The woods on the far side of the field were nearly identical to the one on the southeastern side of my hill. A mix of predominantly oak trees with dark, rough bark and lofty canopies was peppered with scattered birch trees and their bright white trunks. The two types of trees worked together to provide plenty of shade from the early morning sunlight. However, there was still enough light beneath the shimmering leaves to keep me warm and discourage any monsters from popping out. It was far too bright for them!
A cool breeze meandered through the forest, winding around the trunks and making the leaves shake and shimmer. Their rustling filled the air, and even though it was quiet, it was still louder than any of the breezes I'd heard on the plains. There, the wind could simply ruffle the short blades of grass and my hair. There wasn't much else for it to play with, but here, it seemed to be having plenty of fun.
Here the air carried a different scent, one I only managed to catch the faintest whiffs of back home. There was more moisture in the air, and I guessed the smell came from the trees. Their woody scent filled my nostrils as I walked and it put a little spring in my step. It was such a change of pace from back home, and infinitely better than the burning air in the desert or the dusty, dank air in the caves.
This isn't so bad. This is nice! I'd forgotten how much fun exploring could be. Of course, I wished Sigrid were still with me. I missed seeing her soft white fur darting about around me as she examined everything, sniffing for anything that might hold her interest for a bit before barking excitedly and hurrying to catch up with me once again. She was a fun companion, and she didn't make fun of me.
Unlike a certain someone who shall remain nameless, Steve!
I spent the next few minutes listening intently for any response but got nothing but silence. I had no idea how far he'd have to go to stop hearing me and figured I'd keep testing. Maybe it would lead to me shouting my thoughts into the void, or maybe he'd hear them and realize how much of an idiot he was for leaving.
I hope you know I'm punching you the next time I see you. Maybe antagonizing him would get him to talk back.
Still nothing.
Figures. I rolled my eyes and kept walking.
The forest continued on with gently rolling hills and long stretches of flat land. Up and down and around I hiked through the uneven spots. After spending so much time in the plains and desert, I found it odd to be somewhere where I couldn't see the horizon. Here, I could only see as far as the trees let me, which usually wasn't very far at all. It provided a sense of mystery to my adventure.
The next hill, instead of going around, I climbed it. I wanted to get a good look at my surroundings. Of course, even at the top of the hill, there were trees blocking my view. I didn't let that stop me. Figuring I could use a break from walking after doing so for half the day already, I created a crafting bench and whipped up some ladders to climb a tree. Once at the top, I was finally able to get a good view. And then my brain promptly exploded.
The dark green mass of trees surrounding me stretched out to the horizon in all directions. There were no other biomes to be seen, just forest. My home wasn't even visible anymore. Neither were any of the landmarks I'd grown used to seeing. I was well and truly off the map.
The map!
I pulled the piece of paper out of my backpack and was startled to see another circle of terrain appear on the right side of the paper. On top of that, there was a white, arrow-like marker on it I must've missed before, sitting dead center of the new splotch of terrain. Shifting my studies between the map and my surroundings, I quickly realized the white marker represented me. Where ever I looked, the arrow pointed. Somehow, the map was connected to me and showed wherever I was.
Wish I'd known that before now. The fact my map was now comprised of two separate dots of terrain and all the space in between was blank frustrated me a teensy bit. What was also concerning was just how far I'd traveled on the map. I'd been going for half a day and I was already almost to the edge of the map. It wasn't going to be useful for much longer, which was extra annoying. Add in the fact of how many resources it took to make, and it was just plain disheartening. It took eight pieces of paper, four iron, and one redstone to make. In my head, the map would have lasted me as I crossed continents in search of Steve's old homes, but that definitely wouldn't be the case.
Since I had a better understanding of the map and how it worked, I made space for it on my belt and decided to check it regularly to make sure it kept updating itself.
After taking one final sweeping glance over the forest, I climbed back down the tree and picked up my crafting table. It felt like such a waste to just leave it behind on some random hill in the middle of nowhere. I'd built it, so I figured I should keep it. Besides, it wasn't like it weighed any more than anything else I carried.
I descended the far side of the hill and continued my journey until the sun neared the horizon behind me. Once I noticed the time, I scouted my passing surroundings for a suitable place to set up camp for the night. Preferably someplace that would make building a shelter easier. While there were plenty of beautiful locations to choose from, I never found a good spot. Eventually, I had to settle on the fact I'd have to build an entire shelter from the ground up.
Normally, the thought of building petrified me. I never knew what to build, and after seeing what Steve could do, I just couldn't compete. However, since I planned on tearing down the build come morning, I didn't have to worry about what it looked like. All it had to do was keep me safe. It didn't need to be pretty, so I didn't have to stress about it. I kept things simple, a nice rectangle three blocks long and two blocks wide.
It's only two blocks tall, Steve! I knew if he heard, it'd bug him. Maybe get him to respond. He'd made fun of my two-block tall cave of a home when we first met. Sure, it was a bit annoying to not be able to stretch my arms out above my head inside, but I'd never admit it to him. He'd get too much satisfaction.
I awaited an answer, but there was nothing. Just silence. It bothered me how quickly I could get used to being alone in silence again.
For the inside of my hut, I put a crafting table and furnace along one of the shorter walls, and my bed against the opposite one. I put a door in the middle of one of the longest ones. My shelter was a bit cramped compared to home, but it would do for the night.
As darkness fell over the woods, I tucked myself into my new bed and relished the flickering torchlight on the wall above me. Despite the exhaustion, my mind swirled with nervous excitement at the thought of sleeping so far away from home.
This wasn't so bad. That was both an observation and a reassurance. I can do this.
I worried I'd be too anxious to fall asleep, yet, as I lay there, my limbs relaxed after the long day of hiking.
The next morning, I awoke refreshed and ready for the new day. Outside I stretched and enjoyed my breakfast in the serene surroundings of this new part of the world. I still couldn't believe how far away from home I was. I had nearly reached the edge of the map, and not knowing what lay ahead was terrifying. It was all so surreal, and yet I just wanted to go further. What could possibly lay beyond the edges of my once small world?
I tore down my makeshift home in a flash and resumed my journey. The forest continued to show just how massive it was. At times, the trees would thin out and reveal a pond or plains, and I'd think for a brief moment I'd finally reached the end, but the plains turned out to be tiny meadows, just small patches of open grass completely surrounded by trees. The cows seemed to like these areas, but that was about it for the grassy areas. Often, I'd find a family of chickens enjoying the ponds. Some would spare me a passing glance, but most were preoccupied with the water. Deeming it more important than my presence. I didn't mind so much. It was just nice to see other living things, especially ones who weren't trying to kill me.
At the end of my second day, I had left the reaches of the map behind. It couldn't show me anything anymore, but I was happy to see my marker showed up on its edge, giving me an idea of where I needed to go when I wanted to return home.
Between this and the compass, I should have no problem getting home.
With still no suitable locations in sight, I built a shelter just like I had the night before, and once again, I slept soundly. No monster bothered me, which was a huge relief. The farther I got from home, the scarier the thought of facing them became. I wouldn't be able to collect my stuff if they killed me. Not that I couldn't handle myself. I'd dealt with plenty of monsters in the past to know how to take care of myself, and I was armored up. Still, a surprise creeper could do a lot of damage.
In the morning, I repeated my routine again and after hours of walking, I was still surrounded by trees!
Will this forest ever end? I thought you said there were other biomes out there, Steve. He wouldn't have lied. Why would he? There was nothing to be gained, and yet, a small part of me worried he had. It wasn't entirely impossible for him to do. He'd lied about my house, and about the glowing eyes. But those made sense. He'd been trying to surprise me with my home, and he was afraid of those glowing eyes. He had no reason to lie about biomes.
The forest was still pretty, but it got very repetitive to see the same types of trees over and over and over again. At least, that's what I thought until up ahead, I spotted a horizon, and it wasn't filling in with more trees like the meadows always did. My pace quickened at the prospect of seeing something new. I wasn't quite prepared for what it was. I skidded to a halt as the forest just stopped at a cliff. Far below, a brilliant expanse of blue stretched out in every direction.
An ocean …
AN: Thank you for all of the patience and support this story (the series as a whole) has received. I love reading all of your comments and they give me the motivation to keep writing. You all made my week since posting chapter one of this book, and it helped me push out this next chapter in record time.
So keep that in mind, if you ever want to make a writer's day, leave them a nice comment. Trust me, they will absolutely love it!