a dream within a dream?

All this seems like a dream

The woods are much larger than what it looked like from the outside. The trees and plants mashed together into one big green blob.

Taehyung had no idea where he was or how long he's been walking, The only thing he was sure of was that his feet hurt. He was beginning to regret chasing the stray.

It's been a while since he saw Nabi, He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he followed the cat but he thought at least it would stay with him.

He tried to turn around and go straight back the way he came but everything looked the same to him. Just endless green and trees.

He was scared, not sure what to do, so he kept walking calling out the cat's name hoping it'll pop its head out somewhere.

      "Nabi!" He yelled into the trees "Come back! I don't know where I am right now..." He was pleading with the cat, he didn't know what else he could do.

He called out again but only the rustling of leaves answered him. If he was lucky the school bell would go off soon and he can make his way toward the sound.

       Meow

       "Nabi!" He yelled out again but he couldn't pinpoint where the meow had come from "Where are you?"

It was at that moment he noticed something he hadn't before, a small path appeared in the trees. It led to a rather large clearing, and there relaxing in the shade of a single tree he saw Nabi.

The clearing was like nothing he had seen before; tall grass and wildflowers had taken over most of it, different hues mixed up like they had been painted with oil. An ocean of wildflowers cascaded down the small hills in waves of color, and the leaves and petals danced in the gentle breeze.

From where he stood it seemed lively, butterflies fluttered about, and chubby bumblebees floated amongst the flowers.

The energy in this place was completely different than the drowning tension he had gotten used to back at school. Here no one can see him, or judge him. Here he could breathe.

For a while he had stood at the entrance of the clearing, taking in the view. Nabi's red eyes blinked slowly at him from under the tree, its head tilted to the side curious to see what he would do next.

Taehyung felt no reason to rush, he can take as much time as he needed. He didn't have to pretend.

Nabi meowed, licking at one of their paws.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there taking in the scene, Maybe he had fallen asleep somewhere and was dreaming.

It was like an ethereal filter had fallen over his eyes, this place couldn't be real.

He recognized this pull in his chest, the way his stomach fluttered, and the tingles in his fingers. It felt like one of his episodes, but he wasn't scared.

To his surprise, he found the energy comforting.

Without looking down he toed off his shoes. Not even for a second was he able to take his gaze away from the sight before him. He didn't want the hard soles of his shoes to disrupt the growing plants and flowers. Something in his heart told him it was the right thing to do.

The clearing felt sacred... alive, and he didn't want to disrespect it in any way.

The truth was Taehyung preferred to be barefoot if he could. As a kid, he'd always liked to walk in the grass with his shoes off. Wearing shoes could be overwhelming something about the way they squeeze his feet, it was even worse if he could feel the seams of his socks.