Songbirds call out to one another in a delightful chorus that heralds another new day.

From high up in my roost, I perform my own morning rituals. Giving my wings and legs a good stretch, I prepare myself to head back down the tree before I realize that something isn't quite right.

The tree that I was resting in for the night seems far more livelier compared to what I remember. The leaves are far more lush and vivid in color, and now that I'm noticing it, there's a whole colony of new growths that have developed overnight. Vines, lichens, flowers, all of them have exploded out of no where.

Well maybe I lied a little about that last part

There's one section in particular that has went absolutely mental, and that is the spot where I was testing out magic from the night before. The entire area looks like an infested nest of mad plants in an arms race to squash their rival flora. It's difficult to see where one specimen begins and the other ends.

Bloody hell, it's like those creepy mushrooms from back in the cave, but somehow worse.

Alright, note to self. Be more mindful of how and where you practice those magic tricks.

My imagination runs wild with macabre images of insatiable plants entrapping me within a prison of vines, desperate to suck every last drop of essence from my body until I am nothing more than a dried husk.

Yeah, nope.

With a bit of added urgency, I climb down the tree. When my feet finally reach the leaf-littered floor, I let out a sigh of relief, glad to have the writhing swarm of plants behind me.

What the hell is wrong with this new world? It's frustrating that it is so familiar but so alien at the same time. What happened?

An empty question, but I feel better regardless.

Making a quick pit stop to the river, I hoped to see that tortoise from the day before, but she's nowhere to be found. I really want to figure out how she was able to talk to me, in that crude way of hers. If I can just figure out the basics, I might be able to communicate with some of the other inhabitants of this forest. I'm not sure where it will lead, or if it will even work at all, but there's no harm in trying, right? Also I find it very interesting that there's such a docile and non-aggressive creature in such a wild place. I can't put my finger… feather on it, but there's definitely something sneaky going on behind the scenes. I'm sure of it.

For now, lets focus on something else instead.

Every now and then, I've spotted small creatures dart to and fro about the forest floor out of the corner of my eye, and I've been curious if I would be able to catch any of these critters. Fresh caught fish is great and all, but something more robust and rich would be a great change of pace. It's going to serve as a nice challenge too, a good measure to see if I'm cut out to live the life of a deadly hunter! Plus, I'm even handicapped! Catching something without flying is worth bonus points if you ask me!

As I raise my head from the river, I spot a bit of movement on the other side of the waterway. But when I go to take a look, nothing is there. That's weird… I could have sworn I saw something. After a minute or two, I give up on trying to find whatever is out there, leaving me a little tense.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Right, lets just ignore what I thought I saw and try heading back up the trail. Nothing is going to jump out of the bushes and ambush me when I least expect it. Nah, that won't happen! Just a simple stroll through the woods to find a good ol' mouse, or maybe even a rabbit.

Heading back up the way I came, I begin my search.

A gentle mist lingers over forest trail, wet with fresh dew. All around I can hear the woods stirring with renewed life, and the rays of light that find their way through the canopy appear dulled. There's a certain ominous, yet familiar feeling in the air that I can't quite piece together

For now, I filter out most of the unnecessary stimulus and hone in on my senses. Every now and then I crane my neck to peer deep into the empty pockets of the underbrush, all while patiently listening for the subtle crunching of leaves.

Nothing reveals itself as of yet, to be expected I suppose. Can't expect every critter to carelessly wander out in the open. That would be too easy.

My little nature walk continues until I happen upon a fallen tree. Getting a little closer to investigate, I discover multiple sets of claw marks carved into the tree, each gouge spanning about three inches in length. I decide to take a curious swipe at the tree myself, and my talons barely manage to carve their own gouges into the rough bark. Comparing the two sets of marks is night and day, the results speaks for themselves.

Feeling a bit unnerved, I quickly spin around to see if anyone is secretly watching me, but there's nothing out there. Just an empty sea of trees.

This simple little hunt is turning out to be far more menacing than what I thought it would be. Not to mention it is doing quite a fine job of reminding me of just how weak I am. The only thing I have managed to overpower so far is some lousy fish, not exactly something to write home about.

Leaving the fallen tree behind, I continue on my way. There's got to be something out here, anything!

As if were divine providence, I finally find what I've been asking for.

A long, sleek and black form descends down the tree ahead. The creature is hideous, with a segmented body and carried on hundreds of needle point legs. Brutal pincers large enough to divorce my head from my body clack with violent anticipation, and its face splits apart to reveal previously hidden monstrous fangs dripping with thick saliva. It hisses and spits aggressively towards me, and I find myself frozen and unable to move.

What the hell is that!

It coils the upper portion of it's long body, and before I can react, it leaps from the tree with alarming speed. This 10 foot long creature sails through the air with terrifying grace, only now do my instincts for survival kick in and I dash to the side to dodge the lunging attack. With only seconds to spare, the demonic-looking centipede crashes into the ground, scattering countless dried-up leaves into the air. It reacts quickly to the missed attack, and hurriedly faces me once more, the anger expressed through widened jaws plain to see.

This thing is so fast! I don't think running away is an option here, and seriously I doubt it would let me! Think Alistair, think!

As I try to sort through my panic-stricken thoughts, the creature slithers quickly on its plethora of spike-tipped legs. Taking into consideration its horrifying display of weaponry and the thick chitinous plates, the speed it exhibits on top of it all that is just downright unfair! Could argue that it doesn't even have a weak point! Go for the legs? Yeah right. The eyes? I'm not about to jump into point blank range of those claws, not the mention those giant fangs.

Suddenly my attention is drawn towards the cascade of falling leaves, and I am struck with a spark of inspiration.

More important for the time being is the battering ram that is this monster barreling towards me. For now I dash through the trees back towards the clearing with the fallen log. Behind me I hear thousands of spears stabbing into the ground in maddened pursuit. Alright, time to focus Alistair!

As I'm running, I try to draw out a string of essence, similar to how I did the night before. At first I begin to feel the familiar flow as it drawn towards my wing, but then a loud, sharp SNAP just behind me breaks my concentration. The claw delivers enough force that it feels as if a gust of wind blows past me, making my blood run cold.

I pick up the pace ignoring the plan I made mere moments ago. I need to create as much distance as I can, while I can! As I'm running, I curse my ineptitude, if I could just fly I could avoid this whole mess!

Distracted by my own toxic thoughts, I nearly trip on a root, barely managing to avoid it and continue racing away from this monster. Concerned about the loss of sudden loss of distance, I turn my head back to see the creature is less than 10 feet behind me!

Ahead is the clearing with the dead tree. I work my legs for everything they're worth for a burst of speed, and then I try to draw upon the forces within my body once more. This time I don't try to finesse the flow, instead I try to force it out using whatever means are necessary! Already I get an uncomfortable feeling, but I don't stop. I can't! Right when I feel as if I'm going to pop like a balloon, I force myself to recall the nightmare I had back in the caves. The very one where the earth opened up and swallowed me whole in a swirling sea of flames.

Just then, I feel my body lifted off the ground and struck brutality against a nearby tree. I gasp for air, but find that all of it has been evicted from my lungs, and the essence that I have built up begins to settle once more. No!

The gigantic black form of the insectoid looms over me with barbaric smugness, fully aware that it has won. Its mandibles drip with bone-chilling anticipation. Similar to when I first encountered it, it coils its body once more in preparation of the final blow.

With everything to lose if nothing is done, I once more dive deep within myself and desperately clutch every string of fleeting essence that I can. With no regard for what may happen, I force all of it out in the direction of my assailant, wishing nothing more to drown it in an ocean of hellfire just like I once have.

All at once, the world erupts with explosive force and the last thing I see is the monstrous centipede blast backwards in a white flash.