Silver Crown

Upon waking up, the sensations he felt were unusual. His fingers glided along a smooth surface edging a gel substance that pooled around his chest. His breathing came back at him in a suffocating way and despite cracking his eyes open it was pitch black. He began to register the grogginess of his body. 

Memories flashed before his eyes in a blurred fashion. He had died, he was sure, yet couldn’t remember how. In fact he seemed to know a lot except the meat of his knowledge. He was sure his name was Silver, he lived a comfortable life, read lots of books. Had many friends. He was supposed to do something important, that’s where his train of thought ended.

He sat in the pool of slime until it began to chill. Yet no more helpful memories bubbled up. He sighed his body so weak yet alive it made him uncomfortable. He touched the walls again both hands coming into contact with that smooth surface. He spun around yet no door was ever touched. He began knocking on it hearing hollowness. This wall was weak. Silver put strength into his arm, punching a fist straight into it.

“Haah,” He gasped in shock, rays of sunlight assaulting his eyes, but it was light! Happiness swelled, he began tearing heartlessly at his cage, strips of white shell cracking, a gooey substance drained out. Why was he inside a giant egg? Silver cringed at his circumstances, he fell out with the goo kicking the giant white egg away in horror. The world was still a little too bright for him but luckily his bum hit some shade. He observed the egg with bug eyes, a big white shell with amniotic fluid he assumed wet the ground. His grown legs were pasty white like the torso of a freshly born bird.

“What in the world.” He whispered under his breath eyes widening at the forest around him. In fact it was gorgeous. Plump luminous flowers growing the size of half a tree grew just under his egg, giving the shading. The air was crisp like pages of a freshly made book. The Earth he awoke on was certainly not traveled. Silver took healthy lungful’s of the ancient uncharted land, feeling a little lost.

Shrub began to rustle in a nearby bush. Silver perked up excitedly expecting answers to finally arise. But alas a rabbit popped out.

Its ears pulled back in fright at seeing him unexpectedly, it put a paw on its chest in shock. “Ah I’m sorry I startled you.” Silver knowing it was useless to speak to an animal still felt the need to apologize.

“Its quite alright young one!” The rabbit stood on two big feet its front paws drooping in its stance. Silver flinched, the rabbit talked to him? The rabbit seeing his shock took a step back, “Young one look at you, you need a bath,” The rabbit giggled. “What is your name?” Her voice was sweet and gentle like talking to a newborn baby.

Silver tilted his head, right, he had died. Maybe this was some sort of unusual afterlife. Clearing his throat, “I’m Silver, what is your name?” Luckily it didn’t crack.

“My name is Onion, please let me show you to the creek,” Onion pawed for him to follow along and despite feeling momentarily weak from the state he was in, Silver stood up. He wobbled a bit but began to follow Onion who seemed a little spooked that he might fall, “Careful on your toes young one. How long were you sitting next to your shell?”

A breeze of wind made Silver shiver, the fluid still on him made him extremely cold in the wind. He dodged bugs, branches, and rock. His feet tender upon the soil. “Only for a second, do you know why I was in an egg?” Onion was deliberately slowing her pace for him which he appreciated. “You are a fae young one, I have lived near your egg since I was a baby rabbit. My ancestors have told me stories of your becoming. Only fae can speak to animals like us. You are a gift to living creatures that the forest has birthed!” Running water was in the distance the creek becoming clear in his sight. A fae? Silver scrunched his brows, and he seemed to be in the egg for a rather long time if generations of rabbit spoke of him. How unusual he smiled, little bunnies talking about him?

Finally he reached the creek and greedily scooped the water to wash himself not forgetting Onion. She watched him happily in a bunny loaf. “That can’t be right though,” He continued, “I am definitely a human how can I be fae?” He recalled the fae but he didn’t actually know much. They kept to nature more mysterious than other species. “Maybe in spirit you think yourself as human but you are fae, look at yourself.” Onion pointed to the creek. Silver paused in his washing. He watched as the water settled revealing himself. She was right, his pointed ears, bright eyes revealing his unhuman features. He lifted a hand the ear moved to his will, the unusual pointy ear was something he would get used to for sure.

“What’s the matter?” Onion leaned forward seeing his lasting frown. “Its just, this is definitely what I looked like before.” With the exception of the ears and glow only a fae would have. His hair was a silvery gray running a little long but still relatively short. His eyes a familiar turquoise. He looked down to observe his body, naked, but the same. This was himself he remembered from yesterday, though yesterday must have been a dream. He was freshly killed in his memory last he checked. Recalling the pain made him wince interrupting the stilled water.

Onion perked up in alarm, “Young one don’t strain yourself. The Earth has made you anew.” She then paused seeing him going back to cleaning himself silently. “I must leave soon but if you pass this creek and keep walking you will find a path into a town of people shaped like you.”

Silver wanted to cry.

Not only was the cute bunny Onion prepping to leave, he was going to be humiliation on a platter walking into town. “You don’t happen to know where clothes are do you?” Onion appeared to be thinking and then nodded slowly. He sighed in relief his smile returning.

Then she added:

“It is a corpse though...”

His smile vanished.

-

Silver stood, yep that was a corpse. They had traveled only three more minutes away reaching a skeleton. Must have been dead for long enough for the body to decompose. Its for the better, at least the clothes were only seemingly dusty. He made a face as if to wince but stopped himself accepting the clothing with only the thought he would get something else soon. He quickly put on the brown shirt and pants, a flowy material. “Say Onion, how did they die?”

Silver thought he must have seen lots of corpses to not be fazed by one, he was sure. Onion wilted a bit, “A squirrel told me they were robbed.” Silver saddened, but that makes sense.

“I must be off to feed my babes now, I hope your journey is peaceful young one.”

They both waved at each other in farewell, “Sorry for taking your time, you too, thank you Onion.” Silver softy spoke, Onion looked at him for a moment longer then left as fast as she had stumbled upon him.

Silver sighed now that he was alone, soaking wet still from his bath, in a corpses clothing, alone. In a forest of talking critters, and bountiful greenery. He followed Onion’s instructions finding a weak part of the creek to cross only getting his heel wet. His feet bare since he didn’t fit the shoes. Well the corpse was even robbed of their clothing...

It took over two hours before he hit the path Onion was talking about. On his way many animals greeted him and when he thought he was lost, was reassured he was going the right way. These animals were so kind, Silver was grateful. But this path, it was black and big enough for two carriages to fit. He tilted his head and began walking on it, the hard rock hot from being sun baked. He felt something was afoot...His ears twitched at a rumble in the distance, he quickly stepped onto the grass again. A big metal thing was speeding fast from the distance! It quickly reached to his location in only a second, Silver was shocked in astonishment.

The thing slowed when it got near him, the windows rolled down quickly, and loud music entered his ears causing him to step back. A group of teenagers stuck their heads out. “Hey if my dad sees you in these forests you are dead! He’s from Eve guild and they own these lands, Private. Property.” The croaky voice of the driver enunciated the last two letters.

His brows furrowed at the goblin boy, was he even in the afterlife? In fact, was he even in his world? This alien ship they steered buzzed like a hammer upon nature.

“Am I not allowed to walk to town?” One big question mark stuck out from his head. The group of teenagers looked at each other chewing something loudly. “Well you are walking the wrong way hobo.” Something popped from a girls mouth, the driver put on black glasses zipping away in a pool of black smoke. It smelled terrible. Silver covered his nose, the nature of people still as vile as ever.

After being told he was going the wrong way he went in the other direction luckily not encountering anymore mechanical monsters. What he expected to be a town though was anything but...it was a gigantic city. But there seemed to be something wrong with the height of the buildings?