Rusted Forest ~ A dream SMP + Empires SMP au

Chapter 3.

NOTES: heyy been a while (5 months?!) i hope you stick around to see this and enjoy anyway! drink water and stay safe, byeeee!

- tea 

chapter 3

I would say it's almost calming to watch the forest and trees pass by as we walk. Shrub riding on the large wolf mane, relaxing. This is the first time I've ever seen her so peaceful... her eyes shuddered closed and the beast's slow pace seemingly put her to sleep. The noises of the forest lull as we keep walking, I begin to concern where we may be going as the forest has gotten denser as we move forward. I tap the shrub's shoulder and whisper "where are we going?" shrub groggy mumbled some nonsense and shut her eyes once more. I tap her shoulder more tensely this time "shrub. where are we going." she begins to open her eyes and stare up at me like a deer. frightened by the closeness she fell off the white mane of her animal onto the mulch like ground. "oh! hi wilbur...um— how— mother wolf how much longer?" she said hastily, rubbing the dirt off her clothes. The wolf made a sigh and paced over to the shirt girl liking the dirt off her face. "Mother wolf," she giggled out, petting the beautiful white coat of the animal. Still with a giggle in her throat she said, "an hour or two more walk to the nearest village."

"How is it possible to walk an hour or two more to a village if we're still in a dark, dense, and quite frankly eerie forest?"

"That's what mother wolf says and I trust mother wolf's opinion much more than yours... quite frankly." muttering the last part to herself. I pinch my nose bridge as I think of a way to respond especially with this girl's erratic behavior. "um. okay... mother wolf," getting closer to the creature's face, "is there anywhere closer we can get to?"

"she isn't gonna talk to you," shrub says tauntingly. "and why won't she answer me?" I retorted. "First, you're not part of her pact... bonus, why do you think you mortals can just 'speak to animals?" I would hate to admit she did bring up a fair point... "okay shrub... may you ask if there are any more towns or places to stay till nightfall?"

"okay!" she begins to mumble something in the wolf's ear and soft words. The black nose of the wolf points to a new direction. Mother wolf's paws move in a new direction, her head moving for us to follow.

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The dirt slowly turns to mud and my shoes slowly get more grimy as the wolf leads us into the swamp. Shrub, shoeless, climbed on to the wolf's back as we went deeper into the new terrain. Shrub looked around eerily as she had never seen the swamp look so dark and the water run so cold. Her hand dips into the water and the feeling of something being wrong over swept her body. "wilbur... what has been going on since I was asleep?" the girl now asked meekly. Her new soft tone shocked me... i know she cried before but this felt deeper. "um... how do I go over hundreds of years of history?"

"Just shut it, never mind." she quickly returned. "no no no. lemme tell you. I really want to tell you." I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts. "All I know is some fables and dumb legends that were shared to me as a boy... but they also talk greatly of the past. Much has been lost to time but the most remarkable one of a lost civilization. Advanced technology and people leaving harmony as each kingdom ruled. Many people believe that's where we all came from... leaving that place to find anew. But one story always stuck out... of how it was founded. quite an inspiration to myself i'd say." I nudge the shorter girl's arm. "but the story went— a group of miscellaneous travelers ventured far from their home as their world was crumbling. They helped each other create a new place, a place far from their past mistakes. They built their home off freedom and kinsmenship, a democracy of sorts." I said sort of dreamily, like remembering a past that wasn't his. "I wanted that. I wanted to build that legend of the past—" I said angrily, grabbing the hem of his jacket, fluffed out my coat. "but as they were once before it crumbled... fell into loss like all great things. corrupt." Shrub's eyes nervously darted around, as if I were a crazy man... which I sort of was.

"shrub, do you think your past actions reflect who you are now?"

"question for question i guess?" she shrugged, staring ahead at the trees and darkness. "um... I would say it depends, if you've shown growth... show who you are now to the people you love hopefully they'll forgive you. At least I hope they would." She had a small grin meeting her lips as she looked at me. All I could think is how annoyingly nice she was being... Maybe she felt pity or felt like she owed me something. I hope not but we pressed on.

Mother wolf abruptly stopped as she told the shrub to get off. The wolf heads forward behind some greenery taking a few moments to come back. She tells us to come. a small house sat in the mangroves and trees. A small witch's hut.