Waking Up on the Moonby SzuluChaptersCh.1: To Awaken on the MoonCh.2: Panic Attack(s)Ch.3: Waking Up on a PlanetCh.1: To Awaken on the MoonAuthor's Note This is a work in progress, and the first story I have put up on here, the first chapter may or may not be edited to keep the story on track. Worry not though if its changed I will make note of it in a future authors note and all past ones. The first chapter is especially short, expect future chapters to be longer this first chapter was more just to get my ideas published. -Szulu- Just some minor spelling and grammar corrections. -Szulu- [5:11PM January 5, 2015] Ch.1: To Awaken on the Moon Waking Up on the Moon -Szulu- There I was. On the moon. First came the panic. My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to take a breath, then my brain caught up to my actions and I closed my mouth trying futilely to hold on to the last bit of precious air I had. Eventually though, the primal urge to breathe overcame my knowledge of the airless surroundings and I opened my mouth to take a deep breath. ’So this is how I go huh, alone in space, how did I even get here In the first place…’ It was then that I realized I was still thinking, and was, in fact, not dead. After getting over the initial surprise at there being air on the moon, I came to another conclusion. This was either a dream, or it wasn’t my moon at all, because my organs wouldn’t be doing so hot in the vacuum of space if it were. I wanted to believe it was a dream, but the earlier pain told me that, that scenario was rather unlikely. I sat down to think, the area I arrived in wasn’t to cold and I still needed to get over the shock of this whole situation. Two Hours Later It had been two hours, I wasn’t dreaming, I was defiantly on the moon, or as the may case be, a moon. I had thought about many things in the two hours I had been here. One thing I realized was that this moon was much to small to be Earth’s moon, I could see its curvature, though that was not to say it was minuscule it would still probably take me days to circle the whole thing. Also this moon was extremely close to the planet it was orbiting, a planet which, while lush with life, and what appeared to be water, was not Earth. I was getting cold from sitting still for so long, and as much as I didn’t want to leave the place of my arrival, I was becoming to uncomfortable not to. So I pilled a bunch of stray rocks together as a marker, picked a direction and set out, intending to return after my little jaunt to get my blood flowing. It was about twenty minutes into my walk that I came across something completely unexpected, which lifted a great weight from my shoulders. I had originally come to the conclusion that I would be dying of hunger up here and had been trying to come to terms with my fate. However seeing a castle here on this moon, a castle, which SOMEONE, had to have made, it gave me hope for my survival. So long as this wasn’t some kind of ruin of a lost civilization, even if it wasn’t human, a sentient being had to live here. I approached the building cautiously, making sure I was completely visible and trying my best to be non threatening, the last thing I needed was to be perceived as a threat. When I reached the doors I realized just how large they were, at twice my height they made quite the impression. I didn’t know what to do, nothing had come to meet me, and I heard no noise from inside, then again with a building so large, it was entirely possible that no one was in the area of the castle closest to the doors. Okay maybe that was stretching things a bit. It was more likely that this place was abandoned. “On the slim chance that anyone is actually here, pardon the intrusion” I said as a pushed the doors open. I had expected the inside to be just as grand as the outside, and I wasn’t disappointed. There were all manner of tapestries lining the walls in blue and black, candles lit the halls and the roof was far above my head, spears, and swords were on display along the walls, the symbol of the moon a common theme on everything in the building. It was noticeably warmer inside, and looked well maintained, which was surprising and raised my spirits, maintenance means people to maintain it. Though there was something about the place that seemed lifeless, sad even. I waved it off as a trick of the mind, but couldn’t shake the pervasive feeling of dread. I opted to remain on guard just in case, I was after all trespassing here. I explored for a bit keeping the front door in sight, I was worried about getting lost, more so about losing my escape route. While exploring I came to the conclusion that, what ever lived here was smaller then humans were, because the tables were lower, and I would have to crouch down to sit at them comfortably. Not to long into my search for life, I heard something. It was a sobbing noise, followed immediately by screaming as if someone was in great pain. The screaming persisted and I realized it wasn’t going to stop. I was about to look for the source of the noise, when I stopped abruptly having realized something. “OH NO! I’ve read this fanfic before you never go towards the screaming!” I said aloud, speaking to myself. I wanted to listen to my own advice really I did, but… “This is the closest thing to a lead I have here. And if I die then thats just ending my life quicker then starving will.” With those words I firmed my resolve and made my way towards the noise, though not without grabbing a nearby spear from a wall display, in the event that whatever was screaming wanted to kill me. The noise came from a rather large set of doors, at this proximity I could practically feel my own bones vibrating with the screaming, my ears went numb, and I felt a warm liquid seeping down the side of my neck, probably my damaged eardrums. I stubbled a bit, the loss of bits of my eardrums throwing me off balance, despite that I staggered forward, grasping the handles to the double doors, throwing them open in what I imagine to be a rather dramatic fashion. What I saw inside… well it’s hard to describe really. I had imagined a vaguely humanoid creature, writhing on the ground in pain, possibly impaled or dissolving. Something of that nature, similar to what I had seen on television, what I got, well… It certainly looked like it belonged on TV. There on the ground, writhing in pain, was a… Purple? Blue? Umm…. Horse? Pony? To say I was confused would be a understatement. “What the flying fuck?” Could horses, ponies, ugh… Whatever that was, could they even scream, for that matter did they even come in Prisma-color? Any other day the answer would have been, ‘outside of fantasy, no absolutely not.’ Today however I had woken up on the moon, not even our moon, then I had not instantly died in the vacuum of space and to top it off I had found a castle on the moon, and against all odds it was inhabited. So screaming space, equines was, at this point totally acceptable, hell at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if it could talk and shit rainbows. I was snapped out of my thoughts when, the creatures screaming quited, fractionally, its eyes going wide as it looked at me. I took a step back in caution. “No!” it screamed in fear. Now it was my turn for shock. ‘Damn well I guess I kinda asked for it with the talking, and in english no less.’ I gathered my wits, preparing to offer my help, I had nothing to lose at this point, and the thing seemed sentient. Little did I know how much this simple act of kindness would comeback to bite me in the ass. I stepped forward, both hands up to show I meant no harm, it was starting to whimper again, and I could hear the guttural noise in its throat as it tried to hold its screams back, “Hey, I heard you screaming I only want to help,” I said soothingly trying to earn its trust, I hadn’t noticed before but it seemed to be surrounded in some kind of black mist, almost as if being constricted. “No!” it yelled again, though this time it seemed to be trying to tell me something more, its eyes closed as it fought through pain to speak to me, “I don’t know what you are but,” it paused here to groan,”you need to get out of here its not safe!” ‘Huh it sounds female.” I thought distractedly, right before I was hit with something in the back, pushing me towards the creature. My last memory was of it’s horror filled eyes, followed shortly by maniacal laughter, before everything faded to black. Ch.2: Panic Attack(s)Author's Note Alright heres the next chapter. Got it done earlier then I thought and its much shorter then I was hoping for but this is the length it got to before I felt it was at a good stopping point. Anyway spelling and grammar edits, will come at a later date, let me know there are any glaring errors. -Szulu- Ch.2: Panic Attack(s) Waking Up on the Moon -Szulu- When I came to I was in a void, there was nothing to see nothing to observe, my senses felt utterly useless. Being in a place so empty, having no sensory input, its terrifying. I will admit to panicking at least for a short period. After an indeterminable amount of time my world was suddenly flooded with color and sound. I was relived to be able to see and hear again though it was odd to not have any of my other senses. It was then that I noticed what I was looking at. Staring straight at me, a look of sadness on it’s face, was another one of those weird equines. This one was white with a prismatic mane, which upon further observation seemed to be shifting colors occasionally, and what appeared to be a crown resting on its head. It also sported a pair of wings and a horn, though I was unsure if this was normal for these creatures, I hadn’t really gotten a good look at the other one. It opened its mouth, “So you’ve returned.” It was still strange to see these horse things talk, which brought another good question to mind, why did I understand them, honestly what were the chances that both our species would speak English. Not fricken, high thats for sure. I opened my mouth to respond, or at least tried to, as it was around this point that I realized I had no control over my body, no I was merely an observer. So of course I panicked… again. ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!’ ‘Quite creature, your being a nuisance!’ spoke an unfamiliar voice in my head… wait what? Before I could question this new voice, my body began to speak. “Yes, I have returned, and now it is time for you and your precious day to fade, FOREVER!” The white one hung its head in what seemed to be resignation, “Yes that was the agreement was it not, you would give Luna a thousand years of freedom from your grasp if I did nothing to stop you at then end of that time.” She, I think it was a she, sure sounded like one, sighed here muttering under her breath, “if only those thousand years had taken place here.” She quickly regained her composure looking straight at my body before continuing her earlier thought, “you don’t need to worry I am a mare of my word, I will not stop you.” I felt, what I can only describe as fury rise in my mind, which shortly calmed into a very smug feeling, “You honestly think a normal Pony, or even group of normal Ponies, would be enough to defeat me, you’ve gone senile Celestia.” The smirk at the end of that sentence made me want to wring the voice’s neck myself. The white one, Celestia, if the voice was to be believed, responded with a knowing, smile of her own, “I have the utmost confidence in my student, Nightmare.” This seemed to anger the voice, as I felt the fury return, “Begone Celestia!” The voice snarled, a dim light was briefly visible at the top of my vision and then ‘Celestia’ was gone. My body chuckled briefly, “And now for you creature, you are certainly resilient to still have a conscious mind, not that you will for much longer…” another chuckle. I’m really starting to hate the voice. The world started to blur again… No… I had to fight, the way it was talking, it sounded like I would fade away forever. I struggled against the darkness, flailing my mental grasp out in all directions trying to find something to grasp on to, something to anchor me to reality. I had no idea what I was doing, I wasn’t really thinking either, it was more an instinctual action then anything else. It seemed futile at first, I was trapped, and the walls were closing in, the voice had the upper hand. The darkness surrounded me, I was drowning, falling, crying screaming, all at once, but at the same time not at all. Then in what seemed like an instant, it all faded, and all I could sense was a fearful presence beside me. It is hard to explain what the presence actually was, think of it as the manifestation of emotion, or an aspect of the self, and you would have a good approximation. Being able to know what it truly was, required you to experience it for yourself, knowing this, wasn’t a science and no one ever told me what the presence was for fact, it was just something I knew simply by nature of existing, like an instinct. As far as I could tell the presence didn’t have awareness, but as long as it was near I felt a innocence and purity. No more darkness searched for me, though it was still all that existed here. After some thought I concluded that the presence was some how masking me from the voice, I had no idea how, probably in the same way it was doing to itself. “Thank you.” I said to it in relief trying my hardest to get my gratitude across to it. In all honesty I knew it probably couldn’t understand me at all, it was just a ball of emotion and thought, who knows though maybe it could understand my emotion and intention the same way I could feel it’s. By this point I had figured out that I was probably inside the voice’s head, as in my mind, and the voices’ both existed in this one body. It sounded far-fetched, sure, and I had never heard of anything like it outside of fiction, but it explained all the things happening to me, and it wouldn’t be much stranger then anything else I had gone through today, assuming it was still the same day that I woke up on the moon. I had no idea what to do, it seemed I was trapped, here. It was obvious I was no match for the voice, so escape, was not really an option. I seemed to be safe here with the presence, and that was better then just about anywhere else right now. So I supposed I would just have to settle in to wait, not much else I could do. At least I wouldn’t get hungry, being outside my body and all. Dear god my body. I felt my mind curl in on itself, and then began the panic attack. Three Hours Later So one panic attack later, I had calmed myself enough to be rational. Really logic and rationality were probably the only things keeping me in one piece at this point. Don’t panic. Why? Panicking does nothing. Panic is unproductive, it won’t get you out of this. Set a goal. Getting out of here seems to be a non-option, so survive. All I need to do is stay here with the presence and I should be fine. This is obviously all real, dreams don’t last this long, and I was able to feel pain before, there is no point in rejecting reality, accept it and deal with it. Thats all I can do. I was still high-strung, to much was happening, and I was beginning to doubt my ability to stay sane. And who wouldn’t? With everything that had happened to me so far, I was lucky my panic attack only lasted three hours, a weaker man would probably be off the deep end by now. How do you know your not? I shook that thought away, no need to think like that, survive, thats my goal, compartmentalize my problems, one thing at a time. I felt the beginnings of panic set in, ‘Calm down!’ I gripped my hair, tugging at it, then realized I had no hair, and no hands. And no body. How had I not noticed? Was it because I was so used to feeling my limbs that even though they weren’t there they still felt like they were, almost like an amputee feeling phantom versions of their body parts? What if I was trapped here so long I forgot what I looked like, forgot who I was? If I could still breath, I probably would have started hyperventilating. I recognized the signs of another panic attack setting in. I had just calmed down, I needed to stay that way. I was male, eighteen years old. About average height if a bit short. Long dark brown hair, brown eyes. Snarky, logical, realistic. Human. I was Felix Booker, college hopeful, I was real, I existed. I didn’t forget, I wouldn’t forget. I felt the my tension dissipate, the panic attack passing me by. I was calm. Of course that would be the same time at which I felt the darkness around me ripple. What was happening? Did something happen to the voice, was the mind I was living in collapsing? What did that mean for me? Pulling myself back from my thoughts, I looked to the presence, or where it used to be, it was gone, but still the darkness had yet to turn violent. Then I felt it, innocence and purity surrounding my very being. No. It hadn’t disappeared, it had grown, grown so quickly that I was in it at this very moment. I barely had time to process this revelation, before a sudden light began to pierce the darkness that had been surrounding me. A rainbow of colors surrounded me, I felt a pull, almost as though someone were tugging at my hand. It felt safe, good. I followed it, and the light enveloped me. Ch.3: Waking Up on a PlanetAuthor's Note Well here it is, chapter three of Waking Up on the Moon. Sorry for the delay. On the upside this chapter is roughly twice that of the others so... BAM. *Cough* Anyway, I like a lot of things about this chapter, but was unsure about just as many things XD. Let me know what you think! Well then, just so you know, I am alive, and will continue this. -Szulu- Ch.3: Waking Up on a Planet Waking Up on the Moon -Szulu- My senses returned to me, all at once I was hit with sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, the newly regained sensory input, staggered me momentarily, causing me to close my eyes and take deep breaths. I took this time to think, wondering how I got back to my body or even about where my body had been when I was not in it, but quickly brushed those thoughts off, deciding the question wasn’t really important as of now. Not to mention I didn’t want to think to deeply about my latest experience, I was just barely holding myself together now, and dwelling on such a topic would compromise my sanity. When I finally opened my eyes, this time not being overwhelmed by my surroundings I quickly realized I was no longer on the moon, rather I was on a planet, with plant and animal life. Probably the planet I had seen from them moon, it made about as much sense as anything else that had happened to me recently. Though I wouldn’t know for sure till I saw how close the moon was to this planet. Seeing as it was daytime I might have to wait for a few hours yet to confirm my theory. When I finally turned my eyes to the ground I noticed the spear… from the moon, which only served as a reminder that I was still in talking equine land, and what had just happened wasn’t some crazy hallucination. Taking a better look at the area I was now in I found that I was actually at the end of a rather long gouge in the earth, which led me to believe I had been sent skidding across the ground with great, force. Though how I survived was another question, the trail I had left, was like something out of an over the top fighting manga. Wondering where I had been launched from, I cast my eyes down the scar. Immediately I noticed a large, stone structure, it had been overgrown with plant life, and was falling apart. Lined up perfectly with my trench, was a hole in the wall of the structure, which appeared to be new. “No way…” I muttered under my breath, before checking myself over for injuries. How fast had I been going? To blast myself through a wall and create a thirty foot trail through the ground… there was no way I could have lived though that my bones should be crushing my organs, if they weren’t smashed into pieces on impact. This was unnatural. As far as I could tell I was completely uninjured, and quite frankly that terrified me. Deep breaths… don’t panic, panic does nothing, its unproductive. You have a body, you are unhurt, for now this is your reality, for now you are fine, compartmentalize, you can think about this later. Set a goal: Survive. That was a close one. First shelter, then food. I figured the stone structure would be the best shelter I could get at the moment, so picking up the spear, for the seemingly inevitable danger that would come my way, I stood. Waiting a moment for the mind shattering pain I expected, maybe even hoped for, and when that didn’t come, following the path my body had, presumably made. I approached the hole in the wall, carefully stepping over it and into the structure. Looking around the interior, it was apparent that nothing had been here for a while, chances are my, Entrance, had been the most exciting thing to happen here in a while. Despite the obvious, lack of use, and general decay, the castle, or what I assumed was a castle judging by the expensive looking ornamentation and decor, was turning out to be a pretty ideal shelter. Though I had no intention to stay here long term. After all, I had just blasted a hole in a, possibly, centuries old castle, and as such didn’t trust it not to collapse on me while I slept. Hopefully I would be able to replace this shelter with a new one soon, preferably something like a tent, that wouldn’t kill me when it fell on top of me. ‘Now to find a place to sleep’ I searched the castle, the area I had smashed a hole in was probably the throne room or something similar, judging by the wide open space, raised platform and high ceiling. Just off the throne room was, what I assumed to be the remains of a kitchen, needless to say there was no food left. The furniture here was the same uncomfortable size as on the moon, not too strange really, assuming they were both made for the equine race. There was a bedroom right next to the kitchens, probably for the head chef, not that he was using it now. It was in pretty good shape, the bed was partially collapsed, and while too small for me, it looked like it would support my weight at the least. The room was warm and stuffy, which was good as it meant it was well insulated, and would keep me warm at night, assuming I found nothing better and decided to sleep here. The next few doors I checked led to collapsed parts of the building, which probably used to be servants quarters or hallways. I found one which looked like a library, or at least the remains of one. The few still in tact books I found were written in a language which I couldn’t understand. Despite being curious of its contents I was strangely happy at this new development. When I first heard one of the equines speak, it had made no sense for it to speak English. What were the chances that a completely different species of intelligent creature would develop the same language as humans… Not very high, and the implications of such a thing were… unnerving really. No, the fact that I was unable to read, what was presumably the equine’s written language, was comforting in a way. It meant that at least some level of rationality could be applied in this new place. Constructing a quick mental map, I realized that only the areas around the throne room were still intact. Needless to say I decided to use the room I had found earlier as my living area. Now that shelter had been found, as well as a decent sleeping space, I found my way back outside. ‘now to do something about food.’ I had yet to feel any hunger pains but I was sure they would be along shortly, I hadn’t eaten since before arriving on the moon. Of course as soon as I thought that my stomach let out a loud growl. Right. Food, find a way to get some. What can I eat? And there was a huge road block. What can I safely eat, here? I had no idea what plants were poisonous, nor did I know if I could eat the animals which I had seen in my short time here. What if my body couldn't digest the meat here? Or worse, what if they were sentient. The equines I had seen were, and they were, as far as I could remember, just thoughtless animals back home, what if all the animals here could think? Sure I was in a desperate situation, and I was damn hungry. But if these animals were sentient… I became nauseous. Ok so no eating meat, until it’s intelligence is established. Plants then… Looking around it quickly became apparent that I had no idea what anything was. Somethings looked the same, the grass obviously, and there were some flowers that looked similar to what I had known back home. That didn’t change the fact that I still didn’t know what was safe to eat… I sat down against the nearby wall, trying to think of a solution to my predicament. Alright what types of plants do humans eat. Fungi; Mushrooms, lichen, etc. Assuming those existed here, they were a viable option, though not the most filling or healthy, and my knowledge of safe mushrooms was limited. We also eat some leafy herb type things, though I couldn’t think any specifically off the type of my head, which basically crossed that option of the list. Humans also ate fruits and vegetables, which also grow in the wild. Assuming that nature worked the same way here as it did on earth, fruits and vegetables seemed the safest. After all the whole point of a fruit, was for it to be eaten, so that the plant seed could be spread via fececes. Though that still didn’t guarantee I would be able to digest anything on this planet, but it was either starve or die of food poisoning, one was assured the other was a chance. I stood from the wall, using the spear as a support to raise my weary body. Hopefully I wouldn’t need to use it. I picked a direction to walk, making sure to mark the trees and pay attention to landmarks as I went, it would be disastrous to lose my way in this place. I carefully avoided any plants I didn’t recognize, especially the bright ones. Bright colors tended to be warning signs in nature, at leas they were on earth, and I intended to pay attention to those cautions. I had been walking for a few hours, and the sun had moved for closer to the horizon line, leading me to believe I had awoken around midday. I was hungry and the fatigue for my busy day was only being compounded by that fact. Then the tree line broke, and in my line of sight was an apple tree. A wild apple tree on the edge of the forest. Well at least I assumed it was an apple, it certainly looked like one. Only one way to find out I suppose. I reached up, grabbing a branch to heave myself up, leaving my spear propped up against the tree. Now sitting on a sturdy looking branch, I took the nearest apple in hand, plucking it from the stem. The moment of truth. I moved the apple to my lips, taking a large bite. Juice gushed into my mouth, in my hunger it was akin to ambrosia, and I quickly moved on to eat my second, then third, then fourth apple. My stomach was full, though wether or not I was poisoned now was anyones guess, the apples had certainly tasted edible, and just how I remembered apples to taste. I leaned back in the tree, sighing in contentment. I closed my eyes briefly, assuming I wouldn’t be dead in the next few hours, I had found food, and by the size of the tree it should sustain me for a while, a couple weeks at best. I took off my jacket, bundling it into a makeshift basket, which I dumped more apples into to bring back to my shelter. Then I hopped out of the tree grabbing my spear once I was back on the ground. I was getting used to carrying it now, and it provided me with some level of comfort. Then I began the walk back to my camp, following the trail I had left for myself carefully. Perhaps I had been lucky on my way to the tree, or perhaps I had just been to exhausted to notice or care, but now on the way back I realized that I was being watched. There were creatures in the wood, hiding in the bushes, stalking me. Assessing me. My casual jaunt became nervous. I could only just make out their presence, and had no idea what I was up against. Hopefully it would just decide to leave me alone, I had little to no combat experience and honestly didn’t want to test my natural ability against a woodland predator in, what seemed to be another dimension. I tied off the jacket in such a way that it could function as a over the shoulder basket so I would have both hands free for the spear. I had been making my way back to camp cautiously, and now could just barely see it through the tree line. Then the snarling picked up. Of course, name a person after luck and they’ll have none at all. There was a rustling in the trees behind me and I spun on my heel to face it, spear at the ready. What the hell?! The creatures before me were unlike anything I had ever seen. They were like wolves, standing on four legs with prominent canine features. Being in a pack of five helped the wolf analogy as well, however that was were the similarities ended. These creatures were made of wood, a strange glowing light in their eyes, and around their body. ‘How do they stay in one piece? How is it moving? Does it eat meat?’ These were all questions which swam through my mind but they were all quickly discarded. That didn’t matter, what did matter was that these wolves were obviously dangerous, and I, far less so. Not to mention they had the advantage of numbers. While I was analyzing the situation the wolf creatures began to close in, destroying any hope I had of leaving this place unscathed. Suddenly two of the wolves broke from the group and darted into the brush, I quickly lost sight of them… that was not good. I didn’t have time to worry though as the other three closed in on me, one pounced and I hastily dodged to the side…right into the jaws of another wolf. I let out a sharp gasp of pain, and panic began to set in. Blood poured from the open wound on my fore arm, leaking into the creatures still clamped maw. As soon as the blood passed into the glowing light it evaporated in a stream of particles, and the wolf clamped harder. ‘I’m going to die. OH GOD IM GOING TO DIE. NO NONONONONONO. No. Stop panicking, fight back thats how you survive.’ I struggled free of my panic, intending to do the same to my currently attached aggressor. I stabbed straight through its head with my spear, slightly surprised as I had not expected to pierce the bark of its head quite so easily. The wolf crumpled to the ground, losing shape, though the strange glowing light had not left its destroyed form. I spun around just in time to block the lethal bit of the next wolf, it crashed down on top of me, my spear’s shaft the held tightly in its jaws. Sharp, bramble claws dug into my legs and chest, but somehow I managed to knock it off me with a strong knee to its stomach. Now, with the wolf lying prone I took the chance to drive the heel of my shoe into its head. The wolf crumpled much the same as the last one. Three more. Just three more. I looked around cautiously, I couldn’t see the other wolves, but I knew they were still there, predators didn’t give up on prey that easily. Pressing my back up a near by tree I steadied my spear, eyes moving rapidly in search of even the slightest movement. The adrenaline kept me from thinking overly much about my situation which was a good thing as I would probably be panicking right now if that weren’t the case. The leaves rustled and a wooden wolf flew at me from the nearby underbrush. My spear met it on the side of the muzzle knocking it off course and to the ground. The however left me open to the other wolf which was now clamped firmly onto my waist. I let out a sharp exclamation of pain. Then turned the spear in my hand so I was holding it close to the head, and drove it straight through my aggressors eye. The forest floor got more tinder. The wolf I had smacked down was just making its way up now, before it could regain its bearings I impaled the spear into its neck. The thing crumpled as the others had. Just one left. The tension was high. I had lost quite a bit of blood, and the wolf knew it. I couldn’t show weakness. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. Then finally the thing charged out of the bush to my left. I was dizzy from blood loss but somehow managed to dodge its first strike. It was open for a split second as it turned to face me and it was then I took my chance, staking the wolf against the nearby tree with my spear. As the wolf fell apart, I removed my spear from the tree, looking nervously at my surroundings. I was breathing hard, still on edge from the fight and weary of further attack I stayed on guard. Slowly, carefully. I began to make my way back to camp. Thats when I saw it, the pale light which had kept the wolves animated. It began to pulsate, and the twigs began to resemble into wolves. My blood froze. ‘Shitshitshitshit. These things regenerate!?’ I felt the panic returning and immediately put weight on the injured part of my waist. The pain was intense and I could feel tears pricking at my eyes, but it kept me focused. Kept me logical, and that was what I needed the most right now. I needed to run, while these things regenerated. I could see the ruins I was staying in off in the distance. The room I had decided to sleep in was closed off from the outside, I would be safe there. I could hear the snarling of the wolf creatures behind me. I began to run, long powerful strides taking me to safety. The pain from my wounds was immense, I ignored it, I would deal with those later. When I finally got to my shelter I tore down the halls to the living area and slammed the door behind me, stacking furniture in front of the door as a barricade. It wasn’t till hours later, after my wounds had been cleaned and bandaged as well as they could be. And the snarling behind the door had finally passed, that I finally allowed myself to sleep. If I wanted to survive here I would have to be cautious. Nothing was as it seemed in this place, and nothing could be trusted.
Ch.1: To Awaken on the MoonAuthor's Note This is a work in progress, and the first story I have put up on here, the first chapter may or may not be edited to keep the story on track. Worry not though if its changed I will make note of it in a future authors note and all past ones. The first chapter is especially short, expect future chapters to be longer this first chapter was more just to get my ideas published. -Szulu- Just some minor spelling and grammar corrections. -Szulu- [5:11PM January 5, 2015] Ch.1: To Awaken on the Moon Waking Up on the Moon -Szulu- There I was. On the moon. First came the panic. My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to take a breath, then my brain caught up to my actions and I closed my mouth trying futilely to hold on to the last bit of precious air I had. Eventually though, the primal urge to breathe overcame my knowledge of the airless surroundings and I opened my mouth to take a deep breath. ’So this is how I go huh, alone in space, how did I even get here In the first place…’ It was then that I realized I was still thinking, and was, in fact, not dead. After getting over the initial surprise at there being air on the moon, I came to another conclusion. This was either a dream, or it wasn’t my moon at all, because my organs wouldn’t be doing so hot in the vacuum of space if it were. I wanted to believe it was a dream, but the earlier pain told me that, that scenario was rather unlikely. I sat down to think, the area I arrived in wasn’t to cold and I still needed to get over the shock of this whole situation. Two Hours Later It had been two hours, I wasn’t dreaming, I was defiantly on the moon, or as the may case be, a moon. I had thought about many things in the two hours I had been here. One thing I realized was that this moon was much to small to be Earth’s moon, I could see its curvature, though that was not to say it was minuscule it would still probably take me days to circle the whole thing. Also this moon was extremely close to the planet it was orbiting, a planet which, while lush with life, and what appeared to be water, was not Earth. I was getting cold from sitting still for so long, and as much as I didn’t want to leave the place of my arrival, I was becoming to uncomfortable not to. So I pilled a bunch of stray rocks together as a marker, picked a direction and set out, intending to return after my little jaunt to get my blood flowing. It was about twenty minutes into my walk that I came across something completely unexpected, which lifted a great weight from my shoulders. I had originally come to the conclusion that I would be dying of hunger up here and had been trying to come to terms with my fate. However seeing a castle here on this moon, a castle, which SOMEONE, had to have made, it gave me hope for my survival. So long as this wasn’t some kind of ruin of a lost civilization, even if it wasn’t human, a sentient being had to live here. I approached the building cautiously, making sure I was completely visible and trying my best to be non threatening, the last thing I needed was to be perceived as a threat. When I reached the doors I realized just how large they were, at twice my height they made quite the impression. I didn’t know what to do, nothing had come to meet me, and I heard no noise from inside, then again with a building so large, it was entirely possible that no one was in the area of the castle closest to the doors. Okay maybe that was stretching things a bit. It was more likely that this place was abandoned. “On the slim chance that anyone is actually here, pardon the intrusion” I said as a pushed the doors open. I had expected the inside to be just as grand as the outside, and I wasn’t disappointed. There were all manner of tapestries lining the walls in blue and black, candles lit the halls and the roof was far above my head, spears, and swords were on display along the walls, the symbol of the moon a common theme on everything in the building. It was noticeably warmer inside, and looked well maintained, which was surprising and raised my spirits, maintenance means people to maintain it. Though there was something about the place that seemed lifeless, sad even. I waved it off as a trick of the mind, but couldn’t shake the pervasive feeling of dread. I opted to remain on guard just in case, I was after all trespassing here. I explored for a bit keeping the front door in sight, I was worried about getting lost, more so about losing my escape route. While exploring I came to the conclusion that, what ever lived here was smaller then humans were, because the tables were lower, and I would have to crouch down to sit at them comfortably. Not to long into my search for life, I heard something. It was a sobbing noise, followed immediately by screaming as if someone was in great pain. The screaming persisted and I realized it wasn’t going to stop. I was about to look for the source of the noise, when I stopped abruptly having realized something. “OH NO! I’ve read this fanfic before you never go towards the screaming!” I said aloud, speaking to myself. I wanted to listen to my own advice really I did, but… “This is the closest thing to a lead I have here. And if I die then thats just ending my life quicker then starving will.” With those words I firmed my resolve and made my way towards the noise, though not without grabbing a nearby spear from a wall display, in the event that whatever was screaming wanted to kill me. The noise came from a rather large set of doors, at this proximity I could practically feel my own bones vibrating with the screaming, my ears went numb, and I felt a warm liquid seeping down the side of my neck, probably my damaged eardrums. I stubbled a bit, the loss of bits of my eardrums throwing me off balance, despite that I staggered forward, grasping the handles to the double doors, throwing them open in what I imagine to be a rather dramatic fashion. What I saw inside… well it’s hard to describe really. I had imagined a vaguely humanoid creature, writhing on the ground in pain, possibly impaled or dissolving. Something of that nature, similar to what I had seen on television, what I got, well… It certainly looked like it belonged on TV. There on the ground, writhing in pain, was a… Purple? Blue? Umm…. Horse? Pony? To say I was confused would be a understatement. “What the flying fuck?” Could horses, ponies, ugh… Whatever that was, could they even scream, for that matter did they even come in Prisma-color? Any other day the answer would have been, ‘outside of fantasy, no absolutely not.’ Today however I had woken up on the moon, not even our moon, then I had not instantly died in the vacuum of space and to top it off I had found a castle on the moon, and against all odds it was inhabited. So screaming space, equines was, at this point totally acceptable, hell at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if it could talk and shit rainbows. I was snapped out of my thoughts when, the creatures screaming quited, fractionally, its eyes going wide as it looked at me. I took a step back in caution. “No!” it screamed in fear. Now it was my turn for shock. ‘Damn well I guess I kinda asked for it with the talking, and in english no less.’ I gathered my wits, preparing to offer my help, I had nothing to lose at this point, and the thing seemed sentient. Little did I know how much this simple act of kindness would comeback to bite me in the ass. I stepped forward, both hands up to show I meant no harm, it was starting to whimper again, and I could hear the guttural noise in its throat as it tried to hold its screams back, “Hey, I heard you screaming I only want to help,” I said soothingly trying to earn its trust, I hadn’t noticed before but it seemed to be surrounded in some kind of black mist, almost as if being constricted. “No!” it yelled again, though this time it seemed to be trying to tell me something more, its eyes closed as it fought through pain to speak to me, “I don’t know what you are but,” it paused here to groan,”you need to get out of here its not safe!” ‘Huh it sounds female.” I thought distractedly, right before I was hit with something in the back, pushing me towards the creature. My last memory was of it’s horror filled eyes, followed shortly by maniacal laughter, before everything faded to black.
Ch.2: Panic Attack(s)Author's Note Alright heres the next chapter. Got it done earlier then I thought and its much shorter then I was hoping for but this is the length it got to before I felt it was at a good stopping point. Anyway spelling and grammar edits, will come at a later date, let me know there are any glaring errors. -Szulu- Ch.2: Panic Attack(s) Waking Up on the Moon -Szulu- When I came to I was in a void, there was nothing to see nothing to observe, my senses felt utterly useless. Being in a place so empty, having no sensory input, its terrifying. I will admit to panicking at least for a short period. After an indeterminable amount of time my world was suddenly flooded with color and sound. I was relived to be able to see and hear again though it was odd to not have any of my other senses. It was then that I noticed what I was looking at. Staring straight at me, a look of sadness on it’s face, was another one of those weird equines. This one was white with a prismatic mane, which upon further observation seemed to be shifting colors occasionally, and what appeared to be a crown resting on its head. It also sported a pair of wings and a horn, though I was unsure if this was normal for these creatures, I hadn’t really gotten a good look at the other one. It opened its mouth, “So you’ve returned.” It was still strange to see these horse things talk, which brought another good question to mind, why did I understand them, honestly what were the chances that both our species would speak English. Not fricken, high thats for sure. I opened my mouth to respond, or at least tried to, as it was around this point that I realized I had no control over my body, no I was merely an observer. So of course I panicked… again. ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!’ ‘Quite creature, your being a nuisance!’ spoke an unfamiliar voice in my head… wait what? Before I could question this new voice, my body began to speak. “Yes, I have returned, and now it is time for you and your precious day to fade, FOREVER!” The white one hung its head in what seemed to be resignation, “Yes that was the agreement was it not, you would give Luna a thousand years of freedom from your grasp if I did nothing to stop you at then end of that time.” She, I think it was a she, sure sounded like one, sighed here muttering under her breath, “if only those thousand years had taken place here.” She quickly regained her composure looking straight at my body before continuing her earlier thought, “you don’t need to worry I am a mare of my word, I will not stop you.” I felt, what I can only describe as fury rise in my mind, which shortly calmed into a very smug feeling, “You honestly think a normal Pony, or even group of normal Ponies, would be enough to defeat me, you’ve gone senile Celestia.” The smirk at the end of that sentence made me want to wring the voice’s neck myself. The white one, Celestia, if the voice was to be believed, responded with a knowing, smile of her own, “I have the utmost confidence in my student, Nightmare.” This seemed to anger the voice, as I felt the fury return, “Begone Celestia!” The voice snarled, a dim light was briefly visible at the top of my vision and then ‘Celestia’ was gone. My body chuckled briefly, “And now for you creature, you are certainly resilient to still have a conscious mind, not that you will for much longer…” another chuckle. I’m really starting to hate the voice. The world started to blur again… No… I had to fight, the way it was talking, it sounded like I would fade away forever. I struggled against the darkness, flailing my mental grasp out in all directions trying to find something to grasp on to, something to anchor me to reality. I had no idea what I was doing, I wasn’t really thinking either, it was more an instinctual action then anything else. It seemed futile at first, I was trapped, and the walls were closing in, the voice had the upper hand. The darkness surrounded me, I was drowning, falling, crying screaming, all at once, but at the same time not at all. Then in what seemed like an instant, it all faded, and all I could sense was a fearful presence beside me. It is hard to explain what the presence actually was, think of it as the manifestation of emotion, or an aspect of the self, and you would have a good approximation. Being able to know what it truly was, required you to experience it for yourself, knowing this, wasn’t a science and no one ever told me what the presence was for fact, it was just something I knew simply by nature of existing, like an instinct. As far as I could tell the presence didn’t have awareness, but as long as it was near I felt a innocence and purity. No more darkness searched for me, though it was still all that existed here. After some thought I concluded that the presence was some how masking me from the voice, I had no idea how, probably in the same way it was doing to itself. “Thank you.” I said to it in relief trying my hardest to get my gratitude across to it. In all honesty I knew it probably couldn’t understand me at all, it was just a ball of emotion and thought, who knows though maybe it could understand my emotion and intention the same way I could feel it’s. By this point I had figured out that I was probably inside the voice’s head, as in my mind, and the voices’ both existed in this one body. It sounded far-fetched, sure, and I had never heard of anything like it outside of fiction, but it explained all the things happening to me, and it wouldn’t be much stranger then anything else I had gone through today, assuming it was still the same day that I woke up on the moon. I had no idea what to do, it seemed I was trapped, here. It was obvious I was no match for the voice, so escape, was not really an option. I seemed to be safe here with the presence, and that was better then just about anywhere else right now. So I supposed I would just have to settle in to wait, not much else I could do. At least I wouldn’t get hungry, being outside my body and all. Dear god my body. I felt my mind curl in on itself, and then began the panic attack. Three Hours Later So one panic attack later, I had calmed myself enough to be rational. Really logic and rationality were probably the only things keeping me in one piece at this point. Don’t panic. Why? Panicking does nothing. Panic is unproductive, it won’t get you out of this. Set a goal. Getting out of here seems to be a non-option, so survive. All I need to do is stay here with the presence and I should be fine. This is obviously all real, dreams don’t last this long, and I was able to feel pain before, there is no point in rejecting reality, accept it and deal with it. Thats all I can do. I was still high-strung, to much was happening, and I was beginning to doubt my ability to stay sane. And who wouldn’t? With everything that had happened to me so far, I was lucky my panic attack only lasted three hours, a weaker man would probably be off the deep end by now. How do you know your not? I shook that thought away, no need to think like that, survive, thats my goal, compartmentalize my problems, one thing at a time. I felt the beginnings of panic set in, ‘Calm down!’ I gripped my hair, tugging at it, then realized I had no hair, and no hands. And no body. How had I not noticed? Was it because I was so used to feeling my limbs that even though they weren’t there they still felt like they were, almost like an amputee feeling phantom versions of their body parts? What if I was trapped here so long I forgot what I looked like, forgot who I was? If I could still breath, I probably would have started hyperventilating. I recognized the signs of another panic attack setting in. I had just calmed down, I needed to stay that way. I was male, eighteen years old. About average height if a bit short. Long dark brown hair, brown eyes. Snarky, logical, realistic. Human. I was Felix Booker, college hopeful, I was real, I existed. I didn’t forget, I wouldn’t forget. I felt the my tension dissipate, the panic attack passing me by. I was calm. Of course that would be the same time at which I felt the darkness around me ripple. What was happening? Did something happen to the voice, was the mind I was living in collapsing? What did that mean for me? Pulling myself back from my thoughts, I looked to the presence, or where it used to be, it was gone, but still the darkness had yet to turn violent. Then I felt it, innocence and purity surrounding my very being. No. It hadn’t disappeared, it had grown, grown so quickly that I was in it at this very moment. I barely had time to process this revelation, before a sudden light began to pierce the darkness that had been surrounding me. A rainbow of colors surrounded me, I felt a pull, almost as though someone were tugging at my hand. It felt safe, good. I followed it, and the light enveloped me.
Ch.3: Waking Up on a PlanetAuthor's Note Well here it is, chapter three of Waking Up on the Moon. Sorry for the delay. On the upside this chapter is roughly twice that of the others so... BAM. *Cough* Anyway, I like a lot of things about this chapter, but was unsure about just as many things XD. Let me know what you think! Well then, just so you know, I am alive, and will continue this. -Szulu- Ch.3: Waking Up on a Planet Waking Up on the Moon -Szulu- My senses returned to me, all at once I was hit with sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, the newly regained sensory input, staggered me momentarily, causing me to close my eyes and take deep breaths. I took this time to think, wondering how I got back to my body or even about where my body had been when I was not in it, but quickly brushed those thoughts off, deciding the question wasn’t really important as of now. Not to mention I didn’t want to think to deeply about my latest experience, I was just barely holding myself together now, and dwelling on such a topic would compromise my sanity. When I finally opened my eyes, this time not being overwhelmed by my surroundings I quickly realized I was no longer on the moon, rather I was on a planet, with plant and animal life. Probably the planet I had seen from them moon, it made about as much sense as anything else that had happened to me recently. Though I wouldn’t know for sure till I saw how close the moon was to this planet. Seeing as it was daytime I might have to wait for a few hours yet to confirm my theory. When I finally turned my eyes to the ground I noticed the spear… from the moon, which only served as a reminder that I was still in talking equine land, and what had just happened wasn’t some crazy hallucination. Taking a better look at the area I was now in I found that I was actually at the end of a rather long gouge in the earth, which led me to believe I had been sent skidding across the ground with great, force. Though how I survived was another question, the trail I had left, was like something out of an over the top fighting manga. Wondering where I had been launched from, I cast my eyes down the scar. Immediately I noticed a large, stone structure, it had been overgrown with plant life, and was falling apart. Lined up perfectly with my trench, was a hole in the wall of the structure, which appeared to be new. “No way…” I muttered under my breath, before checking myself over for injuries. How fast had I been going? To blast myself through a wall and create a thirty foot trail through the ground… there was no way I could have lived though that my bones should be crushing my organs, if they weren’t smashed into pieces on impact. This was unnatural. As far as I could tell I was completely uninjured, and quite frankly that terrified me. Deep breaths… don’t panic, panic does nothing, its unproductive. You have a body, you are unhurt, for now this is your reality, for now you are fine, compartmentalize, you can think about this later. Set a goal: Survive. That was a close one. First shelter, then food. I figured the stone structure would be the best shelter I could get at the moment, so picking up the spear, for the seemingly inevitable danger that would come my way, I stood. Waiting a moment for the mind shattering pain I expected, maybe even hoped for, and when that didn’t come, following the path my body had, presumably made. I approached the hole in the wall, carefully stepping over it and into the structure. Looking around the interior, it was apparent that nothing had been here for a while, chances are my, Entrance, had been the most exciting thing to happen here in a while. Despite the obvious, lack of use, and general decay, the castle, or what I assumed was a castle judging by the expensive looking ornamentation and decor, was turning out to be a pretty ideal shelter. Though I had no intention to stay here long term. After all, I had just blasted a hole in a, possibly, centuries old castle, and as such didn’t trust it not to collapse on me while I slept. Hopefully I would be able to replace this shelter with a new one soon, preferably something like a tent, that wouldn’t kill me when it fell on top of me. ‘Now to find a place to sleep’ I searched the castle, the area I had smashed a hole in was probably the throne room or something similar, judging by the wide open space, raised platform and high ceiling. Just off the throne room was, what I assumed to be the remains of a kitchen, needless to say there was no food left. The furniture here was the same uncomfortable size as on the moon, not too strange really, assuming they were both made for the equine race. There was a bedroom right next to the kitchens, probably for the head chef, not that he was using it now. It was in pretty good shape, the bed was partially collapsed, and while too small for me, it looked like it would support my weight at the least. The room was warm and stuffy, which was good as it meant it was well insulated, and would keep me warm at night, assuming I found nothing better and decided to sleep here. The next few doors I checked led to collapsed parts of the building, which probably used to be servants quarters or hallways. I found one which looked like a library, or at least the remains of one. The few still in tact books I found were written in a language which I couldn’t understand. Despite being curious of its contents I was strangely happy at this new development. When I first heard one of the equines speak, it had made no sense for it to speak English. What were the chances that a completely different species of intelligent creature would develop the same language as humans… Not very high, and the implications of such a thing were… unnerving really. No, the fact that I was unable to read, what was presumably the equine’s written language, was comforting in a way. It meant that at least some level of rationality could be applied in this new place. Constructing a quick mental map, I realized that only the areas around the throne room were still intact. Needless to say I decided to use the room I had found earlier as my living area. Now that shelter had been found, as well as a decent sleeping space, I found my way back outside. ‘now to do something about food.’ I had yet to feel any hunger pains but I was sure they would be along shortly, I hadn’t eaten since before arriving on the moon. Of course as soon as I thought that my stomach let out a loud growl. Right. Food, find a way to get some. What can I eat? And there was a huge road block. What can I safely eat, here? I had no idea what plants were poisonous, nor did I know if I could eat the animals which I had seen in my short time here. What if my body couldn't digest the meat here? Or worse, what if they were sentient. The equines I had seen were, and they were, as far as I could remember, just thoughtless animals back home, what if all the animals here could think? Sure I was in a desperate situation, and I was damn hungry. But if these animals were sentient… I became nauseous. Ok so no eating meat, until it’s intelligence is established. Plants then… Looking around it quickly became apparent that I had no idea what anything was. Somethings looked the same, the grass obviously, and there were some flowers that looked similar to what I had known back home. That didn’t change the fact that I still didn’t know what was safe to eat… I sat down against the nearby wall, trying to think of a solution to my predicament. Alright what types of plants do humans eat. Fungi; Mushrooms, lichen, etc. Assuming those existed here, they were a viable option, though not the most filling or healthy, and my knowledge of safe mushrooms was limited. We also eat some leafy herb type things, though I couldn’t think any specifically off the type of my head, which basically crossed that option of the list. Humans also ate fruits and vegetables, which also grow in the wild. Assuming that nature worked the same way here as it did on earth, fruits and vegetables seemed the safest. After all the whole point of a fruit, was for it to be eaten, so that the plant seed could be spread via fececes. Though that still didn’t guarantee I would be able to digest anything on this planet, but it was either starve or die of food poisoning, one was assured the other was a chance. I stood from the wall, using the spear as a support to raise my weary body. Hopefully I wouldn’t need to use it. I picked a direction to walk, making sure to mark the trees and pay attention to landmarks as I went, it would be disastrous to lose my way in this place. I carefully avoided any plants I didn’t recognize, especially the bright ones. Bright colors tended to be warning signs in nature, at leas they were on earth, and I intended to pay attention to those cautions. I had been walking for a few hours, and the sun had moved for closer to the horizon line, leading me to believe I had awoken around midday. I was hungry and the fatigue for my busy day was only being compounded by that fact. Then the tree line broke, and in my line of sight was an apple tree. A wild apple tree on the edge of the forest. Well at least I assumed it was an apple, it certainly looked like one. Only one way to find out I suppose. I reached up, grabbing a branch to heave myself up, leaving my spear propped up against the tree. Now sitting on a sturdy looking branch, I took the nearest apple in hand, plucking it from the stem. The moment of truth. I moved the apple to my lips, taking a large bite. Juice gushed into my mouth, in my hunger it was akin to ambrosia, and I quickly moved on to eat my second, then third, then fourth apple. My stomach was full, though wether or not I was poisoned now was anyones guess, the apples had certainly tasted edible, and just how I remembered apples to taste. I leaned back in the tree, sighing in contentment. I closed my eyes briefly, assuming I wouldn’t be dead in the next few hours, I had found food, and by the size of the tree it should sustain me for a while, a couple weeks at best. I took off my jacket, bundling it into a makeshift basket, which I dumped more apples into to bring back to my shelter. Then I hopped out of the tree grabbing my spear once I was back on the ground. I was getting used to carrying it now, and it provided me with some level of comfort. Then I began the walk back to my camp, following the trail I had left for myself carefully. Perhaps I had been lucky on my way to the tree, or perhaps I had just been to exhausted to notice or care, but now on the way back I realized that I was being watched. There were creatures in the wood, hiding in the bushes, stalking me. Assessing me. My casual jaunt became nervous. I could only just make out their presence, and had no idea what I was up against. Hopefully it would just decide to leave me alone, I had little to no combat experience and honestly didn’t want to test my natural ability against a woodland predator in, what seemed to be another dimension. I tied off the jacket in such a way that it could function as a over the shoulder basket so I would have both hands free for the spear. I had been making my way back to camp cautiously, and now could just barely see it through the tree line. Then the snarling picked up. Of course, name a person after luck and they’ll have none at all. There was a rustling in the trees behind me and I spun on my heel to face it, spear at the ready. What the hell?! The creatures before me were unlike anything I had ever seen. They were like wolves, standing on four legs with prominent canine features. Being in a pack of five helped the wolf analogy as well, however that was were the similarities ended. These creatures were made of wood, a strange glowing light in their eyes, and around their body. ‘How do they stay in one piece? How is it moving? Does it eat meat?’ These were all questions which swam through my mind but they were all quickly discarded. That didn’t matter, what did matter was that these wolves were obviously dangerous, and I, far less so. Not to mention they had the advantage of numbers. While I was analyzing the situation the wolf creatures began to close in, destroying any hope I had of leaving this place unscathed. Suddenly two of the wolves broke from the group and darted into the brush, I quickly lost sight of them… that was not good. I didn’t have time to worry though as the other three closed in on me, one pounced and I hastily dodged to the side…right into the jaws of another wolf. I let out a sharp gasp of pain, and panic began to set in. Blood poured from the open wound on my fore arm, leaking into the creatures still clamped maw. As soon as the blood passed into the glowing light it evaporated in a stream of particles, and the wolf clamped harder. ‘I’m going to die. OH GOD IM GOING TO DIE. NO NONONONONONO. No. Stop panicking, fight back thats how you survive.’ I struggled free of my panic, intending to do the same to my currently attached aggressor. I stabbed straight through its head with my spear, slightly surprised as I had not expected to pierce the bark of its head quite so easily. The wolf crumpled to the ground, losing shape, though the strange glowing light had not left its destroyed form. I spun around just in time to block the lethal bit of the next wolf, it crashed down on top of me, my spear’s shaft the held tightly in its jaws. Sharp, bramble claws dug into my legs and chest, but somehow I managed to knock it off me with a strong knee to its stomach. Now, with the wolf lying prone I took the chance to drive the heel of my shoe into its head. The wolf crumpled much the same as the last one. Three more. Just three more. I looked around cautiously, I couldn’t see the other wolves, but I knew they were still there, predators didn’t give up on prey that easily. Pressing my back up a near by tree I steadied my spear, eyes moving rapidly in search of even the slightest movement. The adrenaline kept me from thinking overly much about my situation which was a good thing as I would probably be panicking right now if that weren’t the case. The leaves rustled and a wooden wolf flew at me from the nearby underbrush. My spear met it on the side of the muzzle knocking it off course and to the ground. The however left me open to the other wolf which was now clamped firmly onto my waist. I let out a sharp exclamation of pain. Then turned the spear in my hand so I was holding it close to the head, and drove it straight through my aggressors eye. The forest floor got more tinder. The wolf I had smacked down was just making its way up now, before it could regain its bearings I impaled the spear into its neck. The thing crumpled as the others had. Just one left. The tension was high. I had lost quite a bit of blood, and the wolf knew it. I couldn’t show weakness. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. Then finally the thing charged out of the bush to my left. I was dizzy from blood loss but somehow managed to dodge its first strike. It was open for a split second as it turned to face me and it was then I took my chance, staking the wolf against the nearby tree with my spear. As the wolf fell apart, I removed my spear from the tree, looking nervously at my surroundings. I was breathing hard, still on edge from the fight and weary of further attack I stayed on guard. Slowly, carefully. I began to make my way back to camp. Thats when I saw it, the pale light which had kept the wolves animated. It began to pulsate, and the twigs began to resemble into wolves. My blood froze. ‘Shitshitshitshit. These things regenerate!?’ I felt the panic returning and immediately put weight on the injured part of my waist. The pain was intense and I could feel tears pricking at my eyes, but it kept me focused. Kept me logical, and that was what I needed the most right now. I needed to run, while these things regenerated. I could see the ruins I was staying in off in the distance. The room I had decided to sleep in was closed off from the outside, I would be safe there. I could hear the snarling of the wolf creatures behind me. I began to run, long powerful strides taking me to safety. The pain from my wounds was immense, I ignored it, I would deal with those later. When I finally got to my shelter I tore down the halls to the living area and slammed the door behind me, stacking furniture in front of the door as a barricade. It wasn’t till hours later, after my wounds had been cleaned and bandaged as well as they could be. And the snarling behind the door had finally passed, that I finally allowed myself to sleep. If I wanted to survive here I would have to be cautious. Nothing was as it seemed in this place, and nothing could be trusted.
