That night I held silent vigil in the low branches of that hollowed tree. Maybe because doing so felt right, ignoring for now that I could see clearly through the fragile veil disguising my true feelings. As thin as this illusionary curtain may be, the succor it provides is that of a warm blanket upon a chilly night. Soon the deceitful barrier will vanish, and I pray that it lasts until morning.

Howls pierce the tranquility of the night, their clamorous cries echoing throughout the dark woods without end. Why wouldn't they be active after all? A whole swathe of territory just opened up, ripe for the taking. I've already begun to see them in the corners of my vision. However they never show themselves in full, a peculiar decision on their part. Now that I notice it, the ones that lurk nearby in the shadows never respond to the cacophony of howls. Surely they aren't stalking me right? There should be plenty of food for them, of that I'm sure. Are they upset that I'm in their new territory? That doesn't seem right. If that were the case, why hide in the shadows instead of making a threat display?

I've got enough to think about, and it's already taking all of my willpower to keep it together for the time being . For now, I need to think about what I'm going to do moving forward. Back when I was in the cave system, my goals were easy to understand. Survive and find a way out. Things are a bit more complicated now.

This entire time, I believed I was a person wronged by fate, and placed into a foreign body. Only after I experienced my first true memory did I realize that this notion might just be false. Knowing this, it still doesn't remove the shroud that obscures my past. I may not have been a human, but that doesn't explain why I have so much knowledge of what it means to be one.

I turn my head upwards in search of answers. Here and there, beams of moonlight manage to pierce through the thick boughs of the canopy, hinting towards a grand inky expanse that lies just beyond. Perhaps tomorrow I will finally see the sky for what it is, and behold what is hidden on the edges on the horizon.

I bet Koko would have-

As the thought worms its way into my mind, I feel the delicate fabric of the veil begin to tear. Traces of black fog seep through the cracks, a small taste of building mass of guilt on the other side.

He's gone!

Stop thinking about him!

Move on!

There's nothing you can do!

One after another, I reinforce what little remains of the barrier. For the finishing touches, I gently remind myself that everything will be alright.

---

When morning comes, I am covered in a blanket of dew. Shaking them off I realize it's not just me, the entire forest glistens white under the cover of dwindling fog.

After a big yawn, I begin to look around to get a quick scope of my surroundings. Nothing seems out of place, and for that matter, the only noises I hear are that of insects buzzing far away in the distance. It's quiet almost to a suspicious fault. Taking another look around reveals nothing however, so I climb down the tree with the assistance of my claws. Only now am I realizing that it's far more awkward climbing down than it is climbing up, and my descent is rather clumsy. It makes me glad that none of those wolves are nearby because I would be easy pickings right now.

Perhaps out of innate instinct, I avoid looking into the hollowed depths of the tree, and as I begin to make my way, I feel the urge to look upon the pair of remains. With great effort, I suppress that desire and take my first steps towards moving on. Before making plans for the future, I want to find something I lost the night before, my necklace. And if I'm going to find it, I need to make my way back to the clearing where I… well died.

It shouldn't be too far away, maybe 10 minutes at the most. Then after that, I resolve myself to climb above the canopy.

What you thought I would fly already? Truth be told, I'm a bit scared to try right now, I've only recently recovered through the intervention of a miracle. And I'm not to keen on testing the limits of my capabilities. With my luck, I would end up falling at a weird angle and breaking my wing again. Yup, I'm good on that for right now. Maybe later if I can find a lake or something else to cushion my inevitable poor landing, I will have the confidence to try and fly. For now it can wait.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Suddenly I catch a whiff of something, and I stop to try and get a better idea of what's ahead. There's a wide range of wet, musk-like smells, tripping off all sorts of alarms. Before I can fall back, I notice two pairs of yellow eyes, one set larger than the other, looking straight at me through the thicket without moving. The one set I recognized from the wolves that circled my tree throughout the night, but only now am I noticing the second pair of slitted eyes. From behind the wolf, a serpent exposes itself from its hidden cover, hovering harmlessly above the wolf's head. Both staring at me with an uncomfortable, and strange impression of cooperation.

I tense up, preparing for an imminent fight, but the pair of creatures just stand their ground.

Sparing a few glances to look around, I try to see if there's a tree I can climb, but all the nearby trees are too small for a large bird like me. Honestly, I half expected the strange pair of creatures to charge the second I broke eye contact. Yet, they remain in place.

Then I notice another pair of wolf and serpent, giving me some insight on the nature of these creatures, or rather should I say, 'creature'. They are one in the same, the beast has the overwhelming majority of the body, that of a shaggy wolf. Meanwhile, the back legs end in scaled claws, and more interestingly, the tail is replaced with that of a long serpentine body, tipped with the head of a snake.

Despite the discovery of their other half, they act just as they did the previous night. Both of these hybrids stay just out of range, but ever vigilant of my presence.

I'm not sure why they aren't attacking, but I'm not going to sit here until I figure out why. I begin taking steps backwards, keeping an eye on both of the monstrous animals.

When they are out of sight, I pick up the pace in the opposite direction, paying close attention to any noises that I may hear, in case they are stalking me. To be extra sure, I climb a thick tree and keep a lookout from a high vantage point.

Sure enough, I spot another one just outside my vision, this one different, judging by the colors of their pelts. What the hell is with these guys, and if they have such a fascination with me to keep so many eyes on me, why aren't they making any moves?

The phenomenon is somehow frustrating and alarming at the same time, favoring the former. There's too many things I don't know, and when these creatures are acting unpredictable, it makes me all the more uneasy. For now, I am going to chalk them up as 'dangerous' and to stay away until I figure out more. Given all the scents I detected, their den must have been nearby, so I should steer clear of that stretch of woods. Unfortunately, I'm confident that the clearing where my necklace is must be on the other side. It might be too dangerous to go collect it, dammit!

I could try navigating my way over there through the canopy. It might be tricky given my size but it could be manageable. Or I could try flying past their neck of the woods…

Sigh

I really should just get over my fear of what could happen and just do what birds do best. Well I don't exactly have any better ideas, and I know I'll regret it if I leave that mysterious opal behind.

Well if I'm going to do this, I am going to do it from the top of this tree. Right now, I don't feel safe on the ground given the wolves nearby.

Just like last night, I once again turn my sights towards high above. I didn't think about it before, but that canopy is really high up… at least another 50-75 feet or so. I'm not sure how I'm just now realizing just how absurdly tall some of these trees are. Thinking about falling from that height, actually let's not think about that right now. Claws, don't fail me now.

With my decision made, I begin my climb.

At first, it wasn't so bad, but as I get closer to the web of branches that make up the canopy, the difficulty increased rapidly. I ended up using my beak like a set of branch trimmers, lobbing off all the annoying branches in my way and letting them fall haphazardly all the way down to the forest floor.

Slowly but surely, I scale my way up the main trunk until at last, the final obstruction is removed. My anticipation soars to a new high, just like the time I was climbing that moss-covered hill that led outside the cave. Climbing the last little stretch, I am instantaneously beset by soft winds, a delightful freshness that rustles my feathers and tickles my skin. The tree tops sway freely to the whims of the gusty currents, creating a charming background of stirring leaves. Looking upon the endless jade sea that stretches high and low, all the way to the end of the horizon, blossoms a newfounded sense of wonder deep within me. I had my suspicions that the forest might be large, but I didn't think it would span like an ocean. But it couldn't hold a candle to the marvel above.

I could hardly imagine a more perfect blue sky fringed with jovial clouds aglow from the light of the morning sun.

It was in a sense, perfect. Igniting a sense of longing that I haven't felt since that stormy night in the underground grotto.

As I take in the sights, I begin to look around, eager to bear witness to the grand design of the four winds. Behind me however… little could prepare me for such an impossible sight

Far out upon the horizon stands a monolithic spire of deep earthen hues, crowned with azure-tinted boughs as grand as the clouds themselves. Its presence was that of a noble king, and the entire forest was nothing but its royal court.

That is a big tree.