!fish slain

  10 XP

  A fish sizzled over open flames.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking again… about that tower,” I told Spot, fixing a makeshift rope made from twig bark and dried vines. I intertwined the twisted strands together making a strong but stiff rope.

  “If something like that exists out there in the woods… There’s no telling what’s around the corner. You know? Like what’s beyond that? Ruins? A castle? Then what’s beyond that? Maybe even the edge of the forest… civilization?” I raised my eyebrow at that last hypothesis. I huffed, straining the rope tight.

  “Somebody had to build that tower. Question is, where did they go?” The early morning sun warmed us as we sat by the campfire.

  Spot sneezed softly, waking up for a moment. I threw over an expectant eye, a smug smirk crossing my lips.

  “Well I’m gonna find out.”

  Spot’s nose twitched.

  “Oh, come on. You didn’t expect me to be stuck here forever did you? I gotta get out of this place eventually.”

  Spot fell back asleep. I threw another curious eye toward Spot.

  “You could come with me if you want?”

  Zzzzzzzzz…

  I smiled expectantly.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  Later that morning, with my spear revitalized and in hand, and my sandals perfectly loosened around my feet, I headed off into the unknown with high spirited intentions of exploration. I left extra snacks back at the camp for Spot but took with me the spare nuts and seeds I’d gathered over the past month. I expected to be gone all day.

  The woods were cheery this morning. Birds chirped. Woodland creatures skittered over the forest floor. A red tailed squirrel hopped from branch to branch above my head, looking for nuts in the tree limbs. It reminded me of the time I tried squirrel for dinner.

  It was an easy catch but after the meal I was bent behind a bush for an entire day. A suspicion lingered in the back of my mind that it had given me some kind of parasitic worm.

  I shivered.

  Across the stream to the north, the tower was a good mile or so through the woods. I remembered the way perfectly.

  It was one of the farthest points away from camp I’d ever been to so the anxiety of heading that way matched my excitement. One step past the tower would be one step furthest away from camp. What lay beyond it? My greatest fear? Nothing special.

  But I’d find a way out of here no matter what. If I had to, I’d gather all my supplies and just head out never to return.

  The tower was once again a spectacle. I marveled at the giant blocks used to build such a thing. The bricks for the walls were perfectly cut, rounded to fit the curve of the tower. Whoever built this was clearly very skilled.

  My mind ran wild with thoughts of medieval builders.

  “Assuming they are medieval,” I said to myself. “I’m going to be really pissed if I walk my way out of this forest and find out I’ve been next to the highway by my house the whole time.”

  Visiting the inside of the tower, I crept down to the lower floor again to ponder over the stone table and curious murals waiting inside. It was strange. The top of the table was oddly glassy like some kind of glass slate had been put over the top of the stone bowl. Running my fingers over the intricate designs at the base of the bowl yielded more questions as the sensations were both sandy and smooth. What the table had been used for was lost on me.

  Class changed from Warrior to Scout

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  Exploring past the tower put hesitation in my step. Looking back homeward a primal fear shivered down my spine.

  “This is the furthest I’ve been into the unknown. Let’s hope I make it back.” With that thought I trudged forward.

  Some time in the late afternoon, when the birds were closing out their songs and the winds blew the treetops with whispering melodies of their own, I finally found what I was looking for. I’d wandered for another mile perhaps, snacking on seeds, watching, looking, exploring the forest. There were always new sights and sounds to see but this one topped them all. There, in a thicket and covered in vines, sat a sun bleached stone. It was not of natural origins.

  When my eyes finally picked it out of the forest, my heart jumped up my throat. It was no taller than my waist and rather encropped by the forest. There was no small wonder that I saw it at all. It was thanks to my scout’s eyes, I was sure. They’d grown stronger as I’d leveled up. Everything had and I could feel a more powerful surge of skill and knowledge every time I changed classes.

  Now, that hard work had paid off.

  I crept up to it like it was a strange animal. Clearing vines away presented me with a sandy colored, sun washed stone, hard bitten at the edges by time, but still well carved. It was thicker at the base, with a trim where it touched the forest soil. The shape was boxy and thick, almost a foot wide at its thinnest point. And across the sandy stone face was the most interesting thing of all. Scrawled in lines from edge to edge were inscriptions of letters or symbols.

  I couldn’t tell which one it was but the lines of text were still breathtaking.

  I traced the symbols with my fingers. It was language. Real language. Something about that fact was far more mesmerizing an idea than a stone tower. And it made me want to see a real human more than ever.

  I traced the symbols a couple more times, taking a stick even, and carving the first few symbols into the dirt so I could remember them.

  “Spot will never believe this. I’d kill for a pen and paper.”

  !Possum slain

  10 XP

  That evening, with a smile on my face, I returned to camp with a fresh kill, though possum wasn’t exactly what I would’ve called fresh.

  I sat down, slumping the carcass onto the dirt. Spot hopped out of the grass to meet me.

  “I found something today, Spot,” my voice trembled from excitement. “A sign, a real sign, like one with letters on it. It was inscribed on some kind of stone in the woods.”

  Spot hopped up to my side looking for something to eat. My face flattened.

  “No. It was more than just a rock.”

  That night, after successfully skinning and cooking the little varmint, me and Spot sat in quiet contemplation underneath the night stars.

  “I feel it this time, you know? I feel like I’m ready,” I said, the warm glow of the fire on my face. Spot was relaxing by the grass line, eyes half closed in a sleepy daze. The little rabbit's ears twitched.

  “Yes, I remember last time. No, it won’t be like that,” I said annoyed. Spot was referencing a time before, months ago, when I tried to escape the forest. Back then, I was far less skilled, less knowledgeable, and brave. I made it a few miles south of camp before night fell. With far too few supplies, no shelter, and no clue on how to take care of myself, it was only a matter of time before I went back or died.

  That night, while I was away, the first night, I was attacked by a night cat, something as big as a hound with claws sharp as knives. It crept up on me while the moon glowed overhead. If I had been sleeping better, in some more comfortable spot, I would never have turned over onto my side. I would never have chanced to open my eyes and see the glimmering eyes of the predator shining in the night.

  Lightning fast, I snatched up my spear just as the beast lunged, keeping the creature’s paws from reaching my throat. The cat hissed and wrestled with me for a moment before I managed to whip the spear around in the struggle. The blade caught the creature across the maw, just as its fangs were bared.

  It wasn’t a deep cut but it was enough for the cat to rethink its meal, leaping away. I turned to meet its hateful gaze, spear tip between me and it. Gleaming underneath the moonlight, those eyes were haunting. I still had nightmares about them.

  In the moonlight, too was revealed a hide of pure midnight black, like a panther’s, with a tail bushy and long. The cat had the face of a lynx, pointed ears and all. It snarled before retreating into the woods to lick its wounds.

  That night, I stayed up until the sun rose, spear trembling in hand. As soon as it peered over the treetops I was gone, headed back to camp. Even in the sunlight, I got lost a few times, panicked, cried, persevered, only to panic once more, cry, and then stumble onto the camp by mid afternoon.

  Still, that was a long time ago.

  “I’m much better equipped now. Mentally and physically… don’t make that face. It’s true… Oh, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stood up frustrated, pacing around the camp.

  “That’s it. I’m going. Tomorrow, I’m gonna just go and go until I walk out of this damn forest. I don’t care how long it takes me.”

  Spot, uncaring for the drama unfolding, turned belly up and stretched both legs.

  “Oh, come on. You saw what happened yesterday. Those little green freaks almost skewered me. It’s just as dangerous to stay here, now.”

  Spot twisted, trying to find a more comfortable position. I stopped my pacing, shooting a surprised glance at Spot, unable to believe what I was hearing.

  “Is that what this is about? All of this attitude, all of this naysaying… No, I won’t!” I brushed the comment away with a wave of my hand, turning my back on Spot out of spite. Then, after a few uncomfortable seconds, I sighed. Forcing myself to act like an adult, I turned around and addressed the real issue at hand.

  “I’ll be back… I will. I’m not going to leave you here.” I knelt down beside Spot, rubbing the softest part of the rabbit’s belly. Spot’s foot kicked at my hand instinctively.

  “I gotta go, buddy. I gotta find out what’s out there. But I’ll be back. I promise.”