Misadventures: Letter 4

Dear Thaire,

I have decided to write a follow-up to my previous letter about the world of Wouagi. Not long after sending, I quickly realized that catching a king salamander was far from the most interesting thing that world had to offer- no, I faced my fair share of creatures there. 

Woarrar- stout boar like creatures with adorable tusks- chased me several times when I went out to explore the dry-land sections of the swamps. I believe they are very territorial. And though the Woarrar are cute, and I did learn a lot about them and the salamanders, there was a much larger, more terrifying beast I had to face…

First, a bit of background. It was half-way into my second month at Wouagi. I knew I had stayed far too long, though I had hardly gathered enough information (after all, one like me can never gather too much!) Lux was doing well, at least, better than before. People came and went, all sorts of interesting characters from worlds I will never know. And I found myself in the dry-lands, sitting and watching the moon illuminate the rainbow waters…

It was very beautiful. Though I wish that night had lasted longer. I was sitting for perhaps a half hour, or perhaps a full hour, or two, before I heard the soft squelch of moss all around me… hardly a notable occurrence in Wouagi, but I quickly realized it wasn’t a Woarrar back to terrorize me.

The sound became louder, as though someone large were walking with a purpose. Very large. Too large. I looked all around, slowly standing and readjusting my hat and poncho. The trees around me acted as veils to the murky swamp… though I never looked back in the water. I swore I heard a chorus, voices wailing out like siren calls. The sound became more pronounced and stopped- before a loud squelch of mud sounded from the waters, and a creature emerged.

It was larger than I had expected, perhaps a two-story building in height and width. A blanket of moss and flowers coated its back, head, and shoulders, vines stretching down its back before connecting back into the murky depths below. Its head reached up to the treetops, though rising out of the water, the water concealed below its knees. It must’ve been taller than I had seen it. A shroud of mist surrounded me, limiting me to see only its most essential features and figure. A few bright glints of metal hit my eyes, metal that shone like the insides of various wrappers.

I stood there, mouth agape, suddenly feeling very small and fragile in comparison to such a magnificent beast. It looked at me, and I looked at it, and we both stood, examining each other like scientists and their latest specimen. It was as if it were sizing me up, judging me. It swayed slightly to the right, nearly knocking a tree out of its roots.

I had hardly the heart to move a single muscle. When encountering a creature of such great size, one feels immediately threatened. Thoughts came to me of what would happen if I died here. All I knew was that I didn’t wish to find out. The chorus became louder, breaking through the prolonged silence of the swamps.

Then, it came to me that I should test if this creature was friendly. I gathered all the courage I had in me, slowly raising my hand out to the massive beast in a calming motion, otherwise standing still… It felt like an eternity, waiting for it to react, its body lulling back and forth as we watched each other.

Before finally, it reacted. It moved closer to me, brushing against the canopies as it stepped. I froze once again. I could once again sense that something very wrong was about to happen. It reached one of its arms towards me… 

Instantly, without a single second thought, I entered fight or flight mode. And obviously, how would I be able to outrun such a massive beast? I decided it would be better to attack it directly, perhaps preventing it from chasing me. Its palm turned upwards as its arm stretched towards me, still staring at me.

I had long since learned to carry clay with me, ever since the world of Euthawal. I grabbed some out of my pocket, quickly stretching it out to make it less dry. The creature’s hand stopped in front of me, silver and plastic glistening in the moonlight. I saw my chance and took it.

I quickly shaped the clay into a sharp-ish point, stabbing it several times in its hand. The wails became louder, the air around us becoming oppressive and insufferable. The creature didn’t retreat its hand, though. It stayed there, staring at me, as if waiting for me to do something else…

It wasn’t hard to realize that this wasn’t working. I took my clay back, holding the point close to my chest. The creature appeared… hurt? Not in the way that I had just stabbed it, yes, there was that too, but it appeared saddened by me… I might have misjudged its intentions. I crushed my clay back into a manageable size and put it in my pocket once again, questioning what the creature wanted from me.

Its hand then moved towards me in a jerky motion, before retreating back to rest on the mossy ground. It’s exposing itself to me for no reason, I thought. I believe my hesitance may have upset it. It slowly drew its hand back, not before reaching itself out to me one more time. When I stayed just where I was, it finally took its hand back, staring down at me, judging me once again.

I felt awful. I had most certainly upset it, though I had no idea what it wanted. If there were no language barrier between us, I feel we may have had a great time. It seemed friendly enough. The guilt became too much for me. I walked away, the groaning of the voices fading into the distance as I retreated back to civilization…

To this day, I still wonder what it wanted. Such a magnificent beast would have been fascinating to learn more about. After that night, I never saw it again. Perhaps it was avoiding me. This only shows that I have plenty more to learn about these worlds- much more. Perhaps I will go back to Wouagi one day to see it again. And I will write yet another letter when that day comes.

 

With Great Love,

Jordini