2 Chapter One || Descendance

The feeling of warmth and light fluttering across the face, that was what she felt first. Then, as the rest of her senses yawned open, she perceived the mild breeze, the crisp of mountain air, the scent of woodland, and the warbles of something not quite like a bird.

Her eyes flickered open at the unfamiliarity of her surroundings. A grand forest with skyscraper trees towered before her. Looking downwards, she saw she was partially sprawled out in the tall grass as well as resting against a large buttress root.

Curious, she peered upwards and was astounded at the enormous height and girth of the prodigious tree she was sitting under. Resembling that of an oak, it was more immense than any other tree in sight. Its branches blocked out most of the sunlight. How the grass below could even grow to the length of her calves was beyond her.

With a faint smile, she closed her eyes, relishing the clear scent of the forest, the clement wafts that caressed her face, and the coziness of the thick, velvety grass.

'Is this a dream?' She wondered as her senses lulled into repose. 'Then it's a beautiful dream I don't ever want to wake up from.'

Nearby movement roused her from relaxation, and she opened her eyes. From the edge of the tree's radius where the undergrowth began, glinting eyes and barely perceptible forms emerged out of the shadows.

As they drew closer, the creatures' shapes were reminiscent of antelope. However, they were unearthly with their silver eyes, light taupe hides, and white streaks across the length of their sides.

'Beautiful', she thought, 'like the spirit deers in fantasy stories.'

Soon after the appearance of the deer, more strange and beguiling creatures emerged from behind the foliage. They were not like the animals she knew on Earth. These fantastical creatures before her flaunted vivid and unnatural colors. All of their auras seemed almost spectral, luminescent even in the day.

'Just where am I,' she wondered, awestruck.

Then it dawned on her, she was not on Earth, no longer breathing the same air as the people she knew, the animals or even plants she was familiar with. Glancing down at the grass, her hands snatched a clump of blades, her brain shockingly registered the familiar feel of grass, the crunch and juice that dribbled out and left a stain on her palms. It was so shockingly real.

In a dazed, mounting understanding of the world around her, she stood up. Right foot forward. Left foot forward. Right. Left. Walking. Running. Blindly she raced into the depths of the forest beyond the encirclement of grass. This couldn't be real, and yet, she could feel the air whisking about her face and the dappled light that sent flashes of warmth across her body.

The scent of the forest was intoxicating. It was purer than pure, fresher than fresh, lovelier than any air she had ever breathed. It was wilderness. An orchard. A field of flowers.

And the best part? There were no pesky, teeny bugs slapping her face.

Now don't get her wrong, she didn't hate insects or anything, only the annoying ones that bite people. Now butterflies, those she liked. Ladybugs and fireflies, dragonflies, they were cute in her eyes.

If there were truly no gnats or mosquitoes or ticks or god forbid, centipedes, in this place, then by golly this world was perfect.

But as she had no idea where she was going, her pace slowed, and she came to a leisurely plod.

She walked over to an especially large rock blanketed in moss and intermixed with baby flowers and silvery grasses. The way the sunlight hit this flora-veiled boulder was distinctly striking. It was as if the light danced above it.

Awed, she waved her hand airily in the frolicking light, watching it coruscate. Letting her hand fall, she touched the soft blossoms and ran her fingers through the satiny grass.

Instantly, the rock quivered, causing the girl to recoil backwards on her behind in surprise. The rock slowly emerged out of the soil and walked away, scattering downy white plant tufts in its wake.

The girl blinked. There in front of her, was a wolf. It was several times the size of ordinary wolves and had plants growing all over its silvery white fur.

The wolf gazed indolently from the corners of its emerald edged, golden eyes as it ambled its way into the forest depths out of sight.

Still in shock, she sat there at the exposed mat of flattened grass where the wolf had rested. While regaining her composure, a creature flitted near her right cheek. She whipped her head in the direction of the disturbance and came face to face with a dragonfly.

A real dragonfly.

This was no insect, but rather, it was a small, elongated dragon with iridescent scales of jade and shamrock green. Its triangular tail blades were flashing shades of blue outlined in rich periwinkle that matched the color of its wings. The belly and head were celadon, and the creature examined the girl with curious, ocean blue eyes.

"Aww," she squealed, stretching out her hand to the adorable creature.

The little dragon stared at her hand for a second before seeming to smile and plop itself merrily on her palm, evoking further soft squeals of adoration from the girl.

They gazed into each others eyes, the dragonfly tilting its head inquisitively at her. Their transient connection lasted a few moments before the creature fluttered away into the brush.

She missed the cute little dragon's presence as soon as it left. Brushing herself off as she got up, she turned around in one place and peered at her surroundings again. Every plant, flower, bush and tree were uniquely different yet reminiscent of plants on Earth, but they were definitely of another species. The species of this other world.

This had to be a dream, but the wolf's emergence should've at least startled her awake a little.

She frowned and tentatively pinched herself on the cheek. It sorta hurt. A flare of hope rose up in her center. She forcefully pinched herself again on the arm. A wince spasmed over her face. Too hard, that really did hurt.

'Shoot, this is real,' she registered. 'Daaamn,' she smiled, biting her bottom lip.

The rising anticipation and elation soon overwhelmed her as she spun on her heel and sprinted back toward the colossal, oak-like tree from earlier.

Arriving at the boundary of the encircled grass, she gazed admiringly at the splendor of the ancient tree at the center, the enormity of which made her feel both small and alive.

She breathed deeply, but not from exhaustion. Rather, she literally hadn't broken a sweat. She had never been able to run this far and fast in years.

Her body on Earth, albeit healthy, was still weaker than it should've been for a just turned twenty year old. She couldn't handle strenuous exertion since the strange illness that plagued her in the early teens and had since left her feeble like an old grandma.

While her body appeared to be the same, she felt inexhaustible as if she could run a week long marathon. She was exhilarated having discovered this newfound energy and stamina and tried to calm herself.

While walking toward the foot of the ancient tree, she detected rapid movement from behind. But when she turned her head, nothing stirred in the forest.

Then suddenly, from behind a rustle of foliage, a small fox-like creature manifested itself, sprinting past her towards the ancient tree.

'Aww, how cute,' she thought, looking at the mysterious and adorable animal with large eyes and ears, a small body, short legs, and fluffy twin tails. The animal's fur was the color of biscuit with a caramel streak running from its forehead and white-tipped tails and paws.

However, before she could question the peculiar look on its face, a gargantuan beast sprang out in pursuit from behind the brush, stopping all thought. It appeared to be a shadowy bear with shaggy fur that tapered into wisps, and large pointed ears. As it moved, the tips of its fur dispersed into the air, leaving a trail of smoky tendrils in its wake.

It tore after the fox-like creature, passing in front of the girl and paralyzing her in place as she gawked vacantly at the black tendrils left inches from her face.

The forest around was hushed, and she watched in horror as the beast chased after the fox.

Although the smaller animal moved relatively fast for its size, the larger monster outpaced the fox, nearly reaching it before they arrived near the base of the tree.

As soon as they reached the buttress roots, however, the smaller creature deftly evaded the bulkier monster by dipping in-between and under the roots.

Frustrated, the monster jumped backwards out of the roots, and the fox, seeing an escape, leapt out.

It scurried around the trunk, but the beast was ready, poised to rush at the exposed animal. Rearing up on its hind-legs, the monster lurched towards the fox with long, shadowy claws.

"NO!"

Startled by her own voice resounding in the quiet, she gasped, eyes widening as she saw the monster flinch and narrowly miss clipping the small animal.

The fox scampered away as the beast plummeted flat on its chin and belly. The monster laid still on the roots as the girl's thoughts went blank, and she held her breath in apprehension.

As if cut from a horror scene, the monster's head unnaturally whipped 180 degrees in her direction, and she felt her soul depart as the beast's glaring, red eyes bore into her.

Then it vaulted from the roots at its new target: her.