Chapter 40: 41-First Steps

When the barrier parted ways for Rowan, he did not know what to expect of the world beyond the wall of thorns.

He knew that the barrier was set up by the Mother Tree for protection, but after staying in the same place for so long, it felt like a prison wall. Even if Rowan was free to move around as he wished, he still felt suffocated deep down. However, what was the point of complaining?

Rowan just focused on training himself in the end and pushed his feelings away.

He did not know what to expect as the walls parted ways. He had been unconscious when Almar had bought him here into the depths. From what Rowan recalled, Almar had stated that the dragon had burned down most of the village and parts of the surrounding forest.

Did that mean that the surrounding area was completely barren when he came out?

Did some of the trees survive the fire and would he see a typical forest? Or would there be some strange plant that would grab him when comes out?

Was there a monster lying in preparation to jump him?

Rowan had his bow out with an arrow in place, ready to shoot just in case. He was ready to face all of these possibilities.

What greeted his sight was a forest full of trees. No sign of damage or hidden enemies as Rowan took a tentative step forward.

The boy took a deep breath, his first whiff of freedom after five years.

Freedom smelled…wet.

The moisture from the soil and tree was what he smelled. It made sense as the snow had just melted, seeping into the ground.

Rowan first moved his right foot forward and then took a second step. The sun was still rising in the sky, and the forest trees casted a shadow over him. There were no strange plants nor monsters that wanted him for breakfast.

Rowan let out a breath of relief as the tension released from his body. One major worry was over. However he wasn’t out of the woods yet, literally.

The monsters could be hiding deeper in the forest.

There was also one major problem.
The boy had no idea what direction he should be walking.

Well, it didn't matter since he was supposedly in the center. As long as he walked straight, he should be able to leave the forest eventually. It was just a matter of how long that would take.

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There was one thing he could do though that would help him figure out a direction.

He could try climbing a tree to see if he could spot a familiar landmark. On one hand, That would at least give him a sense of where to start. On the other hand, it would leave him completely open as he needed both hands to climb. If there were monsters on top of the tree, then he would be easy prey for them.

After a quick debate in his heart, Rowan decided to try climbing one of the trees. Everything looked safe so far and it was better to have an idea of where to go instead of walking aimlessly.

Rowan did a quick look around. There was no life around him except for himself and the trees. He walked towards the closest tree, took a deep breath and attempted to climb.

Maybe he should have thought of practicing tree climbing as part of his training. Rowan regretted he had not thought of it until now. The forest was filled with trees and it would be helpful to know how to climb one and travel between them. They would serve as the perfect escape method for certain situations. However that was just a fantasy as Rowan thought more about it. There was no way he could construct a structure just out of dirt that could resemble a tree. Maybe the outward appearance would look tree-like, but it could never match the characteristics such as weight and structure.

At most Rowan would be able to construct the outer shell of a tree, and use them to practice climbing. It would not be able to support his weight like a regular tree branch could. Rowan supposed he would just need to practice outside the barrier whenever he could. It would provide a nice way for him to travel the forest and escape the notice of any monster on the forest floor.

Rowan walked to the closest tree near him and started to climb. It was a bit awkward starting out since it's been so long since he last climbed something, but he soon got used to it. He was halfway up the tree, when it suddenly shook.

The shaking of the tree took Rowan by surprise as he lost his grip and came tumbling down and landing on his butt.The boy winced in pain as he got up. Fortunately he has not climbed too high so the fall did not hurt him too much. However the sudden shaking surprised him.

Was there an earthquake all of a sudden that caused the tree to shake? No, Rowan discarded that idea right away. As he fell down, he got a glimpse of the other trees. It was only the tree that he decided to climb that started shaking, the other trees had remained still.

Why only this tree? Was there something special about this tree? Rowan observed the tree that he had just tried to climb once more. No matter how he looked, it looked just like any other ordinary tree in the forest.

Then he remembered the name of the forest, The Forest of death.

Curiosity killed the cat and in this particular forest, curiosity killed the humans. If there were any strange plants, then it was best to stay away from unknown..

Taking one step backwards, Rowan slowly backed away from the tree as he continued to observe it. Curiosity here would get him killed even faster, but not knowing what kind of danger would also get him killed.

The shaking reminded Rowan of something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Then he realized what the action was. It was just like how a dog would shake itself to clear out annoying bugs.

An ominous feeling suddenly overcame Rowan when he thought of the comparison. His eyes were stuck on the tree as he picked up the pace for his retreat.

So intent of observing the tree, Rowan missed the claws that came slashing from behind.

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