Chapter 2
As Duke realized that he was no longer standing but falling, fear exploded within him. He turned his head to look at his landing area, only to find his descent abruptly stopped by leaves and branches. After a tumble and some scrapes Duke finally makes his way to the floor with a thud.
Dazed and confused Duke sits up, body aching. A quick check confirms nothing’s broken, so Duke stumbles to his feet and scours the area. Nothing but swaths of trees in every direction, going as far as the eye can see. The canopy lets enough light through for Duke to see around him, but a detailed gaze of any of the lumps and masses in the distance proves too much for him. Though he does take solace in that nothing around him is moving.
“What is going on…?” Duke mutters as he starts his indefinite trek through the woods. With nothing to do but go onwards, Duke examines his memories, desperate for any more information or answers.
That weird lunatic talked about having powers didn’t they? It’s not like I feel any different than normal.
As Duke walked, only half paying attention to his unfamiliar surroundings, he retreated into his mind hoping for any clues or hints as to what the child ment.
And what was that book floating around that kid? Or the place we were in? They didn’t explain anything to me!
A while passes as Duke’s questions float around his head, none able to grasp at any answers. Though, through that time another question begged for an answer with growing ferocity. His stomach growled as he asked it again.
“Where am I going to find food?”
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While he walked through this never-ending forest one thing made itself apparent to Duke. All of the wildlife were missing! Since he arrived there’s been not a howl, chirp or even the rustle of a bush. In fact, Duke doesn’t even recall any birds as he was falling through the sky.
Anxiety emerged as Duke realized that the light flowing through the trees was starting to dim. He desperately looked around for something that might satiate him, but there were no berries in the bushes or fruits in the trees. With trees still in every direction Duke’s frustration grew into worry. Another brief glance around and Duke took the only option he thought he had.
“I’ll just have to go up then.” Duke stared towards the canopy. Duke was no stranger to climbing, having done rock climbing as a hobby from time to time, but the fear of the unknown made him hesitate for a moment.
What happens if I find something dangerous up there? Or what if… I find nothing at all? Will I die here, in the middle of these woods, alone?
Duke fought through the biting terror as he made his way to the top of the trees. Skilled enough to dodge any scraps the rogue branches and twigs might give him, he rose above the canopy. He examined the path in front of him, seeing only an unending sea of green. Dread set in, almost enough to have him loosen his grip and plummet back to the ground. He held on though, examining his left and right as well. Though, the sights were the same as the one in front. The breeze flowed peacefully through the leaves that extended towards the horizon. Finally, Duke turned full of trepidation towards his rear, awaiting the sight he was bound to see.
But that sight never came. Instead of the ocean of green he was expecting, what he saw was a towering tree. The leaves that crowned it swayed with each breeze, such that every movement they made felt synchronized. The tree, so massive that it touched the clouds, was filled with many small holes. The holes were not so many as to take away from the tree’s grand beauty, but they were enough that Duke could see that some of them lit up in response to the setting sun.
Duke quickly recovered from the awe of the sight, and drafted his next course of action.
I have to hurry to that tree! Those lights have to mean there are people there, why else would they be turning on? More importantly, where there’s people there is food!
So with little more than a hope and a prayer Duke raced down his vantage point, sprinting towards the tree that was in the exact opposite way he was originally headed. He ran and ran, quite possibly the fastest he ever has in his life. His adrenaline pumped through his body and his new goal fueled his heart, as he nimbly dodged and weaved through the forest. He ran, even as the light diminished below the canopy, as he stayed on the line he made in his mind. He ran hour after hour, and just as the morning light showed through the leaves he spotted something in the distance.
For the first time since he fell from the sky, Duke spotted people!
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Duke didn’t approach them immediately, opting to examine whatever he could before showing himself. And almost immediately he noticed something that he would never have imagined.
Why are the ears on those people so long?
The people Duke saw looked for all the world like a normal human, except for their almost unnaturally long ears. Their faces, legs, and torso looked fine for the most part, although they look more slim than the average person. Those he could see had normal blonde or brown hair as well, among other normal things that a human might have. It was just their ears that seemed so long, unnatural… and familiar?
Wait, aren't those elves? Does this mean I’m in one of those fantasy worlds now? Did that kid give me some super amazing powers then?
Duke has seen his fair share of nerdy media, not few which consisted of fantasy novels and shows. As Duke inspected all he could, from the children playing off of a paved dirt path to the coterie of women walking along, his stomach reminded him once again that he hasn’t eaten since he came to this world.
Wobbling from the treeline Duke set out towards the playing children, sense and safety abandoned. They noticed him quickly as the sun’s rays had no leaves to obscure their path. The long-eared children stopped playing and stared at the stumbling mess Duke had become.
His fatigue from those hours of running with no food caught up, as each step became more exaggerated then the last. Duke pushed himself, trying his hardest to keep steady and go reach his goal. But before he made it even halfway towards the elf children, he tripped.
Ohhh shi-
And as he hit the ground with a thud, his fatigued mind shut off.
