Kara

Chapter 3

There was that rhythmic knocking of wooden gears in my head, bouncing and resonating off the sealed walls of the tower. It never stopped, it went on like a heartbeat, and mine raced at the thought of launching myself across that river. I looked down from the railing at the ripping current. It clawed against the turning wheel, thrashing against the sides and roaring with splashes against its paddles. I could only guess how deep it was, and I wasn't a strong swimmer. My blood was rushing to my ears, and that warmth propagated through my head. I tried to steady my breathing, keep that energy, that rush focused on the horizon. With a light bounce, some quick stretches, and a boom I took off toward the railing. I stamped down on the wooden railing and sprung off the top with a thunk. The explosive force of my leg shot me into the air. The crisp air flailed the loose fabric of my poncho like a cape, and I saw even further into the distance than I ever did before. The lights stretched further, the glowing tops of trees seemed to merge with the deep black and blue of the night as one. The light from the moon glimmered off the sloshing waves of the river, I almost didn't notice that I was falling toward it. I was falling.
I couldn't stop, and the water was there below, ready to tear me apart. My spear was the only hope I had as I stabbed it into the side of the wheel. The momentum of the fall kept me swinging, and the sudden stop sent a flare of pain through my arms. I was hanging from the top of the wheel's side, but that was slowly rotating down into the water. I pulled myself up and pushed down on my spear to stand on the thin platform that it was. The metal spark shard as the tip pierced the wood with ease, but its jagged edges gave it a sturdy hold. Getting down on all fours, I moved back until my feet were against the wall, and I scrunched up against it. My feet flat against the surface, and my body perfectly horizontal, I sprung off the side gripping my spear. I flew across the river, crashing to the ground just over the bank.
I couldn't help but laugh in triumph and relief. My legs were shaking and I just stared in awe at my spear and then the river. The rapid chirping of crickets felt like the whole forest was laughing with me. I turned back and, trying to collect myself, studied my path ahead. The shimmer was just a straight shot from what it looked like on top of the tower, but I had never been through this area before. The glowing tendrils on the trees pulsed like they were breathing. They coiled around branches and trailed along the floor, I could even see some just barely underground. The tiered branches of these trees stretched up into the sky, grasping at the stars, and in their old arms, I saw birds that stared down at me with bright, shining blue eyes. They followed me, those uncountable eyes like they were one massive animal and the trees were their bodies. This whole world across the river was blue, even some of the stones emanate this same eerie light. I trailed my spear behind me, marking the path I had taken so I wouldn't get lost. The tip of my spear rustled the fallen leaves, but occasionally I heard some noises that weren't of my making. A small four-legged creature, with a body dark as a shadow, and a bushy tail with long streaks of light in its fur dashed between my feet and scurried up a tree. It sliced open a tendril and drank the fluids that poured out before disappearing into the canopy.
As I walked, the trees would become more scarce. What was once a world of bright blue slowly changed into a world of shadow, and the metal spark trees began to welcome me to their domain. The course black sand they grew in sparked as I dragged my spear through it. Those bright orange twinkles against the void of fine powder sporadically reminded me I was all alone out here. The mangled twists of black metal, that could only be described as imitations of trees, hung their branches over me. The glow of the blue tendrils was only a faint ember underneath the sand. I cautiously watched the quiet horizon. Carefully scanning from left to right, and listening, cutting out the crunch of my sandals in the sand. In the distance, I saw one creature that wasn't moving. It was straight ahead, and the moonlight gleamed off the top of its head. I held my spear close, guarding my body, and slowly approached, not making any sudden movements.
As I got closer, I could see the creature was slouched over in some way, and it was almost man-shaped. Its back held a ring behind the head, and the ring had four points jutting out like the directions on a compass. It was either asleep or dead since there was no reaction to me tossing sand near it. This gave me more comfort in approaching, and I saw that its skin was made of metal. How? Its arms were thin as if it were just a skeleton, and the joints were so clearly defined. I poked it with my spear, and there was no reaction. I touched it. It was cold and smooth, and its resemblance to a human in shape was frightening. It had no mouth–  or any distinct facial feature for that matter, and a wide shiny chest made of a curved material I couldn't describe. On it, a pattern flashed. A bar, with a small red line at the end, and underneath it there a was a blue teardrop-shaped symbol. As the pattern flashed, the red line would fill up the bar, then deplete back down to the end. It needed something to drink. I looked up at the blue tendrils of the forest. I just need a way of gathering Mother's blood.  "Garo." I thought. "I can get a jar from him, I just need to cut open the tendrils." I began following the line I drew back to the riverbank, only to realize I couldn't jump back across from there.