Oakrift

I. Rebirth

It's a strange feeling to wake up in total darkness. Not the kind when you're up in bed in the middle of the night and there's always some outside source of light that allows you to see your hand in front of your face. Not the kind that you might experience if you're out camping and wake up to just before the first streaks of dawn appear. But pure, mindless darkness. Where you can't see anything. You can't tell if you're blinking or not. When your eyes are closed, you can sense where your body may lay, but the minute you open them and try to move around you're all but lost.

Not exactly fun either when you have no idea why you're laying down on something hard and wooden. Or why you're cornered in each direction like a box. Nope, definitely not fun. So, I did the one thing that anyone would do; I started beating on the wooden box and calling out for help.

Until I realized that I didn't have any idea of how I got in that position, which caused the panic to sink in faster. I found myself beating at the box harder and harder, my heart pumping in desperation. Would I die in this stupid box? Would I no longer live to see –

The lid then popped open on one of my hits, spilling dirt into my face. I faced away and spat the earth out of my mouth, then pushed the lid up and over, coughing. Compared to the darkness of the box, the dark skies of the outside world seemed to blind me. I took deep breaths to calm down, the night air slightly chilling my body.

"What the hell?"

My voice was hoarse, as though it hadn't been used in a long time. It felt strained, like it usually does when you're sick and starting to lose your voice because of it. What caused my remark was looking down at something that normally wasn't me. And no, I wasn't addressing the fact that I had torn and rugged leather pants and a very thin white shirt; though I'll admit I wasn't expecting that either.

You know your body, right? You can tell if you're missing a chunk out of you or if you've shaved or put on makeup or suddenly have a weird mark on you. You also know how you look. Maybe you know that you have achene on your chest or have put on a few too many pounds.

So, when I look down and see a larger frame and my body is... well... more muscular, I know something has happened. Or... I thought I did. I was... scrawny? No, just the opposite. If I remembered one thing other than my name it was that I was a pudgy kind of kid.

I paused. My name.

My name is Carter....

I blinked. There was nothing.

I know I have a last name, but it just wasn't there. It was on the tip of my tongue, where if I heard it I know I would recognize it, but it was just not there in my head to know. But that was it. Who I was as a person, where I lived, who my friends and family were, it was all gone. I know I should have those things, as does everybody.

Hell, I didn't even remember my own age.

The wind had picked up, whisking away my body heat along with it, so it wasn't long before I started shivering. Clearly the clothing I had on wasn't enough, and though the still air was fine, the wind had an icy bite to it. Staying in the same spot wouldn't do me any better, so I knew it was best to find somewhere else to go.

"Fire," I mumbled to myself. "I need fire."

Turning my head to survey the area, I made out the small clearing that I seemed to be in. It wasn't more than about twelve paces in each direction from where I was sitting, the moonlight having been blinded out by the tall trees around me. The scenery that was before me felt quite ethereal. It didn't quite feel like I was looking at it through my own eyes. This new body, this body that wasn't mine caused me to feel unequal to anything else around me. Something is off balance and making me feel rather disoriented.

I started to rub my dirt covered hands over my face and press gently on my eyes, wishing the uncomfortable feeling away. If I tried to not think about it, it would go away. That's usually how these things work.

The wind was picking up again, so I know I had to get somewhere else or I'd freeze. Not exactly the most pleasant idea. With shaking limbs, I had somehow managed to pull myself out of the coffin and onto the dirt and grass, groaning when my muscles screamed with soreness. Whatever had happened had left me feeling sore and tired. The dropping temperature didn't help much either, only adding a deeper ache to my body.

Stumbling around I managed to get to my feet and make it to the tree line before practically collapsing against a tree trunk. Sweat already coated my forehead despite the chill, while nausea rolled around in my stomach. I felt if I had anything left in my gut it would be all over the roots of the tree by then.

Was I sick? Was I physically impaired in some strange way? Regardless of the reasons, it had me wondering if I could even move anywhere, let alone start a fire. I started to shiver quite badly and I knew I had to do something about it. I then also realized I had no idea how to build a fire, nor anything to build one with. No knife, rope, flint, anything. There wasn't any way I could rub two sticks together and hope for even a small flame given the weak state I was in.

I was about to sit down and hope I'd find some strength when I heard something of a decent size breaking its way through the foliage behind me. It was making a lot of noise between the breaking of branches and stomping through the underbrush. I slowly turned my shaking body, nerves on edge from whatever was making its way to me. That action alone was clearly too much for my body to handle, for I found my knees giving out less than a second. I gasped out as aches and pains wracked my body as my knees hit dirt, my torso soon following suit.

Whatever it was that was coming would certainly have an easy meal.

I laid there panting, sweating, and feeling like I should have stayed in that coffin for the rest of eternity. I couldn't move my head as I finally heard whatever it was approach. My vision blurred as a pair of leather boots entered my field of vision and made their way close to my head.

Slowly, black spots began taking over my sight, letting me know I'd be sleeping once again. Whether for eternity or however long would depend entirely on who this person was.

Before I lost conscious, the strange sensation of a soft touch against my cheek seemed to let me know that I could sleep and all would still be okay.