Chapter 1
John Draily hiked through the serene forests of Montana as he did every summer. It was his tradition to take a week off and get as far away from human civilization as he could and just enjoy the outdoors. This year he had decided to try a new place in the middle of Montana: the Flathead National Forest. Sure, there was always a risk hiking alone miles and miles away from another living soul, but there was something about the solitude that he wouldn't trade anything for.
As he hiked, the forest seemed to grow denser and denser under the bright blue sky. It wasn't long before it became difficult to find footing because of all the green growth on the ground. He did worry a bit about ticks and other such nuisances, the idea of seeing such full and lush nature proved greater than his fear of pests.
He continued into the forest until he came out in what was the most beautiful grove he'd ever seen. Surrounded by a wall of tall, healthy trees, John took in the beauty. He walked quietly, feeling almost like he was in a sacred place where noise was frowned upon. There were flowers and birds chirping everywhere. Butterflies littered the small grove and a still pond graced the center, feeding the plants around it with a clean place for water.
Before he could give his full attention to the water before him, a bee flew onto him. While, he knew he wasn't allergic to the black and yellow insects, he still didn't particularly care to get stung. He carefully raised his arm up toward his other hand and before the bee even knew what was happening, it was just a dead corpse on his arm. He carelessly brushed it off like it didn't matter and refocused on the wonderful place he'd discovered.
John approached the picturesque pond and took a swig of water. It was as clean and refreshing as the bottled water he'd buy at the store. As he stood up to enjoy his new found oasis, he noticed something hanging from the tree just beyond the water.
He went over to inspect it, approaching it like one might approach a hive of bees, just in case it was something dangerous. After all, there wasn't anyone around for miles. When he got close enough to really take in what it was, he realized it was something like a dream-catcher or a wind-chime. Only, this one wasn't made with strings or metal chimes. It was made with animal bones and flowers. The odd thing was that the flowers were still alive despite being separated from their roots.
As he stared at the strange creation, a quiet set of feet made their way behind him. He never even heard them until they were directly behind him. He noticed a large shadow loom over him and whipped himself around to see what it was. In his head he feared and expected to see a large grizzly bear towering over him, ready to end his life. But that was not at all what he saw. No, he saw something much stranger.
Standing over him was what looked a lot like a man. But it was clearly not a man. He had the torso and face of a man, except that his skin was a deep purple and his eyes had no pupils. They were just hollow whites. He had the antlers of an elk or something sticking far out from his forehead and the feathers of a large bird hanging from his arms. His waist and feet were also that of a large bird, but he seemed to have no trouble standing on them. In his hand was a gnarled staff of sorts that looked very old.
Before John could react any further, the man started chanting something odd and placed his large hands on John's shoulders. John screamed out before his voice was muffled into a slight squeak.
The strange man faded back into the forest, leaving just a pile of hiker's clothes behind. Out of the pile of sweaty clothes hopped a little white rabbit with strangely intelligent blue eyes.