The moon’s milky white light reflected on the glossy surfaces of tree barks, though barely illuminating the ptich-black forest. The forest floor, however, seemed to absorb all light, almost appearing to be a sea of darkness.

Tai already told Tziporah of all he knew about the forest so far, much to her shock.

Her wound doesn’t look too good. It was black and blue at the moment and there was no bleeding.

However, her rising fever had him worried. As they huddled together in the chilly night, Tai felt the biting chill of the air and the burning heat of her skin.

This was the first time Tziporah saw the forest at nighttime. She gaped in an exaggerated manner at the pulsing black veins. Tai was almost sure she wanted to hide in a hole.

Sadly, this tree sported a perfectly smooth surface. If it weren’t for his trusty blade he always had by his side, he wouldn’t have been able to climb onto the branch they resided on.

Tziporah eventually calmed down. She stared vacantly into the surroundings whilst leaning on his shoulder. As Tai was about to fall asleep, she poked his cheek.

“Are we really descendants of Tom Thumb?”she said.

He perked up, his interest peaked “Of course, all of us Thumblings are”.

“Really?”, she immediately retorted, “Then why is it people like us suffer so much, by the hands of our own!?”

He had no answer. A low rumble of thunder resounded throughout the forest, and a heavy downpour of rain followed. Heavy droplets drenched them again and again despite the numerous leaves towering above them.

Tziporah continued, “We're all basically relatives, right?...Why do some of us starve while some drown in opulence? You're Tai Thumb, I'm Tziporah Thumb...everyone in the kingdom has the same last name. As a matter of fact, all our names start with the letter T as well. Why....why can't I even have a home to live in?” She became sadder and sadder as she spoke.

“We’ll have a home to live in, don’t worry. We’ll have all we could ever want and need," Tai said. He’ll definitely make sure of that.

The following day after breakfast, Tai aimed to carve out a cave within the hard, smooth tree trunk. This took him all day.

Tziporah was not getting better or worse, which was a miracle in his opinion. She went through alot, including the downpour of rain last night.

Since that night, Tziporah became more talkative and he came to know of her background. She once had a family who was in servitude to a powerful and wealthy family. She, of course, was a servant girl. That was all he knew so far.

Seeing the horrid scar on her face, he can guess whatever happened left her without a family and a home. She never mentioned having any siblings. Her family meant alot to her, and she missed them dearly.

Two more days passed, and they got closer and closer. The rich forest never failed to provide food much to their happiness.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

While sighing in appreciation of a full stomach, he carefully, albeit a bit clumsily, made delicate carvings into the wall of their new home. It was quite spacious- like a mansion.

“Tai, what are you doing?”, Tziporah said. Her caramel eyes stared unblinkingly in curiosity as she laid on a bed made of dead leaves.

She was now bald, as she requested. She claimed it was because her hair was irreparable.

Tai grinned, “I’m making a map of the area. We need to make note of all the spots we can find food as well as spots where there is definitely danger”

She looked at him with mirth, “Tai…do you know how to draw a map?”

Well….he thought he did?

Tai sheepishly sat by her bedside and patiently waited like a dedicated student for her to teach him.

…

Tai could now confidently say he knew how to draw a map. He deftly traveled along tree branches to gain a thorough view of his surroundings from a vantage point.

Picking up speed on a thin branch, he leaped towards a branch close by. He narrowly missed death by a hair’s breadth as he clung for his life.

Not scraping himself up another branch for the first time, he continued his exploration, not the slightest bit rattled.

He then climbed upwards along the tree. Based on what he had seen so far, this is the tallest tree in the small area he managed to scout.

He beads of sweat rolled off his dirty face and traveled past his bare upper body to his old and soaked pants. He carefully lodged his hands and feet into the shallow grooves of the tree.

Once he felt secure, he scanned his surroundings, searching for any hostile predators. Seeing there was none, he shakily sighed in relief and continued his climb.

In two hours, he sat, tired, on one of the highest branches. He was right-this tree was the perfect choice to explore what was above and what he saw took his breath away.

Birds of all different colours and sizes flew about in the sky. Some dove into fruit trees to eat, some frolicked from tree to tree and some violently fought with other birds. The scene before him was chaotic yet in harmony.

His tree, however, saw no birds. Seeing there were no fruits or seeds of any kind on this tree, it was not an anomaly as to why it was so.

Against all odds, he heard the caw of a bird quite close behind him. As he turned around, he was grabbed by the waist and before he knew it, he was far, far above the tree he felt so secure in.

The bird's clamp around his waist squeezed tighter. He aggressively wrestled for freedom as he gasped for air.

Suddenly, the bird swerved left and right as birds of all different species clawed at him to snatch him away. Not far away, another bird's prey was similarly attacked. It was torn to shreds as the birds tussled with each other.

Dread filled his heart.The birds did not seem so breathtaking anymore.

Amidst the chaos, the bird flew higher and higher, gradually losing its enemies. The once colossal trees shrunk smaller and smaller.

Eventually, the last hostile bird gave up and flew away, joining the chaos of birds below.

With all the massive creatures gone, Tai finally got a chance to have a full view of around him.

As far as he could see, a large green blanket of trees coated the land. Colours of every kind decorated the green expanse, and he also saw moving dots, which must be birds, flying around for miles on end.

However, the bird which captured him flew in the direction of large landmassess extending from the green blanket and reaching toward the skies.

The bird firmly held him in its grasp while it flew higher and higher. It was a struggle for him to breathe before, but now, he was sure that there was just not enough air to sustain him anymore. He heaved, wheezed and choked, dying to get air.