He washed up on the island, unconscious and limbs lying prostrate about him. His companions washed up beside him, each lying in their own unique, twisted position. He was the first to come to. As soon as he sat up, he held himself and shivered. Tears may have rolled down his cheeks, but he was already freezing, and soaked through, his clothes and hair pervaded with the strong scent of salt water. He wiped his wet face with his dripping hands, and shakily got to his feet.
He needed food.
All his posessions had been taken by the ocean when he and his friends had been hit with the tidal wave that washed them up on this strange island, densely populated by trees, and various fungi growing rampant all over the forest floor. Mushrooms... which were safe to eat? Perhaps the lone animal, his faithful and loyal dog, Boney, would be able to sniff out something not deadly poisonous.
A sudden stirring out of the corner of his eye knocked him out of his thoughts. His dog, who had washed up on top of Princess Kumatora's right arm, was beginning to wake up. In turn, this groggily aroused Kumatora, who yanked her arm out from under Boney and ended up elbowing Duster, a tall man with a crippled leg, fairly hard.
"Where the hell are we..." Kumatora muttered, stretching in an attempt to soothe her aching body. She looked around, surveying the environment, dense, green, thickly veiled with mushrooms, moss, and many species of flora of all colors and sizes dotting the landscape.
"More importantly, what are we going to eat?"
Duster's inquiry perked up young Lucas, who called Boney to his side. He stroked his dog's ear, and quietly whispered to him to search for something edible. Lucas motioned to Kumatora and Duster to follow the dog, who picked up a scent and was moving towards one of very few paths into the dense growth of the forested island.
Boney swiveled his head, sniffing the air repeatedly, trying to pick up on one scent in an environment of many. He branched from the path, and settled in front of some bolete mushrooms. He turned to await Lucas patting his head, telling him what a good boy he was, but instead he saw the party crowded around curious looking mushrooms, bright purple, practically neon. He barked.
Lucas had taken a bite of some mushrooms already, and his world changed. For a brief instance, the sun shone a little brighter, life was a little happier, and he felt just dandy. Immediately afterwards, he heard an echoing sound, a low-pitched rumbling barely resembling a dog's bark. The world was awash in a neon glow now, and the feeling of inescapable dread hung thick in the air, choking him, and holding him tightly. He saw Claus off in the distance, sprinting away, away from him, away from their ruined family and broken home.
He felt sick.