When Kanan awoke, the rain had subsided. The sun had begun to set, a reddish glow blanketing the forest. The chirping and rustling of beasts died off as well, as the day-walking life settled down and the nightlife had yet to stir.
With a groan, Kanan pushed himself up into a seated position. His body was heavy, weighed down by wet clothing and the exhaustion from his earlier encounter. A sharp pain came from his arm, and he grimaced as he looked down to see blood seeping through his sleeve. His arm moved, but the wound would need to be treated.
Where am I?
Disoriented, he tried to get his bearings. He had gone looking for food, entered the forest, found a Popple tree and then…
Ah, right. He had jumped into the river to escape the Melody Flowers.
Wait, so I'm still in the forest?
His eyes snapped open wide, before narrowing in confusion. Bubbles floated around him, rising through the air before popping and spreading out into a light mist.
Bubbles?
Turning, Kanan looked for the source of the bubbles, and found himself eye to… eyes. Eight beady blue eyes staring back at him.
Kanan screamed, and the owner of the eyes scurried backwards, grabbing a leaf and hiding itself. Remembering how his earlier encounters with spirit beasts ended up, Kanan tried to push himself up to run. To his dismay, though, his body wouldn't listen to him and he dropped to his knees. His muscles were still bruised and exhausted, and without further rest any running was impossible.
Slumping down in defeat, Kanan warily looked over the creature. It was unfamiliar to him, but it resembled a large spider. On its head lay two large disc-like eyes, each accompanied by three smaller eyes resembling dots, speckled around almost like moles. Its body was white, with the ends of its legs tinged yellow. A blue marking decorated its back, forming a cloud-like pattern. Its head was large, and combined with its chubby body and 8 stumpy legs Kanan thought it looked more silly than threatening.
Kanan wasn't particularly fond of bugs, but the silly creature trembling under its leaf looked almost… cute? Not how he had imagined a spider beast.
As that thought crossed his mind, though, he remembered the Melody Flowers. He wasn't going to underestimate the beast just from its appearance. He had learned his lesson. Now, however, he couldn't do anything even if he wanted to. He wasn't in any shape to move, let alone fight.
Having given up, exhaustion overcame Kanan once more, and he slid to the ground as his consciousness faded for the second time.
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The next time that Kanan stirred, his condition was much better. He was alive, somehow. And his battered body had recovered somewhat, enough to move at least, though his hunger pangs were worse than ever.
Sitting up, he examined himself and was surprised to see that his bleeding arm had been tied with thread.
Did I do this? No, I've never seen this thread before. Then, the spider?
He looked around for the spider beast that he had seen before passing out, but it was nowhere to be found.
Maybe that's for the best, he figured. It was cute, but he didn't want to deal with any more spirit beasts if he could help it.
Having gotten his bearings, he glanced up at the sky, his expression darkening. It was too late to return. He didn't know how far he had traveled downstream and traversing the forest in the dark was not an option.
Kanan supposed he'd have to sleep in a tree for the night and hope for the best. He picked out a suitable one with low, thick branches and prepared to climb, but a familiar sound echoed from behind him.
Pop, Pop, Pop
Turning around, he witnessed the little spider from earlier scuttling through the woods, happily blowing bubbles from its mouth. However, there was something curious about it this time. Its front two legs, larger than the rest, were holding up a fluffy, net-like web, which which it carried around a small pile of fruits.
It had almost reached him before it noticed him staring at it, causing the creature to stop blowing bubbles and drop its fruits in shock.
Kanan laughed. For such a timid creature it sure was careless.
Seeing him laugh, the little spider stomped its feet. Whether it was in embarrassment or anger, he wasn't sure. Still, it broke the ice, and the creature grabbed one of the fruits before hesitantly approaching him and placing it at his feet.
Kanan was surprised. He figured that it was the spider's dinner, but had it actually gone out of its way to help him? He was further convinced that the bandage was this little guy's doing. Why was it so friendly?
Now that he thought about it, he had woken up quite far from the riverbank, too. Was that the spider's doing as well?
Inwardly, he was doubtful that such a small critter could have moved him, but spirit beasts were mysterious.
Anyway, he wasn't in a position to turn down the friendly spider's charity. He picked up the fruit and bit into it greedily, juice streaming down his chin.
His eyes widened, it was far more delicious than the village's fruits. He scarfed it down, and in a few seconds it was gone. With each bite, it felt like his body coursed with energy, revitalizing him and clearing his mind.
Kanan wasn't sure if it was due to his hunger, but it was the best meal he had eaten in ages. Several minutes and several fruits later, his ravenous stomach was finally satisfied. He bent down and smiled at the little spider.
Seeing him eat the food, the spider hopped up and down, clicking happily with its mouth. Chikchikchikchik.
"Thanks little guy, I owe you one."
He reached out to give the spider a pat, but it dodged his hand, and having done what it came for it scurried away into the brush.
Kanan gave a wry smile, mentally thanked the little spider once again, and set up on his branch for the night.
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The night was uneventful, and in his exhaustion Kanan slept as well as one could given the circumstances.
When dawn broke, he climbed down from his perch and set off immediately. He would've liked to have seen the spider again but he had to get out of the forest. The next beast he encountered was not guaranteed to be so friendly.
He didn't know where he was, exactly, but the forest was to the North of the village so walking South should get him there eventually. Kanan figured that he couldn't be too far from the entrance, if the water had taken him miles then he would've drowned.
Setting off, he briskly walked for a few minutes before a commotion erupted ahead of him. Reacting fast, he ducked behind a tree and listened intently.
GRRAAWWWRRR
A threatening growl echoed through the air. That was all Kanan had to hear – he quickly prepared to turn around and take a detour, but a rapid clicking sound stopped him in his tracks.
He knew that click. And, given how close he was to his resting area, the chance of it being something else was small.
Inwardly, Kanan knew that he should just leave. What was he going to do? The spider was probably stronger than him anyway. But despite his thoughts, he found himself turning around.
Pressing himself low to the ground, he snuck closer to the source of the sounds until the beasts were visible, and the sight caused his stomach dropped like a stone.
The spider was visibly injured, with a long gash across its abdomen. Particles of energy rose from the wound, scattering into the air.
Across from it, a wolf-like beast was hunched over, ready to launch its next attack. Sparks of blue electricity coursed through its fur, filling the air with a threatening crackle. Next to the spider, a patch of earth was scorched and smoking, no doubt a result of the wolf's previous attack.
Clearly, there was no time, and Kanan's feet moved faster than his head. He raced forward and tackled the spider out of the way just as the wolf launched past, its claws barely missing. Panicked, Kanan rushed to his feet, and with the spider still in his arms he bolted.
The wolf was shocked by Kanan's sudden intervention, and took a moment to gather its wits before understanding what happened. However, its confusion only bought a moment of time, and it erupted with fury upon realizing that its prey was being stolen out from under its nose.
Glancing back, Kanan was overcome with despair. It was gaining on him at a breakneck speed. He could hear the hum of the Melody Flower colony getting louder, so the forest's exit couldn't be far, but there was no chance of him making it there.
Wait. The Melody Flowers?
Kanan's eyes lit up. There was a chance!
Earlier, he had wondered how the Melody Flowers survived in such a dangerous forest, despite being peaceful and relatively weak. But his earlier experience had answered that question. Individually, they might not be much, but thousands of them together were terrifying.
And, while there might be some apex predators capable of taking on a full colony, Kanan was confident that this wolf was not one of them. If it were, he'd already be dead.
With a new goal in mind, Kanan turned and sprinted in the direction of the song. Right as he did though, an electric buzz rang out from behind him and a blue bolt flew past where his head had just been, smashing into a tree with a thunderous bang. Kanan paled at the sight. One hit from that and it's over.
In his arms, the spider weakly pushed against him, as if telling him to put it down.
I appreciate the thought buddy, but I don't think that thing's letting me off the hook anymore. We're in this together now.
Once again, an ominous buzz came from behind him and Kanan instinctively dove to the side, narrowly avoiding another bolt of lightning soaring through the trees. Unfortunately though, the attack had done its job and Kanan's momentum came to a halt, the ferocious wolf closing the distance in an instant.
Before Kanan could get back on his feet, the wolf pounced, viciously pinning him to the ground. The electricity coursing through it numbed his body and he found himself completely restrained, the wolf staring down at him triumphantly.
Kanan grit his teeth. He had been so close. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the clearing in the distance, the sea of color peeking through the trees. He glanced over at the spider, hoping that it could at least make a run for it, but it was unconscious.
Then, as the beast opened its jaws to deliver the finishing blow, a familiar sound erupted. Piercing wails rang through the forest, rising to an ear-piercing crescendo. A look of terror crossed the wolf's face, and without hesitation it jumped off of Kanan and fled.
The Melody Flowers? But why now? We didn't even set foot in the clearing, let alone attack them. The wolf only attacked me...
Kanan's eyes lit up in understanding. That's right, the attack!
His thoughts racing, Kanan came to two realizations. The first was that the attack that he had dodged just seconds prior must have flown into the clearing.
And the second? He had to run. Now.
Scooping up the spider, Kanan shot off, taking a different direction from the wolf. It was a familiar situation, but the one saving grace was that he started from outside the clearing this time. Given his head start, the wails still did a number on his eardrums but he just barely managed to escape the range of the ensuing destruction.
The direction he had taken was also favorable. Once again, he wasn't sure if he was lucky or unlucky.
He shook his head. On second thought? Definitely unlucky. If he had any luck he wouldn't be in this situation to begin with.
A few minutes later and Kanan reached the edge of the forest without any problems. Seeing the exit, gave a self-deprecating laugh. At most, he had traveled a twenty or thirty minute walk's worth of distance, and it had taken him a full day and several life-threatening experiences.
Kanan vowed to never underestimate the wilderness again.
Finally safe, Kanan took a moment to check on the spider, and his face warped in concern. He didn't know much about spirit beasts, but it didn't look good.
The long gash on the spider's abdomen was still releasing energy, and it hadn't regained consciousness. There was no time to waste.
Rallying the last of his stamina, Kanan took off for the village, a destination already in mind.
There were very few spirit beast tamers among the villagers, but there was one notable exception.
Kanan had heard that Argana, the village's herbalist, had once traveled the world before returning to Harmony Village in her old age. Kanan had never seen her personally—The woman was reclusive and antisocial—but she was his only chance.