Chapter 4: ARC 1-The Enchanted Forest-Part 4

I fainted. I’m not ashamed. Anyone would be shocked to discover that suddenly they are no longer human. It was a perfectly natural response to becoming star-studded ooze.

To my credit, I couldn’t have blacked out for that long. After all, everything looks the same when I open my eyes. Including myself. I am still a blob.

Now that the original shock is over, I feel numb. I’m not human anymore. I don’t think that has dawned on me yet. Somewhere down the road, I’m going to scream my head off but at the moment, I’m not thinking about it. Probably because I have bigger problems.

One, I’m still lost in a mysterious forest with no idea how to get home. Two, the wolves are still at the base of the tree. A few are lying down and others pace through the area but two are staring up at my branch intently, waiting for me to make a move. Seriously, why are you all so persistent? Just go home already.

But my other problem might be the most serious of them all.

I’m starting to feel hungry.

-

This isn’t good. Apparently, hunger is different when you’re…whatever I am. It doesn’t feel like a simple pinch. I don’t know how long it has been since I last ate but this hurts. It’s not a constant feeling. Every couple of minutes, I feel a moment of intense pain deep in my center. Some instinct I’m not aware of is telling me that I need to eat but that raises some problems of its own.

I don’t have a mouth. I checked. My entire surface is smooth. I have no idea how I can see or hear anything but that’s not important. I need to figure out how to eat. I’m dying. Seriously dying.

Stupid wolves.  Because of you, I can’t get down from here to search for food. Clever dogs. You can’t catch me so you’re going to starve me to death. Did you know this would happen? Do you know what I am? I wish I could talk to you so I could get some answers. Then again, I doubt you would be very friendly.

First I was stabbed, then I was chased by wild animals, and now I’m starving to death. Am I cursed? Do I have the mark of death? The magic community as a whole doesn’t think some spells or affinities can affect luck but that is the only explanation for this. No one just has this much bad luck in a day naturally.

Another pang hits me and I curl into a ball. This is getting really painful. I can’t. If it weren’t so bad, I would linger but I can’t endure this pain. I have to find something to eat. Even if it means taking my chances against the pack. My new body seems pretty strong and flexible. I’ve never been in a life or death fight before, but maybe desperation will get me through. Either way, I’m dead so I might as well fight.

I remember thinking that fighting for your life is unseemly. That’s only when you have no chance of winning. I have a chance, no matter how small it is. So, I’ll fight. Here we go. It’s do or die.

Before I move away from my tree, one of the wolves yelps in pain and falls onto its side. Gripping my branch with an tentacle, I carefully lean over the side. My vision must have improved because even several feet away, I can see the arrow sticking out of it, down to the bright feathers used as fletching.

The other wolves quickly rally but whoever the archer is, they are good. And fast. Before the lounging wolves get to their feet, arrows go through their eyes, killing them instantly. The next one to go is the other one keeping a watchful eye on me. Three arrows hit it at once; one in the neck, one through the leg, the other through the chest. It doesn’t even have time to yelp as it hits the ground.

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Seeing the decimation of the pack, the ones lingering within the trees quickly turn tail and run. I would cheer if I had a mouth. The best I manage is an excited wiggle. I imagine it would look a bit strange if anyone sees me, a blob of ooze bobbing back and forth.

After the departure of the wolves, the archer steps into view. A cloak made out of one of the wolves’ pelts makes them nearly indistinguishable from the grass as they approached low to the ground. I don’t notice them at all until they are halfway to my tree. Wah. That’s dangerous. That kind of stealth combined with their range. This is a seriously dangerous hunter.

The archer moves to each of the wolves body, confirming death and collecting their arrows. When they finish, they tilt their head upwards. I scoot closer to the trunk of the tree, flattening my body against it. While I’m glad the wolves are dead, I don’t know whether this archer is friendly and unlike the beasts, those arrows can hit me.

“It’s okay,” a soft voice says. “You must be scared. These spiteful creatures are the worst, hunting the forest’s weakest animals for sport and game.”

Ah, so that’s what it was? They thought I was the easiest meal around. I’m offended but what can I say? I am a small fry.

The archer has a very friendly voice. I want to trust them. It should be okay. Ooo! Maybe they even have something for me to eat!

That thought settles it. Wrapping a tentacle on my branch, I lengthen it and slowly lower myself to the ground.

The archer is troubled by my appearance. I know this because they hastily back up a step when I reach the ground and retract my tentacle. I can’t be very threatening. I mean, I only come up to this person’s waist. Still, it has to be unusual seeing an ooze like me.

After we stare at each other for a few moments, the archer rallies and reclaims that step they took backward, kneeling in front of me. They pull back their hood, exposing their face.

If I had a jaw, it would be dropped in shock. That pale skin tinged with a hint of green that darkens around the edges of their face. The silver hair. The sharp ears that jut out through the locks.

Why? This is an elf. A hundred percent elf. The world is inhabited by several different races but they all live separately, claiming separate continents for themselves. The human continent is the westernmost in the world. Elves are our neighbors but they’re far to the south. The only way to reach them is-

Oh. Oh, no. Ah, crap. I remember the colorful trees. Why didn’t I put it together immediately? I’ve seen them before, in a book in my father’s study. This is the Enchanted Forest, the strip of land that connects the human and elven continents.

Wow, I am so far from home.

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