Worth Less Than a Fly

by nightshade745

Chapter 3: Wake Up and Clap Your...Hooves?

“Na…”

“Nash…”

“Nash! Wake up!”

Nash was floating. He remembered his execution, being ripped apart piece-by-piece for what seemed like forever. He remembered every agonizing moment of it. He knew he was dead…and it felt great. He felt weightless as he floated in an empty dark void. But a voice kept beating at his mind. Maybe it was god telling him it was time to see heaven. He had to remember his promise to Shadaico...

“Nash, can you hear me?”

*Shadaico?!* Nash’s mouth wouldn’t move. He couldn’t speak! He couldn’t tell where he was or where the voice was coming from.

“Are you there Nash?”

*Yes! Just wait for a minute*

“Can you hear me out there?”

*Don’t leave, I’m still figuring this out!*

“I don’t know if you can hear me Nash, but I’ve got something important to tell you.”

*Hold on a second, it’s hard to move in heaven!*

“As you probably already know, we’re dead.”

*…yeah*

“But we’re not in heaven…”

*Wait, I went to hell?!*

“But we’re not in hell either…”

*Where does that leave us? Do we not exist? Is this limbo?*

“There was a third possibility I hadn’t even considered, and it seems to be what happened…to me at least.”

*What happened?*

“Nash, I believe we’ve been reincarnated!”

*What???*

“I don’t know if you can hear me, or if you were even reincarnated like I was, but I also don’t think we’re on the same planet anymore. This place is different. The very air is a different thing altogether, but that could just be my new nose.”

*If I've been reincarnated, why can’t I move?*

“Urgh, sorry Nash. For some reason, the screws that restricted my magic came with me! The Punishment Gauntlets and Shin Guards didn’t fit my new body properly and I was able to get out of them easily enough. But my magic’s weak and it’s still being restricted by my new collar and the four large bolts in my--ugh--my back. As I bet you can already guess, I’m contacting you through magic, aka, telepathy. At least I hope I’m contacting you and not some tree or a squirrel.”

*You have definitely reached the mind of Nash, please deposit 25 cents*

“First thing you should do, if you haven’t already, is find a water source or a mirror. You’re going to want to know what you look like. Trust me on this. It. Freaked. Me. Out!”

*Oh god*

“Sorry, erh, I can’t keep this up any longer. Take care Nash. Ugh, your my first real friend. I hope to see you again. Owwww…Thank god he gave me--us, this second chance…ooooohhhhh my gosh…”

*Hey wait! (the connection was lost) Great. What do I do now? How do I wake up? That has to be the weirdest question ever asked*

Nash finally pulled his eyelids up. It was like lead weights had been tied to them. He was aware of a dim light around him and that he was lying on a rough wooden surface. He groaned as he tried to push himself up. His eyes went closed again as he pushed. The effort was like lifting a train. It was slow and his arms vibrated under the strain. Once his arms were fully extended and he was in a sitting position, he reopened his eyes.

“Whoa.” He was clearly on the branch of a large tree. But, the tree must have been huge!! The branch was at least 20 feet across. Sure he was right near where the branch met the trunk, but the trunk was massive too. It was bigger around then most houses he’d seen. “Man! Where am I?” He had a throbbing in his head and his body tingled awkwardly as he looked around. He picked up on something that he knew wasn’t right. “Those are some big leaves…oh no…”

A fear began to creep into his mind. Reincarnation was nice, but not when you downgraded. Nash looked around frantically for a mirror source. He wasn’t sure where he could go, being so high up in a tree. Looking over the edge confirmed that the tree wasn’t much shorter than a skyscraper. Nash never had a particular fear of heights, but he sure liked avoiding them. Nash tried to stand up and found he couldn’t keep his balance either. When up in a huge tree, that was a really bad thing. So Nash tried to walk on all fours, and it was comfortable.

Nash stood there and blinked for a second. “Why is being on all fours normal?” he thought. He shook his head and wobbly stepped forward. He had to move one leg at a time rather than two like he was probably meant to. Because when Nash tried to move two legs at a time, one of his front and the opposite back, he couldn’t keep his balance and fell. “Stupid legs,” he mumbled to himself as he slowly made his way across the branch.

Ahead of him was a large leaf with a bowl like shape. It was filled with water, precious life giving water. Nash rushed, in a matter of speaking, to the leaf. Once there, he slowly inched his head forward until he could see himself appear on its surface. He had his suspicions and he remembered Shadaico’s warning. This was probably going to be the most dramatic moment of his life; minus being executed of course.

His head drifted through the air as it came into the watchful eyes of the reflective surface. “OH MY GO-“ Nash shoved his new hooves into his mouth to shut himself up. He flew backwards and sat there with his hooves halfway down his throat. After several minutes of tense breathing exercises, he was able to push himself up and walk to the pool again.

The creature in the reflection had charcoal black fur and large orb eyes. It had a short blade like horn protruding from its head. His long ears looked like they’d been shredded. He also had fangs, a mane, and wings. His wings, mane and eyes were all a ghostly white and his fangs were long and sharp. He found it funny that he had black fur but a white mane and wings. “A nice sharp contrast.” He stretched out his wings and gave them a quick test flap. “That’s not too hard actually. Hey, now I can get out of this tree!” With wings bigger than his current body, it was hard not to get hopefull.

Nash looked back at his reflection. He wondered what Shadaico looked like now. It was then he remembered Shadaico saying something about the screws still being in his back. “Ow,” Nash muttered to himself. Poor Shadaico couldn’t get a break. But he did have a lot to make up for. Nash then realized that Shadaico had his chance. Now Shadaico had the time to make up for his probably limitless mistakes. But that was going to be a long road. Nash only knew a handful of the wrongs Shadaico had done, who knew just how much darker it got.

Nash didn’t have time to worry about Shadaico at the moment. He had to sate the thirst in his throat. He bent down and began to lap the water out of the leaf bowl with his tongue. He found the feeling of a muzzle and a longer tongue very weird. His tongue was flexible and he could bend it in so many directions. If anyone had been around, they would have seen a very small changeling sitting on a branch playing with his own tongue.

After a while of giggling to himself, Nash paused. What was he doing? Having fun? He died not even an hour ago! Not only that, but he had an entirely new body and he was in an entirely new world. After pondering for a moment, he smiled. Sometimes, it was just good to be alive…

Nash knew that if he was having a hard time just walking, there was no way he was going to fly out of this tree just yet. He’d have to practice with his wings carefully or learn how to climb down out of a tree without hands. I’m screwed! He thought to himself. He decided to get as much water in his system as possible before doing anything else. The water was fresh and clean and smelled of the leaf he lapped it out of. He felt funny drinking the water like a dog. “Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t say that around Shadaico. He was a jackal after all.”

Rather than climb down the tree, Nash began to climb up. He wanted a bird’s eye view of the area and that was the easiest and fastest way to get it. The leaves stretched down and over each other in a tangled mess. Nash tired out quickly. Hiking at a 45 degree angle and climbing steep ledges was not his idea of fun, especially when those ledges and hills were constantly swaying. Nash sat on another smaller branch then the last one where there was maybe 5 feet of floor space before the curve made standing impossible.

Nash put his brain to work while his body rested. Just how small was he now? He knew he’d been reincarnated as some kind of bug, if the eyes and wings were any indication, but the hooves and mane confused him. What kind of bug had hooves or a mane? What was he, a horse/insect hybrid? Then there was his size. A leaf made a decent platform a few feet across that he could walk on. But how big were leaves? A couple inches maybe. That prospect drained some color from his face. If he was only a few inches in height, his second life was going to suck; those fangs of his might make it literal too…

Nash made it through; with a great deal of effort and numerous hours of trial and error, he emerged at the top. A thin pole like dead branch just barely stretched over the tree's leafy top. Nash wrapped his hooves around it and shimmied up the branch. Finally in a position to see the world, he took in a deep whiff of fresh air. The sun was just past the noon position and a wonderful refreshing breeze blew through him. The sun's warm rays were so inviting and he almost felt like sunbathing.

There was something special about seeing the sun as a free man. Even while in prison he had a chance to see the sun everyday. But he always felt like it was mocking him. The way it was able to travel across the sky free and clear with no one and nothing to stand in its way. No rules or hardships for it to deal with. The sun was a beacon of freedom and a declaration of joy, but only if you were free yourself. Otherwise, it was an object of slow painful torture.

Nash basked in the joy and warmth for a long time; his muscles not complaining a twitch as he clung to the branch. Finally, Nash remembered what he was doing when a strong gust rocked him back and forth violently. Nash clung tightly to the branch until it steadied. “Better hurry this up,” he sighed to himself. Looking around, it was a gorgeous landscape. His tree was on some kind of mountain, because he could see for miles! Mountains, valleys, and forests covered the land. It was a tranquil place seemingly untouched by civilization. Nash only wondered where Shadaico was out in that great big world, which was extra big for him in particular.

He turned around and stared straight ahead, “that’s not natural.” A golden spiral shot into the air. It was the top of a tower of some kind. The branch he was on swayed again and he clung to it tightly. The leaves and branches ahead shifted slightly and revealed more of the structure. Leaning forward and pushing himself higher, Nash glimpsed a white castle nearby. Nearby was a relative term; to a normal sized creature, it would have been a 15 minute walk, but Nash knew he was in for a long trip. He groaned, “Shadaico better start talking to me again, because I don’t want to start heading in the wrong direction.”

Nash slid down the branch like a fire pole and landed quite gracefully. Now what was his move? He might have been able to reach the castle by walking if he was given the time, but he couldn’t even start until he got out of the tree. He would have to learn how to use his wings first, at least the basics. He’d have to be sure he knew what he was doing before he went and jumped out of the tree. It was unlikely he was going to get a third chance at life.

"Even if I do get to that big white castle, what goods it going to do me? I'm like an inch tall!"

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