"Ah!" He let out a short scream as he fell forward. Instinctively, he reached out with his arms to protect his body from the ground, but that didn't stop him from rolling down the mountain pa.s.s. He had only rolled twice, maybe thrice, but at least he hadn't fallen face-first against the tree. He had missed it by a hair, but as soon as he had rolled past it, the dull sound of something the tree rang out from behind him. When he glanced back, Lucid came face to face with a huge wolf, knocked unconscious from running into the tree.

'It really was right behind me!'

Lucid drew in a hurried breath and began to run again. He ran past and between the surrounding trees, vaguely aware that protruding branches were scratching his face and body all over, but too afraid to notice the pain. He was fully focused on running away and avoiding the trees. From close behind, a wolf barked loudly. It kicked off the ground, jumping into the air, and opened its wide, crimson jaws. And it bit down, latching onto the boy. More accurately, and rather fortunately, it latched onto the boy's bag. It had been Lucid's bag since he was young, much younger than he was now, and now, it had ripped to shreds, sending the clothes inside flying. Lucid once again rolled down the slope, having no choice but to bid farewell to his trusty bag.

He had already approached the edge of the thicket when the wolf had attacked, and now that he had fully rolled out of it, there was nothing standing in the wolves' way. Two of them rushed ahead to follow Lucid, who was still rolling down with no sign of stopping. Their eyes shone dangerously, glimmering from the thrill of the hunt, their breathing rushed and shallow. They were fully prepared to pounce on their small prey.

Then, Lucid disappeared from their sights. Before any of the wolves could react to the situation, one of the wolves that was giving chase also disappeared. All that remained of it was a howl, ringing distant and getting farther away still. Realizing something was amiss, the pack slowed down. They reached the place Lucid and the other wolf had disappeared from. A cliff. The wolves stared down into the abyss. A cold wind blew over them.

A howl rang out throughout the night.

Morning came. Birds sang atop tall trees, singing and flying around in search for food. A squirrel ran through the dewy petals and leaves before climbing a tree and hiding within its branches. The morning breeze, carrying the chill of early spring, blew through the thicket, caressing its branches, when a rustling noise shook the trees, right in the middle of the woods.

When Lucid awoke, a whimper escaped his lips before he could stop it. He was hurting, but there was no one around to look after him. All he could do was cry by himself. As tears flowed freely from his eyes, he suddenly realized his situation and quickly glanced around. He had been alert, as he was still in the woods, but he could see no immediate threat. Not fully rea.s.sured yet, he tried to stand up, but he let out a scream when he felt a piercing pain at his side.

Realizing he was in no condition to move about freely, he began to a.s.sess his physical state. First off, his shoulder hurt. Turning his head slightly, he saw a rather large gash on his left shoulder. The tears he had managed to stop threatened to spill again, but he bravely held it in. His limbs moved alright, but they were so covered in blood and mud that he couldn't quite figure out what was going on. He carefully rolled his sleeves and pants up. There were a few scratches and tears on the skin, but it was nothing compared to the state of his shoulder. He pressed his head with his right hand and noticed that it hurt all over, though he couldn't be sure of the extent of his injury without a clear view of it.

Despite his condition, it was crucial that he get a good look at his surroundings. He stood again, but the pain at his side worsened. He hunched over, practically bent in two. Lucid took a deep breath and gritted his teeth as he slowly straightened up, leaning heavily against the tree next to him. Not far from where he was standing, he saw a large wolf. Lucid froze in fear, unable to tear his eyes off the animal, but it showed no signs of movement. He waited, and waited, and waited again before slowly making his way towards the wolf. It was dead, its neck bent at an unnatural, grotesque angle, and its tongue sticking out of its mouth. Lucid stood there, staring at the wolf carca.s.s for quite a long time, before breaking down completely. He fell to the ground, and began to cry loudly, miserably.

He felt miserable. He felt miserable that he had to go through such ordeals, that he was in so much pain, that he didn't know the reason he was going through such things in the first place, that he was different from his friends, that he could never have a life like theirs. He felt miserable knowing there was no one he could turn to for answers.

"… Mom…" He called out between his tears.

Where are you?

End