Chapter 2

stripped off my wet clothes, pulled my things from my backpack, and laid them out to dry. I gathered leaves and fallen tree limbs and prayed my lighter worked.

"Oh lord, thank you, Jesus! It's colder than a well diggers ass in January" I said out loud as I made a fire to warm up and dry my clothes things I had in my pack.

I checked my body. I didn't see any injuries . Am I dead? I wondered.I put on my jeans and sweatshirt. My dirty outfit was in a

grocery bag from showering at the gym. This was dryer than everything else. They were dirty but dry; I could live with that. I kept my tea leaves in a Ziplock bag. The tea looked like it survived the dip with the fish. Thank God for the little things.

My fire was burning out, so I packed up my damp things. I need to move to find shelter and figure out where I was. It was getting colder, and the light dabbling through the trees was fading. I felt like I have lost my mind. None of this makes sense to me. Survival mode has me just taking things one problem at a time. I got dry. Problem one was solved. Next, find shelter and figure all this out.

I climbed a tree to see if I could get a sense of direction. The sap and pine needles made my climb difficult with the lushness of the trees. I manage to get far enough up the tree to peek at the sky.

"Holy hell! Well, hush my mouth!" I blurted out as I saw two moons rising and the sunset colors set against a light purple sky.

I gripped the branch so hard my palm rubbed raw on the bark. I climbed down before I lost all light. I was stumbling through the woods as it got darker and colder. My shoes were wet and had that annoying squish with every step. I was incredibly loud with my stride and leaves underfoot. The sound of this forest was way off. Muffled and stale, no animal noise, not even a bird or squirrel. Not the buzzing of nighttime insects like cicadas. I was so used to hearing back home. It was eerily silent. Nothing seemed right.

There's no wind, just me disrupting the air with my breathing and footsteps. Like I was a ghost just strolling through the woods in another dimension. Maybe that's the answer. I drowned, and this was some kind of purgatory. The ringing in my ears increased, so I could no longer hear my heart pounding.

I was going to be madder than a wet hen if I had gotten sent to hell or purgatory. I huffed at the air.If I was dead, I wanted my family. Where the hell was I? I stomped my foot like a toddler throwing a conniption fit. I felt miserable, too miserable to be dead. I heard a voice inside my head. A woman's voice.‘Darah, do not fear I am . . .' the voice faded out. Great! Now I heard voices.I had officially broken my brain. I was on the crazy train. Maybe it was just my nerves getting to me. I felt like the porchlight was on but nobody was home. I just didn't understand a thing that was happening to me.I saw movement in the shadow of a tree, so I shut up and stayed still, waiting to see if I was now seeing things, too. Fear kept me frozen. After a moment, I sank to the ground to sit and wallow. I drank water from my bottle. I fished in my bag for a granola bar. The chocolate chip was a bit soggy, but my stomach was cramped in pain as I unwrapped my snack. I moaned as I chewed the first bite. I put the wrapper back in my pack and noticed a familiar little furry face peaking at me. Maybe a rabbit or a cat, I don't know. Whatever it was, it looked unique. Was it dangerous? I wondered."Hi there little dude, did I scare you before when I came out of the water?"The furry thing hopped a little closer to me."Yeah, I am sorry about that. If it helps, I am scared, too." I tried to soothe the thing.It felt curious about me. Good, at least it didn't want to attack. The creature had Something soothing about it. My gift sent me a sensation of emotion coming from that furry creature.That pastel-colored fur ball was fascinating, reminding me of cotton candy from the fair with its pink and blue hues. "You hungry?" I asked it as I threw a little piece toward the furry creature.The rabbit cat-looking thing picked up the treat with its paw and ate it happily."Glad you like it," I said through my mouthful. Maybe I drowned and I was in a coma now, this all must be a dream. This creature in front of me can't really be real. Can any of this be real? The lush growth around me makes it difficult to maneuver. I was sitting on a fern, I think. I lean back to gaze up."Owe! I yelped as I leaned back on a thorn, stabbing my hand.The cotton candy-colored rabbit cat got startled and jumped away from me. Death wouldn't be this miserable. If I were in a coma, would I feel this pain? I was going with my coma theory because that rabbit-cat thing is glowing now that I was startled. I'd like to think if I died, I'd be with my parents and my brother. Sadness wells up in me as I fought back tears and rub my wounded hand.Who knew I had this kind of imagination? I shook my hand, trying to calm the sting from the thorn that got me. I fished around in my pack to get another granola and held it out to the creature."Sorry, pal, I wasn't expecting that either. I did not mean to scare you.The cotton candy creature hopped up to my hand that held out the granola bar, sniffing with his little wet nose. I broke off another piece, and he took it from my hand and suddenly jumped in my lap, letting me pet his silky soft fur while it ate."You are a friendly one, aren't you?" I crooned. I felt warm and cozy with this cute fur ball comforting me."If you are just in my head, I will call you Candy since you look like a swirl of blue and pink cotton candy."Candy must have liked it since it was rubbing his fluffy head all over me like a hug. Did I hear this thing purr? I laughed, a real, genuine laugh. I haven't laughed like that since before the accident. I must be hysterical."Candy, do you know your way around this forest? Because it is darker now and I am cold. These wet shoes are driving me insane. I might follow you down your rabbit hole if we could get warm there. I am cold and desperate here."Candy just rubbed up against my hand, ignoring my desperation. Something about this fur ball made everything less scary. But I needed answers, and I needed to move. I put Candy on the ground and stood up, dusting myself off, not that it helped much for the mess I was."It was nice to meet you, Candy. You be safe now." I said as I hefted my backpack on and reluctantly took careful steps.I held my guitar case with a slight tremble in my nervous hands. I only had a small flashlight. Luckily, it was in a Ziplock bag with my change and pens, which I randomly stored there. Thankfully, it still worked. It's just a gas station pocket flashlight, so I was unsure how much juice it still had.Things always look so ominous at night. Goosebumps covered my flesh, and my sloshy footsteps and breathing were the only sounds I heard. Candy was keeping pace with me somehow. It could move silently, I guess it wanted to stick with me a for a bit. I was not going to complain. I liked Candy's presence. My light landed on a pile of fallen trees, and I saw natural A-frame."It's not a hotel, but I might be able to work with this," I told Candy to calm my nerves.I used a stick to rake out the leaves and debris under the logs. I made a fire and settled myself in this nook of trees. Candy came and snuggled up to me. I don't know how I managed, but I fell asleep to the tune of Candy's purr and chuffing sounds.It was a rough night. The morning cold seeped into my bones, and my sweatshirt and jeans were damp with morning dew. If it wasn't for Candy lending me heat, I am not sure I would have been able to wake up.It was starting to get light out, but there was a fog, so I couldn't see much as I opened my eyes. I decided to crawl out of my hole and move. Maybe blood flow will help ease the ache of this cold and revive my numb limbs.As I stood up to stretch, I saw a blanket of fog covering the forest floor. The mist only came up to my knees. I might find this all more beautiful but appreciating anything through my chattering teeth and this gut-clinching, uncomfortable cold was almost impossible.I peeled my damp jeans down so I could pee. Miserable is an understatement at this point. I saw Candy's movements under the fog as it dispersed the cloud. I watched it head out before me, passing a few trees. I was deciding if I should follow the fur ball as I buttoned up my pants when a shadow of a big arm shot out from behind a tree holding a net and swooped up my Candy.Candy's fur started to glow as it hissed and tried to escape. Its fluffy tail was caught in the net's web. My adrenaline kicked in, and I stormed towards my new friend, Candy."Oh no, you didn't. I am gonna tan your hide, you grabbed the wrong fur ball today, Mister. That baby is mine!" I grabbed hold of what looked like a hand-woven fishing net and yanked.I turned the corner of the tree trunk and found my fivefoot-two face smooshed into the hard-muscled bare chest of a . . . What the hell are you??I startled and jumped back, still holding tight to my end of the net. I looked up and up until I met the black eyes of a dark purple man with ram-looking horns. He was dressed in shorts only and had leather-style boots. His bow and quiver were wrapped around his shoulders, and tribal tattoos marked up his arms. He had long black hair braided up.When our eyes locked, the shock on his expression changed. Goose flesh rose all over me, a humming in my ears started, and my heart was pounding as a throb started throughout my body. I was insanely attracted to this demon-looking man. I saw the need in his black eyes, bringing me back to my senses. I was suddenly nervous and unsure of what to make of this unknown male before me.I had officially lost my mind. Shaking off my desire. I yanked on the net again. This time, it came freely to me. I reached in and pulled Candy out of the net, helping untangle its foot and tail.The huge purple male with horns gasped in shock."Well, you are definitely a boy. I am sorry I gave you a girl's name, but who cares? Boys can be Candy too, I suppose." I snuggled Candy close, kissing the top of his furry head. I tried to soothe him as his pastel glow grew dim, and he started to purr, licking my neck with his scratchy tongue.I ramble when I get nervous. Candy snuggled into my neck, thanking me for rescuing him. The big, bulky male slowly moved around me, inspecting, and sizing me up. Candy growled again and hissed at the man when he walked behind me. I turned to face him."Look! Candy is my fur buddy, so you can't have him." I said with as much dominance as I could muster. I was scared shitless at the alien male in front of me. Not just because he was purple with horns. Mostly because he was probably the sexiest male I have ever been attracted to.I had to collect myself and focus on saving Candy from the sexy man. Sexy doesn't automatically mean this guy is safe.I started walking backward away from the man. The male did not seem to want my Candy anymore. He looked at me like I was prey. "Fuck." I whispered as his hungry eyes melted my core.The blanket of fog still hovered over the forest floor. I must have drowned, this had to be me in a coma, because glowing pastel fur rabbit cats don't exist, Sexy purple horned men don't exist. Either way, I needed to decide how to respond to all this.I was about to turn and bolt when I tripped over a log. I tossed Candy out of the way as I crashed backward to the ground. I think a fern cushioned my fall. The fog covered my face briefly just before I was picked up and cradled in the male's arms.