The Journal: The First Edition

Prologue

The second I opened my eyes, they burned. My senses took so long to properly open up around me, and my blurred vision didn't help me understand where I was. I felt stiff, like I had been sleeping for hundreds of years. I lifted a clawed hand before my face, staring down at it. My skin had been dyed with ash, making it appear almost jet black. I could recognize the smell of smoke from anywhere, but I don't remember why. I feel crystalline tears pool at the corners of my eyes, and melt as they roll down my cheeks. I blink, and suddenly the tears stop.

My vision finally begins to clear, no longer blinded by my surroundings. I don't know where I am, truth be told, but I do know it's a small space. The only light in the room comes in the form of a lantern shoved in the corner. I breathe in the air, and it is unfamiliar to me. I can only identify its source as one of many plants crammed into the room. The small space quickly begins to make me uncomfortable, and the air is suffocating. I move my hands, shoving off the item that had been draped over my body, which I can only now identify as a blanket. I get to my hooves, but they are unsteady.

I stumble, forcing all of my hands against the wall in order to hold myself up. It was as though I had never walked in my entire life. I had completely forgotten how to do anything, and it was more obvious now that my balance was not quite what it used to be. Even as I begin to teach myself how to walk again, my mind is racing. I'm trying to force myself to remember everything, no matter if I'm pushing it too early or not. My head aches, but I care not. I just want to leave this place so I can collect myself. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be easy.

Reason being, the second I find the staircase, my hooves slide from underneath me and I fall to the very bottom. I hit my head on the ground when I land, and though the fall wasn't terribly long, it still made my body ache, and I made enough noise to alert whoever was in the area. My dizziness came quickly, and I felt my head spin. I heard the footsteps as someone approached, and lifted me up. However, my vision blurred once more, and before I knew it I went limp. I'm not sure what happened after that point, but when I woke up again, I was inside a different room.

I pulled my head from the ground, my gray surroundings faintly illuminated by the lights in the corners. Once again, I was completely lost. There was a door in one of the corners of the room, and after hearing voices, I became intrigued. I forced myself to my hooves, once more resting my hands against the wall as I approached the door. I was slow, but eventually I reached the door. I leaned an ear against the door, trying to hear the voices on the other side. At that moment, I didn't understand a single word being said. They spoke a language unfamiliar to me. In the future, I aimed to understand what they were saying. I didn't know how long it would take, but I was willing to try anything.

I panicked when I heard the voices approach the door. I stumbled back, and ended up falling. I was too afraid to try and figure out how to stand again, so I dragged myself across the floor to the corner. When I finally curled up with my knees against my chest, my lower hands holding my knees and my higher hands clasped in front of my chest, the door opened. I could feel my eyes change shape, snake like slits glaring into the eyes of the man who entered my room. He didn't look anything like me, and the only thing that registered to me then was that he was an enemy. He approached me, and right away I knew I had to defend myself.

I shielded my body with my hands, the lower pair of which raised with pointed claws ready to do whatever damage they needed. The hiss that I let escape me hurt my voice to produce, almost strong enough to tear at my mouth. I refused to let this enemy hear what this display had done to my voice.

He didn't seem afraid of me. He flinched hearing the hiss and seeing me raise my arms, but his expression was stoic. He said something, but just like the people through the door, I didn't understand a single word he said. He seemed to understand too. I felt my brows press closer together when he spoke, but the confusion must've showed itself in my eyes. He said not another word. Instead, he took a few steps back, and sat on his knees on the ground. His thin tail curled up on the ground next to him, and he rested his paws on his thighs. He looked at me, briefly tapping a paw on the ground before him. I was able to understand that motion, that he wanted me to approach.