Dry, cotton, and copper. Toya stuck his tongue out, tasting salt. His vision blacked out, blurring on the edge of a rainbow that slowly faded, revealing reality. A dark stone floor and a ceiling with dark wooden beams.
He tried turning his head to the left and then to the right. Toya grunted at the thunky heavy movement. He reached a clawed, wooden, brittle hand back to grasp the back of his neck. His breath froze; he patted again and again, feeling stiff wood with small cold metal hinges. He opened his mouth wide, screaming. "Ahhhh. What—what is this?" He struggled to speak. The syllables felt unnatural and rough. His thin wooden arms shifted to his front, shaking. Toya's whole body trembled. Items knocked and slid against his walls. His tongue lashed out against his bottom, sharp-pointed teeth. As his tongue stuck out. The sound of multiple people walking caught his attention.
A group of four men walked into the room through a square frame. They all wore trousers, boots, various armor, and thick cotton tunics.
"It's a mimic!" A man shouted. Before Toya could comprehend it, his tongue shot out, wrapping around a quiet man, lifting him up in the air.
The man squirmed, grunted, wiggled, and finally screamed. "Help me! Help me!" The other members readied their weapons. One went to lunge forward.
"My tongue! My tongue!" As the trapped man wiggled, Toya's tongue constricted, squeezing. "No, help bad. Toya no understand, hurt, died, bleed, girl, Yuri. Toya does not want this," said Toya. His voice was shrill, high, and crackly.
The men glanced at each other, sweat drops forming. "Did that mimic just talk?" said one of the men.
"Who cares if a mimic talks? It has been known for them to mimic sounds to lure people and other creatures to it." The yelling man pointed toward the mimic. "He has one of our group as well!"
A tall, big man with red hair broke away from the group. He stopped walking when he reached Toya. My name is Jack." Jack pointed behind him to Toya's extended tongue. That coward is Sam. Those two are Merve and Tom." He held out both hands flat toward the mimic.
Toya backed away until he reached the stone wall. His legs were shaking.
The guy wrapped in Toya's tongue screamed again. Everyone once again readied their weapons. Jack flipped around. "Hold." He then turned around. "Hey, little buddy, can you release Sam?"
"How to release?" Toya questioned. His clawlike fingers gripped the stone behind him.
"Just relax, little buddy." Jack replied. He knelt down and patted the top of Toya's curved lid.
The other two free members of the party exchanged quick, horrified looks. Toya's knobby shoulders sank. He closed his eyes, and his tongue slowly unraveled, retreating inside. Toya places both hands in front of himself. His wood seemed a shade darker before the lid opening and under the clasp. He bowed lightly. Jack raised his hand. Toya squeezed his eyes shut.
Sam shouted as he fell through the air, landing harshly on the ground. His eyes swirled. He groaned before jumping up. "Hey, this mimic tried to eat me. Why are you all standing around?"
Toya's eyes shot open. He darted away.
Jack retracted his hand. "Hey, Mim, apologize appropriately to Sam."
Toya raised a shaky arm to himself. "Me?"
Jack stood up with folded arms. "Of course you. Your name is Mim now. Since I named you, you are my responsibility."
Toya opened and closed his lid. He tilted left, then right. Not Mim, I am Toya."
Jack grumbled. He frowned, causing his chin dimples to show. "Don't talk back. Just accept my love."
"No, terrible name." Toya dashed over to Sam. His clawed, narrowed wooden feet scampered against the stone.
Sam panicked trying to reach for his weapons. He fell back. A loud thud echoed in the torch-lit chamber.
Merve and Tom exchanged looks.
Toya bowed before Sam. "I apologize."
Jack pulled out three strips of jerky. "Good boy, now come to Daddy."
"We are not keeping it!" Merve, Tom, and Sam shouted together.
Sweat drops developed on Toya. "No..."
"What do you mean, no!" Jack shouted. "I have jerky."
"Don't feed it," Jack's group shouted.
Jack frowned, giving them a hard look. "I will feed it if I want to," he sulked. "I mean, it is just so cute. Jack tiptoed over. He pointed both arms at Toya.
Toya turned toward the other members of Jack's party. "Need help," he said in a crackly voice.
Tom blinked. "Huh, you need help?"
Toya nodded.
Merve glanced at everyone, with sweat drops developing. "We aren't seriously considering this, are we?
"Girl, missing." Toya bowed. "I'm useless; the girl missing is a friend." Can they even understand me? he thought.
Jack's brows furrowed. He slowly stretched his hand out and rubbed the top of Toya's head. "Good boy, Toya. You must have been so alone. You don't have to worry anymore. We will take good care of you."
Tom, Sam, and Merve stood on their toes, leaning toward Jack. "The hell we will!"
These people do not feel bad; Toya raised his top half and lowered it. "I thank you."
"Stop with the bowing." Tom wagged a finger at Toya. "I bet he is trying to lower us to more of his friends."