I crshed into a tree.
"Auch!" I muttered as I rubbed my chin.
I looked around, realizing that I should probably pay more attention to where I was walking.
I made sure to be more careful about this during the next half-hour as I wandered through the forest. Eventually, I reached the shore of a lake.
Since there were no trees growing there, I had a clear view of the enormous tree on the opposite bank.
It was so massive that it weighed down on me with a sense of awe.
I saw roots as thick as ten men extending into the lightly green water and disappearing into the ground at its base.
I looked up at the tree and had to tilt my head back completely.
With amazement, I noticed that despite the vast canopy of leaves, it was bright here.
Upon closer inspection, I thought I saw the canopy of the giant tree glowing faintly.
"That can't be," I thought, and dismissed it as a silly idea.
I tore myself away and followed the rocky lake shore to reach the other side.
As I did, I heard the crunching and tapping of stones with each step. A light breeze rustled the leaves and made the water gently lap against the shore.
It created an idyllic atmosphere.
The only annoyance was my wet feet.
Nevertheless I heard birds singing occasionally, and saw beautiful, unique flowers blooming.
Some even grew on larger rocks!
I decided to pick some of these flowers to sketch later, or at least attempt to.
As a result, my backpack filled with eight different flowers.
I followed the lake's edge to the left for a while. The lake wasn't very large and I estimated it would take about two hours to walk around it.
At least, that's my guess.
I'd been walking for about 30 minutes, I think, but it's hard to be sure without the sun or moon as a reference.
Well, never mind.
Now I was on the other side of the lake, standing directly in front of the massive tree's roots.
They were about ten meters high, which meant they were half the size of the trees in the inner circle of the forest.
I divided the forest into circles because the closer you get to the great tree, the larger the surrounding trees become.
I was quite proud of this idea, as I came up with it all by myself!
Unfortunately, I had no one to share this with, which made me intend to write it down in the evening.
I briefly examined the tree's trunk and noticed some scratch marks on the bark that went upward.
I followed them with my eyes but couldn't see anything. However, they were relatively large, with four and five scratches that were at least a few centimeters deep.
"I wonder what kind of animal made these," I thought, whispering softly out of fear. Philip once told me about a fight with a... What was the name of the creature again?
...
Ah, I can't recall it! I think it started with a 'P.'
At any rate, it was supposed to be quite strong, and I wanted to avoid it for now.
So, I pressed on without resting.
Some time later, I probably reached the outer circle of the forest because the trees were no more than five meters tall.
I was getting hungry, and I decided that once I left the forest, I'd have my first meal.
I didn't feel like hunting, even though the forest seemed full of life.
Occasionally, I encountered rabbits that darted away when I got closer. Some even attempted to defend themselves using their magical abilities.
A space hare, as we called them, fired a space blade at me, which I instinctively dodged.
I had experience with them! It wasn't a fun time...
Their brown and white-spotted fur was very soft, and I had gloves out of it not long ago.
By the way, do I even have gloves with me?
Well, no matter, it's still early summer!
As I pondered that, I reached the forest's edge. It almost abruptly ended, and I now gazed upon unfamiliar territory.
The forest was new in a way, but I saw it more as a boundary to the open world.
Beyond my settlement, which I simply called "the Bay," was the sea. To the left and right were coasts that quickly curved away.
Inside the bay, it felt somewhat like being on a semi-island.
And when I looked over the wall now, all I saw was the forest and, on clear air days, the distant mountains.
So, I was excited once again, filled with anticipation.
The first step, the beginning of my journey, was taken. Now came the second step, and after that, there was no turning back. The vast dungeon awaited me.
I stepped out from behind the last tree, and a gentle gust of wind hit my face and ruffled my head scales.
I couldn't help but smile, and indeed, I could feel my fangs lightly grazing my lower lip – likely that "silly smile," as Emma used to say.
A vast view stretched out before me. Lush green grass, even greener than in our bay, extended into the distance.
Small hills and mounds defined the horizon, which was quite beautiful.
The grass, swaying in the wind, gave it the appearance of a living landscape.
I sat down and leaned against a tree, savoring the light rays of the sun and the breeze on my skin.
I took my backpack off and grabbed some dried meat. I savored the atmosphere and the view.
It was now noon, and I stood up again. In the meantime, I had taken off my shoes and socks to let them dry in the sun.
I had started to develop some blisters, probably because of the wet shoes. To avoid forgetting this, I wrote it down on a piece of cowhide using charcoal – just as bullet points, as space was limited.
I stood up and felt the cool grass under my feet. I put on the warm socks, which had been drying in the sun, and then my shoes, which were still damp, and tied the shoelaces tightly.
Then I disappeared behind the tree to relieve myself.
When I finished, I put on my backpack and looked into the distance, holding the straps in my hands.
As I took a large step out of the forest, I said, „Let's get going, then!"