The woods

III

Tommy's POV

I find myself running into a person. How strange to see another, it has been so long. He is a taller brunette with pointy ears and electric blue markings along his face.

I shake my head. I mustn't study this figure any longer if I want to live. I don't want to leave him here either. It would be so pleasant to have company and I don't even care if this man might be a maniac, with his goofy grin plastered across his face. Not to mention I see now that he only has only has dark green pants on.

I quickly get up and grab the man by the arm and try to pull him up. He stands up himself with my attempts halfway successful, we run.

—

I don't know how long we have been running before the stranger begins to speak.

"What are you doing here?" The stranger asks. I ponder this question quickly, I would think the man would ask what we are running from. Not what I am doing here.

"Lost." I pant. I hear the stranger laugh giddily. Maybe I shouldn't have brought him along, he most obviously seems insane.

We continue running for another long amount of time with silence. We both come to a stop and bend over, panting heavily. I try to recover myself quickly before looking around but alas I cannot catch my breath that easily. So ,panting, I look around the wooded area quickly. I see no sign of the creature I have been running from.

The stranger and I take a moment of rest. Neither of us looking or conversing with the other. I desperately wanted to talk and make this situation more natural but I had no idea what to say. Years in the woods and not talking to anyone but yourself changes the way you talk to strangers. Suddenly I hear rustling of leaves and sticks and out from behind a tree I see the creature.

The creeper streaks and chirps and the stranger gasps. I look quickly to him, forgetting my company for a second. He looks at me and grabs my arm and pulls me to a tree.

"Climb." He commands while rushing to the nearest one. I climb quickly feeling rather dumb not thinking of this before. I reach a high branch and see the stranger slightly below me on the other tree. I pull myself up on the branch and sit down rather closely to the trunk so I may have a supportive beam if it falls. Below I see the creeper screeching and coming in between the stranger's tree and mine. It flashes between its natural skin tone and white. The flashes quickens, soon followed by a loud bang. A hot wind filled with sparks soon attack me, forcing me to wrap my wings around my body.

They were sore from the lack of use and ached when I moved them, but it was better for the tough skinned wings to receive the sparks then I.

Soon their was silence and I returned my wings to fold behind my back and looked to the tree where the stranger no longer sat. I look the ground desperate to find my company. I see him on the ground laughing at the sight of the burning hole marked in the ground from the explosion. I wonder what goes through the mind of this stranger. Whatever it was, it was not normal.

I hop down, opening my wings to give them a stretch. Though it did not help much with my rough landing. Once I reach the ground the stranger looks up at me and smiles. Then his smiles erases without a trace and I continue to stare at his features.

We sit staring at each other in confusion, studying the other. Then I decide to make conversation, now I have a question to ask him.

"What is your name?" I ask him rather quickly, not knowing how to make my voice sound.

"Wilbur." He responds. I stare at him straight faced. Was I supposed to talk now? This was much more complicated then it needed be but I believe he wanted company as much as I did.

"My name is Tommy." I say incase I was suppose to talk at that moment. Wilbur rises from his spot on the ground and I can't help but feel intimidated with him rising a head above me.

"How old are you?" He asks me. This was one of the things I know. When you are in the woods for so long you remember the countdowns. You hang on to what you do know instead of stress about the things you don't.

"17." I answer. He looks at me for a while longer.

"25." He tells me before walking on, and I follow.