The Familiar

Part 4: The Nightmare

Aster's vision was fading to black when a welcoming sight caught the corner of his eye. A bloodied Shaman. He twirled his staff around, shouting, "Koo!" Right as his staff was coming around for the Naga's spine, the Shaman's arms glowed a faint yellow.

The purple mist disappeared, and Aster suddenly found himself able to breath, as though he was never choking. He got to his feet as the Shaman smashed the focus of his staff into the Naga's skull, caving it in.

"So much for being the tough fellow who kills the juju," Aster joked, trying to lighten the mood, even if only by a little.

Oogah, this only tip of tiny sycamore branches. Long way to roots. Come, Oogah. Still must find Tiki.

The Shaman began to walk away from the village, back towards the ruins of Seren's cottage. Now that whatever sinister mind control that held away over him was gone, he shifted back to his base form, trotting along beside the Shaman.

As they walked along the familiar dirt path, Aster couldn't stop turning over what just happened in his head. It was true, he'd gone to the White Casilicus flower more than once. Many times he would spend hours sitting before it, fuming. He wanted to annihilate those Humans. But he couldn't. He knew Seren would frown upon even thinking about it.

But that vision, or whatever it was, made him see himself in a whole new light. He was going to do it. If that Naga would've kept his mouth shut at the end, he would've poured that poison down the well. If they were actually real, he would've killed them all. Every man, woman, and child.

A void was settling in his chest. A painful void. Aster couldn't believe he held such a disregard of Human life, even if it's in the name of vengeance. It disturbed him on such a deep level, he couldn't fully recognize himself anymore.

At the ruins of Seren's cottage, there was a font of light. What's that? Aster asked the Shaman.

Path to Tiki, the Shaman replied, before walking right into the font of light and then disappeared. Aster followed behind him, finding himself in a desert. Beyond even the Wildlands, there was a great desert. Endless. Nobody knew where it even ended. That must've been where they were.

A set of small footprints led away from them, over a hill. Despite the immense heat, Aster stayed in his base form. It was easier to traverse the hills with four legs than two.

As soon as they rose over one particularly tall dune, an eye catching flourish of green caught Aster's eye in this distance. It was an oasis.

Tiki say she from great sand plains. She not say why she left. Perhaps we close to see why.

The pair slid down the dune, and came upon the oasis. Up close, it was even more breath taking. Emerald ferns brushed against Aster's fur, and blossoms of every color of the rainbow spotted the ground. Eventually, they came to a pair of trolls. Their skin was a deep brown color like Tiki's which was a stark contrast to the pea green skin of the forest trolls. They paid no heed to their presence. They looked completely zoned out.

Aster waved a paw in front of their faces, only to receive no response.

No bother. Beings of Juju land pay no heed to us here. Only Tiki.

Aster thought that was strange, but no more so than the entire situation they found themselves in. What would this place be really called anyways? A dreamland? A different dimension like the Magic Planes?

The pair kept going, finding themselves in a Troll village. They spotted a familiar little Troll prancing about. Tiki. Her flaming pink hair was so obvious compared to the other villagers.