Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Forest

First, she had to get through the forest.

From the beach where she had washed ashore, it hadn’t looked particularly deep. Luna judged that the trek through it towards the mountain wouldn’t be overly long. If she had had the endurance, she might have even been able to fly there. But her wings were still heavy; she hadn’t recovered enough of her missing soul to use them at length.

And so, she walked.

There was no path that had been carved through the thick trees, so Luna had to make her own. Everything about this forest felt old—but wild. Untouched by the armies of civilized hands outside the wall of storm. A certain kind of strength remained innate in its overgrowth. Wherever she looked, the plants were lush and green. The tallest trees still stood strong. Judging their bark, as Sage taught her once, not even a hint of disease threatened them.

But there was something lonely about this forest.

Luna couldn’t quite make out what it was at first. She roamed between the trees, pulling her way through any bit of thicker underbrush that stood in the path she attempted to make. Sounds of twigs snapping beneath her feet. The intermittent rustle of the canopies overhead as a light breeze wafted over them. Otherwise… silence.

There were no signs of any fauna—wild or civilized.

It made sense when she thought about it. The stormy shroud encapsulating these isles was impenetrable, and unfriendly to trespassers. Not even the hardiest sky fish would be able to swim through without exerting all its strength.

But what of the adventurers? Surely, one or two of the better ones were able to land here before their disappearances discouraged further glory-seeking.

That thought made her uneasy. What happened to them? What would happen to her?

In her musings, Luna had noticed she was now starting to wriggle her way between tree trunks more often. And now, she stood face to face with a tangle of roots that she most definitely couldn’t worm through. Silly her. Was she so determined to walk straight through this forest to reach the mountain that she would forego forging a wider path?

She began to backtrack, squeezing her way through the trees she had passed.

And then she found another tangle of robust branches barring her way.

Something was wrong.

Luna turned back around and pulled herself through the narrow gap between two trees. Once she was through, she noticed that the small clearing she had just come from was smaller still. And this time, the way further was blocked off by thick patch of sharp bramble.

The forest was closing in on her.

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Upon sensing her realization, the forest must have no longer felt the need to hide its antics. Trunks of the surrounding trees lurched and strained closer together. The ground in which they were planted suddenly didn’t seem so solid, giving way for their perilous tactics against the intruder.

Alarm setting in, Luna began to scramble through any opening she could squeeze herself through. She clambered over the rolling roots, beat back a bush that attempted to press her against a boulder, scraped herself against the rough bark of two trees that briefly caught her in their grasp. No matter which way she ran, the gaps here on the ground became fewer and fewer.

So she took to the trees themselves. While the growing enclosures cut off her means of escape, they created gripping hooks and crude ladders into the canopies. Luna had walked far enough through the forest to start with; she could fly the rest of the way if she cleared the treetops!

Like a squirrel racing against winter, Luna leaped from branch to branch. The trees were becoming more aggressive, sensing the tenacity of the trespasser. One bent its branch and swung at her with all the speed and force of a pouncing panther.

Luna saw the branch snapping towards her and braced herself. It connected squarely in her gut, the leaves on its ends smacking her in the face. But as she absorbed the impact, she latched onto the branch. She hugged it tightly as it recoiled back to the tree it was attached to. And in the brief respite when it needed to recover from moving so much, Luna shimmied along the branch and pulled herself up onto it.

Another tree’s branch suddenly came crashing down, slamming against the one Luna clung to. The force of the impact snapped this branch off. Fortunately, Luna was on the side closest to the trunk. She watched as the broken limb plummeted to the ground below. It was only then that she realized how high up she was now.

She was close to the top. Just a little more…

The tree she hung onto began to bend. Luna didn’t know what it had in mind, but she didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out. As it bent its trunk far enough back to create a level to stand on, Luna steadied her feet on it and made a mad dash for its canopy. This tree’s trunk bore no more branches until its top. This left her exposed as other trees whacked their limbs against their fellow flora, attempting to exterminate the vermin that scampered along. Luck was on Luna’s side as she managed to evade the natural brooms from crushing her like a bug.

The canopy was near. She could take a quick respite in the leaves—

THWOMP! Just as Luna reached the top, the tree that had served as level ground for her abruptly straightened out once more. The motion catapulted her into the air.

It was just what she needed.

Now soaring above the tree line, Luna checked her trajectory and found it favorable: she was being hurtled towards the mountain. Surveying below her, she watched as the trees shuddered angrily, unable to reach her that far above them.

Safe from the forest’s grasp, Luna closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

Wings.

And iridescent wings once again extended from her back at her bidding. She didn’t need to pump at the air with them; the tree’s catapulting motion gave her all the velocity she needed. Her wings served only to extend her time airborne for as long as she could do so…

With this, she cleared the remaining distance to the mountain.

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