Messages

[Pili]

Pili

His ears drooped a bit when her heard Pea's answer. "What do you mean you ate it?" It wasn't so much that he wanted the blueberry, but more that it was kind of part of an experiment. Though his chagrin waned rather quickly as other questions came to him.

"What did it taste like?" was the first among his questions. "Did anything happen to it? Did it really multi- uh... make copies of itself?" From what he had gathered in his somewhat-not-entirely-fully-awake state, it seemed that saying the word 'Multiply' was what caused it to do... whatever it is it did. More importantly he recalled the moment he first said it as the moment he suddenly felt exhausted. Without knowing what had even happened, he would like to refrain from using it accidentally.

"What happened when I fell asleep?" he asked more generally, not quite sure the term 'fell asleep' carried quite the connotation he was looking for. For having caused him such inconvenience, he really wanted to get as much information as he could on what this 'Multiply' really did. And from the way they were talking, he had a suspicion that it didn't quite do what he had imagined in his head. He took a look around, noting the missing blueberry and hoping to find what else - if anything - had changed because of whatever it is he just did.

[Pili]

Pili

Pili could barely remember what had happened as he began to recover from his blackout. Slowly, it was coming back to him, but at first the most recent thing he could remember was receiving his name. He pushed groggily off the ground to sit on his hind legs as he recounted the events. He had received a name, and then... asked what all these 'Blessings' were about. It all started to come back to him from there. He was trying to figure out what it all meant when he... said the wrong things? Or said something right, but in the wrong way? All this 'Blessings' business was so bizarre and hard to understand. How could he become so exhausted that he blacked out just by saying some words?

It took a short moment for it to register in his mind that the butterfly creature had started talking, but he managed to catch the majority of what was said.

"M... Mana?" he asked quietly, half to himself, as she was explaining. He wasn't sure if he was just not recalling everything correctly just yet or not, but for now he actually didn't remember if he ever got an explanation of what 'mana' was. From the context, he could guess that it was something like his energy levels, but had to do with whatever these 'Blessings' were.

Pea and Fora quickly jumped in not long after, drowning out his thoughts for a moment. They were understandably a bit worried about him for getting knocked out. "I'm okay!" he said in response, "I maybe need to learn how to control that... whatever it is that I just did."

It was right about then he noticed the update to the words still on the edge of his vision. 'Multiplier x3', it said. And suddenly he remembered what he was going through all this for. "The blueberry!" He quickly turned around to see if anything had happened to the blueberry from before. For all it put him through, he super hoped it had done what he expected it to.

[Pili]

Pili

He could feel a tiny bit more panic rising in his small body. Suddenly losing such a sizable amount of energy like that was quite alarming, especially for a squirrel, who not only didn't have a lot of energy to begin with, but whose instincts told him that he needed to be at the height of his game at all times in case he was faced with unexpected danger. Whatever he had done that cost him this much energy was something he knew he would have to quickly learn to control, and at the same time learn if it was even worth the cost.

He reeled his mind with what might answer that second concern. He tried simply willing the words away, but barring that, and trying not to let his tiny panic attack show to the others around him, he was having little luck. It occurred to him how awkward it was learning this and seeming so naïve to the ways of this world in front of all these folk who were apparently looking to him for protection.

"Move!" he found himself saying to the words aloud without realizing, albeit quietly. He quickly covered his mouth with his paws in reaction, and if squirrels could smile sheepishly, he would have been doing just that behind the cover of his hands. He glanced up at the butterfly creature again. "I mean... done reading?" Again, the words remained, much to his frustration.

Okay, he had to clear his mind. While panicked. Somehow. He took a moment to reason things out. Multiply. What else could that mean but making copies of something? What did that mean, though? Copies of himself? Copies of other things? Copies of his own thoughts that would be sent out to others? What if he could use it to multiply his energy? Would that work? He would certainly like some of that back.

He flicked his tail again, unknowingly showing his frustration, and put a hand on his chin as he thought. What did he have to say? "Confirm"? What would be multiplying, though? What if he multiplied the red-furred creatures by accident? He could barely keep his composure with just the ones that were here, but to have more? He suppressed a shutter and slightly tilted his head so those creatures were more closer to his center of vision. Maybe he had to name something. That was it! He would try that.

"Multiplyyyy..." he said, starting his words without knowing at first where he was going with them, "blueberry!" He quickly turned and looked at the half-eaten blueberry he had dropped. Perhaps not the greatest target if this ability did what he thought it might do, but at least he would know if it worked.

[Dane]

Dane

Opposite the forest was a whole lot of emptiness from what Dane could see. He stepped back up to the place he had awoken from, looking over all the rubble that littered ground. It was mostly small rocks and it appeared to grow slightly more dense as he moved to its center. Was this what the forest voice was talking about? Was there some kind of rock that had been blown apart? It would make sense that a piece of it hitting him in the head would mess with his memory, he supposed, but what was he doing in this area with no one else around? Or were the people he was travelling with kidnapped? There was so much that could be going on in this moment, and it seemed awfully urgent if what little he had learned in the forest was true.

Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a light off in the distance, only barely visible through the unrelenting fog. Wary, he took a few steps toward it. It seemed to be moving, and from that movement he could tell it wasn't actually all that far off at all. He tightened his grip on his sword as he continued forward. After a few meters, he found himself on the edge of some kind of body of water. He thought it unusual that he couldn't tell without seeing it, but it was so calm that it didn't make a sound.

Then, in the direction of the light, he faintly heard the sloshing of water. Someone rowing a boat, he surmised. The light's movement did seem to sway as if it were affixed to a boat. He glanced around, searching for some kind of cover in case something went awry. A new face wouldn't be unwelcome, but he was still very tense from his encounter in the forest. Slowly, he moved behind a rock sticking out of the ground a few feet from the water's edge, peeking around its corner to watch the light as it grew ever closer to the shore.

[Dane]

Dane

More and more trees began to take shape as Dane moved in closer to the forest, revealing that he was probably on the edge of a large forest. Something seemed strange about it beyond the eerie atmosphere the mist provided. As he entered, he remained cautious. Careful not to move too fast without paying the utmost attention to anything that could take him by surprise. He scanned the ground to avoid stepping on something dangerous. He surveyed what he could make out of the trees around him to catch anything that might be sneaking up on him before it was too late. He listened intently for any sounds that should raise an alarm. He was far enough in now that he could no longer see the edge of the woods through the mist behind him and so far there was nothing out of the ordinary.

He stepped over a fallen tree, each end of which stretched far into the mist. Thus far he hadn't seen any other life. Even the intermittent animal noises he heard when he first awoke seemed to have vanished. It was as if he was the only creature now roaming the forest, and the thought rather irked him. What was he even meant to be looking for here? He hadn't a clue where he was or how he got there. Heck, he barely even know who he was beyond the bare minimum of his name and appearance. And what he was... well, he called himself human, but a voice at the back of his mind led him to believe even that wasn't quite right. He was merely a lost soul wandering through a barren forest without direction or purpose.

He had lost the concept of time before long, searching for something that might direct him to the answers he needed, but to no avail. He hadn't searched the whole woodland, but he had gone long enough that he had lost hope of finding what he was looking for. Sighing, he turned to retrace his steps. As far as he could tell, he had not deviated far from a straight line since entering the forest; his way out should be directly behind him. If he could find the fallen log from before, then he could follow it to where he climbed over and follow the rest of the path out. With any luck, he could find something in the featureless void he had forgone in lieu of the woods.

"A strange one you are." A whisper broke the silence. It came from no single direction in particular, but rather sounded to come from all around him at once.

Dane stopped in his tracks and gripped the handle of his short sword, unaware quite how to react. He scanned the woods thoroughly in the hopes of catching a glimpse of whatever spoke to him. Nothing. Not before him, behind him, beside him, or above him. And again it was silent.

"W-who's there?" He felt a slight tremble as he unsheathed a couple inches of his sword. For an excruciating moment, mere silence followed, but again it was broken by an eerie whisper.

"You see us," it said.

Dane was terribly uneasy, but the entity's vague answer only seemed to make things worse. "I see no one."

Silence filled the air once again. Dane searched the mist from where he stood, but around him was only nature.

"You seem dazed. Did you not behold the flash of light? The breaking earth?"

Dane blinked. What was that supposed to mean? There was no flash of light as long as he had been conscious. He wasn't comprehending the riddle.

"I know not what you mean."

"Beyond the forest; from the southwest whence you came; were a flash of light and sound."

A moment of silence, then the voice spoke again.

"A blast. An explosion. Your kind - rather those your shape - waged many a war with such barbarity."

"A bomb?" He was vaguely familiar with those, but he didn't recall the last time he had heard one. Certainly not since he awoke, and he didn't wake on account of one, either. "And what of 'my shape'?"

"Indeed a 'bomb'. It seems you've much to relearn. Pray it is revealed with haste."

He noted a distinct avoidance of the matter of his shape. He would undoubtedly find out what that was to mean; another matter suddenly took precedence. "To what could I owe such haste?"

"Even my sight is clouded of this mist, but it is unmistakable: a new war looms on the horizon."

"And what brings such a conflict?"

The voice fell silent. It seemed with every answer he received, a great deal many more questions arose in its place. Even with what he had been told, it was as though he was even more in the dark than when he began. It didn't ease the air of trepidation building around him, but now in silence, he could better keep his guard up.

A sound somewhere between a snapping twig and grinding bark crack the air to his side. From the corner of his eye, he thought he noticed movement. It was small - seemingly too small for even a bird or a chipmunk. Slowly he unsheathed the rest of his sword as he crept toward the area.

"Use your courage wisely, young Dane." The whisper returned, and now seemed to come from everywhere but in front of him.

Dane twisted around, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was speaking to him, but he saw nothing. The fact that it knew his name made him still more edgy. "How do you know my name?"

"You are being hunted."

It came from immediately behind him, and Dane spun back around. And what he saw caused him to throw what sense he might have gained from his exchange with the voice of the forest out the window. There, on the tree on which he thought he saw movement a moment earlier, looking ominously back at him, was what looked like an eye, and with everything in him, he knew he had to get out of that forest. He jumped back and then turned to run as fast as his legs would carry him. He hadn't time to determine where the path was that he had taken out of the forest, but he believed this was the way. His sword in hand, he sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him, relieved when he again came across the fallen tree from before. He quickly hopped over it and followed the familiar path back out of the forest. The whole time, not another whisper was spoken to him.

He looked back, panting, now seeing the forest in a far more foreboding light.

[Pili]

Pili

There was a lot of info to take in all at once. Quick Learner sounded like an extremely convenient blessing for him. He may have lived in a forest his whole life, but evidently there was so much more to the world - this world, anyway - that he had never even imagined before. Without this extra learning power, he wasn't sure he would be much more than a burden. The two Mana Sensitivity blessings, even if he had a hard time pronouncing them, seemed useful in their own way as well. Particularly if that was the only way he could see this strange butterfly. Translate All did exactly what he thought it did, and it looked like he had already been using that one since his appearance in the second world. He hadn't thought of making the marks he had been reading on his own yet. Being a Quick Learner would come in quite handy there if he understood it correctly.

He was only partially distracted when a new line showed up over his vision, and slightly more so when he felt some of his energy just drain away. It was a shame the butterfly tell what exactly Multiply meant based on its name, because he may have accidentally just did whatever it does.

"I see something else," he said, "It says 'Multiplier: x2'. What do I do?" he was slightly in a panic, not knowing what he had done or why he was suddenly more tired than before. Would this happen every time he said the word? For all its trouble, it had better be useful.

Username: Broson
Name: Dane
Appearance: Pine marten anthro (picture later maybe)
Age: late 20s
Gender: Male
Abilities: TBD
Weapons: Short sword
Personality: Dane dislikes fighting, often choosing to talk out differences if possible. He believes there is some kind of higher power and will often reference this in the way he speaks.
Biography: No one knows. He woke up in a pile of rubble with no recollection of his past. He apparently had some kind of training with a short sword at some point.

Will fill this in when there is more to fill in.

[Table of Contents]

All the characters from the Where the World Has Gone roleplay go here. Player characters, NPCs, whatever. Anyone can join this roleplay (no need to ask) and the guidelines are going to be super lax. Just about anything goes here. Fancy playing a medieval knight? You make a medieval knight. You want to make a cyborg that comes from the renaissance era and just wants to become a mime? Go for it. You want to make a sentient shoelace with x-ray vision? Weird flex, but okay. The only rules are to have fun and don't ruin the fun for anyone else.

The setting is intentionally ambiguous for now, but some kind of thick mist has shrouded virtually all the world. No one knows why or where it came from. There's meant to have some post-apocalyptic undertone, but if you have an idea you'd like to try and make work, go for it. Just make it at least a little consistent with the rest of the world. The story will grow more and more clear and consistent as more posts are made, so if you have any unusual character designs, best to get them in early on.

Just put whatever info you think is important on your character sheet. I'll update this post with a link to everyone's sheet whenever a new one is posted.

OOC in the roleplay itself is fine if it's in something identifiable like ((parentheses)) or in a quote or something, but if you can, try to talk somewhere like in Discord or something. If you have any questions about anything at all, let me know.

Table of Contents

Dane

[Dane]

Dane

Dane slowly awoke into a place he didn't recognize. He was outside. A thick fog shrouded the air in every direction, blocking his vision after only a few meters. As he started to stand up, he could see rubble scattered on the ground around him. There were patches of green grass here and there, some of which had been burned away, and deeper into the fog he could see the dim silhouette of a thicket of trees. The only sound was a sort of ambient white noise that sounded very far away. Only occasionally did an animal dare break the silence with its own sound. The smell of the earth permeated the air, accentuated by the essence of petrichor brought about by the mist.

From his surroundings, he could surmise no indication of where he was. And from his memory, he could gather no recollection of what brought him here.  On his person, he noted he was wearing light clothing under a vest and wore no footwear, but between his fur and paw pads, what he had on was enough to counter the chilly weather. Fastened to his waistline was a short sword. Too his frustration, none of this jogged his memory.

"Where am I?" he said absently. He still felt disoriented. Should he go into the forest and try to make sense of things there? Or should he venture the other way, into the void that had no promise of anything at all? He sighed. The forest would do for now. If all else failed, there was nothing to prevent him from returning to try the nondescript void instead. At least with the forest, there was some semblance of familiarity despite his lack of experience in one.

He took one last look around where he awoke to make sure he didn't drop anything he might need, then started his journey, his hand on his short sword, knowing only vaguely how to use it, but nevertheless feeling prepared if something were to attack.

[Pili]

Pili

Pili was intrigued by the possibilities of what this could mean. He could fly? Back in his home, he counted jumping across the branches of the trees among the greatest of feelings because it was the closest he could ever get to flying. To learn how to fly for real would be one of his most fantastic dreams come true. He dropped the half-eaten blueberry he had been holding and inched in a little closer to the butterfly as he listened.

"So I could do things that other creatures would be able to do?" His takeaway was mainly that he could copy what the other animals of the forest could do. Flying would be one thing, but what else? Could he pounce or bite like the red-furred creature? Could he dig like a gopher? Could he turn into a snake and squeeze the creatures that made him mad until they died? Actually, that was a little morbid. Maybe that one wouldn't be so great.

"Status!" he said again. This time he was a bit more excited about what it had to say. As the words again began to appear before him, he started to skim through it. Much of it he was still uninterested in since it didn't make sense, but when he reached the final two lines, he began to repeat what he saw. "It says I am a quick learner. I have mana sensi-vimy, great mana senisimy, translate all, personal status, shock absorber, and-" the idea of the last one sent his mind reeling with possibilities. "-multiply."

He had caught up just as the words began to fade again, and he returned his focus to the butterfly in hopes that it could explain the ones he couldn't understand.

[Pili]

Pili

He perked up at the suggestion. Pili? He rather liked it. Was that how they were named, too? Was 'Fora' also the name of some kind of other nut that he hadn't heard of. He would like to try whatever nut that would be, too!

"I... I love it!" he chirped. The idea of being associated so closely with something he had come to enjoy the taste of so much was perfect! And it would forever be a reminder of what he believed he owed both to himself and everyone he cared about: to bring back the pili tree. And also saving the forest. The two ideas were slowly beginning to grow synonymous in his mind.

He was tempted to jump into Fora's arms again and give her another big hug, but he fought the urge. Although it now felt official that he was part of their group, he wasn't even entirely sure the first hug was something he was comfortable doing. It just sort of happened. Instead, he scuttled over to the gathering of food and retrieved two walnuts, which he gave to both Fora and Pea (whom he finally caught the name of as the butterfly repeated it a third time). He also went to get a blueberry for himself.

"I must ask before I forget again." He held the now-half-eaten blueberry in his paws as he started to jog his memory. "Since I got here, I started to see these markings in front of me. Things I've never seen before, but somehow I can understand them. 'Summoned Hero'. 'Shock Absorber'. Mana Sensini- mimty'. I don't understand what this means. What is a 'blessing'?" He knew what blessing was supposed to mean, but the context it was used in seemed... different. It was nagging on the edge of his mind since he arrived in the third world, but things just kept happening and he very nearly forgot. It would be hard to ignore these markings if they kept appearing, and the distraction of not knowing what they were could be a big problem if he ever found himself in a bind and needed to think quickly. Plus they very well just might be important. This butterfly apparently know about it, since it knew to tell him about 'Status'. The more information he could gather now, the better.

[_]

_

The last one? No, that couldn't be! In the span of just a few seconds he had learned of the greatest treat in three worlds and was being told he might never have one again? It wasn't right. He would do anything in his power to make sure whatever tree or bush this pili nut had grown from would return to this forest. It was a staple of this new world in his eyes and he owed it to his family to make sure they could taste it for themselves.

"Thank you, friends, for giving me a chance to taste it." He admittedly felt awkward sitting there knowing he had just been offered the very last of these squirrels' favorite treat that thought they might ever see. Truly that was a sign of their trust and reverence of him. This was a trust he knew he must uphold. Bringing this delicacy back to the forest would now be a service he owed to them in addition to his own family.

Then a strange urge came over him. It was friendly enough, but it wasn't something he would normally do in his own land. He leaned in to the nearest of the two squirrels - Fora - and gave her a hug. Where did this gesture come from, and why was he so sure that it was a way to show appreciation and tenderness? Was this a proper way to interact with those he met here? And would that matter given that he is seen with such stature? These were questions he couldn't answer and frankly didn't know how to ask, either.

"Thank you," he said again, quieter now that he was so close to Fora's ear. Everything still felt like it was moving so fast around him, but in that moment, he felt an unexplained relief from some of the tension he had accumulated since his encounter with the red-furred creature in the first world. It felt good, though. So, instead of worrying whether or not this was how the animals acted here, he seized the moment and continued the embrace until, only a few seconds later, the butterfly spoke up again.

"Would you like a name, hero?" It fluttered down and summed up some of what names were about in this forest.

He was glad to have that finally explained to him, even if he might not still entirely understand it. To him, a creature's scent was still certainly enough to identify them by. But then, this whole concept of complex speech and thought was something he still hadn't entirely gotten used to.

"A- a name?" he responded, stepping back from Fora to better face the speaking butterfly. "I think I would very much like to have one of those."

[_]

_

He wasn't quite sure what to expect of the animals as they made their way into the offering area. The larger, predatory ones unsurprisingly made him uneasy, but even the smaller animals he would normally associate with made him ever so slightly nervous. What mannerisms had they here that he wouldn't expect to see where he came from? In what ways did they expect him to greet them? And how much of the food would they try to claim from him?

He didn't have to wait long to find out. Naturally, the other squirrels in the crowd were the most eager to scamper up and introduce themselves. Like any squirrel, he himself was actually happy to meet more like him, but he soon found that indeed they had a different way of being squirrels in this forest.

"What's your name?" one of them asked.

'...Name?' he thought. In his forest, he had never referred to another creature with a name, but rather by their unique scent. It made sense to him, but then this ability to communicate so complexly also wasn't a thing he or any other squirrel was able to do in the first world. Vocalizations were generally limited to chirps and squeaks to warn others of danger nearby and whether it was approaching, leaving, noticed them, or other related things. Even calling out a specific kind of danger wasn't an option before. It seemed rather silly to dedicate a different sound to every squirrel he met, particularly when the number of different sounds he could make were so limited.

Then again, the ability to speak with such a significantly more robust set of sounds, all with their own meaning, did make it seem a little less silly.

"Yes! What's your name? The fairies call me Pea!" another squirrel asked him.

"A name... " he mused, feeling it proper to give them an answer. "I'm afraid I don't have one."

He wondered if he should think of a name for himself, but the butterfly returned the topic back to the nut in his hands.

"Make a bite right there!" the one called Fora pointed at a particular spot on the pili nut. "It will make a little hole..."

He set the nut down to get a look at where Fora was pointing and sure enough, there was a small indentation in the center of the nut's long edge.

"Then... you split it! Pry it open!" the first had said.

This one's name he had heard twice now, but in the excitement he had already forgotten. It was still much easier for him to remember others by the way they smelled.

He took the nut in his paws again and adjusted it so he could get his incisors into the little notch and pry it open. Sure enough, the shell cracked right in half to reveal the treasure hidden inside. He discarded the shell as he grabbed the kernel, chewed away a bit of the skin, and took a small bite.

It was right then and there that he discovered a taste he had been missing out on his entire life. A rich buttery flavor washed over his palette like a rainstorm flood into a thirsty lakebed. His tail stiffened and his body straightened as he swallowed the delicious treat, then he slowly loosened back up to his original position as the first bite faded to a delicious aftertaste. Euphoria.

It was fortunate that he was among allies for the moment, for he very nearly forgot to pay attention to his surroundings as he focused so intently on the taste of the nut. But alas, the moment of ecstasy couldn't last, and before he knew it, he had already finished the treat. He didn't recall ever having such a wonderful feeling from trying a new kind of food before. It was special sensation and not one he intended to forget. The best feeling he had had since before the fanged ones had threatened his family. He had to have more.

"This 'pili' nut..." he said, "This is the greatest thing I've ever tasted! Where did you find it?"

[_]

_

He scanned the words that appeared in his vision, being sure to read fast and commit it to memory rather than just gaze over it like last time. A bit of the information seemed to be repeated from when he first arrived in this world. Blessings, as they appeared be called. But this time there was also a great deal of new information. HP, MP, and seven other words he couldn't make sense of, all followed by numbers that didn't mean anything in particular so far. Three unspent ability points. Not a lick of it made sense aside from the reassuring words 'Condition: Healthy. He assumed that meant him. And that was good to hear, considering he had just died and all.

He snapped out of focus when the butterfly flew down to the food he had been eating from. For a fleeting moment, he had both the urge to defend the stache of food they'd given him and a much more minor urge to make a run for it, but he suppressed both for now.

"A pili nut?" He had to admit he really liked the sound of that. It had a nice ring to it. He moved forward and grabbed it as it was offered to him. The most noticeable quality of this nut was that it was enormous - at least three times the length of an average walnut, which is the largest nut he had ever eaten. He nearly had a hard time grasping it in his tiny paws, but he was really excited to dig in.

"Do you mind if the rest join us?"

Admittedly, the question had caught him off-guard. He was under the impression that all the food here was for him. Even if it might be a bit much for just one squirrel. He repositioned himself to see all the animals behind the butterfly with one of his eyes. As before, they looked desperate. Once again, there wasn't much question there. He had only just told them he was willing to help save the forest. This could be a good first step, right? It was so strange suddenly having such a great responsibility like this. Prior to this, he had only ever had to look out for his family. This was quite a step up.

He eyed one of the red-furred monsters amongst the animals as he scanned the crowd. Those he was particularly unsure of. One had killed him, after all. Worse: one had threatened his family, and quite possibly even killed them as well. That creature's kind were to be feared by squirrels, not welcomed in.

He noticed then that it was amongst other animals of prey, including squirrels, yet appeared virtually uninterested in them as food. Maybe it was different here. Maybe squirrel-kind didn't live in fear of the usual predators of his own forest. There was clearly a much larger threat looming over them, anyhow.

But it was the same kind of monster that had killed him. This wasn't even that long ago. Ten minutes at most. How could he just open up like that to something he lived to fear?

"If that nut could feel, how do you think it would be feeling right this instance?" the words of the great creature from the second world echoed in his mind. He looked at the wonderfully-named pili nut in his tiny paws. "Perhaps fear? Perhaps pain? Maybe even regret? The same as that fear you felt running from the fanged ones. ...what makes you different from that nut?"

That was it, wasn't it? It was just how things worked. The fanged one was only subsisting. All it wanted was food, and to it, he was food. But there was food here and now, right in front of him. It wouldn't need to eat a squirrel for food if it could eat some of this. After all, it wasn't eating the other squirrels. In that sense, maybe it would be better to let the predators have their share. It would keep them from digging in to other things. That made him feel a lot better.

Still having not tried the pili nut yet, he returned his gaze back to the butterfly before him. "I would like that," he finally answered. He would still be keeping his distance from anything with sharp teeth, though.

Having another look at the nut he held, he was having a hard time find a place he could get his teeth into. Walnuts at least had grooves he could gnash away at until he could bite into something. And they were much, much smaller. This pili nut had tapered ends, yes, but its sheer size made it awkward to positioned correctly. If the taste turned out to be worth it, he would have to work out a good way to break the shell. For just this once, though, he thought he might ask for help.

"Now how do I open this?" It occurred to him that the information he got from saying 'status' was likely important, but this was far more urgent. It wasn't every day he got a chance to try a new kind of nut.

[_]

_

http://www.youtube.com/v/Hm6VUAsJDRo

With every word the butterfly spoke, the larger the problem seemed. The forest was still under attack. Its guardians, whoever they were, had already been taken down. Nature itself had begun to falter under the taint as it moved in. Somehow nothing they could do had done anything to stop the bleak future this series of events foretold.

And they called on a squirrel to get help.

They had great beasts with large claws and strength he couldn't imagine. They had flying acorn-thieves that could go wherever they wanted and soar to heights no squirrel could reach. They had creatures with great horns and powerful kicks. They had other squirrels. They had butterflies with powers he had neither seen nor imagined until just moments ago. They even had the same kind of monster that had killed him in his past life.

Yet they called on him specifically to change everything.

He was humbled, but even after all this butterfly's explanation and after the encouragement of the creature from the second world, he still was having a hard time believing so much could depend on him. Whatever these monsters were that were destroying what was left of a mysteriously disappearing forest seemed to be on much a larger scale than even the forest himself. The size of it all was much more than he thought he could handle.

He find himself squeaking "Status" lowly to himself as the butterfly spoke, but his attention was immediately piqued as the butterfly uttered that it was last of its kind. Those bubbles that had been floating around when he first arrived... They had been butterflies themselves up until he was brought into this forest. Whatever faith they had that he could save them, they had staked everything on it. It left him little choice, he thought.

But it was exactly what he had already told the creature in the garden he would do, wasn't it? He had been sent here to save them, and in doing so, make this the kind of world he would want for his family. There was no question.

As he finished eating the small offering they had prepared for him, he glanced at all the animals. There was desperation in their eyes - a look he had never seen in his own world. They anticipated his decision no less than the butterfly who had given up everything but her own life just to ask him for his help.

He stood up on his hind legs, nodded, and eyed the butterfly with a look of solemnity. "Show me what I need to do."