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The birds were chirping, when bright hot sun forces Wilbur's eyes to open. He blinked a few time for his eyes to adjust, and as he inhaled the fresh air, he realized something was off. Instead of waking up in his bed, he found himself on leafy ground, under his fingertips he felt dirt, rocks, bark and roots.
Wilbur was having a hard time understanding where he was and what was happening, his head felt fuzzy and he himself was feeling confused and disoriented. Fortunately there was something familiar, he finally noticed the warmth coming from the body lying on his left thigh.
He lifted his hand and ran it through his little brother's black wavy hair, as if to make sure it's really him. Through his confusion he found himself smiling at his still sleeping brother, quickly he was overcomed by the weight of the current situation.
"Oliver" he called to his brother as he gently shook him with his hand. "Wake up" to that Oliver opened his green eyes filled with confusion and cloudy from just waking up. Oliver lifted his head from Wilbur's thigh and sat up next to him. He quickly took notice of their strange enviroment, he opened his mouth to speak, but not before he ran his eyes in all directions to recognize something, anything familiar, that would atleast remind him of why they're here.
When he couldn't remember he asked his older brother "Wilbur, what's going on? Where are we?" Oliver asked, confusion and few hints of fear clear in his voice. Wilbur stood up, looked as far as he could see then to his 9 year old brother before calmly speaking "I don't know Oliver, but I think we should go home" he stated. Oliver looked into his brother's dark brown eyes in search of any hint of fear or worry but ultimately found none of those. He swallowed, nodded, gave his brother a small smile and stood beside Wilbur.
He didn't get it, how did they get here? Where were they? Wilbur didn't know where he was taking his brother but he was hoping they just fell asleep in the middle of the woods. But, why was his head so cloudy then? It felt like if there was a fog in his brain, making it impossible for him to see his memories. But he needed to stay calm, for Oliver's sake atleast. Speaking of which, Oliver seemed confused like himself, but Oliver didn't seem frightened, he didn't even argue when Wilbur took the lead. The nine year old was as calm as thirteen year old Wilbur himself. And Wilbur found himself grateful for atleast the company of his usual annoying needy younger brother.
The forest around them both seemed incredibly familiar but also as if they were in completly different world. It stretched so wide beyond their eyes, but the trees were as if the same from the forest located not far away from their home. But Wilbur could swear that the trees did look slightly different, they proppably just got lost before they woke up, even though Wilbur couldn't figure out why in the hell would they decide to take a nap in the middle of the woods, especially when now he had no idea where they were.
Oliver, usually very observant and with a great memory, could't find anything which he would remember would take them to somewhere more familiar. He stood very close to Wilbur, as if afraid to not himself get lost even more, alone this time it would be. For once, Wilbur didn't mind Oliver ignoring his personal space again, he found himself comforted by him.
Step by step, leaf by leaf, they passed countless of trees with no trace of society, to the surprise of them both, they did spot few birds, bugs and even squirrels on their way. After a long time of uncomfortable silence, disturbed only by the sounds of the woods, Oliver spoke up "What time is it?" he said in almost a whisper, Wilbur proppably wouldn't catch it if Oliver wasn't standing right next to him. "No idea, why do you ask?" he replied, "I think the sun is slowly setting already" at that Wilbur looked at the sky, well as much sky as he could see through the thick leaves abovee him, Oliver was right.
Between the time since they woke up and the time that has passed since they've set their feet deeper into unknown of the neverending woods, the sun which was before right above them was now slowly dissapearing behind the horizon, and they still weren't able to find even a familiar path which would led them to somewhere else then the ever expanding woods. Oliver stopped for a moment and Wilbur looked at him to see what made him stop, "What is it?" he asked "Sorry, i thought i heard someone whispering" Oliver explained, shook his head and restored his walking pace.
Panic was slowly starting to take rise inside of Wilbur from reasons he was having a hardtime to pinpoint out. What was he so scared of? There was no one here other then his brother and.. something swiftly moved behind the brother's backs. Both of them froze and their eyes shot to the place of the sound. Nothing, just a tree. Wilbur slowly inhaled "Probably just an animal" he exhaled grabbed his brother's arm and turned back forward to continue in their set direction, "Probably.." he caught Oliver whispering, still looking behind them even as he walked beside Wilbur.
After few metres they found themselves standing in front of countless of thorn bushes, blocking their path forward. Wilbur turned around and opened his mouth to inform Oliver that they need to go back and find a way around the tall bushes. He quickly found himself closing his mouth as the location from which they heard the odd noice, not too long of a distance from them, this time Wilbur swore he did hear see something move towards them, surrounding them. He swallowed and turned back to the bushes.
Now looking at the bushes closely, he realized they were Holly bushes, the pretty red berries alongside spike dark green leaves reminded him of Christmas, they always had hollys around the house that time of the year. He knew that Oliver remembered too when he carefully laid his hand on the Holly. "We have to go through Oliver" Wilbur calmly said, as expected Oliver slowly nodded, Wilbur bet he heard the noice again too. Both Oliver and Wilbur quickly started looking for a gap in the overgrown bushes. Animal or not, they don't want to meet or see it.
Quickly enough they found one, big enough for the brief teenager and his tween brother. "Okay, we should be able to get to to the other side of the bushes quickly. It's not too far away after all." Wilbur stated in a whisper, trying his best to keep the fear out of his voice and to not attract what was closing in on them, any further. "Yea, I can sneak through that in no time!" Oliver said excitedly, Wilbur looked at him with wide eyes, then he looked behind them. Nothing. He did his best to give Oliver a small smile.
As they sneaked through the bushes, Wilbur could feel the the soft thorns biting into his soft skin. Oliver wasn't bothered as much by the thorns as he was, after all Oliver is quite smaller than him. Wilbur ocasionally stopped to look behind them, to see the thing that was close to them before, but the forest looked untouched and as the sun was slowly setting, Wilbur thought how the forest started looking more and more unwelcoming and dark.
The brothers reached the other side of the forest, to their surprise there in the middle was a waterfall and what seemed like a road going up, both from the left and right side of the waterfall, Wilbur was fazed by the sight before him, it felt familiar. Was he here before? He thought to himself, then it hit him. Yes! He was sure he had picnic here with his family, he was sure the right side of the road leading up was hiding something familiar on the top. They can get home!
He stood still for a while looking at the ground before the waterfall, that's where they had the picnic right? What did they eat? It was then that Wilbur realized that he was starving, he felt his stomach remember food as it growled, he wondered if Oliver is hungry too, he looked at him, but before he could ask he noticed Oliver staring at somethung quietly, "Hey, what's wrong?" "Wilbur, there's a wild boar" he whispered, visibly terrified, not breaking his staring contest with the direction of the apparent boar. Wilbur whipped his head into the direction same as Oliver. A huge wild boar was looking at them from the right side of the road, breathing heavely, stomping with his hooves in warning.
Wilbur opened his mouth in surprise and annoyance, he was finally starting to remember something, and yet another obstacle stood in their way. He grabbed Oliver's hand tightly "The forest won't take us" he hissed at his frozen brother, the boar charged forward, the brothers ran.
Wilbur was a fast kid, Oliver not as much, so Wilbur did his best to drag Oliver along with his pace. He hoped that the can somehow run around the boar into desired direction but it was as if the boar knew what Wilbur wanted as it was purpusely blocking the path and making it impossible to go around it. Wilbur looking behind didn't even notice Oliver's legs giving up under him, Oliver fell to the ground and with that Wilbur stopped, yelling "Get up! Come on!"
Oliver's tears were already streaming down his face "I can't.. I'm sorry.." he sobbed quietly, there were bruises on his knees, Wilbur huffed and grabbed his brother's hand once more, forcing him on his back, not nearly as fast as before but he was running as fast as he could with additional weight on his back.
He could swear he felt the boar's breath on his neck, he sped up and he as well, could feel his legs growing weak under him, he needed to think of something, he desperately looked around, everything felt sped up and manic, the boar's angry growls, wind shaking the branches, his brother's quiet crying, his own heavy breath. He ran back to the waterfall to where he was sure was once his mother and father.Frantic, his eyes searched for a hiding spot, anything. Tired, Wilbur collapsed as well.
Breathing heavy, coughing, he felt the boar approach, he found last ounce of energy within himself as he started searching the ground. The boar roared and threatened to stomp him to death, it's eyes black as charcoal, fur dark and ashy. Saliva glistening in it's mouth, awaiting to swallow the young boys.
As the boar almost reached them, Wilbur picked up a roasting skewer intented for marshmallows and meat to roast on a campfire. He stabbed the boar in the left side of it's neck and it shrieked with pain, dark blood pouring down onto Wilbur's hands and face. It howled in pain and backed off, Wilbur holding his breath forced himself to stand up, threatning to attack the boar once more. He looked at Oliver, panicking as he saw that Oliver passed out. Filled with courage to defeat the beast for his brother strenghtened his grasp on the handle of the roasting metal stick. He charged forward.
The beast growled as Wilbur realized that it was turning darker in color, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him before, but now he was sure the blood of it was black as of a demon. It dug it's hooves into the ground, teeth growing larger and it growing bigger itself, it charged head forward onto awaiting Wilbur and his wounded brother lying behind him.
Wilbur's original plan to try to stab it again proved unrealistical as the beast charged at him with bigger speed than expected, he tried to dodge but he wasn't fast enough as he already was very stressed and tired from all that happened since he woke up. The boar hit him with it's huge tusks. Wilbur fell to the ground, letting go of his only weapon, feeling his right cheek bleeding and burning from the pain. He screamed, cried, tears finally slipping from his eyes, not being able to hold them back anymore now that his brother wasn't looking.
Lying on his stomach he forced himself on all fours as the boar charged again, he reached for the roasting stick which was located right behind him, he frantically clawed for it as the boar roared, just as it was ready to tear him to shreds with it's tusks turning it's head down to him, he grabbed the handle of the metal stick and pierced the demonic beast of the forest right through it's hollow black souless eyes. To his relief it howled, shrieked, squirmed but it was all futile. It dropped to ground, whatever life was in the demon was now gone.
Wilbur dropped to the ground as well, he reached for his brother, wrapping his bloody around him, his cheek bleeding into Oliver's hair steadily. Wilbur's weakly watched the corpse of the boar for any signs of life, looking up he noticed the sun was already setting. Through the pain and hunger, Wilbur wondered how the boar will taste like as his eyes forced him into the lightless rest that of sleep while holding his warm sleeping brother closely.
His last thoughts however consisted of one thing, why did the boar block their path and why did the forest seemed against them? The most unsettling however, Wilbur could swear those trees weren't on the right side of the road when they arrived.