Who knew the silence of a quiet forest could be so loud? Aside from the occasional shuffling in the bushes and the crunch of dry leaves under his boots, the forest showed no sign of chaos; There was only an eerie sense of peace which should've been unsettling but Roth remained undeterred in his steps.
During the first few minutes, Roth didn't see much signs of wild life apart from the few insects loitering around the tree barks. As he ventured deeper, he came across many foreign species of herbs, which were considered rare. Moving forward, the forest revealed more of its hidden parts to Roth which allowed him to see and hear more things, each one a bit harder to explain.
The slow change of temperature and humidity became more apparent along with the familiar scent of muddy ground fading out from his nostrils. At first he didn't even notice the sound of some forest ambience like the coos of unknown birds, the clucking of some mysterious creatures and his first introduction to the local wild life was a Horned Hair hopping across the path in front of him. After the first sighting he kept coming across more docile animals casually moving around, they seem not the slightest bit shocked nor frightened by Roth's presence.
Roth wondered when he would start feeling that ominous feeling that he had heard about. He kept checking himself for any sign of involuntary shivering but there was none and his mind was also collected, not showing any signs of distress. The experience would be best classified as peculiar, or at best weird, but not the bone chilling horror he had been warned so much about.
However, this didn't make him lose heart, instead it urged him to fully uncover the mystery of the forest and confront the 'Beast', if there was one to begin with; Deep down, he weirdly hoped that the beast actually existed despite the horrible fate which would welcome him if that was the case. The sky had welcomed the reddish-navy shade as evening had approached and the sun was sinking beneath the horizon; Soon it will be nightfall and the young adventurer would be alone in the forest known for consuming monsters and warriors alike.
He kept trudging his way through the uneven terrain as he came across many more trees and plants, some of which he had never seen before; He didn't know where his end goal was, he just knew he had to keep walking as if a fantasy check point would appear if he just persevered. As he crawled up a hilly part of the trail a sudden howl pierced his ears and he knew what that howl signified.
"Dogs?...Wolves?..."
Roth murmured to himself as he realized that maybe the forest wasn't home to only docile herbivores. He was slightly alarmed but the sudden danger to his journey made him feel the rush of a challenge stirred with a boost of adrenaline. He clawed his way through the hilly path as he encouraged himself to get to the heart of the forest.
The plain evened out as he reached the top of the hill and exhaustion caused Roth to pause a bit to catch his breath, whilst admiring the lengthy journey he had endured for the past few hours. His spirit was ready to run the entire reminder of his personal quest but his body wasn't a willing participant, his legs indeed did start to wobble at some point but not due to fear but rather due to the overwhelming fatigue which had began to drag him down.
Despite all of the things signing to retreat or laying low, Roth still decided to cover a bit more distance before even thinking of setting up camp. The trail, possibly made by adventurers who ventured a long time ago was already faded but Roth had finished even that diminished path, a few minutes ago, and now he must tread on uncharted grassy area to continue. As Roth stepped into the wild-nature dominated jungles, he said his version of a familiar saying he had picked up from a certain carefree mentor who had sent him down his current way of life.
"Well...Fate...I hope you guide me to the destination where my destiny gives me an interesting memory to remember."
Not having a visible or set path is a challenge added to his tally of troubles, one which he has no choice but to welcome. He knows his legs aren't as invincible as his spirit but he decides to hum his familiar melody to guide his body and soul a bit further. Most would curse their decisions or their body which couldn't comply with their ambitions but not so much for Roth, who opted for a smile as he acknowledges his foolish spirit but doesn't resent it. This 'foolish spirit' is the one which leads Roth to most of his epic ventures but also bringing along a heap load of trouble,' Maybe its a way for his so called 'Fate' to balance his chaotic lifestyle.
Roth finally caves in as his tastes the metallic tang of blood in his breathe, a tell tale sign of over exertion one which he has learned from experience to not over look. He sees a tree which stuck out as it was enormous compared to the surroundings ones, which themselves weren't small by any means. He stumbles to the base of the tree and hunches his back against a comfortable spot, thinking to himself:
"Good enough spot to crash for a night."
The unfamiliar environment should've be a major deterrent in catching some shut eye but the overwhelming fatigue was a good aid to balance that out as he slowly starts to feel drowsy. Just as he sets off to the realm of dreams, a low whimpering sound caught his attention and forced him to awake. Roth groans as he sluggishly sits up and rubs his eyes as he looks around for the source of the sound.
Just a few feet away, in a rustling bush, a low sound of a distressed whimper floated out to Roth's ear. He stumbles up and trudges to the spot, ignoring his numb legs as he recognizes the need of assistance disguised in those feral groans. As he uncovers the bushes, he spots is a wolf cub with snow-white fur along with a bruised lower half, making the reasons for the whimpers all the more clear. He whispers to the cub with a warm and caring tone:
"Hey little one...where did ya get that nasty injury ?"
In response, the cub flinches and growls, even attempting to bite but his resistance is quickly put down by the condition of his own body. Roth knows that leaving the cub alone, would be the wise and safe choice...but would that choice lead to a memory he could look back on...proudly? Safety of his body doesn't come close to out weighing the peculiar principals of the adventurer with a 'foolish spirit'.