The moon cast a soft glow on the landscape, casting menacing shadows in the forest. A few deer quietly grazed at a small clearing, alert for any signs of predators. Their ears twitched as a sharp, short gasp pierced through the silent night. A man lay on the ground, staring up at the night sky. “Where…am I?” He whispers to himself as he continues to stare at the sky. He groans as he reaches for his head, trying to relieve the pounding pain. “Wait…who…am I?” He groaned as he slowly sat up and looked around, not able to see very far into the dark forest.
He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate through the pain. “I remember….me running through the forest…something…was chasing me…but…” He sighed. “Gah…can’t remember anything else…not even my name…” He rubs his temples and groans. “Anyways…that’s the least of my worries right now. I need to find a way out of the forest. Which way should I go?”
He looked around the ink-black darkness and sighed. “There’s no way I can get a sense of direction. It’s too dark.” He looked back up at the clear night sky. “Wait…the north star! That way must be north!” He looked to the right. “And that must be east.” He slowly stood up and wobbled a bit as he tried to get balanced. “Why do I remember about the north star though and not even my own name?” He shook his head again. “That can wait. I should head east…maybe there’s a village or something that way…or someone who has a clue as to what happened to me.”
He slowly started to walk through the forest, hand in front of him, making sure he doesn’t walk directly into a tree. His breathing was a bit labored as his walking was jaunted and jagged, his legs not having much energy to walk. Sweat started to squeeze out of his pores, dripping down his face. His mind started to wander as he kept walking forward. What did happen? It’s definitely not a normal form of amnesia that’s for sure…but…”
A soft growl interrupted his thoughts as he quickly looked around. In the darkness, he could see a pair of eyes staring straight at him. Adrenaline started to pour through his blood as his breathing grew faster. Is it a mountain tiger? What about a velt? He slowly took a step forward, followed by another. As he continued to move, the pair of eyes followed him. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention as his body started to enter a survival mode. He nearly started to sprint away when he heard a louder growl come from the pair of eyes. That’s definitely a feline…looks like a big one too. I’d say a mountain tiger…don’t make any sudden or threatening movements. He slowly stepped forward again, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Much to his relief, the pair of eyes soon lost interest in him. They looked away from him and soon disappeared into the darkness. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw the eyes disappear. That was too close. I’m not in any position to fight…much less against a top predator in the forest. The man resumed his pace from earlier, his legs now having more energy thanks to the adrenaline. As he continued to blindly walk to the east, his senses started to heighten, especially his hearing. He could start hearing the smallest of chirping from crickets, he could even swear he heard the rustling of ants on the ground. After an hour, he reached a small stream. He bent down and cupped his hands. Dipping his hands into the water, he brought the hands to his mouth and drank the water. After several sips of water, he looked down the stream. This stream may lead to somewhere. I think I should follow the stream to see if it leads to a village.
He nods, agreeing with his thought. He stood back up and followed the stream down the forest. After a couple more hours, he came into another clearing, this time however, he could tell it wasn’t a natural clearing. This one is a man-made clearing. Wait…actually…this is a field...if there’s a field…there’s a farm.
The man walked through the field, his senses still in a heightened state. As he walked to the end of the field, he could see a small shack. His legs suddenly let him know that despite the adrenaline, they were still weak and desperately needed rest. “Beggars can’t be choosers I guess…” The man walked to the shack and slowly opened the door. Slowly peering inside the shack, he breathed out a sigh of relief. “Just a storage building, waiting for harvest. I should be able to sleep here for the night and find a village tomorrow morning.” The man slipped inside the shack and closed the door behind him. He walked to the very back of the building and leaned his back against the wood boards that made up the back wall. As he settled in, trying to make himself comfortable, he finally allowed his thoughts to roam. He struggled with his mind, trying to remember why he was being chased through the forest. His brain started to throb again as he desperately tried to remember. He finally stopped trying to remember and closed his eyes. Maybe a good night’s sleep will help me remember. His breathing slowed as his body finally relaxed, allowing him to go into a deep sleep.
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