Notes:
OK lads and lassies i have been asked to inform you that i would be posting new chapters around Sundays 12 pm EST and in cases where that is not possible it will be posted on Mondays at around 4 pm EST
Lunar arrival
"Where…am…I" I slowly got to my legs, they ached and groaned beneath my weight, every moment spent on them only serving to increase my plight. I attempted to take a few steps only to plant my rear on the dirt, I took in my surroundings, throngs of trees greeted me from grand sturdy Oakes to luscious willows and a multitude of pines make for an impressive sight but something was off, the flora was…. sharper, more defined. The shadows the impressively sized trees were meant to cast seem borderline nonexistent, not to mention the colours, everything seemed so vibrant so detailed so ….. Just more, like I was opening my eyes for the first time. Turning my head, I noticed that the slice of Eden was contained within a massive crater.
A crater I am now in, my question of how I got here died on my lips as my hearing seemed to return and similar to my sense of sight, it was overpowering. I heard the low rustling of the leaves providing a baritone to the orchestra that is nature. The chirping of avians can be heard coupled with the sound of water crashing behind me providing an applause-worthy performance.
Turning around, I marveled at what could have very well been my tomb, but felt no fear nor dread at the sight, only a sense of wonder, before me sat a crystalline marvel. The clear water was immaculately flat, soft ripples being the only distortion, caused by the bellowing waterfall. Gazing in open awe at the sight, I deigned to pass my hand over my face, removing the excess liquid that covers it, only to freeze. My face felt smooth, impossibly smooth, smoother than it has been in years, even then I question if my flesh was ever this soft. I scrambled over to the lake not noticing the missing pain in my limbs and gazed into the water where my mouth fell agape.
What met me was a strange sight; both familiar and foreign, but only served to unsettle me to no end, in the water lay a boy around the age of fourteen to sixteen, with smooth tanned skin and long slick onyx hair, he would be the spitting image off my younger self if not for the fact that his eyes were violet, impossibly bright and almost glowing, his pupils instead of a regular circle possesses a slight slit almost like that of a feline, not to mention the maw of unnaturally sharp teeth and I mean sharp, while not possessing fangs per say they were relatively serrated and his canines were straight out of a crappy romance series from 2008.
I shut my mouth with an audible click and the boy in the water copied my actions. Gingerly, I raised my hands, the boy reflecting my every move. I poked my canines, reflexively pulling back at the surprisingly sharp sensation. The boy- no, me, I got to my feet 'Ok what in the freaky Friday is going on with me' I gazed down at my body and sighed in relief at the sight of my charcoal gray shirt, navy cargoes and my black coat all intact, if soaked through, glad to still have at least some semblance of normalcy and familiarity in the midst of my freak-out.
After a few minutes, I stopped thinking on the how and why my body changed after the fourth time, I thought of a nuclear or chemical spill. I know for a fact my body changed I thought as I absently ran my tongue over my new row of teeth, the sharp metallic tinge of blood coating it together with a lone drip of a viscus red substance dripping off my fingers being the only sign of my little test.
My new body aside, I knew for a fact I wouldn't be escaping the Crater any time soon and even if I went running back, I can't exactly claim to be the twenty-six year old ranger Jackson Bram looking like this "first on my list of priorities, shelter" I mumbled my plan out to the universe, my voice now not burning with every breath, I can appreciate the deep baritone of it 'at least that hasn't changed much, small victories' I idly thought to myself, making my way through the woods. Looking up, I watched as the sun slowly made its way to the center of its canvas.
My shirt and cloak hung on my shoulder as I meandered through the forest in my search. The amber rays of the morning sun filter through its canopy, the soft crunch of dried leaves under boot and the refreshing wind that batters against my bare chest makes for a relaxing journey.
Then came the sound of wildlife, a sharp avian cry rang through the quiet forest "Fleeeetch" normally a soothing thing immediately made my hairs stand on end, my instincts going into overdrive. I immediately froze broadening my stance and began looking around 'the fuck was that'. My head on swivel, I spun around, looking for the source of the noise only to see what appeared to be some variation of Robin fly from a branch a few stories up. Continuing on with a new level of caution in my steps, the feeling of being watched never leaving me.
Eventually, I found a shallow cave in the forest but close enough to the lake that it remains in its sightline, looking back to the sky, I estimated it took about two hours. Placing my shirt in a secure location with access to the suns rays and dawning my cloak, I began to think of my next step. The Growling of my stomach settled my next objective 'Makes sense, I haven't eaten in at least a day' I mused as I began my foraging trip into the forest.
Searching through the ocean of green had yielded harrowing results, while I didn't hear any more otherworldly screeches, I did find a multitude of what I believe are fruits, from a yellow pear shaped fruit with bright red spots at the base to what I would have called a tomato if not for the inch long spikes coming out of it 'General rule of nature don't eat stuff with bright accent colours and fruits with spikes typically taste really good or really bad, best to leave these behind' eventually I wondered across a tree that possessed what appeared to be oversized blue berries. Climbing the branches of the foreign tree I picked the fruit and took a sniff and immediately pulled away 'God damn that's sweet' taking a small bite, an explosion of sugar flooded my mouth. It tasted like cotton-candy made love with a blue berry and brought in a sweet block for good measure. "I really can't complain at least I know it's edible" I grumbled, in case you couldn't guess, I don't particularly like sweet things I much prefer spice in my power puff recipe, having low tolerance to the other two ingredients.
After scarfing down a few more of the sickeningly sweet fruits, placing a few more in my now dried coat, I noticed off to the side of my freshly made path, a large area below the crater wall was a gravel deposit 'Where there's gravel there's flint, Suck it Ms. Dona all that gaming in my younger years was good for something after all' … "I did not just think in my younger years, fuck I'm getting old" I murmured, introducing my palm to my face, pulling down brought my vision to my new body I didn't take the time to check myself out before due to my understandable panic attack but damn for a fifteen year old, I'm fucking ripped, granted not as ripped as I was a day ago but that's comparing a fully grown adult to a kid which is just unfair so I'll give myself some slack.
Arriving at the deposit I begin searching through the pile of stones and sand. Tossing bits of sand stone, granite and lime stone. Wiping the perspiration from my brow, I looked up at the sun, seeing it at its apex "'phew' seriously, flint shouldn't be this hard to fin-" …CRACK. My head immediately snapped toward the direction of the offending sound, only to be met with a bolder half that of my five eight self. As the offending object barreled toward me, I reflexively brought my hands up and braced for impact. Stone met flesh and my legs were unable to find traction in the loose stone, digging two distinct channels in the gravel as I slid back a few meters. Muscles contorted and bones creaked with effort before my legs found purchase on a piece of solid earth. With a grunt, I brought the bolder above my head allowing the downward force of the object to tear it from my grip, sending the offending rock flying behind me down the slope of gravel and sand.
Planting my palms to my knees, I panted in an attempt to regain my breath, after a couple of minutes and a few fruits, I looked at my slightly bloodied palms, contracting and relaxing my fingers a few times before wiping away the blood, only to see the once weeping wounds no longer leaking blood. "Well, I don't think this day could get any crazier" I grunted, making my way out of the ditch I found myself in. On my way out, a spike of pain accompanied by the sound of fabric tearing pulls my attention down to just under my right calf wear an impressive tear in my cargoes reveal a thin line of crimson, branded on flesh. The culprit of this incident a piece of red material under a few layers of gravel. Picking it up, I noticed it was metallic in composition. A literal fanged smile graced my lips as I noticed that half of the sliver of metal appeared to have once been connected to a larger object before being broken off, leaving behind a rather serrated edge, while the other half was sharp almost to a razers edge. The object seeming to have been manufactured to possess the sharp edge. Pocketing the steel fragment I resumed my search with gusto.
After two hours spent searching and exploring, I finally returned to my claimed cave, dropping off the multitude of palm leaves I harvested while out. As I stacked and shifted the leaves in an attempt to produce even padding for a makeshift bed. Eventually, I conceded that I wouldn't be getting better than that, I retrieved the shard of serrated metal and a few other supplies I ended up collecting, including but not limited to a sturdy and relatively straight piece of wood, some fiber from a nearby shrubs and some pine sap collected in a split coconut shell. First order of business was turning the fiber into twine which is simultaneously the most important and annoying part of this project, afterward, the rest was as simple as making a slit in the staff, securing the metal to it and soaking the impromptu twine in resin.
I sat the spear aside 'Now my other, other project' retuning my gaze to the remaining materials I collected, those being some wooden remains of a dead tree, some left over fiber and my hard earned shard of flint. Moving some of the surrounding rocks in a lose circle and forming a pyre of the sticks, I dumped the rest of fiber at the base of the campfire to-be, taking the now relatively set spear and my flint, with the scratch of the rock against the piece of scarlet steel resulted in a spark which quickly began to greedily consume the kindling before moving onto the dried pieces of wood. There I sat with the warmth of the fire on my tanned chest, spear in hand as I turned it over the flame with a constant pace in an attempt to finalize my new toy.
As another drop of sweat drips off my brow and into the shallow pool of water beneath me. I simply stood in the shallow portion of the craters lake in nothing but my boxers. Slowly ever so slowly, I stalked closer to my pray what appeared to be a large orange carp. I carefully raised my spear in attempt not to spook the fish when suddenly some movement in my peripheral caught my eye, turning my head I saw….. A regular Shad 'Hmmmmm Giant mutated carp that could possibly give me cancer oooorrrrrr a Shad' without further thought really being needed I tensed my core, then, at once twisting my center, I whipped my arm and released the spear, impaling the fish. Tossing my prize onto shore, I continued my hunt.
As I sat at my fire marveling at the smell of roasted fish, I couldn't help but feel content 'An hour well spent' I simply removed one of my roasted treats and dug in, it was at this moment where my body tensed before a loud and familiar call echoed through the crater "Fleeeeeetch" I could barely see the orange blur that swooped down and stole my dinner from my slackened grip. After a moment, my brain finished processing what just happened, my head snapped with a sickening crack toward the bastard of a bird only to see it hulling its feathered ass in the distance "YOU FUCKING ABN ALEAHIRA THAT WAS MINE" I roared to the heavens the sound shaking the ground and sending flocks of various birds to the sky. Scowl still present on my face I returned to the dirt and retrieved another fish before quickly eating it as to not let any more opportunistic fucks steal my meal.
After a few more hours, which I simply spent cleaning inside my cave and the surrounding area, as well as collecting enough fire wood for a couple days. I sat at the entrance of my shelter, simply staring at the sky and oh did it terrify me, for the heavens above were not the ones I knew, complete constellations missing or were altered in some way, I knew full well the implications, those being either the Galaxy moved or I did, it would explain the foreign fauna and flora but not the similar ones or the fact that I can breathe here or the sky is the same colour or even the fact I ATE a regular ass shad. My head was firmly buried in my hands at this point, fingers combing through onyx locks. My internal musings were interrupted when a monstrous roar reverberates through the air, a bone-chilling, guttural sound that seems to come from the depths of the earth itself. After a few moments the world is left in silence, no longer did the crickets chirp or owls sing, even the howling winds ran and hid, tails tucked and ears lowered before the beast. Then in defiance to the silence born of fear, a sound so soft that at any other time it would be missed, but now seemed to rival the rage filled cry in volume, comes from the top of the crater. My neck stung as hair battered against it from the sheer force in which my head locked to the origin of the noise, only to see a lone humanoid figure flying through the heavens. Its body fully framed in the moon itself before gravity regains its hold once more and the figure begins its spiraling decent.