Chapter 3
Michael was the first to wake. His eyes opened to what he believed had to be a dream. He was in a clearing, surrounded by trees taller then he ever seen or heard of. Hearing a moan, he tried to stand and look around. Jacob and Jesse were lieing near to where he was just at. He quickly moved away from them so he wouldn't wake them.
He was looking around the woods, trying to figure out where they were, when he heard a sound over to his right. He turned in time to see a gleaming white horn emerge from the bush. Following the bush came a body of a horse, looking as if it was bleached white. He blinked in surprise. It was a unicorn, looking like it came striaght from a myth. It neighed when it saw him, and looking like it was going to bolt.
"Hey there, it's ok. I won't hurt you." As he said it, he felt a brief connection to the unicorn. The unicorn must of felt it too, because it calmed down, sensing the Michael meant no harm. Michael reached out to pet it and the unicorn didn't even shy away at all. It was while petting it's neck that a loud, deep, evil sounding roar sounded from over the horizon. The unicorn's eyes when big and before Michael knew it, the unicorn was gone. It was then that he thought of his friends. They could've woken and be searching for him, so he began to head back.
As he walked, he passed an apple tree and realized how hungry he was. The tree had low hanging branches that he could easily reach, so he decided to try to climb it. He jumped to grab a branch and soared over it by six feet or more. He quickly grabbed the nearest branch, and stared at the ground in amazement. He sat there a moment, catching his breath until his stomach growled, pulling him from his trance. He reached out and grabbed one of the apples and bit down. The shiny green apple was the perfect blend of sour and sweet. He quickly wolfed down three more before he remembered Jesse and Jacob. He should bring some back for them. He reached for the drrawstring bag he always wore and noticed it was gone. It was then that he noticed he wasn't wearing any of his old clothes. In their place was a simple set of brown breeches and red tunic. He grabbed the belt that held his tunic on and undid it and the tunic. Using the belt, he made a makeshift bag as fast as he could and filled it with apples. Now he had to make his way down the tree. He slowly felt his way down a few feet before slipping. He tensed, waiting for the pain, but never feeling it. He looked down and saw he landed on his feet without injuring himself. He was wondering about this as he heard the roar again. He then hurried back to the clearing.
At the sound of his arrival, Jesse and Jacob woke up. Michael noticed they too wore strange new clothes. Jacob had on robes that were dark blue, almost black. He had pouches on a belt surrounding his waist. Jesse had a brown pair of breeches and a tan tunic, similar to Michael's.
"Wake up sleepy heads." Michael said as he helped them up. He spent the next hour filling them in on what happened to him since he woke up and discussing what to do next.
"I think we ought to pick a direction and head in it," Jesse said. Michael and Jacob both agreed. They headed the way Michael did earlier at a steady pace, and as they did Michael looked for his unicorn friend, but didn't see him during the day they walked. It was near the end of the secound day that they emerged out of the woods and saw a small town.
"Well, do we check it out?" Jacob asked
"Yes, if only for food because we're out." Replied Michael, and so they quietly walked into town. As they entered the town they noticed the all the different being there were. There were big greenish people, small round people with facial hair hanging low slose to the ground. Jesse and Jacob were walking behind Michael, talking. They noticed that Michael had sharper, almost catlike features. They also noticed now all the different creatures. They couldn't be on Earth anymore. Michael may not even be human anymore. Michael heard everything but didn't let it on. He stopped suddenly, causing them to bump into him. He was leading them down a street when an old women cut him off. The women was wearing a set of red robes with the hood over her head. The old women spoke in a low monotone.
"Three heros who know not their roles in this world, yet soon will, please come with me." She walked away, leading them away. They followed her to an ancient door.
"You must descent into these depths and recover artifacts that will aid you. Using them, you must save the world of your birth." With that she opened the door slowly, and it opened with a grinding sound.
"This is a bad idea." Jacob whispered.
"You're just scared," Jesse chided, and with that the three of them headed into the darkness, hoping to see light again... and thinking of what the women said.