I should probably warn you I don't actually know where I'm going with this. Well, I know the end. I don't have a clue how to get from the beginning to that end, though. I'm going to, somehow or other, but I don't actually know yet.
Well, you're warned.
Chapter Three
Panting, he shakes his head. The dream, foggy and confused, what is it? Why is it remembered, and why is it there at all? Why is it all he has?
He shrugs, a strange contortion on a four-legged creature, and without realizing it he shakes his head slightly, dismissing the hazy fragments and banishing them from his thoughts.
He felt safe here, and was filled with unease, an incredible, frantic urge to get away. Even in his present state, he recognizes the contradiction. Why…?
He gives up trying to figure out why he feels he should leave as his belly rumbles. That is more important then staying or not staying. He is hungry, and so he should find food. Whether the food is in the woods or outside them, it does not matter to him. Getting food is more important then safety. Getting food is safety. He nods to himself, satisfied by the prompt to action.
By the edge of the woods he comes to a berry tree. He feels a momentary feeling of relief— he won't need to go out into the day— which is swiftly followed by confusion—didn't he think it was a good idea to leave?
His stomach rumbles and once again he dismisses his confusion until his hunger is satisfied. The branches are low and laden with berries. He starts to eat.
Later, once the pain in his stomach has vanished, he curls up underneath the tree. The berries aren't filling, but they do get rid of his hunger. There is food, and the bright sunlight is more insistent here, though still muffled. The light makes him feel incredibly tired. As he lies down a single faint, fugitive thought flits through his head, that he shouldn't be going to sleep, that it's day and he should be awake, that something is very wrong, but he is tired and the thought fades as he goes to sleep.
He awakes— and he spares a moment to notice this time is different from the first time— when something slams him into the tree.
Opening sleep-blurred eyes, he sees a red, four-legged creature that looks a little like
-DemonshadowsstandinginmoonlightFEAR-
As he focuses, he recognizes it -he has never seen one before. He has never seen anything before. So why is it familiar?
Snarling, it spits out something red and orange.
He growls back, charging at the red thing. The flames hit him head-on, but without effect for a moment. The heat seems pleasant, almost, and then-
He yowls, his forehead sending daggers of pain through him, but he doesn't stop, doesn't even realize the cause of his pain, and slams into the confused creature.
There is something about it. Not only is it familiar, but it is connected to something else. A bad something. But he is not afraid of it. Or anything like it. But he is. It scares him, while it itself does not. But how can the creature mean fear when he is not afraid of it?
The growlithe, taking advantage of his confusion and mental search, sends another ember attack. This time, he jumps out of the way, associating it with the pain on his head, but before he can recover the growlithe tackles him again.
He has to do something, but what?
He stands there, trying to remember, or learn, since he doesn't know if he knows it.
Then he lunges at the other and bites down hard on its neck. Warm, sweet blood fills his mouth as he worries the wound. The growlithe howls in pain, thrashing wildly, but he holds on. Soon it is still.
The little berries he ate are already gone from his stomach, and they weren't filling to begin with. Hungrily, he rips at the meat until he is full, gorging.