Chapter Text
He’d lost track of how long he’d been in this forest. How many years, decades… maybe he’d be two-hundred by now? He had stopped counting when he reached ninety-seven, it was useless information. Clutter in his brain. Just like his old life, nothing but foggy, distant memories. Clutter. He couldn’t remember if he had a mom, dad, or siblings… all he remembered was this forest. It’s all he needed. The ground under his feet, the wind whispering to him, animals confiding in him. It felt like it had always been home.
Sometimes he forgot he had once been mortal. Plagued by worries of food, money, shelter… but those were free here. The forest provided all he needed. And all he needed was beside him.
K_K and Sweet.
They had long forgotten their lives as well. On occasion, they could recall glimpses into the past, but nothing fully. They ignored as much of it as they could. The only memories that stuck were the ones formed in the forest.
They liked it that way. They liked being alone, just the three of them with the flora and fauna. No mortals to harm their friends or themselves. It was serene, perfect.
Just like today.
The three were in a shallow patch of swamp water. Sun sprinkled down between the tree leaves, warming all it touched. Wherever their feet touched sparkled clear, and growth began to form as they walked.
K_K led in front, the other two a few steps behind him. His stature was that of a tree, tall and shadowing everything beneath him. His legs were thin but agile, haunches always ready to spring into action at the moment of distress. Growth decorated his body, flowers and vines poured from his waist as they hung on the antlers protruding from his head. The growth was welcomed and encouraged to spread wherever he stepped.
Sweet and Cap’n were in similar states of body. Sweet’s head was decorated with two small nubs for horns, which he took great pride in growing and maintaining. Flowers and other overgrowth spilled from his chest and side of his head. Legs were simple haunches. The only noticeable difference between the two was Cap’n’s horns were much larger, and he still had some torn clothing hanging from his shoulders.
Clutter he wasn’t ready to rid himself of.
Even if it made the others uneasy.
The smaller of the two nudged his side.
“You’re quiet. What are you thinking about?”
“The past,” Cap’n announced.
K_K was the one to turn, “what for~ ?”
Their eyes were slits, curious as to why one of their precious partners would be busying his mind with something so worthless. There was no reason to think about such things. Those memories were better off forgotten. His humanity had long since been squashed out by the forest. It knelt, cupping Cap’n’s face in his hands. “What for~ ?” it asked again. It was far too late for Cap’n to regret staying here, there was no leaving now. If he ever tried to leave, K_K would just bring him back. He’d bring him back again and again and again and ag–
Still, they didn’t want his mind clouded with such thoughts.
The winds stilled, reflecting the anxiety K_K tried to hide. But Cap’n knew, he could feel it. He raised his hands to hold theirs. “Nothing nostalgic, just recalling when we first met here.”
“Oh,” K_K’s shoulders relaxed and the wind returned. “Was it really here where we met~ ?”
“Just about,” Cap’n shrugged.
Hands were gone from his face, now holding his hand and the other in Sweet’s.
“Though… I think I met Sweet first.”
“You did.” Sweet pipped in, “I warned you.”
“And I didn’t listen.”
“And you didn’t listen.”
K_K giggled, “mortals never do~”
Ignorant and foolish the three had been before they changed for the better. It was almost funny to think back on. Everything was so happy here, no worries, no stress. The only time any of them felt a hint of dread was when a hunter came into their forest.
Of course, the hunter never lasted long.
To leave the clearing, the three dropped hands to climb the steep hill leading up to the denser part of the forest. Sweet was the first up, he peered below at K_K, expression beaming. “C’mon, slowpoke!” They jumped back and forth from the top.
Huffing out a chuckle, K_K pulled himself up the incline. It felt a small twinge of confusion when it didn’t see Cap’n at the top already. Turning back, it saw he wasn’t climbing either.
Sweet was the one to call out, “Cap’n!”
Following their gaze, K_K saw Cap’n still standing in the water. His eyes were fixated on something. It had him frozen.
“C’mon!” Sweet called again. Their head tilted, “can’t he hear me?” They asked K_K.
K_K stared at Cap’n from the hilltop. Eyes formed into even tighter slits, his smile strained. He knew what had Cap’n so transfixed. And he didn’t like it.
Cap’n felt eyes on his back, the atmosphere almost suffocating before he heard a demanding–
“Cap’n.”
His head shot up, he faced toward the hill.
K_K stood a short distance away, stepping closer, its hand extended.
“Come along~”
“Right, right, sorry,” he took the taller one’s hand and let it drag him from the spot. What had he been looking at? What had kept him so motionless?
He could hardly remember…
000 — — — — — — — — — — — 000
Cap’n chewed on a bit of root he had collected from his last spot on the trail. His stomach growled. He was so hungry.
Pulling his rifle out from his camouflaged hiding spot, he sighed. He’d been in this blasted forest for a week now and hadn’t seen any deer. “(Those rumors were all bullshit),” he thought as he stared through the scope of the rifle. He wasn’t really into hunting, but he was desperate for money. Rumor had it this forest had a buck with a rack so big it could pay off his rent and groceries for the next month.
But, if he had known he’d be out here this long, he would’ve just taken more shifts at his job.
This forest was as old as it was boring. It felt like nothing was out here. All he’d seen was songbirds and those weren’t worth a penny. He needed to catch that buck.
Looking through the scope, he scanned the distant area, but couldn’t see anything to note. “(Fuck… c’mon, I just need one–),” he internally groaned.
Just when he was about to give up, a deer finally crossed his line of view. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. The antlers weren’t as big as he had assumed, but it was quite remarkable. Stretching out well past its shoulders, the animal walked with such an elegant gait to its step.
“That’s the one,” he whispered.
He cocked the rifle, aiming it at the creature’s head to minimalize the pain. Didn’t want the fear to taint the meat. He had it right in his sight, aimed and ready to pull the–
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
He jumped back, shot fired into the air. The deer ran away. Cap’n looked around wildly, “who said that?” Cap’n yelled. He couldn’t see anyone nearby.
“I’d leave if I were you. It doesn’t like poachers, you know?” The voice taunted.
“Wha– ? I would’ve been out of here by now if I had got that deer!”
The voice didn’t respond.
“Hello?” Cap’n whispered.
Was he hearing things? Maybe he had been out in these woods too long?
He ignored the growing dread and hunger in his torso as he went back to look through the scope.
The wind stilled, not a sound echoed in the forest.
“ I would run if I were you. ”
Through the scope, there was nothing but darkness. Pulling back, he felt the air leave his body. His throat closed as he looked up from the ground.
A tall creature, half-mortal, half-something else stood above him. Yellow-slited eyes stared down at him with a smile that craned to the very edges of its face. It looked like an angel of death. It opened its mouth and screamed, loud and high-pitched. It covered every inch of his mind. Cap’n couldn’t get the noise out of his head, it hurt so much, it was everywhere.
“ I would run ”
And he did. He scurried backward, leaving the hole he was confined in and ran. He ran past his tent, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He could hear leaves rustling behind him, suddenly there was noise everywhere. He looked behind his shoulder to see how close the creature was behind him and–
He fell down a hill, he could feel his legs break underneath him as they hit the bottom into the water. He hollered in pain, crawling for the rifle a short distance away. He could feel the oil seeping from his body, wires being caught in the water, causing even more spikes of pain. Crawling for the rifle on his arms, he was so close. It was the only thing he had to protect himself from whatever that thing was.
As his hand reached for the rifle, a new hand grabbed it.
Cap’n looked up to see the creature. It looked at the rifle, curious at first, before looking at him. It crushed the barrel in its hands. Empty bullet casings fell into the water.
He was going to die.
This thing was going to kill him.
“Cap’n~” it spoke.
He covered his ears.
“Cap’n~” it sang loudly, filling his head.
“Cap’n~ Cap’n~ Ca–”
And then it was dark.
000 — — — — — — — — — — — 000
The smell of lavender and sage is what woke him up.
His eyes blinked open, blurry from being closed so long. He still felt tired, his were limbs heavy. Cap’n blinked hard twice before the blur finally left his vision. He looked down to see his legs in handmade wooden splints. That’s where the smell was coming from. A heavy coat of salve was layered on his wounds.
He looked around. He was in a bed of moss surrounded by bushes. Somehow the moss bed felt more comfortable than his mattress at home.
The bushes rustled, he prepared for a bear or other predator to come and finish him off. Instead, something he wasn’t sure how to describe popped out.
The creature was half-speaker, half-something else… plant, animal maybe? “Oh, great! You’re up!” They beamed. “I got you some berries and nuts,” he crouched down beside Cap’n. “The raspberries are really good this time of year. Open up!” He held a berry to Cap’n’s mouth.
But he did not open his mouth. Instead, he pushed their arm away, spilling the berries they had collected onto the moss bed.
“Hey! That was rude,” the creature scolded. “We sleep here, ya know? We want this kept clean ,” he began the tedious task of picking up the food. “If I had known you were mean I wouldn’t have warned you about that deer.”
Cap’n blinked. Memories flooded back. The voice, the deer, the tall creature.
“That was you?”
“Yep! You were so scared, it was so funny!”
This smaller one wasn’t as scary as the other one. At least this one didn’t have any exposed bone. Still, seeing all the plants flowing from their chest and ears was offputting.
But his mind was somewhere else. His chest felt heavy and hungry as he looked at the berries. Man, he’d kill for a burger or something right now. He needed to leave.
“Name’s Sweet, by the way.” Sweet turned back to face him, berries once again collected. “You’re hungry,” he noted, “eat.” They held another berry to his mouth.
And again, Cap’n slapped it away.
“Hey! C’mon, again, really?”
“I’m not eating anything you feed me. You might’ve poisoned it. What I need to do is get out of here.”
“You’re not going anywhere like that,” Sweet laughed. They crawled on top of him, picking up a nearby berry. “You’re legs are all broken. You need to eat. You can’t go anywhere. Besides, K_K has big plans for you!”
Cap’n leaned away, he didn’t like how that sounded.
“Well, I can’t stay here!” He shoved Sweet off of him.
“Hey!” Sweet shouted, “you’re not very nice, you know?” They crossed their arms.
Cap’n tried to stand on his legs despite the pain.
“Why don’t you come sit down?” Sweet hopped beside him, “we don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then explain my legs!”
“You’re the one who decided to fall down the hill,” Sweet bit back.
Cap’n just groaned as he forced his way through the forest brush.
Sweet followed a short distance behind, watching the mortal struggle. They sighed as they watched his weak attempt at walking. How far did this mortal think he could make it? They were doing him a favor by keeping him safe and alive. Perhaps he’d rather die…?
“K_K,” Sweet called out loud. Almost immediately, two antlers appeared from behind a tree. The tall beast stood, eyes staring quizically at the smaller one. Sweet pointed at the mortal, “what do you think we should do?”
Head tilting, he stared at the mortal. He had made a surprisingly few meters away. It sat down, letting Sweet pet its head. “I think he could be useful~” his voice was like a song, underneath it echoed into a deeper back-vocal. “He can’t get far anyway~” it laughed.
Cap’n continued to wobble on unsteady, stiff legs. “(C’mon, c’mon, c’mon–),” only to fall on his face.
K_K whistled as it walked to him.
“Ah! Wait– wait, wait, wait!” Cap’n yelled, shielding his face. “No, no, no– !”
The tall beast picked him up, throwing him over its shoulder.
“If you’re gonna eat me just do it!” Cap’n shouted. “I taste like poison, though! I’ll bite back!”
Sweet rolled his eye, as he walked behind K_K. “We aren’t going to eat you, doofus.” He looked up at him, still hanging off K_K’s shoulder. “We don’t eat meat. Don’t you mortals know anything?”
Cap’n deadpanned, “well excuse me for not being an expert on whatever the hell you two are. What are you, anyway?”
“Protectors!” Sweet beamed.
“Gaurdians~” K_K replied.
“Keepers of the forest!”
“Ageless providers of serenity~”
Cap’n rolled his eyes as he leaned on his hand, “so what, you’re gods or whatever?”
K_K shrugged, “there are so many names you mortals call us~” He slowly moved Cap’n off his shoulders and placed him back on the bed of soft moss. “The name doesn’t matter~” he patted his head. “You mortals love your little labels for things you don’t understand~” His cheeks brightened, “your ignorance is almost cute~ !”
Cap’n scooted away from the two, “well… if you aren’t gonna eat me… what are you gonna do?”
“I told you,” Sweet said, “K_K has a plan for you!”
Cap’n’s eyes traveled to K_K, only to quickly look away when they met. “You’re special, you know,” Sweet picked up the berries again, regaining their task. “K_K never keeps hunters alive,” he held the berry in front of Cap’n’s face. The mortal sighed and opened his mouth, “I can feed myself.”
Sweet ignored this and continued to hand feed him. “You’ll like it here,” they beamed. “It’s just been K_K and I for so long…”
The mortal’s eyebrows creased, “how… long have you two been here?”
“I’ve been here–”
“ Long enough.”
K_K scooted forward, stopping the conversation. “It’s not important~” it smiled. Its hand landed on Sweet’s shoulders. “Clutter~” it leaned into Sweet’s face, nudging his side affectionately.
Sweet nodded in agreement, “you’re right. It’s been so long I probably couldn’t even give you a number.”
K_K’s ribcage rattled, “no use in remembering~” he muttered.
“But… you weren’t born here, right? Weren’t you two mor–”
K_K’s neck snapped at an awkward angle, “ no use.”
Cap’n flinched, holding his hands up, “got it, jeez. Rough past, I got it.”
K_K’s shoulders relaxed as Sweet began to pet his spine.
“It’s… not something we talk about,” Sweet explained. “It’s just…” they glanced at K_K, “it’s not good to be reminded of things you can’t change. Besides,” Sweet spread his arms, gesturing to the treetops. “Everything we could ever need is here. What’s the point of remembering anything from before?”
Cap’n looked between the two. What about family? Weren’t there people who had missed them? But he decided against mentioning it.
K_K’s expression was starting to make his back shiver.
“Well… what do you want me to do anyway? What’s this ‘plan’?”
K_K immediately shifted, “you’re going to be a mother~ !”
“Excuse you?” Cap’n blushed, “uh, I– I don’t–”
Sweet pulled a tiny bird from the growth in his chest and handed it to Cap’n. “Its mother died from the bird flu,” they explained. “I’ve been caring for it, but they really shouldn’t move that much.” They fidgetted with their fingers, “plus, K_K and I have to patrol the forest all day. There’s too many animals to help at once. But, if you stay and care for the ones we drop off…”
“What else is there for you to do~ ?” K_K grinned. “It’s the least you could do after all,” expression darkened, “you were almost a murderer.”
Guilt hit Cap’n faster than he thought it would. “I just needed some money–”
“There is no excuse,” K_K’s neck stretched from his shoulders. The bones rattled and popped as it came face-to-face with the mortal. “For what you almost did.” His neck retracted back, “this is my pity.” He let Sweet pet his head, a worried expression in their eye. “You can leave when you’re legs are healed,” he lowered his head. “Until then,” his eyes gravitated to the bird in Cap’n’s hand, “you’re the mother bird~”
And he was.
Cap’n became the ‘mother bird’ to fawns, wolves, foxes, cubs, and anything that needed caring. His days were spent tending to the orphaned, injured animals. He was taught how to make a salve for injuries, which berries were good for feeding and which to avoid.
Though, strangely, as time went on, it became less of an annoyance. He found himself enjoying the acts of care for animals. The smile on his face when an injured animal could finally move again was enough proof of that.
In return for his help, Sweet and K_K kept him alive as well.
They fed him, cleaned him, kept him warm at night. Eventually, he even warmed up to them.
He waited for them to arrive with animals, he told them stories of what the animals had done throughout the day.
Uneasy, forced conversations turned to storytelling.
Awkward nights sandwiched between two gods turned to stargazing.
He missed their company when they left each morning. Even if he knew he shouldn’t, he did. He’d seen two sides of K_K now. The side that was angry and protective of the forest and all its inhabitants. And the playful side, the side that let him and Sweet swing from his antlers.
“Be careful, don’t fall!” Sweet would tease.
“I’d catch him before he reached the ground~”
“Exactly! K_K would catch me!”
And Sweet, even if they teased at each other, it was all in jest. It felt… comfortable.
“Just eat the mushroom!”
“It tastes bad!”
Sweet rolled his eye and glanced at Cap’n’s leg. Looking away, he kicked it.
“OW! What the fu–” a mushroom was quickly thrown in his mouth.
No serious harm ever fell on him. Everything he ever needed was provided. Even the weather wasn’t a problem. K_K would simply make the rainfall around the moss bed, never a drop hitting them.
The changing seasons gave little worry. The nest was always kept warm somehow. Even if the two were gone, he felt accustomed to the cold winter weather. When Spring came around it was almost too hot to keep the jacket he wore on. So he took it off and never put it back on. Then it disappeared. He’d thought it would be a problem when Autumn came back, but it didn’t bother him.
Nothing did.
Autumn signaled that a year had passed and his legs were finally healed.
But when they healed… they looked different. They bent at an odd angle. They looked… similar to how they were before. Yet, they felt wrong , somehow. He couldn’t quite piece why. Maybe, that’s how they had always been?
He pushed the thought away.
“Guys, look! I can walk again,” he stood up on his new legs and bounced from one side to the other. They still felt weak, but he was holding it together. He wanted to impress them. “Now that I can walk again what are we gonna do?” He looked at the two.
Sweet’s head ticked, “what do you mean? I thought you–”
K_K slapped a hand over Sweet’s face, “you can join us in the mornings now~”
His face brightened. “Ah, cool!” Cap’n shifted his weight. His legs felt so weird, he couldn’t help feeling off-balance. “I might be a little slow, but I– I’ll try to keep up.” He looked down at his legs again. Something peculiar was going on.
A hand gently caressed his cheek, “it’s okay~ We have forever~”
Sweet bounced excitedly from behind, “yeah! Oh, this is gonna be so fun!”
They ducked beneath K_K and grabbed Cap’n’s hands. “I can show you all my favorite spots in the forest!” Their eye gleamed brighter. “And we can race! K_K always beats me, but you and I can have fair races! We’re gonna have so much fun together!”
Racing through the forest sounded nice.
Doing anything with them sounded nice.
“You two can race tomorrow~” K_K smiled, “it’s time to sleep.” They laid down and the other two promptly joined. They all curled into each other, happily embracing the closeness.
“You two wouldn’t believe what the baby chipmunk got into today,” Cap’n spoke, breaking the silence. “She got in a fight with the squirrel over a nut. And I was like, ‘why are you two fight? There’s a forest full of nuts. Just go grab some.’ But they kept fighting anyway–”
“Shh~” K_K nudged his head. “No more talking,” he kissed his temple.
“Sorry, I guess I’m just excited,” Cap’n continued. “I mean, I’ve never seen the rest of the forest. I bet it’s beautiful.”
“It is!” Sweet sat up, “there’s waterfalls and hot springs, there’s mountain tops with views you wouldn’t believe!”
Sighing, K_K sat up, figuring he wasn’t going to get the peaceful sleep he had wanted. It kept a smile on its face as the two conversed.
He hadn’t been sure about the mortal at first, but he was glad he had kept him alive now. One look at his legs and a glance at his head was all K_K needed to know that they had made the right choice. He had thought he’d never meet another mortal as passionate about the forest as he had when he first met Sweet. Yet, with some digging, Cap’n had proven to be just as promising.
He was compassionate and cared about life, even going as far as to feel guilt for even considering harming that deer a year ago. It had eaten him up inside, to even begin to think that at one time he had almost–
Well, it didn’t matter.
He wasn’t like that anymore.
He was better than before.
And K_K would make sure he stayed better.
The following morning, the three walked through the forest. Cap’n surprisingly had little trouble walking. It seemed in sleep he had grown used to his legs… even if they continued to bend at an angle he wasn’t sure fit.
They traveled everywhere through the forest. Sweet and K_K both were excited to show him all the forest provided. The best places for sun-bathing, the area with the best berries and nuts, all the waterfalls and natural pools.
And he was captivated by it all.
Stunned in the sheer amount of wonder.
Had the forest always seemed this special?
Had it always made his chest feel so tight?
They crossed an area that felt familiar. Looking ahead, he saw K_K and Sweet walking a short distance in front of him. He could spare a few moments to wander.
They’d find him if he ever got lost.
He followed his memory to a hill, at the bottom was a shallow swamp with almost crystal clear water.
“(That’s why it’s familiar… it’s where I fell),” he nodded to himself. Mystery solved, he could go join the others again.
Until a light caught his eye.
His eyebrows twitched in confusion. He looked around, he didn’t see or hear the other two. Surely it would be fine to inspect. He’d be careful.
Cap’n decided against running down this time. He took his time, carefully treading the hill to the pools of water below. How odd, his legs felt so acclimated to climbing down such a steep height. Had it always been that easy?
Reaching the bottom, he stepped into the water. Ripples spread and bounced off small sections of land.
He crossed the distance to where the light had bounced.
He didn’t notice the wind still.
He didn’t notice the absence of sound.
Bending down, he shifted through the loose dirt and clouded the water. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for. Cap’n just felt drawn to search, drawn to look at whatever had him so fixated.
He felt something round in his hands. He pulled it out of the water.
Metal beads? What were they doing here?
He shifted through more of the water and lose ground.
“Cap’n?” He heard his name being called.
And for some reason… he dug faster.
His chest beat faster, louder in his ears.
Why was he so desperate?
Why didn’t he want them to see him?
He dug desperately, fingers digging deeper and deeper until–
He pulled out bullet casings and a busted rifle.
He dropped the items, horrified.
He staggered backward and on his hands, creating as much distance as possible.
“Cap’n~ ?” The voice called, more concerned.
“Cap’n, where are you?” It sounded worried.
He wanted to call out to them, but something was stopping him. He tried to run, but his legs– were they his legs– ?
He couldn’t move, he was frozen as he stared at the items in the water. Death. They stunk of death. His hands, they were in his hands–
They’d been in his hands before–
A deer–
Money, he’d needed money–
Two screams echoed in the distance.
Cap’n clutched his head, feeling something soft. He gripped and pulled, seeing plants in his hands.
Why were there plants?
Why were there plants in his ears? Were they in his head, too?
The rippling water settled. He looked at his reflection.
Why were there plants in his chest?
Why did he have horns?
When did this happen?
Why hadn’t he noticed?
He tore more and more plants from his ears and chest. Even when it felt like pulling out wires. For each question he had unanswered, he tore the life from inside his body.
That’s not him, he didn’t look like this.
Who was this? Who had his body? Who was he– ?
Hands held him from doing any further damage. He could feel Sweet’s body pressed to his back, their hands clasped around his eyes, their arms holding his arms down. Cap’n’s throat closed as he choked back sobs. “It’s okay,” they whispered, “it’s okay.”
There were quick splashing, the sound of something being picked up– then the sounds of snapping, breaking, tearing.
Guttural, animalistic angry shrieking echoed through the clearing.
“It’s okay,” Sweet nudged his head into the back of Cap’n’s neck. “It’s okay, he’s almost done.”
There was a distant sound, something flying past the treetops.
Sweet removed his hands from his eyes, but kept them around his torso, holding him close.
K_K approached the two, eyebrows drawn together. Its hands caressed his face, “it’s gone,” it rubbed a thumb to his cheek. “It’s gone,” it repeated and leaned its forehead onto his.
Tears streamed down his face, staining the water beneath them. He didn’t know what was real anymore.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Cap’n blinked back the hot tears.
K_K frowned, “there was no changing this.” They nudged their heads together, desperate to soothe their new companion.
“Who am I?” Cap’n looked at his hands, plant debris still layered in his palms. “Who am I? Who was I? I– I thought I just broke my legs, but– but I was– I was–”
“Shh, it’s okay~” it pat his head. “We’ll deal with the clutter later~” he kissed his temple.
“Yeah,” Sweet added, “it’s not so bad once you get used to it… I was scared too, but… eventually, it doesn’t matter.” He rubbed Cap’n’s back, “the forest is home.”
K_K nodded and positioned Cap’n’s face to look him in the eyes,
“ The forest is home~”
The forest is home.