CHAPTER 3 - My name is Eroan
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I suddenly woke up lying on green grass, surrounded by tall trees. The eeriness of my situation made me jolt to stand up and then back off to a nearby tree. I am seriously tense, I don't know what is happening or where the heck I am. I looked around, carefully and suspiciously looking for something dangerous that might take my life. The environment of the forest is too quiet that I could hear the sound of leaves falling into the ground. The calmness of the forest is giving me goosebumps, it feels like someone was watching me but I don't feel peril, and even so, it doesn't make me comfortable.
Among the vast trees, there is that consistent light that keeps poking right in front of me as it was alluring me. It wasn’t dark and I could glimpse the sky above the trees, but that single light in front of me is consistent. The light doesn’t dissipate even when the leaves were swayed by the wind, that is what it makes unique, and it seems that light would be the answer as to why I am in this situation. I decided to walk where I could see a little light poking out between the trees. I don't know but my guts tell me that if I don't leave, that little light will go away after some time. Being alone in the dark inside of these dense trees makes me shiver.
I slowly step forward while carefully scanning the area around me. These trees are huge and tall and I need 20-30 of me to completely hug them. This forest is too mysterious, I don't even sense any lifeforms despite traveling plenty enough. The nonstop walking thru of this dense forest give me the feeling of a dream, a euphoric feeling that made me disregard my surroundings and continue to walk straight forward toward the light.
Funnily enough despite my feeling of being intoxicated by the tranquility of the forest, I have not been tripped nor encountered any obstacles on the path that I was strolling. It feels like this path was specifically made for me, and this made me feel a little bit unusual. However, it also scared me of what might be the price of my peaceful journey. Sometimes during my progress, I hesitate to continue, I don't know how much time has passed since I started traveling this path but the opposite choice was neither been the answer, as I don’t want to be forever inside this forest alone. I force myself to continue and stride forward despite the anxiety.
The light that I was following for a long period gives a subtle change. The static light that I always see, is now making ripples. As I hurry forward the light that has been my guide since I woke up becomes bigger and bigger. I fail to notice that I am sprinting forward as I pursue the end. I heard subtle sounds of the birds chirping, I see some small animals on the ground and the dense giant trees that I keep catching sight of is nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was replaced by smaller trees which I think was the normal size.
The exit is near and I see the end within reach, as I escape outside a blinding light greets me and what I see after was an exalted view. I saw a large region of plains and multiple links of rivers that divided the plains into several areas and also some mountain ranges from afar. I saw several settlements from afar but I believe it would take me around days or weeks if I traveled on foot. There’s also one problem, it’s my grumbling stomach, although I still have the strength to travel I hope I could catch some fish down the river. Having no food for another day would make me collapse.
Looking above the slope I’m currently in, I tried to find a way how I could go down. While surveying the region I caught something moving I tried to concentrate on it and unknowingly my vision zoomed out. I saw multiple horses pulling a carriage with a crest and on their tail are several more carriages. I hurriedly went down and run towards it, it is my only hope to get on something that travel fast as I don’t want to travel on foot for days.
I focus on them while I run but they are too fast and I doubt I could make it given the difference between our speeds. I was gradually losing hope but luck smiles on me as they stop in the nearby trees. It seems they are going to replenish their water as there is a nearby stream ahead.
‘Yes!’
I jumped in glee as I approach the woods since most likely that they are going to the stream I should take the shortcut inside the woods to quickly meet them and request them to allow me to hop on their caravan. I reached the stream and quickly I kotow beside it and drank a mouthful of water. The cold stream of water flowing down my throat gives me the best feeling I experience since leaving out of the forest. I washed my dirty face and my hair, I saw my reflection in the water and I could tell that my face was easy in the eyes.
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Before I forgot my objective I started running again alongside the stream after some time I saw their silhouettes. I was delighted finally I can meet people I just hope that they are friendly, as a caution I went in again into the woods to slowly approach them so I could observe them a little before I reveal myself.
I walked on fours in silence, suddenly not far away from me, I heard a rustle in the shrubs. I went on full alert as I pick up a stone that I find beside me anticipating a fight.
“Aaaahh! Help!”
A little girl come out from it, it wasn’t supposed to be alarming but I am still tense because what come out next was a wolf as big as me. The girl runs toward the stream when she realizes that she can’t cross over to the stream, she just crouches over and started crying.
“Aaahh Huhuhu”
The wolf slowly approaches her as if contemplating what part of its prey it should start eating. Without any time to think I pick up another stone and throw it at the wolf. It doesn’t hit the wolf because I only plan to gather its attention and I successfully lure its focus into me. It looks back and forth between me and the girl and it seems the wolf decides that it should get rid of the threat first. The wolf ran towards me and I also run away from it, I plan to run and reach where the people are camping beside the stream. If those people see the wolf I’m pretty sure they will kill it, then suddenly I sense danger behind me and saw the wolf suddenly rush forward, it’s so fast that in a blink of an eye it already jump forward aiming for my neck. My eyes contract as I defensively raise my left arm, not to use it to block, but to use it to misdirect the wolf. I instinctively plan to hit its jaw upward before it reaches my neck and throw the wolf in the opposite direction using its energy. So I can buy a little more time to prepare and accept this life-and-death fight.
Then a miscalculation happens, the unpredictable speed of the wolf made me miscalculate the timing and instead put my forearm upward a little bit early. My left forearm was bit by the wolf and because of the speed, the sudden change of force made the wolf throw backflip as it drag my left arm alongside my whole body. I grimaced in pain as the canines of the wolf tear the flesh of my forearm while dislocating my shoulder in the process. Despite this, I am still clear-headed and try to look for an opportunity to turn things around. As the wolf reach the ground and before it could roll over I immediately use the momentum to deal damage to its chest with my knee alongside the weight of my body and use it as a cushion for my landing in the process.
The attack was a success, I grinned as I felt the bones breaking from its rib cage. The wolf was forced to let go of my forearm because of the sudden extreme pain it felt, and before it could counterattack attack again, I hold its head with my weakened left arm and slammed a rock in the back of its head using my right. The attack stuns the wolf and with no delay, I follow up again with another hit toward its head. I repeatedly smack it until its brain matter was ejected.
When the wolf is not moving anymore I let go and lie down beside the corpse of the wolf. As the adrenaline fades off the accumulated damage to my body came. I wheezed for air as I inadvertently stops breathing during that brawl, I also felt my energy rapidly leaving out of my body as the blood gush out from my arm. The girl I saved came running and she kneel beside me, she tore off the hem of her dress and tie it tightly on my left arm then she shouted for help while crying, then she begins to wrap a cloth around the wounds around my forearm. People in the caravan are unexpectedly already running toward us maybe they saw the fight and rush to help.
My chest was damp as she continue to cry, I pat her head to give her some assurance.
“It’s okay, my situation isn’t something bad I won’t die from it so don’t cry”
I reassure her as I continuously rub her silky hair.
“I’m glad that you are safe and healthy and I am happy with that, could I ask for the name of a such beautiful lady?”
“*hick* I- *hick* Isabella”
She looks at me with reddish eyes wet from tears and a face full of snot.
I almost laugh but I still manage to smile because despite her crying she is still pretty cute.
“Hello Isabella, nice to me you I am-“
When I was supposed to tell my name I blank out for a moment but fortunately, I manage to remember.
“My name is Eroan, I’m pleased to meet you.”
“*Hick* I am likewise-“
She replied as she continue crying again on my chest. I look up at the bright sky, today the sky has such good weather despite the earlier chaotic situation below. Regardless of my bad condition, I felt great satisfaction as the person I decided to save without thinking twice about the consequences, was alive and I also manage to survive in the process, with that in mind, I black-out and lost consciousness.
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*Grrrrrr*
Deep in the forest where Eroan came out, carnivorous animals are all busy eating the carcass of dead animals or should we say the monsters of the forest. These carcasses all lined up from the center up until the boundary of the forest and the unusual thing is these carcasses form two lines and are each 10 km away from the path Eroan takes. Whether the monster could think why such a sinister thing happened, the thing in their mind right now was to enjoy the feast that is served in front of them.