TYX 1

¹Tee walks. ²The footsteps ring loudly across the leaves, as Tee drags Yex, who is fast asleep, through the dark forest where the two find themselves. ³A gentle mist fills the air, and the first rays of the morning sun peek through the trees, which loom large overhead. ⁴The two come to a stop, as Tee observes a rough trench, the ghost of a river that once ran strong, perhaps, its crevices filled with rocks and sticks and moss. ⁵Above the trench there is an old bridge, its tattered beams and rusted bolts still holding firm. ⁶Tee crosses the bridge, cautiously, and looks back at Yex, who is still peacefully asleep. ⁷Tee smiles, briefly, perhaps finding comfort in the fact that somebody else had been here before, even if it was long ago. ⁸Tee’s gaze drifts back to the forest ahead. ⁹But in the next instant, a beast emerges from the woods, its shiny black fur glinting in the early morning sun. ¹⁰Frozen with fear, Tee has no choice but to gaze into the eyes of the beast, who stares back, its green eyes full of life, but full of hunger. ¹¹There is a moment of silence, but the beast quickly vanishes into the mystery of the forest, by some stroke of luck, driven away by a sudden stampede of small creatures that scatter into the area. ¹²Tee stands for a moment, dazed, as it all happened so fast, and turns around one more time to look at Yex, before continuing to move forward.