Repurposed

"Adventures"

As the days went by, houses began taking shape around the encampments. No one bothered us for the most part, so we were content to stay near the tree, watching them work. Some of the children came to visit us, bringing with them toys and games to play. Dream was ecstatic when they included him, and I smiled fondly as he tried his best to play their games. I wasn't too worried about his making friends with these kids; they weren't a danger to him, nor he to them. 

But, my unexplained memories of the past, or future for all I knew, urged me to keep my distance from everyone. This became especially important one day when Dream headed out for food.

"I'll be right back, brother!" he cheered, heading in the direction of the tree we'd found earlier that spring.

"Ok, be safe!" I called after him. He waved to me, and I sat down beside the tree. 'Now to wait for something to happen.' 

I shook my head at the thoughts swirling around in my mind. What could I possibly be expecting to happen? I've warned them not to bother the tree. They would listen, at least for a time, wouldn't they?

I was wrong. Two humans approached the tree, their emotions telling me they were up to no good. I stood up and glared at them, and the one with light brown hair smirked.

"Look what we have here, Tristan," he said, shooting a malicious look at his companion. Tristan smirked back at him. "A skeleton monster, all alone."

I scoffed at him. "Just because I'm alone doesn't mean I'm defenseless. You should leave before I make you."

"Ooooh," he mocked. "Tough guy, huh? What's the deal with these apples? Gonna just let them rot when they could be eaten?"

I crossed my arms. "Eating them is forbidden. You wouldn't survive eating one, especially not with your attitude." I smirked, and he scowled.

"Oh yeah? Where's your proof?"

I stayed silent at that. He had a point. I didn't exactly have any proof of this claim, except that Mother told us. She was not available to back up my claim, so I couldn't try to argue with him. It would be pointless, regardless.

"That's what I thought," he said, starting toward the tree. I quickly stood in his way and pushed him, but he pushed right back. He pushed me to the ground, and began punching me. I blocked the hits and kicked him off, swiftly getting to my feet. We stood breathlessly, staring one another down.

"What are you doing just standing there?!" he yelled at his companion. "Help me out, here!"

"I don't recommend that," I tried to reason with him. "I could seriously hurt you both."

Tristan seemed to hesitate, but joined his companion. Together, they ganged up on me, punching and kicking me to the ground again. I tried to block most of the hits, shielding my face from them as best I could. I heard the human chuckle, and suddenly a wave of panic hit me. It wasn't my own, and I looked up. The human was reaching for a golden apple, and the panic grew worse. I summoned a knife and swiped it at his leg, earning a cry of pain from him. He staggered away, cursing. I swiped my knife at Tristan, who also backed off in fear. I stood before the tree, catching my breath. The panic I was feeling was getting worse by the second, and I looked in the direction it was coming from. 

'Dream!' I realized. He must be in trouble. I couldn't leave the tree, though; the instant I did, the idiot in front of me will try to take the apples. Thinking quickly, I shot spears at them, making them run off. I sprinted toward the panic, repeating to myself that they wouldn't come back in the short time I'm gone.

'Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap,' I thought, running through the woods. 'Where could he be?!'

I stopped short when I heard snorting. It sounded like an animal, so I crouched low. I made my way to where it was coming from, and my eyesockets widened. Dream lay unconscious with one of those oxen standing near him. The thing was huge, horns like pikes, hooves looking sharp enough to pierce metal, and electricity bouncing off it like it was a lightning rod. I kept quiet, sneaking around it so I was closer to Dream. I looked him over briefly, noting with concern that there were rips and tears in his shirt, along with gashes in his arms. The ox must've gotten angry and tried to run him through with its horns.