Shifters

Hidden Dangers

Josh stared at the artificial sky from an open window as dust billowed upward out of the massive ravine, blanketing the surrounding low-lying lands. It had been five days since Joana departed for her mission. In that time he sat staring at the monotonous patterns formed by the infinitely emerging dust clouds. Herman, who had been rather accommodating of his presence, ventured into the ravine after receiving a troubling report the day before. Seeing as he was left alone for the first time since his arrival, Josh seized the opportunity to explore his surroundings. 

Although he wasn't confined to the house, he'd felt Herman's eyes constantly surveying his every movement. With him temporarily out of the way, Josh exited the house, immediately making a beeline to its rear. Since he'd arrived, a faint sound resembling that of flowing water could be heard in the dead silence of night. At one point, he'd asked Herman if he knew where the sound came from, however, not only did he not know, but also claimed that he'd never heard anything of the sort in the four years he'd been there. At first, he'd dismissed it as his imagination, however, as the sounds continued to persist, Josh decided to perform an extensive search. After exploring the inner sections of the house, he'd found no traces of its origin. Seeing as though he'd never been to the rear of the abode, it had made the top of his list of prime suspects. As he neared his destination, he happened upon a massive boulder blocking his path. Searching for a way around, he neared the massive stony monstrosity to begin his investigation. To his surprise, subtle sounds of flowing water became audible, seemingly from within the boulder. Perplexed by the new development, he inched closer, placing an ear to the cold, rocky surface. On doing so,  his entire body effortlessly fazed through, transporting him to a small dark room. At the very, center was a small, grassy knoll, with water streaming down its sides. Dumbstruck by his discovery, Josh stared all around the room, curiosity at its peak. At the base of the mound, were several swords burrowed deeply into the hardened soil below. Various miniature structures dotted the earthen floor surrounded by equally small forests. 

"What is this place?" he wondered aloud carefully stepping over the tiny creations. 

Exploring the miniscule terrain, a faint light atop the mound caught his attention. Josh looked up in surprise as he was certain there'd been no such thing before. Crossing over to the grass covered area, he carefully made his way to the top. All the way through his cautious ascent, he somehow managed to slip three times, nearly resulting in a nasty tumble. On reaching his destination, he spotted a small puddle which proved to be the source of the never-ending streams. At the puddle's center stood a small crystalline figure clutching a slender wooden staff. A beautiful, azure jewel was delicately embedded at the tip of the staff, emitting the faint light he'd spotted earlier. Near the base of the statue, was a stone plate with a few characters engraved on it's side. Josh got down on his hands and knees at the water's edge as he tried to decipher the carvings. 

Just as he got close enough to see the letters clearly, his hands slipped into the puddle, splashing excess water down the mound's sides. As he lamented the muddying of his clothes, he returned his attention to the crystal statue. To his surprise, the well carved figure now stared directly at him. Startled be the sudden change, Josh fell backward, only a couple inches away from rolling all the way to the bottom.  Eyes still trained on the statue, an earthy smell dominated the entire room as the light emanating from the jewel suddenly shone brightly, illuminating the once dark room. 

Unsure of what was happening, Josh scrambled back the way he came, soiled clothing clinging to his skin. Arriving at the stony wall, he placed a hand on its cold surface expecting to exit the way he'd entered. To his dismay, the walls were as solid as they appeared to be. As he continued to feel the walls for an exit, a wave of mist, swirled around the mound, slowly shaping into a smoky, humanoid figure from the feet upward. Josh searched even more frantically as the figure became more pronounced. Although, he had no way to guess the smoky figure's intentions, he felt certain it wouldn't take kindly to his intrusion. 

Just as the entity's formation was about to near completion, Josh pleaded as he felt along the cold walls, "Please open!"

Just as he thought he was about to be caught, Josh felt a familiar vibration on his left hand. Suddenly, just as he'd done before, Josh slipped through the wall, returning a few feet away from the massive boulder. Fearing that the smoky entity would give chase, he scampered to the front of the house, entered and shut the door, not daring to rest until he was safe inside his room. Josh waited with bated breath, back held firmly against the door, expecting the unknown figure to appear at any moment. However, after a few minutes of suspense, no such happenings occurred. Walking over to his window, he surveyed the area only to see the unchanged view he'd grown accustomed to over the past five days. 

Flopping to the ground, he breathed a sigh of relief at his narrow escape, "That's enough exploring for today."

Stretching out onto his back, he extended his left palm to the ceiling, studying the ring. Here he was looking for ways to alleviate his boredom when the biggest mystery was draped around his finger. 

"What exactly are you?" he asked. 

Receiving no response, he continued to stare at the ring through half closed eyes as the sudden exertion caught up with him. 

'Just another mystery for me to solve,' he thought as he drifted into unconsciousness.