Tales of The Forgotten: Firefly

by Orion97

Journey Into the Unknown

"Hey buddy. Its been a while you know. What is it, a year now? I could say I've been handling things well but...I don't know, I've changed yet I'm also still the same person I was before. We used to balance each other and now I'm trying to fill both roles. It's like how I said it was alright after...she broke my heart. Even when I completely crumbled and fell apart. You were always my anchor, what with me being a little more emotionally fragile." The stone in front of me offered only silence, the small memorial I had dedicated to Robert after he vanished, it was my sanctuary, where I went and talked whenever I needed the peace or to find answers. I was the only one that knew about it. I held out the wolf pendant he had left me in my hand as I kept talking.

"I kept to my promise though, I'm still a loving person and I carry kindness and hope with me always. With you gone...for a while I was stumbling in the dark, I remember fear, so much fear, more than I have felt in my entire life. I was falling apart piece by agonizing piece and I fully realized just how important you were to me. I didn't just want you, I needed you in my life, you were like the big brother I never had and didn't realize I couldn't live without. The others know I haven't given up on you, they used to smile with me but now it's a sad nod and they agree in tear-choked tones when we're on the topic. They say they still believe you'll come back but I see it in their eyes, the life and hope have long since departed." Tears began to well up in my eyes as the last amber hued rays of the days filtered through the leaves of the trees that surrounded me and the cold stone before me.

"But I haven't! I will find you, Robert, on that I swear. I am sorry to say that I haven't found love like you hoped. I mean there is the one brilliant girl I know, she's kind and smart but...I don't know I just...anyway you know someone actually made fun of the pendant you gave me a few months ago right? He said it looked ugly as hell and that I should get rid of it and find something new. I know you would have lost it there, you'd tell me I should have kicked his ass. I told him it held sentimental value from someone close to me. He said I shouldn't keep it on me or it'll always keep the sorrow with it. He reached for it and tried to take it and...something switched. I grabbed his arm, flipped him over me and of course that led into a fight. I fought like never before and he fought very well but still, I absolutely kicked his ass. I don't know how I did as well as I did, something came over me and as soon as it was over I had to make sure I didn't imagine it. Long story short he had to go to the hospital...we talked after, oddly enough we're kinda friends now. He deeply apologized for what he did, he said he was being a jackass and that he actually has a similar pendant for someone he lost."

The last light of the sun slowly played across my cheeks as it began to hide below the horizon, casting a beautiful autumnal shadow over the decorated stone in front of me. I wrote some of his sayings near the base of the stone and did a surprisingly accurate drawing of him on the front. It was as close as I could come to actually talking to him, I knew of course it did nothing but it always helped me nonetheless, I could usually picture what he'd say. Something brilliant and wise, from the heart and from wisdom well beyond his years.

"James and the others still have some hope, I'm planning on telling them about this little place I have set up, it's become like a sanctuary. Even gone you're still helping me pull through. I miss you, bro. I should get back soon, people know I have a place set up like this, just not where, sometimes I do sleep out here, during especially rough times, they understand by now at least, surprisingly there's no bugs right around here, it's as if even they respect this site. Sometimes I wonder if you didn't just vanish, but rather went somewhere. I try to imagine what it's like, I know I'd handle it better than a lot of people would be there's still some people I care about deeply like James and Daisy of course and my family but I can adapt, I make friends fast. It would still be very hard for me. If I could take them with me then...I'd go anywhere. I'd also follow you anywhere, show me where you went and I will follow you to hell if you asked. Anyway I've talked long enough, I'll be back again tomorrow. See you later."

I sighed and picked up my backpack which had long since become far more personalized, it no longer looked like any brand made it, it almost looked like I made it myself. I added a number of pockets and it was always filled with plenty of tools, some food, water and any personal items I deemed important, nowadays I carried it virtually everywhere. One time while I was trying to find the site just after I established it I got lost in the woods for a few days, after that the pack seemed like a good idea. I also carry a staff with me now, not a walking stick, a staff. It's a great tool, you can walk with it, poke creatures that might bite your hand off, you can use it to hold up a tent at night, all sorts of things really.

With all of my items gathered I walked the long route home as the calm night descended and the beautiful stars began to come into view, every one demanding respect as the shined brightly in the best show on Earth, one I had the pleasure of seeing every night. Rather than head straight home I went for a bit of a detour, going the long route. I walked with only the the cool night air on my back and the sound of my own breathing in my ears. Then something caught my eye.

I tried to make out whatever it was, it was far off in the distance but it seemed to glow a brilliant blue light, it pulsed, grew and shrank as it floated in the air. I cautiously moved closer and found myself in awe as I watched the anomaly continue on, as if it had a life of its own. The only thing I could even use to describe it is some kind of orb or wisp, then it clicked in my mind.

"Wait...this is the kind of thing Robert must have found...meaning...holy crap it can't be real..."

After Robert vanished I had many dreams about wisps or even odd things happening in the future, whether it be me fending off strange wolves made of wood or one particularly crazy one involving me scaling the back of a dragon. Wanting to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I picked a rock up off of the ground and threw it at the wisp. The rock stuck to the alien sphere for a moment before slowly sinking into it.

"This is interesting..."

Then an idea came to mind, if it were a portal of some sort I have a way to test it. I pulled a few feet of rope from my pack and tied it around a stick and held the other end of the rope. I tossed the stick to the wisp and like the rock, it sank it before vanishing from sight and began to pull the rope with it. I held tight and pulled. Though it felt like I was dragging a cinder-block through rather than a simple stick it finally reemerged and fell to the ground.

That was all the evidence I needed. I checked my pack, I was usually prepared for being in the woods for an extended period of time, I learned my lesson the first time I got lost. I could only hope that if Robert was on the other side of the strange portal he was still alright.

"If you're out there, know that I will find you, Robert, and I will bring you home." I grinned in determination as I pulled out a much longer length of rope from my pack and tied a knot around a thick tree a few feet from the orb, then tying a second knot just to be safe. I tied the other end around my wrist as I prepared to go through the wisp. With any luck I could tie the rope to something on the other side and be able to use that to get back through to come home with Robert. I made sure that my staff was tightly attached to my pack, it was far taller but hopefully it would go through without any problems

"Hold on, Michael's coming." With everything set, I walked up to the wisp and raised an uncertain hand. I put it up to the wisp and it stuck to it and very slowly started sinking. I tried to pull it out but it felt like I would rip my arm off before that happened. There was no backing out now, so I put my other hand to the blue anomaly before me and the same thing happened. The wisp began pulling me in faster now, before long I felt my head and chest make contact. All I could see was bright, pulsating, blue light as it pulled me in more, my feet now dangling in the air before those came through as well.

All I sensed was bright light and then darkness. Only a second later I felt to the ground with a thud and felt cold night air on my back once more. I stood up and looked around, it was a forest and night had just fallen only...these woods felt different, I could sense it in the air, these were nothing like the trees I was used to and somehow they felt more...l don't know how I could describe it. Without waiting for long I found a tree that was close by, I untied the rope from my wrist and tied a secure knot around the trunk of the tree. When I was done I plucked on the rope to see the effect, luckily the rope seemed to go straight from where I was to this strange new place.

Then the light began to pulse quicker. It grew and shrank more rapidly now and I noticed the rope vibrating.

"No, no come on now, keep going, come on." As if it was defying me on purpose the wisp only appeared to grow more unstable. The outside of it seemed to swirl around as the light continued to pulse quicker. I reached my hand out to the wisp only for it to pass through now.

"No...come on!" I pulled on the rope and found that it still seemed connected somehow. Then the wisp starting making weird ethereal sounds as it became more unstable and violent. Then it all shrank inwards on itself suddenly and vanished with a pop. The rope fell to the ground in front of me. The end was burnt and severed from my home.

"NO! DAMN IT! COME BACK!" I jumped up to where the wisp had been before it vanished, maybe it would come back?

"No...no, no, no, no...come on, come back, come back...I can't be stuck here...It must come back at some point..."

I tried my best to remain calm. When it would return I don't know, but it surely would sometime, in the mean time I would set up a small camp and wait.

I gathered rocks from the immediate area and began setting up a fire. I picked dead branches and sticks off the ground and put them where the fire would be. When it was set up I looked around it my pack for a lighter, I always had a few, hopefully I didn't forget them this time. I found my phone first and out of curiosity checked it. Aside from no signal it was still in perfect working order so at least the portal didn't affect electronics. I threw it back in and withdrew a lighter.

I swept up some dead leaves and put them under the pyramid of branches before introducing the lighter to it. It was slow at first but slowly caught light. I moved my pack farther away so that I wouldn't risk my staff catching on fire. I made it several months ago and it was one of those things that I simply couldn't leave anywhere unless I had to.

Before I knew it an hour had passed with me beside the fire. Still no sign of the wisp, I could be here for weeks and it might not be back. I had food and water but it would only last for so long, it might be a good idea to look for water. I threw on my backpack and grabbed my staff. As I reached down I heard a low growl coming from the surrounding bushes. I squinted and could barely make out a malicious pair of green eyes staring back at me.

It leaped out of the bush and stood less than ten feet away from me and pawed at the ground. It looked like a wolf but it was different...it was dark outside but as it drew closer to the fire I could see details. The creature was made entirely of wood and it was inching closer to me but made certain to steer clear of the fire. Then three more wooden wolves just like it emerged from the bushes and began surrounding me. They closed in with murderous intent and circled as close to me as they dared.

Then one of the strange beasts lunged, I side stepped and it flew clear over the fire and rejoined the circle pacing around me.

"You bastards hate fire don't you...well let's see how you like this!" I hastily pulled a branch from the fire the had only begun to burst into flames and I wielded it like a torch before me. When I swung it the wolves backed away a fair distance. I raced forward and bashed one of them in the side of the head. The flame latched on to the beast hungrily and began to rip away at it. The wolf seemed to howl in pain and tried to roll on the ground to get rid of it. I swung the torch in a circle around me and threw it at the rest of them.

I seized the opportunity and broke into a dead sprint passed the distracted creature. I dodged past trees and rocks while I ran as fast as I could, even at my fastest the wooden wolves were already gaining ground on me, albeit slowly. Even the one I set on fire had joined the chase, its blackened face leading the charge before long. They were going to catch me very soon, I knew it. It I was going to fight them might as well do it before I get ripped to the ground. I held a firm grip on my staff as I whipped it around behind me. I caught them by surprise when I knocked one to the side and kicked the other in the head. The blackened wolf found an opening when he leaped for my face, I raised my staff and the beast's jaws clamped on. I struggled to my feet and swung the staff as hard as I could, just before it made contact with a tree the wolf let go and fell to the ground.

Yet another wolf jumped towards me but this time I was ready. I swung the staff like a bat and caught it clear in the head, the force shook throughout the creature before it sprayed in a mess of miscellaneous pieces of wood and splinters. At least it seemed they could be killed.

Another member of the pack tried bite at my arm but missed and left himself exposed. I grabbed it by the back of the head and swung the wooden beast against a tree with all the force I could muster. Like his friend he splintered into a blast of wood chips and the green lights that had been his eyes dissipated. Only two of the creatures remained. Black-face and another member of the pack circled in front of and behind me before the one in front lunged. I kicked in the air and knocked it to the ground before smashing into it with my staff. It didn't have the same effect as it did on the others but it crumbled to the ground and when it struggled to get up I smashed into it harder, finishing the job.

Before I could react, Black-face the only surviving creature lunged at the back of my neck and bit down. Jagged wooden teeth sawed at my neck and I howled in pain. I could feel blood start to trickle down my neck. If those teeth had been bone it would have been far worse. I allowed myself to fall on my back, pinning the wolf, yet it still gnawed away. I stood up again and backed up into a tree with the beast latched to my back. Upon impact it finally relented and let go. The wolf fell to the ground and backed a distance away from me. It snarled before retreating into the depths of the forest, it's haunting green eyes flashed one last look at me before it disappeared. He would be back.

Tired from fending for my life, I allowed myself to finally rest and I sat on the ground, keeping an eye out for any more ambushes. I put a hand on the back of my neck, I felt bits of wood mixed in with the blood, some of which now soaked my hand. It hurt like hell but I knew that really it was only superficial, it could have gone a lot worse if he bit from the front. I plucked the bits of wood piece by painful piece until they were all out. I let myself rest for a few moments, breathing in the refreshing night air to try and relax.

"I need a vacation." I chuckled to myself as I stood up, somewhat proud that I managed to fend off a pack of strange wolves. The only thing they could be called would be timber wolves. I openly laughed at the pun. They were literally timber wolves.

"Hopefully there's some kind of civilization or something around here..." I trekked on through the night in search of any indication of civilized beings and hopefully not the kind that would eat or sacrifice me.

After over two hours of searching the prospects of me finding a town or city seemed depressingly low. All I saw were trees, trees and big surprise, more trees. I was a little happy that nothing else had tried to kill me just yet. I was already feeling tired, it had already been a long day when I arrived and I began to think about setting up a small shelter for the night until a humble cottage gradually came into view. It wasn't much but at the moment it was the most beautiful building in the world, because it meant hope.

"There might just be a chance after all..."

Author's Note:

A story I'm doing in conjunction as Storm Quill does "Tales of the Forgotten: Eternity" So yep, in Equestria and had to fight off timber wolves and as you probably guessed, that's Fluttershy's cottage up ahead. Don't worry this doesn't mean my other stories will update any slower, I've had this in my head for a while and was able to type it up relatively quickly. This story is not in any real way connected to my other stories if any of you were wondering. Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know if you found any mistakes or what you liked or disliked, the story is going to get more interesting as it progresses and I know you'll like it.

Comments

[Orion97]

This is a little different than what I usually do but it seems I can do a Human in Equestria fic without getting mauled so far. If you haven't already I highly suggest reading the original story, Dwindling Light, before you read this one and you might enjoy more of Storm Quill's stories, his are usually pretty different from mine but they are still pretty good.