1.02 - Stargazing

!! Contains Blood !!

- Boron - 

It's been a while since we set off into the marsh right outside my home...six hours of walking and exploring, at least. I never went into this place by myself because it sucks. Mosquitos are always buzzing around your face, there's a horrible stench in the air at all times, and if you're really unlucky you end up getting your feet stuck in the mud.

And I happen to be very unlucky. Or maybe life hates me just that much.

"...Ugh. We could've found some other way to get to this person, I don't even care if it took slightly longer. This is agonizing." I groan.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Yttrium chirps back from up ahead. "Every time I come around to pester you I walk through here."

"Every time? Why go through all of that trouble to bother me?"

"Sunk cost fallacy."

They focus once again on the path ahead as they continue to walk, with me lagging behind. I'm finally able to break my foot out of the mud, but it continues to stick onto me. I suppose even the smallest things cannot give me peace. All I can do is continue following them again, slogging along as the occasional ramblings of Yttrium went through one ear and out the other. Despite that, the banter we'd been having was the only thing preserving my consciousness. I feel like I'd grow into a zombie without it.

 After pushing through the humid shrubbery a while longer, Yttrium comes to a sudden stop. He then runs off the beaten path, leaving me in the dust.

"Wh- Hold on-" I shout. "Where are you going!?"

"I know where we are, Boron! The clearing is this way."

"What clearing!?"

"The one I mentioned earlier. Follow me and you'll see." 

Looks like I missed something important in all of that. Oh well...I trust them to know the way around this swamp more then I do. 

So, I head off into the thicket. I must say that being in the deeper, less "carved" part of this place is considerably more irritating. I feel damp tree leaves brushing against my face as the tips of my coat are soaked in this murky sludge. Not a smart choice of clothes, but I don't care. I can't stand to gaze upon the majority of my body.

I catch up with Yttrium eventually, finding them sitting on the top of a peaceful green hill. There were no trees overhead, and the ground wasn't even moist. It was as though someone had taken a bite out of the marsh. Yttrium gazed at me and began to speak, though it took me a moment to even comprehend what they were saying.

"It's so delightfully bizarre. By no means should this place have a perfectly little circle for the weary traveler," Yttrium spoke, before letting out a chuckle as they lay down on the grass. "But it does! And we reap the benefits."

I have a sigh of relief as I walk over to my odd acquaintance. A break from mother nature's own personal hell is always welcome. For a little while, I could shut my brain off again.

I lay next to Yttrium on the grass, and close my eyes...

...

...I suddenly get poked and prodded the moment I feel myself drifting off. My eyes slowly open, albeit they'd prefer not to. 

"...What do you want." I slur out my words.

"You can't drift off yet, my friend. We have stars to gaze upon!"

 "That's why you woke me up? To look at stars with you?"

"Well its not just looking! You can see a lot of pretty pictures in the stars. Like a cup, or a lion, or a weird ape thing with less fur than normal-"

"No."

I turn onto my side, letting my face touch the grass as I try to, once again, drift away.  

"...Yeah, okay. You can go to sleep. I don't mind. But I will be counting the stars all the while." Yttrium says. They don't seem too upset, thankfully. Though I can tell that there was a tinge of disappointment in those words.

Perhaps if I was a little bit kinder, I would look at the night sky with them. But I'm not. I'm someone who has accepted being dust, and wishes to return there. Seeing birds sit on my windowsill is my only treat, and my dreams are the bitter fruit of a dying man. Breathing feels like a weight. As do most things besides lying around uselessly.

I don't have the strength to be kind. I don't have the strength to be better. And to be honest, I probably should have died back then. Before I woke up to a world that wasn't my own, and everyone I cared for was reduced to nothing. I could've been a true hero instead of a sad mockery. As I fade off into a realm of darkness, these words are all I ponder.

---

- Sulfur -

The night is young. Within her little shack of a home, Sulfur is gathering her favorite gear. She loves her bow and arrow, because she knows it was made with love. Whose love? Her own, of course!

 She always makes sure to go out with her favorite boots, too. She doesn't need much else, only enough to catch a meal to eat for the night!

She loves this part of the night very, very much. When its day time, its far too hot for her to explore. But when the moon comes out to sing, she can do whatever she pleases! And she wants to consume.

"Hahah~! Sulfur has awoken, creatures of the dirty dark! Beware, for the huntress is hunting!" She cries, laughing to herself as she sprints into the wilderness! But then she remembers...its important to be quiet so you don't startle the critters. Sorry critters! Sulfur is just very excited.

Creeping through the dark trees, she finds a little stream. Perfect! A lot of tiny fish love to swim here. She can scoop a bunch of them up and shove them into her mouth easily. She loves the way they wriggle, too.

But then...just when she thinks she is safe to hunt, a beast of the night makes its presence known! An owl swoops down from the heavens, snatching a massive fish right in front of her eyes. Its much bigger than any other stream-cruising animal; shes surprised it even fit! But that doesn't matter. She wants that fish for herself. And because she unfortunately can't fly, she'll have to shoot that fish right out of the sky! Wow, that rhymed! She loves that.

Pulling her arrow out of her quiver and her bow up towards her face, she takes a deep breath. She doesn't want to shoot the owl...birds are really beautiful, so it would make her cry. She can't hurt beautiful things! That's why she's never shot a woman, either! But fish can't be women, so she'll aim just for that instead.

Pulling her bow back, she aims towards the sky. This target is moving around a whole bunch, and going higher every second! Owls are crafty indeed. But she likes that about them.

She isn't worried anyways! She knows that her bow can never miss, for it is coated in the breath of a dragon!

Schwoop! 

 Bullseye. Works every time. 

She watches as the owl is flung downwards by the weight of her bow, letting go of the fish in its confusion. The fish falls back towards the earth, landing right at her feet. She picks up the fish with haste, staring at it. Somehow, it's still alive despite all of that.

Delicious! And that one was so big that Sulfur doesn't need to eat any of the little ones. Rejoice, tiny fish! You have been spared today. Tomorrow you may not!

But just as she is savoring her latest catch, she hears some footsteps within the mangroves. Aah! What could those noises be, she wonders? A predator? An unwanted guest? A fish with legs, coming to avenge the fallen!? 

She readies her bow yet again, just in case she's about to fight for her life. She's scared...but thrilled, because Sulfur always loves action!

"Reveal yourself! Who's there, stalking me...tell your name and your greatest fear, or I'll assume your fear is getting shot!"

...Oh. It's just a man. They're in a dull gray coat, and they're pretty tall, too! They seem to be real slack and clumsy in the way they walk, and they're snoring. Are they...sleepwalking? 

Just as she tries to get close, the strange man falls over onto the dirt! They almost fell right into the stream...this silly man needs to be more careful. How are they even asleep after all of that, anyway? They must be really good at sleeping.

Sulfur picks them up, carrying them on her shoulder very carefully. This is no place to rest! Wet dirt makes a horrible bed. They're lucky to have found her. She has a cozy place this wanderer can stay at!

Now that she thinks about it too, this guy seems a bit familiar...    

 

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