I look at the small stuffed Rabbit, blinking slowly and shaking slightly. My eyes shut tightly and burn a little bit, but I can't focus on that right now, so it gets stuffed into my bag. I was invited to this new world, Hermitcraft, and any moment people should be popping through this obsidian portal in front of me. These people had been through this before, they knew all of this, but I have no idea what the point of this place could be. The first few people walked through and they seemed a bit out of it. Xisuma, a shape-shifter who wore admin stripes, explained that nobody could remember the bad things from each season (recreation of the world) so they came out of the portal disoriented.
"Woah! Who is this nerd?" A man with a thick German accent points a thumb in my direction and suddenly my heart started to beat faster. His skin is green, another non-human one, but one of his eyes shines red and robotic. Interesting, this must be Doc, who of course isn't actually a doctor.
Xisuma, who took the form of a anthropomorphic turtle at the beginning of this world, stepped forward and addressed the group. "Hermits, this is Grian, an angel from another world. Be nice to him, but make sure to treat him the same as everyone else. Now, be off!" He then started to punch a tree.
I had punched down a tree and made a small boat to find the place I had wanted to start up my camp. It was under water. I always felt so safe in the cold embrace of the water, the way it made the feathers on my wings just shudder was so calming. But I make a base under water and need to dry the Rabbit plush. There is an overwhelming urge to name him Sam, so I listen.
In the small dry section of the shipwreck I had found, Sam was sat on top of a chest, staring into his eyes. Unblinking, staring into the deepest parts of my soul, watching my every action. This little rabbit was nothing but a gift from the people of Evo, but just staring into the little, black, button eyes, I felt a small part of my heart sink down into my stomach.
Just sleep it off, I told myself, pulling a wool blanket over my torso and then over my head.
After a week in this world, I started making a glass bottle around my ship and started to stray a bit form always sleeping in the dry ship's cabin. Eventually, my move was being made in a much more extravagant way, making a dramatic and massive circle just above the water. The whole time this circle was being made, voices played in the wind. The familiar American accent. Mocking my every move. Mocking where I come from. Mocking my name. I knew who the voice was, but for the life of me, I couldn't connect the dots.
Sleep was a feat that was all but impossible for me lately. I would lay down and see dark hands grab onto my limbs. My legs would be held down, dragging me off of the bed only for my eyes to open and nothing to be there. Just a bad dream, I nod at the thought and would curl up again, holding Sam to my chest. How did the little plush rabbit come here? I could have sworn I left him on the chest in the boat. Whatever it was, I was enjoying having Sam with me again.
The next morning, my sheets were kicked off the bed leaving only the scratchy mattress under me. Stretching my sore wings out was pretty hard to do, but once they extended all the way it got easier. The rabbit was gone and a frown spread on my lips, but it also felt better than having him staring down my back. I pulled out the communicator that Xisuma had given me to find missed messages and people wondering if I had just gone missing as I hadn't made an appearance in a while. I could spot a figure flying over head, checking to make sure I was still alive, and then confirming with the group that I was fine.
I worked well into the night on the base, watching it form into a fancy looking flower pot with white and grey coloring. People would try to message the group system, but I didn't respond and eventually took to leaving it away as the other night owls, and the werewolf who was cashing in on the full moon, chatted away into the night.
The messaging died down about the time the sky started to turn orange, but then the early birds, Xisuma, TFC, Iskall, False, Sam, and others I didn't remember, started to wake up and fill the air with sound from their working. It was too late to go to bed now, so I couldn't curl up into the bed now. I hummed a little tune, not sure where it came from but gentle words spilled out of my lips. "Pickles.. Pickles on the sea floor.." I was swimming in the oxygen rich water under the flower pot, thanks to some help from the dark structure next to the bottled ship that housed Sam, and planting the small glowing pants on the ground. Light filled the sea and I just smiled a little bit because of it.
After humming the tune a little bit more, I went back up to the surface. Sitting on my bed was Sam. For some reason, the rabbit turned my mood sour, but I had to get closer. "Hello, Sam, why aren't you down in the ship?" I asked him, as if he could respond. The idea of him responding wouldn't be too out there, would it? Weirder things have happened in this world.
Eventually, when my body felt tired enough to try to sleep, I laid down next to Sam, looking at his small, black eyes and then closing mine. I wasn't sure when last I had rested in this bed. I knew that at night I had to hide under the water and work on things from the under side of the base or carry my sharp axe to ward off the countless Phantoms trying to attack me. But night time takes up half of all time, how can I sit idly and waste valuable time? I closed my eyes, wrapping one of my wings around me and covering my face from the sunlight which was directly over head.
But instead of having dreamless sleep for a few meaningless hours and then waking up to the stars, I get nothing. In place of sleepy visions depicting my friends and former family, I see a man with brown hair and evil eyes. He just stared at me, watching every movement I made with an expression that could sour milk.
"Greeeeon," a voice said forcing me to slam up in the bed.
"Hello?" I ask, looking around but am greeted only with the rising sun. I slept from about noon to dawn of the next day? Pretty impressive if not for the person I couldn't recognize. And what on earth was that way of saying my name?
Nothing was there. Not even Sam
