The Willowbed

A World Unlike Any Other

I was trapped in this condensed void. It felt as though I was being crushed in an airtight box, but at the same time, like I was floating through a celestial emptiness. It felt surreal and strangely tangible, yet it also felt like an outlandish  fever dream. 

Then, the sky gradually came into view. There laid dapples of bright, white clouds hanging high above as the wind built up underneath me. This force.. I saw the clouds grow further from me. I was falling. I was falling at an incredibly fast pace, crashing. But, I was facing the sky, I couldn't see the ground below me, if there were ground to fall on. 

I started to yowl with apprehension and terror as a spark of fiery fear twinkled in my wide eyes. Speechless, I silenced, astonished by everything that'd happened. I couldn't comprehend the situation I was in. I was drowning, I was in a void, and now, I'm falling, like a bird that'd been shot mid-flight. 

It was then that I realized that I have been falling for a minute now. This is too high.. where did I even fall from?! Mind racing again, My pupils hesitantly darted from side to side as I wiggled, trying to fight the gravitational force bringing me down. I couldn't move too much in the air, though. 

A wave of force and shock sent my body in a thunder as I slammed against the soft, grass terrain. Breathing hard, I laid still, coughing and choking from the shock my lungs had received from the fall impact. I hastily scrambled to lift my head, and peered around, puzzled to discover that I could feel little pain from the fall, as if I had landed on a large, soft net, catching me. But, it was grass and dirt. I could feel the gentle breeze cause the tiny sprouts and plants to billow in sync with the wind. 

It were as if it was some enchanted dreamland. In the distance, I saw great, godly bridges of vines stretching afar, connecting a massive structure together. Squinting to make out the structures through the mountain fog and clouds, I realized that they were 'islands', but with no water surrounding them. They were hovering, floating high overhead, in the distance. It was an extraordinary sight to behold, taking my breath away. "What.. this isn't a dream.. I.. I can't think.. why.." Utterly speechless, I staggered to my paws to completely look around. Turning behind me, I saw a gargantuan waterfall atop a mountain island in the distance, partially faded by the noon fog. There was no smoke or pollution. It looked purely magical, no urban machinery or ugly apartments.. just natural land. 

I started to hear a faint voice in the distance. it was high in pitch, sounding as if it came from a little girl. "Who's there?" I bellowed, gingerly. A short girl came into view, with kindling supplies and brambles in her hand. "Hey! You, there! Hiiii!" She yelled toward me as she bounded over to me. Stunned, I stood there, frozen. She had long, white locks of scruffy hair and wore a dirty, light pink sweater and shorts. She had an unnaturally long bit of hair sticking upward, like a cockatiel. "H-Hello?" I rasped, mustering the courage to speak out to her. "Hey! What's your name? I know you may be very confused right now.. I'll explain everything soon." She said, smiling warmly as she finally got close to me. 

"Palette.. my name is Palette."

She nodded, "Cool name! You can call me Akuno. My full name is Akuno Uchida." Akuno said, bowing with welcome. There was a bright, ecstatic gleam in her gaze. She had different-colored eyes, with pink accents on the tips of her hair. Her hair, in which, stretched to her ankles. She looked to be half-Japanese. "You're here.. because you gained access to a special portal, open  to certain people, and you are one of them. Welcome, to Ki No Tochi. Would you like to follow me? I have a house just up there.. I can get you patched up! You may not experience too much pain right now, and that's because of the natural remedies in the oxygen that relieves pain, but your pain will come back momentarily. Plus, you look very sick.." Akuno said with a smile, reaching out to put her hand on my chest. "You're riddled with scars.. I'm sorry for whatever happened to you." She broke her smile for a little bit, before smiling again, closing her eyes. "How 'bout it?"

"Sure.." I said, reluctantly has my ears flattened with caution. I mean.. she doesn't seem so bad.. but I still don't trust her.. I don't trust any human, for that matter. I guess I should follow her, though. I sought, looking up before following her as she led me back up a hill.