Walking ― All I know is I must keep walking. I can't remember for how long, neither can I recall why exactly. All I know is that I must keep moving forward. Instinctively, I seek to escape somewhere far from this wretched forest. I must keep walking!
It's been three weeks since my journey began. I'm starting to feel like I'm losing my mind. My goal, my past, even my sense of self ― the forest is taking it all away from me. Even though I long to be free of its wretched grasp, deep down, I knew the forest was still hungry...desperate to tear me apart.
Soon after my departure, I found myself in the densest part of the forest, known as the "evergreen". Above me and well beneath the main canopy, was the sub-canopy. Sunlight seldom penetrated the thick, dark-green foliage, making day and night blend until indistinguishable.
Tall grass and vines posed a constant threat to my safety, sporadically consuming the forest floor and providing ample opportunities for critters and insects to disrupt my peace. The trees in this part of the forest grew unchecked. Towering like mountains, with trunks as thick as small houses, these ancient sentinels guarded the forest, deterring ordinary folk from venturing too far.
From the sub-canopy, the wails and cries of beasts radiated across the land. Some were familiar from my past, while others were strange and unknown― The forest teemed with exotic life. I pondered the vastness of the canopies above, imagining numerous layers stacked far into the endless sky, each teeming with creatures beyond my wildest imagination.
I often spent my days on the move, only settling down to avoid large beasts and severe conditions; rain, floods, and tempests ― Mother Nature had thrown almost everything my way. Considering how long I've journeyed through the forest, my survival feels like a miracle. During the floods, I feared running out of game to hunt as animals outpaced me northward. The floods made covering my usual distance impossible. Limited to however far I could swim fueled by the meagre rations gathered the night before. To stave off starvation I gorged myself on bitter fruits and berries until the water receded and freed me from this repulsive diet.
Eventually, the floods subsided, and I returned to my usual pace. Originally fearing starvation in the now muddied terrain, my worries eased as I miraculously found one or two unfortunate oku cowering in the thicket. Perhaps traumatized by some terrible beast pushed north by the floods, the oku rarely put up a fight. They only resigned themselves to death while shivering ferociously. Seeing this tempted me to follow suit. Perhaps I could escape this nightmare by forfeiting my own life to the forest.
Even when alone, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched—a looming presence seemed to flit across the landscape, trailing my every move. Is this paranoia, or is something truly stalking me? This sensation only worsened over the past few days, hinting at something strange on the horizon. Two days after this premonition first occurred, my mind weakened from intense anxiety, making it hard to focus on my fruitless journey. After a long day, I retreated to a hollowed tree for much-needed rest. But in the seclusion of the tree, my uneasiness only grew, making the night turbulent and restless.
Today marks four weeks that I have wandered the forest. Without much peace, and for all this time, I have roamed this wicked land. The trees are beginning to blend into a large brown mass and it is getting tougher to find my bearings. I can't even tell where I am going anymore. Losing all will to continue, I drop to the floor and crawl towards a small, moss-covered stump— completely defeated.
My breathing is slowly becoming erratic, and my eyes cloud as tears stream down my face. I lift my hands, clasping at my head and tugging at my dirty locs. With a shaky, sorrowful voice, I began to lament.
"I can't believe it has come to this. I was certain it would be a short journey, two or maybe even three weeks with steady pace, but here I am, four weeks in and I'm still fucking lost!"
Dark thoughts overran my mind, dragging me deeper into the abyss of my own despair. I let out a shallow sigh and began to cry.
"Is this how my journey ends? Driven mad and starved all alone by this wicked forest?" I yelled out in a fit of rage as my crying subsided.
Overrun by powerful emotions, I resigned myself to death and closed my eyes to slumber. As I awaited my end, I used the last of my strength to silence all the terrible thoughts in my mind. While doing so, an intense feeling suddenly took hold of me, shaking me to my core.
This feeling was oddly familiar yet draining, like my entire being was suppressed by a great pressure from the front. In a fit of panic, I turned away quickly, leaping to my feet and dashing into the bushes. Desperately seeking to escape the threat, I hid deeper in the forest. As I wore myself out sprinting, a grave realization dawned upon me: This sinking feeling… is death! Only then did I wake up from my madness, finally realizing the grave danger I was in.
My fogged mind cleared in an instant, and memories from the past resurfaced. How could I forget? How could I lose myself to the forest and lose sight of what brought me here? How could I forget the gunja, my best friend?
With renewed ambition to survive and carry on my friend's legacy, I ceased my fleeing. After a deep breath, I took aim and readied my bow to shoot down the elusive threat.
"I'll be damned if I let some mindless beast take me down", I called out, taunting my enemy.
For three long years, I lived in this forest. From the gunja, I learned to hunt and kill. By my own hands, I crafted weapons to slay my enemies. I was no longer weak!
Resolved to fight, I called out to my enemy, "Show yourself, Choolo! When I'm done with you, I'll feast on your flesh and use your bones to build my home!"
Although nothing but empty threats, I could not let myself be seen as weak by an unknown enemy. I needed to prove my strength and resolve to kill above all else.
As the threat approached, the bushes warped and waved. From the subtle changes in their shape, I could barely track its movements. Understanding how difficult it would be to fight in such a closed space, I abandoned my spot and bolted for a more defendable space. Leaping over thick roots and ducking under fallen logs, I raced through the rugged terrain to escape my pursuer.
As I ran, I occasionally glanced behind me. Although cautious not to reveal itself, my enemy did not slow down. Suddenly the terrain became more uneven, adapting to the situation, my enemy began leaping using the tree trunks as footing. While this creature displayed such grace, I could only clumsily avoid the many obstacle's of the forest.
The gunja was agile, but this… thing was on a different level. It only seemed to gain speed while I was slowing down. With every step, I lost more strength and coordination. It became increasingly likely that I would be caught. Around six minutes into the chase, I glanced back and realized something horrific: my enemy had somehow circled me and was now ahead, ready to take me down.
This creature had superior agility, incomprehensible speed, and now, intelligence? Without a doubt, things had taken a turn for the worst.