Waking up I stretched out my arms, legs and tail. “What the hell was that” was the only thought in my mind to my previous experience but the more I thought about it the more it seemed like a dream so I left it at the back of my mind. Looking around I didn't spot the body of the wolf anywhere but there were scorch marks on the ground suggesting it was burnt.

Finally remembering the injuries I sustained during the fight I whipped my hands to my chest, my eyes scanning my body, not a mark to be found and as my eyes passed my feet I noticed something. The ground was green with grass. Looking at my surroundings I saw grass covering the ground like a blanket. Ivy growing upon the deathbeds of the broken trees. The clearing once full of death and disease turned lively and vibrant. All except for the cave which had housed the scent that led us here.

Dropping onto all fours with staggering breaths as I neared it I felt the now familiar anger creeping up on me growing even stronger as I entered the shallow tree cave.

Nearing the back I let my eyes roam the sides till I looked at the back wall of the cave itself. It was made of a weirdly twisted wood that came to a point. With the strange anger increasing I ran back out of the cave determined on heading back to the lush forest. Until I felt something that rarely entered my mind. Curiosity.

Leaving the inside of the cave I walked slowly around it, inspecting it with carfill detail

A giant root was grown out of the ground barely enough to make up the backside of the cave. Felling my anger spike a cry escaped my mouth as I launched a ball of fire from my hand at the root of my anger. It made contact and. Nothing. It didn’t burn, it didn't scorch, it left no marks whatsoever.

In a mix of curiosity and anger I followed the small protrusions of the root along the path of upturned dirt from which it came from and the further I went the worse the decay got, the forest was no longer just dead you could see the rot growing within the roots, trees, and ground everything that once grew was gone. All turned to dust on the faintest touch. You couldn’t see a single green tree in any direction you looked.

Reaching the cliff of the ravine that borders the forest I looked down and the anger I felt looking at the roots fled, replaced by fear. More fear than I felt when I woke up in this world. More fear than when I was almost killed by the wolf. It was more than any being should be able to feel.

There in the ravine grew dozens, maybe hundreds of thorny roots coming out of the depths all ash gray like the one I followed here. Not knowing what to do and with fear in my heart I turned and ran, no destination in mind just ran till I arrived back at the clearing where I had fought and surprised I stopped and stared at the clearing of green that was once there not even a few hours ago was now gone all that remained was dying plants and withered grass a sickly shade of gray.

In a daze I walked back to my home in the tree. Many animals tried to come close but I ignored them, the constant turmoil of emotions raging within me and the weariness. I climbed into my bed, burrowed myself deep within and fell fast asleep. Though even as I woke I just layed there trying to process what I had seen and experienced. It took me a week to finally climb out of my hollow to eat and bathe. Like sensing my mood, many animals that once wandered near the pond and my hollow shied away from it instead. The week after that I had steeled my mind to return to the ravine but it took not but a few hours before I stopped, and stared. The decay had crept further into the forest, corpses of animals, rodents, and insects littered the ground. All with the same lifeless gray shade covering their resting place.

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Not knowing what to expect I brought my two horns? Antene? From the middle of my forehead and touched them to the dying ground. As they lit up a flower began to bloom, then grass grew around it, and the rotting gray receded. I kept healing the ground until I had passed out from exhaustion and when I woke up again I repeated the action until the decay had been pushed back but when I looked at my work, the life that I had spread was already dying.

It took me another month to get back to normal and in that time I didn't wander the forest. I didn't speak to people, animals, or even myself. I hadn't even noticed the Summer months turned to Fall, but finally I was right of mind. Though in all this time I never went back to the decay I just left it alone knowing I could do anything.

For the first time in a month I left my hollow with a clear head and a destination, my eyes turning towards the tree that has been my home and I walked away.

Making it to the village of Barkswood I held no fear as I entered the village for the first time. People, not knowing what I was, parted the way for me, staring and whispering about the spirit that had entered their home.

Following the scent of Markus that I had long since memorized I arrived at the door to his abode? Hut? standing back on my hooved legs. I knocked on the door.

“Coming” was the only sound I heard from beyond the door.

After a few moments the door swung open and Markus stood there with his shoulder length black hair unkempt and worn out rag clothes.

“Wisp?” Markus exclaimed with an amount of surprise that couldn’t be hidden. “You're alive?”

Pushing down my feelings of betrayal seeing him again I shook my head as I tried yet again to speak their language and, surprising not only Markus but myself as well, two words made it through “Forest” and “Run!”.

With wide eyes he asked “What do you mean run?”

My hold on the feelings of betrayal lossend just as when he had left me on my own to fight the wolf. I looked him in the eyes, he stepped back seeing the hurt and I pointed at the forest and muttered “Run” one last time before I turned away and left. He called out but I didn’t answer.

Pushing through the gathered crowd I continued walking back through the village and halfway through, a pair of legs stopped my way. Looking up there was a middle aged woman wearing a brown dress with an apron over it. She had angular features with wide eyes and a nose a little crooked, brown hair framing her face and she seemed familiar?

Looking into her eyes I saw tears starting to form and before I could do anything I felt a hand on my face flattening me into the ground.

My face hurt and after a brief moment I felt a foot kicking me. Sliding back a few yards I stared up at the woman, tears streaming down her face screaming.

“You demon! You killed my husband. Why couldn’t you just leave us alone, you're the reason my daughter is dead” the last part she had said in a quiet voice and as she approached again Markus came out of nowhere and tackled her to the ground.

“What do you think you're doing!” he yelled.

Screaming even louder now the woman shrieked “let me go, it killed my family” as water streamed from her face. A few more villagers, some of which I recognized from the hunt came to hold her down and as people calmed the hysterical woman. I walked without notice, I took one last look at the forest that was once my home of peace, steeled myself then turned and left. Not towards the forest but away from it towards the scattered trees that made up the thinning woods.