[center][b]Menno[/b][/center] 1 mile.. [i]*pant*[/i] another mile... [i]*pant*[/i] 10 more miles... [i]*pant pant pant*[/i] I pant. Obviously. The sweat is dripping from my forehead, and the sweat in my neck and clothes has gotten sticky. I stop running to take a deep breath of forest air. Then I take another good look around, only to find myself surrounded by the trunks of trees, as ever. That was another good run! I can feel my body adapting to this world by the second. I love this place! The forest, the trees, the smell, the fresh air, the (weird) animals, the sky! Is this a dream? Is this evermore? Ah, I don’t care. Finally I can really experience nature as if I was the first man on Earth. This place is anything but my ideal resort though. I mean… apart from the fact that everything seems hostile – at least initially -- the weird colours everywhere don’t feel natural. If anything it is a mockery of nature, but I won’t complain. I am content to have somehow ended up in this place. Sure, at first awakening in this freakish world seemed like a nightmare, but after having been here for a day or so, I don’t think that I mind. This place is all that I ever wanted. No industrial machines, no avenues, no city sidewalks. There is no one here to blame me, no one here to hurt. So much space to occupy my mind. This must be a taste of what true freedom is like! I keep walking forward, past the many trees. The forest doesn’t show a sign of ever ending. I tread over the fallen leafs into the great unknown. No idea what I will be expecting beyond this area. Even this forest looks messed up. Then I hear muttering coming from somewhere nearby, from the grove. What the hell? I pause. I think it came from that way. I force myself through some bushes before seeing someone trotting by. Another human? So I am not the only person here? I’m unsure whether I should be relieved or not, but this guy looks all right. (He looks sorta odd… though.) [b]‘’Hey!’’[/b] I shout to get his attention. The person turns his head and sees me standing just a few meters away. Before giving his appearance much thought I continue: [b]‘’You stuck here too?’’[/b] … The guy seems flustered by my sudden approach. [b]‘’Listen, we should probabl—‘’ [/b] [b][i]‘’GRRROOOOOOOOOOÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓ!’’[/i][/b] What was that?! A massive roar shuddered the trees and silenced the singing of the birds, I lower myself and look from where the sound came. Then, from the clearing between the trees appeared a gigantic… dog…-ish creature. But clearly that is no ordinary dog, and it’s not looking very friendly either. With hunger and fury in its eyes it gazes at the two men. For an instance it appears to be inspecting us. The beast proceeds to approach us quietly and carefu-- nevermind, suddenly it leaps towards the metrosexual hipster! Total panic broke out for the both of us and I instinctively flee. But… I can’t just leave that other guy behind. But what can I do?! Jump on the beast’s back? Might well be the only thing I can do if I want to help him. Then my gaze catches something laying at my feet… a number of pinecones. Well, not cones from pines but from whatever these weird trees are supposed to be. Desperate and with no better idea coming to mind, I pick up the cones to immediately throw them at that canine, before it can launch its teeth into that sod. A pinecone hits its head but the beast appears to ignore it. Too focused on its ‘prey’. All the while the other guy is stumbling and trying to get away. [b]‘’SHOO! GO! Find other prey you damn beast!’’[/b] I begin screaming, shouting, jumping, growling and generally making as much noise as I can to divert its attention away from him. I throw pinecone after pinecone -- and anything else I could find nearby -- until it finally looks up into my direction. Behind the beast I see the other guy running off into the woods. At least he’s safe, whoever he is. The beast growls with teeth bared and saliva dropping down its fangs. Then it comes for me. [i]RUN![/i]