Avatar: Rebirth

Chapter 7: Breaking Through the Forest

In life threatening situations, some people are able to escape the fear before them by fainting. Fainting can be a defense mechanism, loosening muscles during an impact or taking away the stress and fear of being awake.

Sadly, I'm not one of those people.

I was wide awake as the spirits closed in on me from all sides. I could smell the breath of the one in front of me, it's stench like rotting flesh. It made me want to puke.

But I held myself together, fear, vomit, and all. I always told myself that I wanted to die with my sanity. Although nothing of my current situation felt all that sane. From the dreamless nights to the strange visions, from the quest for the ring to the spirits steadily closing in, nothing about my time in the spirit wilds was sane.

So I wasn't all too surprised when, out of nowhere, a voice called out to me.

Close your eyes.

Is this another Avatar?

A strangled cry escaped my lips.

Looking shakily to my right, a spirit's mouth was closed around my arm. The other spirits pounced.

I shut my eyes as fast as I could, just as another spirit leaped for my head.

Upon closing them, I felt a strange warmth all around me. Through the cracks of my eyelids, I could see a soft white light. Where is that light coming from?

That light wasn't the only thing that sparked my curiosity. All around me I could hear the painful screeches of spirits, and the sound of their running feet echoed throughout the cave. I really wanted to open my eyes and see what was going on! But I didn't, mostly because I knew how much my eyes, after getting used to the dark, would burn with even just the smallest amount of light.

Eventually, the noise from the spirits faded away completely. I opened my eyes and they were gone, save the bunny and the now half feline half human looking spirit laying on the ground. It covered its eyes, muttering something about the light.

"How did this happen?" I asked aloud. But the voice I heard coming out of my mouth wasn't mine.

It was the voice of a scared little girl far, far away from home. I realized then just how tired I was from all the running and spirits. What happened to those tranquil days I spent flying through the air on Yi? Or those days I spent camping under the stars with Wan---

Wan.

Where was he? And why didn't he stop that dark spirit from grabbing me? Ugh, he's going to get it when I see him again! That jerk! A sigh escaped my trembling lips. Who am I kidding? I really miss having a companian around. Next time I see him, I'll give that jerk a hug, for sure.

If I do see him again.

The half feline spirit from before was now up and walking, coming toward me with an apologetic look on his face. "Um, about that bite on your arm, I'm sorry, miss." I didn't respond to him though. Just sat there, staring glassy eyed into the darkness around me. But he continued talking. "I know you must be angry, but I wasn't myself. Anyway, I'll try my best to make up for it! If you come with me, I can help you heal those wounds." He reached a hand out to me. I glanced at the hand and the face of the spirit it belonged to before slowly loosing consciousness.

"Must be the spider venom," I muttered before everything went black.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Open your eyes.

I opened them groggily, having been rudely awakened by that strange voice. Looking around, I saw a lake near the tree I was sleeping under, but there was no source of the voice from before. "Maybe I'm going crazy now," I said to myself as I got up to stretch.