They came to a stop right before the ponds the parasite's used as their current base. Literal piles of bones ranging from sloths, to bunnies, to humans, and many more covered the area.
Anything that sought conflict with them was quickly brought into the fold and used as energy for their tumultuous hive mind that dominated all of the hosts.
A light splashing noise drew their attention to the water. A pale human hand breached the surface and pulled its body up from the cool lake.
The host was unfamiliar but he couldn’t think of another creature that inhabited the body of a human and lived in the area so he hopped forward to greet the parasite.
“Braaaaiiinssss!” It looked at him slack-jawed with shaky hands reaching for his face like it was ready to strangle the life out of him.
“I am not gonna fall for any tricks this time. I mean really, with all the pranks you’ve done, do you really expect me to recoil in fear at a rotting human?”
The figure stilled and went silent with the same lifeless expression on his face.
“Not really.” A quiet whisper directly beside his ear startled him into jumping straight into the air like a rocket.
“Hahahahhaha.” The human laughs filled the air as Egosum landed on his back and looked at the cause of his mental anguish.
A decapitated head hung from a vine with a gleeful face cackling away. It swung from high up in the trees where the body was slapping its leg in joy.
“You resorted to this because you knew you couldn’t sneak up on me anymore? How did you know?” His heart began to still as the corpse wiped the head’s and its own tears away.
“We have no idea what you are talking about, but we are glad we got you so well. That was a legendary scare. Hehehe.”
His stare turned murderous as he looked at the parasites.
“Woah woah woah, calm down. Just a little horse play. How are you guys doing? Looking dapper as ever Coyotl, vibrant as always Cinera, and angry as usual Egosum.”
He scoffed before getting to business.
“We are leaving the forest tonight and we came to ask you for some help.”
The head hummed before speaking.
“So not merely for pleasure. That is a real shame, but I suppose we can offer whatever assistance that we can as long as it isn’t too strenuous, or else we will need some payment.” The corpse rubbed its fingers together in a universal sign for money.
“It shouldn’t be. I wanted to ask for help in finding the closest wetland near here. Not a lake, not a solitary pond, not a lone river. Mostly shallow, wide expanses of wet soil and abundant aquatic life. Any ideas? Any memories from the humans?”
The head corpse grabbed the head and stroked its chin as its face took on a contemplative expression.
“We might be able to pick out something though it might take a while. We get a lot of information and we have to sort through all of it and then find the useful bits and bring it to the forefront and then we are done.”
Egosum fought back a sigh before speaking.
“So how long will that take?”
The heads raised their eyebrows before answering him.
“We said we are done already.”
Cinera giggled off to the side when Egosum finally understood what they were saying.
“Okay, um, so what did you get?”
“Well, the closest thing they know of to what you described is about a two-week journey in that direction.” The corpse pointed to the side, dropping the head and letting it roll off into the water.
“Anything else? Like better directions or a description of the area or even what is happening in the place?”
The corpse stared at the ripples caused by the head before turning back to the amphibians and scratching his own noggin.
“Yeah, we have a set of arms drawing some directions for you right now and some legs will run them over once they are done. Now, some description of the area huh? We guess it would best be described as an area of high conflict. No intelligent species around for the most part but a lot of monsters, beasts, and strange surprises. Should be a pretty peaceful swamp according to the memories if you ignore the wildlife.”
Egosum thought back to his younger days and how the swamp he called home was already a tame hatchery for his species.
His ancestors had done all of the hard and labor-intensive work that allowed for him and his brethren to soar.
The more he thought about the challenge the more he liked the idea. He would be the one to establish the legacy. He would lay down the foundation for generations to come and set up a new base of operations for his kin.
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
He was growing giddier by the second as he thought about the legends and stories he will spawn in his wake.
The rustling of bushes nearby stole his attention away as a pair of legs came running out of the foliage with an arm balancing on the gory stump where its torso should be.
His stomach turned at the sight. Injuries and flesh had little impact on him most of the time, but strange shit like this did something weird to his gut.
The new attendants scuttled over to the corpse and handed off a sticky piece of hide.
“Ah, fantastic. How punctual. This right here is exactly what you will need to make your way there. It should be in the opposite direction of the humans and far enough away from preying eyes to set up a new home.”
Egosum looked at him sharply.
“How did you know that was what I wanted to do?”
The corpse stared at him like he was the dumbest person before answering.
“What else would a bunch of amphibians want to do in a swamp?”
He deflated as the tension left his body and reached for the hide map. He unfurled it and looked at the various symbols and paths written in dark red ink.
“Is this blood?”
The parasite looked offended by the question.
“Of course not. Killed some humans and took some ink from them. Is that how little you think of us? To use blood for writing is just barbaric...usually.”
He opened his mouth to argue when a soft hand grabbed his shoulder. Cinera shook her head and thanked the hivemind for their help.
“We appreciate it. It looks descriptive enough to follow. It looks like it would be hard to miss with how well it is drawn. I think we can call this little meeting a success. Anything you would like to add?” She turned to the toad.
“No. Thank you. Maybe when I am strong enough to destroy the dwarven and human kingdoms, I will come back and help you expand the forest. Does that sound amendable?”
The corpse quirked its head before answering.
“That should be fine. Make sure to visit!” It waved the trio of amphibians off and watched them leave the waterways the parasites called home with a crooked smile plastered on its face.
The toad, salamander, and frog made their way through the trees before taking their first long look at the map.
Massive spires covered every mountain ridge pictured. Winding rivers cross the landscape in unnatural ways. Sprawling plains covered vast swathes of land between points of interest. Cities belonging to various races dotted the land leading to their ultimate prize. Pictographs of the people and creatures that lived in the areas dotted the hide like a key on a map.
The sheer quality and quantity of detail in the small piece of skin was nearly overwhelming. He struggled to see how he could get lost following the map with the small hints they had written in.
The short time they took to get it to him caused him to pause.
“What is it?” Cinera spoke up while looking at the work of art.
“Well, look at everything on here. It took them only a few moments to get this thing to us. That just isn’t realistic. Do you think they knew what I was going to do before I even thought about it?” She paused at the question, seriously considering the implications of all the information.
“Maybe, hmmm, probably. They are a hive mind after all. I am sure they are smarter than we give them credit for. I bet they know even more languages than you do.”
He scoffed at the joke before responding.
“I guess that’s true. It would only make sense that they are that smart. Plus they have the memories of dozens, if not hundreds of humans stuffed in whatever their minds are like. Should we be concerned?”
It was her turn to scoff at his question.
“You are the only reason they are out and about again. They might have written this before we even killed Punishe. This might have been their final way of saying thanks for saving them. That's how I see it at least.”
Egosum struggled to disagree and inspected the map for the first point of interest to get them started on their journey. A particularly curvy tree grew inside a valley made by two long mountain ranges. The top stuck out from the peaks and curled around itself in an over-the-top fashion.
“They do have a flair for the dramatic. I wonder what it will actually look like.” With his musing done, the trio continued on in the direction the parasite pointed them in and the start of their journey kicked off.
The dark blue trees and lunar mana-soaked foliage had become so familiar to them that it was strange for the toad to think it would be many years before he saw them again.
With each moment they traveled, they grew further and further from where they once called home.
They left the beastmen in their village and traveled under the bright moonlight. Beasts stayed out of their way as they fearlessly marched through the woods.
Their confidence did most of the work required to scare everything off before anything grew close.
It was a far cry away from the time he arrived.
He had grown familiar with the common animals and come to know many of the villagers by name.
Coyotl had been warmly welcomed by the children to join in their games and Cinera had taken to some of the older women during meal prep like a moth to a flame. More appropriately, like an ember salamander to hot coals.
It was an era in his life finally coming to an end.
By the time the moon fell too low to travel, they had left the farthest extent to which the hunters would roam for food. They were officially in wild territory.
The short break ended uneventfully and the sun took over the sky while they rested. The woods were calm once again.
The fleeing beasts and rustling leaves had disappeared as the largest of the animals that called this crazy forest home had gone to sleep.
The calls of birds and raucous insects were the only signs of life he could pick out. Their pace increased as they no longer felt the need to offer the beasts time to flee. The light began to fall as they forest began to thin.
The true end to the twilight forest was well within reach. The moon eclipsed the sky as they broke through the treeline and the first massive planes Egosum had seen in his short life entered his sight.
Slowly rolling hills and luscious grass covered the ground for as far as his enhanced sight could see. He hopped forwards and felt the plantlife under his toepads
The light sound of a twig snapping stole his attention away as he flicked his head back towards the forest.
Two familiar glowing eyes slinked behind a tree trunk. The lithe body of a feline darted out of sight as quickly as it arrived.
“That stupid cat followed us all the way to the exit. Think it will follow us farther?”
Cinera quirked her head to the side.
“Maybe it just wanted to see us off with how you spared its life? You are getting soft, eh?”
“Shut up, let's go.”