Tension hung thick in the air as the steam from the extinguished flames began to dissipate. Willow's playful smirk faded, replaced by a growing sense of concern.

I scanned the lush, verdant surroundings, searching for any sign of our missing companion. The rustling of leaves and squawking of birds seemed to mock us.

"This isn't like Hunter," I murmured, brow furrowed in worry. “He would have said something before leaving.”

Willow's expression mirrored my own, all traces of mirth erased. "Let’s wait here. Nothing should have happened to him.”

I nodded. The forest, once a colorful backdrop for our playful antics, now felt ominous and foreboding. Where could Hunter have gone? And more importantly, what happened? The uncertainty weighed heavily as we waited.

As night came, we no longer felt as safe due to the absence of Hunter, who normally discouraged animals from approaching. Sudden barks from nearby wolves made us jump, but the scare soon turned into anger when we realized it was Riley who got stuck underneath a bush. Still, other noises by nearby creatures weren’t making us feel any better.

It was until the next morning that our friend decided to return.

Miss me?

Apparently, the Hunter can project voices directly into our mind even when we were sleeping, and it came as a huge shock to us. I leapt up, my head hitting the top of my tent, before falling with a thump. A strangled cry came from Willow’s tent, and howling sounded around our tent.

“Hunter! Firstly, doing that while we were asleep was incredibly scary, and secondly, why didn’t you tell us why you were leaving?” I shouted at the Hunter while we crawled out of our tents.

My apologies. An urgent situation made itself known, and I had to resolve it, not without some effort.

“What was it? I mean, the issue.”

Plants and vegetation were being uprooted in an area near us. I had to go there urgently, to prevent as much damage as possible.

“Why didn’t you tell us though?”

I left in haste. The humans were tearing up large swathes of vegetation from the ground, and using it for medicine and food, from what I heard. I had to intervene once they took too much. Again, apologies.

“Wait, large swathes of vegetation? Are we in Nature’s land?”

Indeed we are. The mist separating them was the mist you two walked through without any sort of defense. For a prepared creature like me it only posed a minor nuisance.

“Was that a subtle insult there?”

Yes. Do something about it, then.

Willow laughed. “Hunter got you there.”

“By the way, Hunter, why is the mist there?”

The Hunter lets out a deep, rumbling sigh, its claws flexing slightly at its sides.

The mist you passed through is a veil of sorts - a boundary that separates the two tribes. On this side, the land is lush and beautiful. On the ferrous tribe’s side there are significantly less resources, but they manage to survive.

“Is it dangerous here in Nature’s place? Will the plants here attack us?”

The Hunter's massive jaws part in what seems almost like a smile, a rumble resonating deep within its chest.

For now, know that you are under my protection. The land will not harm you, as long as you respect it. Unless they see you as food.

Willow and I exchanged nervous glances, the gravity of our situation slowly dawning on us. But in the shadow of the towering Hunter, there is a sense of security and safety. As the Hunter's words sink in, Willow and I both find ourselves transfixed by the lush, vibrant landscape that surrounds us. The verdant foliage seems to pulse with an almost tangible energy, and the air is rich with the sweet scents of exotic blooms and earthy undertones, different from the ashen soil in my home. This felt... refreshing in a way.

Willow slowly turns in a circle, her gaze drinking in every detail. “This place...it's incredible. I've never seen anything like it before." She pauses, a look of awe spreading across her face, as a stag with blooming antlers leapt past us. "And those creatures - are they...”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The Hunter rumbles in affirmation, its massive head dipping in a slight nod.

Indeed, child. The beings that inhabit this realm are far more than simple animals. They are hybrids, creatures born of the union between the natural world and the ancient, primal forces that govern it.

It waved a claw. Do not think of hunting. From what I understand, killing these creatures yield no worthy food and the result is... nasty, to say the least.

I paused in my steps. From what it understood? Were there things that were beyond the mighty grasp of even the Hunter itself? Before I could think more, Willow had already started running towards the stag.

Careful!

At the Hunter’s voice, Willow froze. The stag bounded away.

The denizens of this realm are attuned to the delicate balance that sustains it. They will not harm you, unless you threaten them. Some do not take kindly to sudden actions. Others are willing to acquaint themselves with you upon first sight.

A creature leapt off a tree, and I took a step back, unsure how to address this situation. Willow giggles as a playful, vaguely feline creature with vibrant, lush fur sidles up to her, its large, luminous eyes regarding her curiously. It nudged Luna with its nose, and Luna nudged back. “Well, this one certainly seems friendly enough.”

“Back to hunting though, what should we eat if there’s no meat here?”

Flesh animals dwell here, though more elusive than usual.

I bit back a laugh as Willow groaned. “You just had to call them that. Now I have no appetite!”

As I mentioned, the land itself provides nourishment in the form of fruits, roots and grains. You need only forage with care and reverence. The Hunter turns its great head, gesturing towards a nearby grove of trees laden with colorful, fragrant orbs. Those hanging fruits are a rich source of sustenance. Gather them, but do not take more than you need.

Willow ran over to those trees and immediately got attacked by a flock of colorful birds that glowed in the sunlight. I stifled a chuckle. A growl from Hunter, and the iridescent birds fled. She cautiously collected some fruits and hurriedly came back. She bit into one and made a face.

“Ugh, it’s so bland. I thought you said they were good!” I snatched a few from her arms and tossed two to Riley and Luna.

I said a rich source of sustenance, not a rich flavor. Foods that provide the most sustenance do not always appeal to taste.

“They taste fine. There’s a sweet tinge if you chew long enough,” I proclaimed after eating.

As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the lush landscape, an unmistakable shift in the air takes hold. The chirping of the avian-like creatures fades, replaced by an eerie silence that seems to hush the very breath of the forest. The feline followed us for a bit, but retreated once the sun’s rays began to die.

The Hunter pauses, its massive head turning as it scans the gathering gloom.

Night approaches. We shall find shelter

Willow moved closer to me, her eyes wide. “What happens when night falls, Hunter?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. Her chewing (on one of the fruits she called bland) paused.

The massive creature lets out a low grunt.

Predators arrive. They kill and consume other creatures.

A chill runs down my spine at the Hunter's words, and I find myself instinctively reaching for my Shurkien.

The Hunter nods, its massive form already turning and pressing forward at a brisk pace.

Here. There is a cave in front

Willow and I hurry to keep up, our footsteps quickening as the last vestiges of daylight fade. The forest around us seems to come alive with unseen movements, the shadows shifting and dancing in a way that sets my nerves on edge.

“Hey, who’s that?” A shout pierced the silence. I froze, and Willow tenses behind me.

“They are not part of Nature. Kill them.” Three men appeared from behind some trees, brandishing spears. I looked around for Hunter, but it was nowhere to be seen.

Fear not. They do not see me. They pose no threat.

Hunter worried me. Even through the mental projection, he sounded menacing, unlike the benign creature I knew.

One of the men reaches for his bow. He whipped out an arrow, nocked it, and let it fly. I crashed to the ground, trying to dodge, but the arrow thunked into something midair, and fell to the ground.

The men look at each other, confused. Before they could rush at us again, Hunter appears in front of them.

It grabbed two of them by their heads, smashing them together. I winced. A crunching crack tore across the forest. The bodies of the two men, now headless, fell to the ground, gore flying everywhere and being absorbed by the ground wherever it hit. Hunter punched the corpses as they fell. Their abdomens disintegrated into specks of flying flesh, and blood spurted from everywhere.

Hunter swung his arm in an arc, smashing into the third man. The ground shook as the mighty fist impacted it, the third man no more, reduced to a splattering mess of red. Ghostly white showed in various places, jutting out at various places. Fury gleamed in Hunter’s eyes, and he pounded the ground with both fists, roaring. The pile of deep crimson splashed all around, and my heart skipped a beat as what seemed like a limb flew out, hit a tree, and cracked. Something popped, and blood sprayed out, not unlike the way Willow’s necklace spewed out water and snow.

Fissures in the ground began to spread out next to their bodies, and matted clothing was everywhere. Blood speckled the dirt, their bones ground to dust by Hunter. Masses of bloody viscera were splayed around the area, some still pulsing and writhing. My heart felt like it was climbing up my throat. They didn’t even have the chance to make a sound, a noise of fear or protest, before they were ruthlessly pounded into mangled corpses.

A hacking sound started next to me. Willow threw up. I patted her on the back. Riley and Luna whined.

“Don’t choke,” I rasped out. “Hunter, why?” I muttered. “This is so...”

Apologies. I felt it necessary to remove their existence, lest your travelling be known to other tribes.

I paused. Hunter was right; we didn’t want other people to know that. Willow looked up.

“I’ve never seen such violence before, people... slaughtered so brutally. They never even had a chance to fight back or something...” She threw up again, hacking up some pink and brown mess from what was probably fruit and some meat.

Again, I apologize. I felt it necessary to kill them. In addition, I recognized one of them.

“Who did you recognize?” I choked out.

The last man I killed. He is the progeny of a former leader of the arbor tribe, a man that almost killed me.