there is a twisted creature that lives just past the edge of the forest.
you've seen it yourself. even back when most other people didn't believe in the creature existing. you were all the way out in the woods to calm your head and nerves, overloaded from a busy day after a week of stress. all the way into the forest, deep enough that the tallest apartment blocks of the town outskirts were only barely visible through the growths. the noise of human living muted enough by distance to no longer break upon your senses, the flaring sun sheltered away by protective leaves.
you didn't realize it was there until you'd almost walked right past it. those black scales- or were they a complete shell? you couldn't tell- gleamed in the afternoon glow. six eyes were tiredly watching you, and if you didn't know any better you'd swear they sparkled with amusement at your surprised reaction to its presence. great claws stretched from a jumble of limbs, and a long tail tipped with ashen fur rested half wrapped around it. you were maybe ten meters away. you froze, not wanting to provoke it. or worse, scare it away.
that it eventually yawned, stood up, and then casually scrolled into the leaf-coated underbrush felt almost as incredible. alone again, you noticed how... you thought meeting something that could so easily tear you apart would leave you terrified. clenched up, body awakening all of its ability to take flight from the danger. but there you stood, relaxed as if you'd only had a chat with a random person on the street. more relaxed, even. the sensory overload that had driven you out here felt deflated, a pressure almost completely gone. you felt like you'd just felt what rest was for the first time in your life, and you knew that probably was the case.
several more people from town started talking about the creature. one runner who encountered it along one of the smaller forest paths, mentioning how it seemed to watch him from afar and growl when he tried to get closer. a woman who mentioned how one night her dog was barking at something outside, and when she went to check it out she saw the creature in the bushes just beyond her back yard, observing. watching.
the creature never attacked anyone. everyone started talking about what might happen when it did. always when, never if.
you wanted to see it again. not just in hopes of a break from the noise and stress of your life, that only felt heavier and less understandable now that you had had a taste of true peace. so one sunny late spring day, the smell of freshly blooming flowers echoing from pruned gardens and the calling forest pleasant in the warm air, you made a choice to go back there. to that clearing.
nerves filled every step as you walked into the forest. the path felt tighter, less walked through. it probably was, with how nervous everyone was about coming out here nowadays. there was an almost-familiar birdsong coming from nearby, but the thumping of your heart almost deafened it out. terrified thoughts of what could happen if the creature was there. a deeper terror at the thought of it not being there.
you reached that clearing. it was not there.
those last steps to the sunny spot went through a forest shaking. you found yourself on that same spot you had seen the creature those weeks ago, alone and destroyed inside. while your body focused on gulping down enough air, your thoughts surged and threatened to drown you. why was seeing it again so important? sure, you had felt rested for once after your encounter with it, but how did that have anything to do with this thing? it was a weird monster out in the forest, it had no reason to return here, you had gotten your hopes way too high and now look at how you were feeling. besides, how could you know that it wouldn't just attack you? what right did you have to encounter a wild animal, even one so strange, on demand like this? what did you even expect would happe-
the deluge of thoughts froze. the creature was in front of you, at a safe distance and approaching from right in front of you.
you blinked to clear your eyes of tears (when had you started crying?) and get a clearer look. its scales, for that is what they were, now that you could see them closer, reflected the sparse light in its gentle movements like the flickering of a distant galaxy across its body. those six eyes were gazing at you, but not as if it was about to pounce. if anything, the looseness in its body almost made you think of an old pet approaching you for social contact.
it sat down in the grasses and fresh growths, looking at you from maybe four meters away. a flicker of its tail hinted at more playfulness, but those eyes remained lit with compassion. it was a rare enough feeling that it brought on more tears, and a shake in your core. here you were, out in a forest far from home so close to something you couldn't know how dangerous it was, and all you could think of was that it was the first thing to show any level of care in so, so long. something deep within you cracked.
a soft cry of pain fills the air, then another. you can't tell where they're coming from, not with the waterfall coming from your eyes. your sitting position becomes a curl as your body shakes with more outcries of emotion. time loses its meaning as the sadness washes over you in that warm spring forest.
something leans against you, a gentle warmth despite the rough hardness of the contact. you glance up through your glistening eyes. the creature was lightly leaning against your body, as if to comfort you. you lean back against it. it started to- was that purring? the curiosity in you helped lighten out the fading despair, and slowly your tears stopped flowing.
"... what even are you," you muse out loud. the creature shifts slightly, moving its head and muzzle up to look back at you. there is still compassion in its gentle pose, but it is glittering with hints of mischief. "you're like nothing anyone's seen before. you watch people pass around here, and get angry if they get close. and now you're cuddling me to calm me down. what sort of creature are you even?"
a new sound. it could've been a harsh hiss, but between the way its eyes drooped ever so slightly and its continued relaxed position against you, you know its a laugh. somewhere in the depths of your brain, a connection is made. ".... do you understand me?"
the creature nodded.
the next however long passes in peace.
at least they do physically, you resting next to the creature as the warm air of oncoming summer washes over the two of you. your mind still racing, and the pangs of loneliness still tear at you in the form of sobs and a trickle of tears that only slows as minutes went by that you couldn’t count. the creature remained at your side patiently, especially once you start scratching those soft scales at the top of its skull and down its neck. yep, that was purring you had heard earlier. it certainly wasn’t quiet about how much it enjoyed the situation.
as you calm down proper, you start talking. about the forest around you, the life within and all the lovely experiences you’ve had there. one particular anecdote about a pigeon who just wouldn’t get a hint has both of you reduced to giggling- at least, you’re sure that’s what that gurgling hiss was equivalent to. at one point, halfway through another story, the creature raises one of its many paws to gesture for a pause. you wonder at the gesture, before it moves said paw to point at one of many treetops around the clearing. you look up, and almost exclaim at the squirrel lounging up there, staring at the two of you. another round of laughter.
at some point you start talking about things in town, but the creature ends that with a firm paw placed on your side and the slightest of growls. gentle enough to not be a threat, firm enough to stop that topic. you instead talk about one of the many streams further in that run to the major river nearby, and it immediately relaxes again.
you could stay there all day. when you notice the sun touching the top of the forest, you realize that you have. the jolt of awareness is noticed by the creature, and it looks up at you again with both a minor sadness and understanding in its eyes. it knows why you are getting up all of a sudden, why your face is once again deflating. it knows you’re heading back towards humanity.
“i’ll... i’ll be back again tomorrow,” you say. “be careful out here. i know you are, but especially if you’re gonna be out near town again. if people keep seeing you so close, you know they’re gonna overreact about it.” the creature nods. you’re not sure if it’s about the comment about people or an actual promise to be careful, but it’s something. it starts to trail off into the forest again, but an idea strikes you.
“wait!” you say, perhaps a bit too loudly. it gets the creature’s attention at least, all eyes back on you with curiosity. “i... honestly have no clue if you need anything, but is there anything you want me to bring you? any food or something?” you didn’t need the excited nodding to tell that those glowing eyes and whipping tail were an enthusiastic yes. “good, good... what do you actually eat? meat?” another enthusiastic nod. “could’ve guessed from the teeth. what about fruit?” a slight pause, but another nod. “okay. i’ll see what i can find. see you tomorrow.”
the creature chirped at you in return, and quickly vanished into the overgrowth. it felt like a close friend leaving.
over the next weeks, you keep on returning to your friend in the forest. at first with a bit of nervousness, the fear of the creature suddenly not being there present in your mind, but every day it is there, waiting for you. the moments when you finally get through the forest close enough to see it, when you notice a restrained excitement finally shining through its otherwise patient exterior at the sight of you, they imprint on you like you couldn’t expect.
the two of you build a nice routine. you show up, ask if it’s stayed out of trouble (usually answered by a quick nod on its part, although those days when its eyes shine with mischief and it waits just a moment too long before sarcastically nodding never bode well. those are usually the days when you hear some new story of the “scary monster” out in the forest, or at the edge of town.), and follow up with a bit of food. a little bit of fish or meat, and a small variety of fruit. after letting it monch on your gifts, almost always highly appreciated (finding out that the creature hated pears was a quick lesson for both of you), the two of you head off deeper into the forest.
there are many paths you’ve taken so far. you tend to stay closer to the main paths, especially where the growths are dense enough to almost swallow said paths beneath rich green and grasping branches and roots devouring the fresh ground in a fractal dance of uneven footing. none of those were issues for the creature, who often danced around you through even the densest of shrubbery. when the forest opens to old growths and wide space between trees, the forest floor coated in years of pine needles and the occasional small plants, you both head away from the main paths.
there are many awesome spots within your forest that you know of. after a few days with the creature, you soon know plenty more. shelters between fallen logs that even your lacking dexterity can get to, silent banks of streams and even that main river, hilltops that peek through the tree layer and show off just how far these woods go on and on and on. the two of you explore. the two of you talk. it might not have the verbal flexibility you have, but the two of you quickly start to figure out physical cues and sounds. it’s a different form of communication, less precise in its technicalities, but enough for both of you to understand each other. it works just as well as it needs to.
late spring turns to summer. the air gets warmer, the forest gets denser with life, and you find yourself spending as much time as possible out in the forest. even if you weren’t exactly the most social being in town beforehand, your constant coming and going gets noticed eventually. some people ask if you’re okay. you very much are, more than you’ve ever been before. most just marvel at you being brave enough to head out there when there’s a monster around. you shrug, and say honestly that you haven’t seen any sign of anything dangerous out there. sure, you did get an example of how effective your friend was at hunting one day when a squirrel got too curious for its own good, but at this point that happening to you felt impossible. especially when you’d suggested it mockingly to the creature, and it had taken one sniff of you before backing away in mock horror. that such a critter could evoke genuine horror in just about everyone in town seemed alien to you, but still they gasped at the idea of going to the forest and called you “brave” for risking your life out there. you tried to end most conversations quickly these days.
it takes several weeks before you decide to ask a question that’s been on your mind for far too long. it’s a particularly warm afternoon, and the two of you are relaxing at the riverbank. the hike there was another fun one, aside from that branch that got dangerously close to your eye at one point. you take a breath to stabilize your thoughts, and notice the creature shift beside you. it knows you well enough now to tell something is up. you know it well enough to tell that the shift means it knows.
“i... i don’t want this to be a problem between us. this is entirely my curiosity at something that i know is personal to you, and if you don’t want to answer me, it’s entirely your right to do so. i won’t blame you, not for this. you’re the best conversationalist for miles, after all.” that last comment got a slight snort out of your friend, and it looked at you with a slight angle to its head, eyes still a little reserved but curious. go ahead.
“the thing is... i started thinking shortly after we started meeting up out here. about how easy it is to talk to you. how familiar you seem about stuff with town and people, but yet how much you don’t want to talk about that stuff. aside from when i do my complaining about them. sorry again for that.” a quick paw at your shoulder showed friendly acceptance for that last comment. “so... once again, you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to. but... were you human once?”
the only noises were that of the river and the rustling of the forest. the creature’s eyes were closed, a form of deep thought unfamiliar on your friend, and you feared that you’d crossed a boundary too far. touched on something too personal. those same eyes slid open with careful movements.
it nodded slowly, then did an expression way too human for its usual tastes; it lifted its front paws up as far as they could go, paws up and out in a shrug, while it shook its head ever so slightly. when it returned to resting, you were still thinking. at least until you offered a hand to scratch its head. that was always a winner.
“hey, as i said. that’s not who you are now, you big stinky scaleball.” a hiss that couldn’t decide if it was angry or laughing stung out. the creature shifted slightly. just enough for you to have better access to some particularly good scratching points. “so, from that mixed response, i take it you meant some sort of technically? human body but not feeling it or something?” it nodded, eyes surprisingly glowing at you. open, vulnerable. “i get it. dunno if i’m feeling the same thing myself, but trying to act like just another person back out there... it sucks. always has, but since meeting you, things have been better. i’ve had someone to talk to about anything. so... thank you. for being the coolest creature this side of the forest.”
it nuzzles against you. you hug it back. the day is getting late, but you two still have a few minutes together.
especially with the hike back towards town. the first part up from the river goes as planned (the creature bounding ahead of you like usual, although not quite as far ahead as it once could. the constant forest trips have served your endurance well), and the two of you start on back through the forest when your friend freezes up.
you stop too, and are about to ask what is going on when you notice it growling. its body is pressing against the ground in an aggressive manner you’ve never seen before, claws and fangs bared for a fight.
that’s when you hear it. barking. a single source, but loud.
and clearer with every bark. it’s coming right towards you.
🌶️ haha guess who got reminded of this one and decided to finally do part 2? somehow the month of keeping this on the mental backburner didn't weaken the original idea for the story we had. a few minor changes, but very much hoping to do the next parts too soon. maybe we'll even write them when it's not 4 am! anyway, hope you enjoyed this little continuation of this creaturey story~
