Walking through the multitude of trees, I noticed dozens of berries and fruits. The brilliant colors of red, blue, purple, and orange gave life to the green forest as berries dangled from the trees and bushes.
Taking a break, I collected some nearby fruit. Sitting down, I bit into a mango. The savory juices of the golden fruit dripped onto the ground as they gushed over my face.
I could still hear the birds chirping and the rattling of bushes as small animals hopped from bush-to-bush. Flying in from a series of maneuvers around a nearby tree, a small monkey ran up my arm and onto my shoulder. The critter looked at me before tackling the mango out of my hand and falling onto the ground.
"Seriously?" I sighed out loud. Annoyed, I shrugged and picked out another mango. Stank-eyeing the monkey, I made sure it was occupied with the stolen mango.
"You better not steal this one," I said. My eyes were locked onto him, as I peeled the fruit with my teeth before biting into it.
Staring at me, the curious creature slowly approached me. The gleam in his dark eyes made him appear cute and innocent despite his threatful nature to my food.
Showing no hostility or eagerness to steal the new mango, he laid down beside me. Feeling my hand gently run over the top of his head, he looked up at me.
"Well... I guess there's nothing wrong with being hungry."
I offered the remaining portion of the fruit to him. As he ate from my hand, I looked further north to see how closer the river was. It was closer now; I could hear the stream running in the distance.
"Only a little further," I said to myself after standing up. Cuffing my hands around my eyes, I peered off into the relative distance. Beyond what was visible near the river, there appeared to be a massive hill looming behind the vast blockade of trees, and beyond that hill lurked a new beginning.
I don't know what led me to this outcome, but whatever it was... I won't let it happen again. I clutched my heart with one hand, and balled my other fist. I won't focus too much on the past, but I'll make it my life mission to find out what happened that day.
Feeling the touch of the monkey, I snapped back into reality. A slight smirk crossed my face. "Oh great," I said sarcastically. "You feed a monkey once and they suddenly want to be friends for life." I laughed.
Cutting my laughter short, my mouth gaped open as webbed wings fell from under the monkey's arms. Rubbing my chin, I thought to myself. I guess I didn't notice it earlier.
Launching from my shoulder, his wings spread out from under his arms as he glided forward.
"What should I name you?" I thought out loud as I threw a blueberry into my mouth.
Springing another blueberry into the air, the monkey turned around and snatched it before it could hit my mouth.
"Okay, I guess you're still hungry."
We had traveled a good while and nearly reached the river by the time I had thought of some names. "Perhaps, I'll name you Hungry," I spoke.
"Or maybe Mango," I countered myself.
"Berry?" I questioned.
"I mean Mango is a cool name..."
"How about--"
The monkey dove into the river. Peeking his head back up, he looked at me curiously with his ears perking up.
"Hydro?" I thought.
Seeing his ears drop, I changed my mind. "Yeah... probably not."
I looked at the weary-growing sky. In the distance, the moon became visible as the sky shed its light colors into a darker shade.
"How about Crescent Pridelyn?" I thought. "Or... Cres for short?"
Flying out from under the water, he landed on my shoulder and rubbed his face against mine.
"Cres, it is."
I walked closer to the river and stood over the water. My reflection looked back at me; my clothes were ragged from head-to-toe, my dark hair dropped to my nose in an unkempt manner, and my body was slightly scratched and bruised up.
It had been a while since I had seen my reflection. I stooped down and cupped my hands together to collect water from the stream.
"One day..." I said before slurping the water down and repeating the motion a few times before splashing my face with more water.
"Whatever it takes," I finished. My eyes veered up to see the hill closer than ever. The hill was green and peaceful. It marked a distinct boundary in the open area compared to the forest with its vast trees and vegetation.
With Cres looking ahead with me, I pointed.
"There marks a new beginning," I said.
I could feel it.