As I opened my eyes, something about my surroundings seemed different to me. Pivoting my head, I gazed at the worn, ancient-looking gray bricks, with grass sprouts in between the stones. Judging by the area's familiarly soothing aura that almost pulsed through my veins at home, I was in a temple of some sort. An outdoor one, but a shrine nonetheless.
But as I sat up and my perspective changed, I was captivated by a remarkable sight. A soul-penetratingly deep green gem rested in what seemed to be the middle of an altar. The emerald gleamed like the grass surrounding the shrine in the limited sunlight. However, its forest green lowlights popped out from the rest of the stone. All in all, the gem was a sight to behold.
After snapping back from the emerald-induced stupor, I shakily stood up. Looking out into the horizon, I could only see puffy strands of clouds and the welcoming turquoise sky. A crisp zephyr which would have otherwise been barely noticeable tickled my fur. Even if I didn't know where I was, life was good. For now.
However, it then hit me. If I could see no other land on the horizon, I must have been in the sky. With that thought, my limbs stiffened up. I spun my head around to eye the horizon in some other areas to see if my location was isolated or not. Within a few moments, it became apparent that I was not just at the equivalent of a mountain in terms of altitude, but on an island.
Trembling, I began to head to the shrine, as that seemed to be the most central location of the island. My gait was shaky, and even though I was ordinarily quite quick-footed, my fear had crippled my speed.
Crash! Just as I began to lose my balance, I felt that I had collided with something or someone. After I had inevitably fallen over, I inspected the figure that had bumped into me with brute force.
Surprisingly, the figure was actually another person. With broad shoulders and strongly creased eyebrows, he was clearly male. Aside from his unusually pointy muzzle and vivid, cherry-red fur, his most interesting features were a necklace-like crescent of white fur upon his muscular chest and his massive hands with curious spikes on each one. His violet eyes menacingly glared at me as I noticed what his left hand was carrying.
Feeling quite intimidated by this young, red-furred man in front of me, I had even more reason to be afraid. His left hand held that all too-familiar black cane like a stake.
I winced upon seeing the scepter's details, its "C"-shaped handle, and the rainbow of gems it was encrusted with. My heart fell like a wildly pulsing lead weight into my stomach. 'Not again…,' I thought to myself.
A moment later, the echidna in front of me softened his expression and demeanor. His eyebrows relaxed, and something in his stance seemed more placid.
"Hey, you? Is this yours?" he asked in a voice that seemed older than his years. He did not seem very old, yet his voice seemed quite mature and seasoned, like someone from back home.
Still quite confused, I accepted the scepter from the echidna as he handed it to me. As he handed it to me, he looked into my eyes. This time, it was not belligerent, but even as I simply eyed the staff, I somehow felt compelled to look up.
After giving me the staff, the youth headed back in the direction that he came from, towards the green emerald. I simply stayed plastered in my sitting position as I inspected my family's heirloom artifact.
Then, the unthinkable happened. My lips, usually locked into a gross grimace, turned upwards. I had smiled for the first time in at least a year, and I had not even noticed it.