His eyes began to dilate in fear, his body trembled ever so slightly. He looked around for the familiar - to gain a sense of comfort - but nothing appeared. Only more and more foreign objects deemed him worthy of their sights. His heart thumped without restraint, faster and faster until he was hyperventilating. This was not his messy room, nor was it anything like any of the woods he had ever been to.

Mutasm slid himself back until he propped himself on his bed’s headboard. Grabbing all the blankets and sheets he could, he huddled with them, searching for a modicum of safety no matter how fleeting. “Wh-Where am I?” He questioned the world around him, maybe someone or something would hear him and provide an answer. The longer he waited, the more the silence grew oppressive. There was no one to respond to him.

There was noise, but his mind could not register them. The light rustling of branches caused by the wind went unnoticed, and so did the calls of insects and smaller critters. It felt like a dream to him, so he had hoped that voicing his thoughts would disperse it, or at the very least make it waver, yet that never happened. They didn't fluctuate, their image only gaining strength as his eyes cleared even more. The bright colors of the twisted meadow he was in grew more oppressive the longer he sat.

For a while, he did not move, uncertain what actions he should take. But the fog that had taken over his mind slowly receded, giving way to teachings his father had drilled into him. “I need to find shelter first. Then a source of clean water, and lastly a sustainable source of food,” he said, quickly listing out what he had to do to stay alive in a forest. Or at least this was what he thought the twisted trunks and plants made. He got off his bed, barefoot the soles of his feet landed on the cold and wet ground with a crunch. As Mutasm continued to look around, it became apparent it was still very early in the morning; the sun’s rays were coming in from a low angle, and the shadows were still very tall. This time of the day most animal would either be asleep - only waking - or beginning to. That also explained the wetness of the grassy ground the meadow was filled with; the morning dew had just come and would soon become vapor once again.

Mutasm grabbed all his blankets and folded them (one inside the other) making them compact enough to carry. Picking up the large roll it had become, he slowly walked crushing leaves and branches every step he took. In the silence that was the forest, it felt like a massive boom every time. Hoping this did not attract anything he continued on his way. Slowly moving towards the edge of the meadow and to an opening he saw between the trunks that had created a barrier.

Having reached the exit, he looked out only to find a vibrant world beyond the twisting spires that he had been introduced to. Trees of vibrant greens, browns, and purples sat separately from each other; islands separated in an archipelago. They twisted in a hideous beauty, all the while the suns rays caressed each, highlighting in a soft yellowish red glow. Under them were plants of grass and bushes following the colors the trees had. Under the green trees were green grass and green shrubs (the same for all the colors). Together they looked like an abstract painting made perfect in ways human hands could not complete.

“Wow, that is so beautiful, but scary at the same time,” he said to himself. Though his body was still shaking a bit in fear, his overwhelming love for nature and experiencing new things was still a bit stronger. As he moved out the exit into the vibrant world, he murmured to himself, “Much more beautiful than the weird meadow. That just gives me the creeps.” Finally out, he took step after step towards the first tree near him. It was massive, reminiscent of an oak tree. It was bent this way and that, stretching and bulged randomly, and more importantly, it was purple. Its leaves were the same color as its bark, something quite unusual for any tree from earth. Mutasm wondered, as he neared it, how it collected energy from the sun. And why its uniform colors, separating each tree from the other.

As he reached the base of the tree, he extended his hand to touch the bark, only to get a light shock as his fingers brush its harsh bark. He wondered why that happened, was their electricity running through them? Or was it a one time shock? Reaching again, he felt it once more. He found himself quite upset at this revelation. He remembered the first time his father had taken him out camping. It was a day he had remembered ever since he was a child. They had been there already for a few days already, his father teaching him the most basic of things. But, in the morning when Mutasm woke earlier than usual, he crawled out of his tent. There he found his father standing at the base of a large tree. His head was bowed, and eyes were closed (his long hair covering the side of his face, partially). It looked as though his father was speaking to the trees, communicating with them in ways old and mystical. Being the small and impressionable child he was, he believed his father was a superhero or at the very least knew magic. He was utterly mystified at the scene, watching for a long time. Then when it was clear his father would take a while, he slowly crawled back into his tent, imagining all the things his father could probably do. Of course, now he knows better, but he never caught his father doing it again, nor did he ever build the courage to ask. That was something he will regret never asking.

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As things are, one always leads to another. Now, as Mutasm's disappointment grew, with it a pang of sadness came. It reminded him of his family, and how he would probably never see them again. He would never be able to witness his mother's beautiful smile, share a bonding moment with his father over a crackling fire in the woods, or merely prank his devilish sister - getting her back for the many she had done on him. He felt his heart churn, and pain lancing from it to his core. Sniffing in emotion, he tried to keep the tears away but failed miserably. Mutasm was an ugly crier, tears would quickly fall, while snot would slowly dribble down his nose. He wiped his nose with the right sleeve of his pajamas shirt while wiping away the tears with his left. “I miss your pranks already, you energetic oaf,” he said

Mutasm turned away from the tree and sat down on the purple grass. Folding his knees up, and his hands around them to keep himself in that position. He needed time to sort through his emotions, and only then would he move on. A coping mechanism he learned from his - his family. As time passed, he remembered fond memories of those he cared about; happy times he might never have again.

But, luck was a cruel mistress, and even more so to the unfortunate. As he sat there oblivious to this world’s dangers and to used to the rather tame forests he had visited, there was a burrow he had not seen, hidden within the roots of the massive tree and covered even more so by his blankets. A screech, demonic in nature, startled Mutasm as he fell over and quickly scrambled up to his feet. His eyes swiveled around like a bird or animal of prey. Trying to find the source of the unholy shriek. Looking down, he saw his blankets move by themselves. Already facing intense emotions, his heart could barely take any more. Slowly, the sheets were pushed away, while he started to take steps back. With a sudden cry, from both the screeches owner and Mutasm, a massive rabbit at least three feet long and a foot high at the shoulders jumped out of the hidden burrow. It was covered by a brown and black fur, and red eyes that scared the ever living lights out of Mutasm. Snarling like a dog with spittle and foam coming out the sides of its mouth, it lowered its head and made the single most prominent thing about it clear to him. A glistening horn that twisted in spirals - wholly white and a foot long was held at the ready to stab through him. The rabbit took a warning step towards him as it snarled; demanding he leaves its territory.

But, that was not what truly terrified him. No, that was the rotten and blackened ethereal tendrils that seemed to grow out of the creatures back. All of them swaying to an unseen wind, and some trying to grab him from afar. Having been scared witless by the overly aggressive and fuzzy creature, he quickly backed away as fast as possible. As he did so, he tripped on a branch that should have broken under the strain of a proper step, but due to his hurry, he merely slipped on its wet exterior and landed backside first on the ground. This only made the rabbit even more combative, pacing slowly towards him. Getting up with a hurry, thoughts a mess, he turned around and ran with all his might - hoping the rabbit did not give chase. Almost slipping, again and again, every step on the wet and crunching branches and leaves. He didn't know how long he ran, but he continued to do so until his lungs burned and his legs felt like they were as heavy as lead. He ran past colorful tree after colorful tree, until he remembered something important.

He forgot his blankets back there. Coming to an abrupt halt, he fell to his knees and hands utterly exhausted. Panting in exertion and sweat covering him and his pajamas, he considered going back to get them. But as soon as the idea popped in his head, he quickly dismissed it with a shake a hurried shake. The thought was a folly he would not be found doing any time soon.

“There is no way I am going to that devilish rabbit's home. Let it enjoy the blankets.”