Chapter Text
The wind blew a chilling breeze as the dry autumn leaves slowly floated down from the thick massive trees of the forest. Birds softly chirped as squirrels foraged for nuts and other delights among the damp leafy ground.
The air had a magical feel to it, crisp, fresh, just perfect for researching wildlife and the mysteries that hid within the dark cover of the forest. A small amount of light reached down through the balding trees, Speckling flecks of sunlight on his smooth grey pelt.
Stanford lay upon a smooth mossy rock, Journal in front of him as he focused on documenting a blue glowing fungus he had found. He hadn’t seen a strain like this before and he was utterly fascinated by its existence. holding a pen in his paws with the help of a grip attached to his clawed thumb the sphinx went about documenting each minute detail.
Nothing could distract the researcher, Not even a few pixies fluttering by as he took note of the spore patterns from the fungus. He’d lost himself for at least a few hours and before he knew it dusk was breaking far above the trees. Beautiful purple and orange hues tinted the forest with a dim glowing light. The fungus slowly became brighter, it’s spores glowing in the pale light leaving the massive feline mesmerized by the sight spread out before him. It was truly beautiful.
Reaching into his leather shoulder bag he pulled out a pair of tweezers and a set of fancy black and grey gloves which he slipped over his paws. Careful not to catch a claw on the fabric as he went on to gather samples into vials. Gently prodding the fungi with his tweezers to try to get a small sample into a vial. He scraped off some of the blue fuzz with them as he sighed contently. A job well done.
Part of him wanted to rush home to study this in greater detail, yet another part of him wanted to move deeper into the woods to explore its mysteries. He’d managed to finish his sketches before he lost the precious light of the sun at least. Plus his dark coat would allow him to blend within the forest better than he did in the daylight. Giving him the cover of the night to search for more flora and fauna to catalog.
The thought of more things to study spurring him on. Not many even dared to go into the forest these days, with all the rumors of monsters lurking within that hunted down creatures like him. As if he believed a single one of the rumors. There was a monster in the woods and it ate people. He recalled one of the creatures from town proclaiming with terror. Another, a snake creature, nearly fainted at the thought. Of course, Stanford couldn’t take such claims seriously without proof.
After all one of the main reasons he was here was to debunk such claims, but it didn’t hurt to explore and catalog the local flora and fauna after all. It was not like much had happened. He didn’t step within the bounds of the forest and immediately get jumped by some creature with an insatiable hunger now did he? He hadn’t gotten distracted either. He’d just taken a detour to study some interesting fungus he’d never seen before. There was nothing wrong with that. Surely Stanley and Fiddleford wouldn’t be too upset if he just stayed out another hour right? If it got too dark he’d just head back the way he came. He could mark the trail so he wouldn’t get lost.
The Sphinx padded deeper into the woods. The further he went the darker his surroundings became. The trees became thicker, the floor littered with more vegetation, and the feeling of magic became stronger.
The forest had always been a special place for Ford. It was one of the main places he did his research as it was rife with oddities. It made him feel safe, at home, like he belonged here.
He paused for a moment to take in the air, to enjoy the way the surroundings around him felt. He lost himself in the moment, closing his eyes as he smiled to himself. The soft breeze blew through his mane, tickling his ears.
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Hours passed as Stanford explored the surrounding woods. The sphinx didn’t know what time it was now, just that he knew it was late. He cursed inwardly at how distracted he’d become. Surely the others would be worried at his absence, considering he only intended to stay out for an hour past dusk.
Begrudgingly Ford made his way back, careful to follow the path he’d been marking until something ran out in front of him nearly knocking him onto his fluffy ass. It was so fast, a rabbit maybe? His stomach growled with hunger, a reminder he hadn’t eaten all day. Of course, he felt he could wait until he got home to eat something. He didn’t want to risk chasing after a rabbit and losing the trail he’d marked.
Though he swore he could see something out of the corner of his eye. Every time the scientist turned his head however there was nothing there. He was tired from the day’s events. He was just hallucinating in his exhaustion. Quite normal, really. If he just stuck to his path he’d be fine.
The further he went the quieter it became. He found himself nearly dozing off a few times as he wandered off the path. He cursed himself for barely getting any sleep before going out on this forest expedition.
The silence of the forest put him on edge. It was rarely this silent. Even at night the sounds of bats and other night creatures could usually be heard. Yet tonight It was dead silent. Even the air had grown still, Not even so much as a breeze flowed through his fur.
He paused to listen. His ears swiveled back and forth as he tried to pick up some noise. He felt like he was in danger. Something was terribly wrong, He kept himself calm doing his best not to make noise even with his breathing. Stanford knew if he remained calm he’d remain silent. If he remained silent then nothing could find him and attack him! Clearly this logic made the most sense right?
He continued in a straight line, trying to find any signs of where he’d been, any signs of his markers or a path. Yet he found the further he went the darker it got.
‘This isn’t the right way. Stanford, you fool,’ he thought to himself as he imagined Stanley chastising him for getting lost again. He should really consider bringing some form of communication device with him. He wished he’d accepted Fiddleford’s offer to go with him now.
At least then he wouldn’t be alone out here. The young Sphinx frowned as he looked around up at the tree cover. Not a single sign of life was to be heard or seen however and it made him feel utterly alone out here. The thick canopy smothered any possible source of light making it difficult for him to see in the dark.
He’d have to rely on his other senses now.
The fur down his back prickled uncomfortably at the sensation of being watched. He didn’t particularly enjoy the way that felt, and he wasn’t about to call out either to see if it was friend or foe. He wasn’t that stupid after all. Though clearly he was foolish enough to get himself lost out here especially at night.
Picking up his pace he considered his options, He could try to fly blind out here and risk smashing into something and breaking his wings. He could run and possibly alert whatever was watching him to his location… Then it dawned on him. If he could find the glowing fungus again he’d be able to find his way back far more easily using the landmarks he remembered.
He slowly made his way forward, careful not to make any noise, listening for disturbances in the smothering silence of the cold forest. His breath came out in puffs of vapor due to the slowly dropping temperature, but thanks to his thick coat of fur he barely noticed the change.
However the further he went the colder it seemed to get. Stanford could see frost beginning to form on the trunks of the trees and on the dew of the grass. It didn’t normally get this cold in autumn… He’d have to take note of this later, another oddity to study perhaps. He lost his train of thought when he spotted a faint blue glow in the distance between the trees.
‘YES THIS IS IT’ the sphinx thought excitedly. Hope warmed his heart as he quickly moved toward it. He’d be back at the shack soon enough. Completely distracted from the silence around him, the feeling he had was now gone.
Yet no matter how far he walked the light always seemed to stay at the same distance. He paused, frowning. That can’t be right… Was he hallucinating? Stanford blinked a few times, shaking his head, but the light remained in the distance. It still glowed that faint blue. A trick of the forest maybe? He mused as he resumed moving toward it.
Eventually, he began to notice that the further he went the more frozen the tree trunks seemed. The moonlight glistening on the frosted trunks causing them to glitter. He frowned at this. How could it be getting even colder? Much less cold enough to freeze wood like this. He could even smell the scent of ice and pine.
It was so cold, That frost had formed on his glasses. He was so close, just a bit further and he’d be there, he knew it! The glow was getting closer as frost patches began to form on his fur.
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Stanford felt tired. He didn’t know how long he’d been moving forward. It felt like ages. The trees around him now were black as coal with what seemed to be snow within the branches. He’d made it to a clearing with an inky black pool of water in the center of it. The moon reflected off the mirrored surface perfectly.
Stanford had no clue if it was black due to the darkness or if the water was actually black, but he didn’t care. He bent down to slake his thirst, lapping at the freezing water. By gods did it feel good. The taste of the strange water was utterly divine. He could feel some of his energy returning to his aching muscles.
He was so focused on what he was doing he hadn’t noticed a glowing reflection within the waters’ surface. Rippled by each lap at the water. A chilling wind picked up just then, Startling the lion into opening his eyes finally, And when he did blood ran cold. As the water stilled he could make out the faint glowing of what seemed to be a tall bright silvery-blue creature reflected on the surface. He slowly lifted his head to see a massive stag across from him glowing with a blue brilliant light as the moonlight reflected off of its fur.
Cold smoky vapor poured from its frozen antlers, causing an eerie foggy like effect. It was as big as a bull moose, it was staring directly at him with dead white eyes. He felt his blood run cold as the ice its antlers were made out of as it stared down at him. It was too dark to make out its face, all he could see were those glowing antlers and piercing white eyes. He felt as if it was staring right through his soul. As if he was being judged by that gaze. His heart pounded as he took a few steps back.
The surface of the black lake froze more with every step the stag took. it came closer, walking on top of the ice, those dead eyes wrenching into Stanford. This was it. This is how he was going to die. He regretted not taking someone with him now. He had so much to live for, so many discoveries to make in the name of science. He was going to make it big, he was going to win a Nobel prize…
So much regret filled him as his eyes watered. He had so much to live for! He’d come so far. The aching feeling of sadness hollowed him out like someone had taken the warmth right out of his freezing body. Tears streamed down his furry face as he wheezed out.
Before he knew it everything went black and he woke up at the edge of the forest near the back of the shack.
Had it all been a dream? He couldn’t remember, and his head ached like hell. No sign of the frost or anything out of the ordinary. He felt perfectly fine as if nothing had happened. As if he had never gotten lost in the winding woods in the first place. He looked up to see dawn had broken through the night’s sky, warming the area slowly. It woke the world around him as the familiar sounds of morning fauna began to surround him.
Stanford couldn’t remember a thing that had happened after he‘d gotten lost. Any attempts to recall the previous night ended with a pounding headache.