I noticed the sun start to set over the ocean further south, stretching west from my position. I had already plucked the pheasant I had killed and was preparing a fire. Meanwhile, I found a lovely outcrop by the trees on the hill. I set up a small area to sleep in and started setting up a fireplace outside it. When the sun began to rest on the horizon, the sky was painted with mesmerizing oranges, pinks and purples. I looked east to see the darkness encroaching and almost willed the fire to light. It lit in my hands as I drilled the stick into the small plank. I shrieked and shook my hands to extinguish them, too shocked to feel pain. I must have gotten the fire out quickly enough not to burn my skin. I looked at the brilliantly bright yellow fire and smiled, grateful not to be hurt. I looked up at the stars that began to show themselves, and an unexpected voice rang in my ears.
"I wanna see the stars one day!" It was male and sounded young. His tone was enthusiastic. I gasped at seeing a pair of bright amber eyes flash before me. They shone with an unrivalled determination.
"What?" I gasped out loud. Why were those eyes so familiar?
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"What was that...?" I murmured, bringing a hand up to my head and rubbing one of my temples.
I shook my head and started to butcher the pheasant. My mind wouldn't leave the thought of that voice. That had to have been someone I knew. I couldn't remember...
Before long, I had impaled half the bird and started roasting it. I sat for a while, absentmindedly roasting the meat and staring at the sky, turning the stick every so often. When my attention was captured by the pheasant again, it was slightly burnt on the outside. I quickly lifted it off the fire and cut pieces off it with the hatchet. The meat was dry and bland. I didn't like pheasant meat much, but I was hungry.
After finishing my meal and still having half the bird left, I kept the rest in a compartment in my bag. I placed it next to my temporary shelter and sat by the fire, keeping an eye on the bag. I started examining my hatchet. I noticed a symbol engraved into the blade. It looked like an ovular head with horns twisting over in two arcs and ending in a point flicking away from the original arc. I began to examine the sigil until I noticed something dark appear, woven together by shadows. A long, gangly creature that was as dark as night on the new moon began to creep towards me on all fours. It had four glowing green eyes, all without pupils or a sclera. It crept slowly, carefully. It watched me as if I was the most confusing thing in its world.
This creature was known as an "Endoran". Translated from Karmarean to "Night Crawler." With a sudden jump, it hurled itself towards me.