid.

He was going the wrong way.

he realization hit him. He had guessed, and he had guessed wrong. Panic began to rise in his chest. He was lost now. Hopelessly, completely lost in a forest full of things that wanted to eat him. Great, just great. Well dying to a large predator would be just as painless, hopefully.

He stopped, trying to get his sense of direction. Which way had he come from? He looked behind him, but all he saw was black trees and tangled vines. He had no choice but to pick a new direction. He turned to his right, pushing aside a curtain of damp leaves, and forced himself to keep moving.

He moved more slowly now, his senses on high alert. He could hear things moving in the darkness just beyond his sight. Skittering sounds in the leaf litter, the heavy rustle of something large pushing through the brush.

Then he heard it. A sound that made the hairs on his arms stand up. It was a roar, but not the distant, sky-rumbling roar of a dragon. This was closer, and it was definitely the sound of a predator.

Kai dove behind the thickest bush he could find, pressing his body flat against the dirt. He held his breath, his heart beating incredibly hard.

Seconds later, it emerged from the trees. It was massive, bigger than a wolf, with a powerful body. It looked vaguely like a panther, its fur an oily black. But it had six powerful legs, each ending in long, curved claws that dug into the soil. Two long, whip-like tails twitched behind it, and from its back sprouted a ridge of sharp, bony spines. It stopped just a few yards from Kai's bush. It lifted its head, its wide, flat snout sniffing the air. Its eyes, glowing a slight green in the darkness, scanned the area.

Kai's heart dropped. It was looking for him. It had smelled him. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying to a god he wasn't sure he believed in anymore. Don't see me. Please, don't see me. The creature took another step closer, its heavy paws making a loud thud. It let out another low growl.

The creature's huge, dark head swung in his direction. It took another slow step forward, so close now that Kai could smell its musky, animal scent. Its snout twitched, sniffing, sniffing, its glowing green eyes seeming to stare right through the leaves of the bush and at Kai. This is it, he thought. This is how I die. This is it, he thought. This is how I die.

After a long second, the creature let out a huff of air, as if bored. It turned its massive head away, gave its tails a final, impatient flick, and trotted off into the darkness, its heavy footsteps fading into the sounds of the forest. It had gone in the opposite direction he was heading thankfully.

Kai stayed frozen for a full few minutes, unable to move, his body trembling with the aftermath of pure terror. When he finally stopped taking shallow breaths, the full one came out in a long, shaky gasp. "I can't believe it," he whispered to himself.

Slowly, carefully, he pushed himself up. His legs felt very weak. He couldn't stay here. He had to keep moving. He continued in the direction he had been going, away from where the creature had disappeared.

He walked for another half hour, his eyes constantly scanning the shadows, his ears straining to catch any sound of pursuit. He was exhausted, but he was also more alert than he had ever been in his life.

He finally stumbled on a small clearing. In the center of it stood a massive, ancient tree, its trunk so wide it would take three men to circle it. Near its base was a large, dark hole, and it was big enough for him to crawl inside. "Yes!" he rejoiced.

It was the best shelter he was going to find. He peered into the darkness of the hollow, listening for any sound of movement inside. It was silent. He crawled in, pulling a few loose branches over the opening to hide himself.

Inside, it was dark and smelled of old wood and dirt. He huddled in the back of the hollow, his arms wrapped around his knees. He was safe, for now. But his stomach was quite empty. He thought about the fruit in Vorlag's orchard, how heavy and full they had been. Out here, he had no idea what was safe to eat. Every colorful berry, every strange-looking mushroom, could be something poisonous. He was free, but he was starving, and he was still hopelessly lost. For tonight, all he could do was hide in his tree and wait for the sun to rise.

Kai woke up cold, stiff, and miserable. The hunger was worse now. He thought of his family, of the warm stew his mother made. He quickly pushed the thought away. He had to focus on himself. Thinking about them would only make it worse. He knew that trying to be a hero wouldn't work at this time.

He crawled out of the hollow tree. The first thing he needed was water. He started walking, his eyes searching the ground for any sign of a stream or puddle. "Water, water, come on," he muttered to himself.

After a while, he heard it: a faint trickling sound. He pushed through some ferns and found a small, clear stream running over grey stones. He fell to his knees and drank, scooping the cool, clean water into his mouth with his hands. It was the best thing he had ever felt.

Water was good, but it wasn't food. He kept walking along the stream, his eyes now scanning the bushes for anything that looked edible. He saw bright red berries, but his father had always told him red was a warning color in the wild. He saw some pale, spotted mushrooms, but they looked slimy and wrong.

Then, he saw a bush with small, dark purple berries, almost black. They looked a little like the elderberries that grew near his village. He hesitated. It was a gamble. But he was so hungry, he felt dizzy. He couldn't go on without eating something.

He picked one berry and put it in his mouth. He chewed it slowly. It was sweet, with a slightly tart aftertaste. It tasted… good. It tasted real. He waited a minute, expecting his stomach to cramp or his throat to burn. Nothing happened.

He was so relieved he could have cried. He quickly stripped the bush of every berry he could reach, stuffing them into his mouth by the handful. "Aww, thank god."

Just as he finished the last of the berries, shadows began to disappear. The sky began to darken. The light filtering through the trees faded, and a rumble resonated in the distance. Clouds rolled in, and the wind began to whip through the branches. A fat drop of rain hit his cheek, then another.

Within minutes, it was a downpour. Rain lashed down, so heavy he could barely see. The wind howled, and lightning cracked across the sky, followed by a deafening crash of thunder that shook the ground. There was nowhere to hide. He found a small divot in the ground at the base of some rocks and huddled in it, trying to make himself as small as possible. The wind was so strong it tore at the trees, sending leaves and small branches flying. A sharp sting on his arm made him yelp. A branch had whipped past and left a long, bleeding cut. He pressed his hand against it, shivering from the cold and the pain, as the storm continued around him.

"Fucking damnit!" He screamed over the wind. "Why now!?"