not me- short story.

3 // tsunami.

"so you found how to talk to us animals?"

"i don't- i don't know how i did but I guess.."

"its very rare to see a human, specifically a homo sapiens, talk to us."

"all i've been doing is going into the woods for a very long time.."

the fox quieted, licking his chops and settling down to sit. i noticed now why he had been so cautious with humans- a scar marked his underbelly. he seemed unnerved by it, but it was enough to feel as if the human race wasn't very forgiving, nor very generous. "that's enough to set off the language in your brain. long ago, humans knew our language but as time passed and the woods and animals were hunted for sport, we couldn't teach it." he paused.

"oh." that's all I could manage to let out. i felt like a ship, no, the titanic, and we all know how that ends. the ship broke in half, both ends tumbling and leaving barely any survivors.

"also- you can come out, daffodil." the fox said, grinning. "i'm not gonna eat you no more, i'm not very hungry anyways." the squirrel sighed, scampering out from behind me. "my name's rowtag. most of us have odd names to you, but it means fire. we're named by our lord's wife, leotie, and our forest is ruled by our lord, achachak."

"well, i'm christopher. i was named by my dad, my mom died in childbirth. my dad's name is charlie, and he lives with me in the wood cabin at the end of these woods." i replied, trying to sound a little friendly. "he and i don't go well together, he hunts animals and i don't, i love them very much. that's why i'm in the woods a lot, i want to escape the atmosphere of it all."

small grins lit up the squirrel and fox's face, as they listened intently. they must've been glad by those words, probably the fact i mentioned animals in that way.

"welcome to the forest, bud." daffodil then said, scooting onto my shoe. at that moment i was happy, but not for long. the moment may have been lit brightly, but the far future was drawing nearer.

humanity wasn't a blessing. living as a selfish being wasn't even half a blessing. the future would only be scattered without beauty, the life i will live will only draw closer and closer to a nightmare.