I was too eager to go into the forest. I was losing my senses. Mrs. Home said so too. "Souji! I've told you, you must wait until they are done eliminating the monsters!" I could tell Mrs. Home was worried, but I was frustrated.
"Well when will they be finished? I don't know how much longer I can wait! All I want is to run through those trees freely!" I was losing my patience.
It had been a week and the hunters still hadn't finished their work. "Souji, you must understand. This job is difficult and dangerous. It's not an easy task. You can't blame them for taking longer than expected." Mrs. Home said strictly. I wasn't listening though. I had formed a plan.
Later that night, I packed an get extra pair of clothes, some food, a bottle of water, and a small dagger. I crept quietly out of the house, to be met with a cooling night breeze. Making sure no one in the village had awoken, I sprinted towards the forest. I was going to give everything I had to run in the forest just this once. I couldn't wait anymore. I just had to do it.
As I reached the edge of the forest, I saw a path leading into the tall, dark, trees. I assumed it was the path that the hunters used to get to the hunting grounds.
As I walked along the path, I saw multiple berry bushes. I knew that a few women would go into the forest every Sunday and come out with baskets of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.
I picked a strawberry off of the bush, and popped it into my mouth. The strawberry's sweet juice flooded into my mouth. It was a great feeling.
Suddenly I heard rustling come from a nearby bush. Terrified that one of the monsters had found me, I pulled out the dagger.
"Who's there?"
"Please don't hurt Split! He don't mean any harm!"
I saw a boy. I think he's around the same age as me. He had little black horns, and his tail was as sharp as a knife. I could tell from where I was standing. That tail could kill me in an instant, but the boy couldn't. He was shaking and his eyes were squeezed shut. He was one of the those monsters, but why was he so scared of me?
"Who are you and why are you here?" I demanded.
"A-am S-s-split" the boy said.
He was weird looking. Did all monsters look like this? Apart from his horns and tail, his features looked dangerous, but I had a feeling that he was harmless. He had black hair, along with a few red spots on his face. He also had a strange piece of paper clipped in his hair. His name was Split right?
I had never seen a real monster before, but his skin was extremely pale, almost ghost-like. Even some parts of his hair were blond. His hair was messy, kind of like my hair when It I wake up in in the morning. His hair reached all the way to the middle of his neck. I could tell he was scared and all, but the way he looked at the ground was adorable. He was the cutest creature I'd ever seen!
As Split look up at me, I could tell that his sage green eyes were sad, tired, maybe even a little lonely. "Are you friendly?" Split asked. I nodded, then asked, "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with the other monsters or something?" Split hanged his head. I could tell something was wrong.
"Split's species was attacked. Only Split and a few others managed to escape. The hunters are hunting the others down now." He talked weird. Why did he talk in third person? I then realized what hunters he were talking about.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, "but if your species hadn't taken our people and killed them then maybe we would've have called the hunters to kill you species." Splits in eyes shot wide opened and he quickly dashed back into his previous hiding spot. I then realized what I had done. "Split, I'm sorry I didn't realize what I was saying! I didn't mean it. I'm sorry to assume that your species killed the missing villagers."
Split shook his head, "Split is sorry too. Split didn't want to kill them. Split tried to protest but Split's species didn't listen. If you want to take back your humans' bodies I know where they are and can take you there if you'd like." Split then looked down.
"Split doesn't think he'll survive for very long. The hunters will surely find Split soon..."
Split looked up at me,
"I'll take you to the humans now, or at least show you the way. It just be now or I might not get a chance to show you later."
I just nodded. As I followed Split, I could tell he was shaking with fear. I couldn't explain it but having him around was comforting. I couldn't let him go that easily. "Split," Split turned around slowly, "Y-yes?"
"Forget the bodies, go hid in your hiding spot earlier. Tomorrow I'll bring you food. Don't leave that place until I say so, understand?" Split nodded. I could tell he was too nervous to form words. Why was I even helping him? He was a monster.
No, he was my friend. My first friend. Split hadn't even gotten a say in this decision, but I decided to be selfish. Split was my friend, and I was going to save him.