Dav paused for a moment to catch his breath, leaning on the slender trunk of one of the many strange trees that seemed to have taken ownership of his forest.
It had become unfamiliar in his absence... 13 years locked in the Monastery and his homeland was unrecognizable. The stately ash, sprawling oak, and sweet maple that he had known since childhood still stood here and there, a haunting reminder of how different it was now.
Far more numerous than the familiar trees and brush were bulbous oval and spherical forms, with slender trunks rising from several places in the earth to form an intertwined and almost geometric latticework of wood. These plants did not seem to have leaves, instead extruding a translucent, paper substance between the wooden lattice.
Dav assumed it was wood at least, it certainly felt like a typical tree trunk as he leaned against it.
The trees looked as if they should collapse under their own weight. The scale of the spheres compared to the trunks was all wrong.
He carefully backed away from the trunk after that thought and began to hurry between the trees once more, keeping clear of the unsettling and strange plants where he could.
The bubble trees were not the only newcomers. The undergrowth he was familiar with had changed too, gone were the brambles and burdock, so too were the jewelweed and bluebells and stands of young birch and maple saplings. In their place he found multistemmed mushrooms with shallow domes tops, large enough to walk under and into their deep, musty shade. Some even had young bubble trees taking root and seemingly thriving on their caps.
Admittedly these changes to his forest home made his passage easier, he was not fighting off thorns and burrs, or wading through shoulder high weeds as he would have been in his youth. He supposed he should be grateful, haste was necessary to avoid his pursuers.
Thankfully he was familiar enough with these woods that despite the changed flora he was still able to navigate. He knew the landscape well, and it at least was mostly unchanged. He spotted the rocky outcrop, laden with white quartz and slate, a familiar landmark, visible between the physics defying trunks of an enormous bubble tree.
He picked up his pace once more and headed towards it.
Despite his haste, Davs years of forest dwelling allowed him to pass in near silence. His feet casually avoided every twig that might snap to announce his presence and every root that could cause him to stumble. He remained alert and watchful, ears straining for the clumsy sounds of pursuit by those who had never left a settlement or colony. The forest would warn him of their approach.
As he neared the comforting landmark he was struck by the sheer enormity and elegance of the tree above him. None of the native trees came close to the height or breadth of it's domineering domed canopy. It appeared massive even compared to it's fellows that had dominated the forest to a lesser extent throughout his journey. He hesitated before passing into the deep shade beneath, but he could see the brilliant white quartz glinting in full sun on the other side.
Dav inhaled deeply, calming his nerves, preparing to pass into the giants shadow. He took a single step forwards and frozen. The sounds of the forest had changed suddenly. The chirp of songbirds and was gone. A chorus of crows began to caw a raucous alarm. And then he heard it, the crash and tromp of steel clad feet pounding the earth, crushing everything underfoot.
He hurried deeper into the shadows, hoping to reach his hideaway just beyond the shimmering stones before they found him, but they were fast. He wasn't going to make it out of the shadows, nevermind all the way to the safety of the stones.
He threw himself to the ground in a shallow ditch instead, flattening himself against the cool earth, and hoped the darkness and natural tones of his clothes would help him avoid detection.
"Smart human, be still, be silent, be safe!" The voice was a barely audible whisper, but it echoed eerily through his mind, freezing him in place.
Dav jerked up onto all fours to flee as soon as he regained control of his limbs, remembered his pursuers then threw himself back into the dirt, cursing under his breath as he did.
"Calm, Still, Safe!" Insisted the voice, no louder than before, but this time the echoes reverberating through his skull paralyzed Dav completely. He felt the force of its command in his bones as his muscles turned to jelly around them. His breathing slowed despite his deepening panic.
He lay there in the ditch, shrouded in darkness, a puddle of paralytic panic, as the armored footsteps of his enemies drew ever closer.
