Chapter Text
You yawned, shifting in your spot, but felt the surface you were on to be hard. Actually, not only was that strange, but the air felt humid. You heard the wind rustling leaves and the sound of a waterfall nearby. But last you checked, weren't you in a library? You slowly sat up and peeked your eyes open.
You yelped when you found yourself up in a vine covered tree. You looked around and your eyes widened at your attire. You wore what seemed to be animal skins and just enough to cover the parts that needed to be covered. They didn't feel loose, so you didn't have to worry about them slipping off. Luckily.
You also found that your muscles were more toned and your hands and feet had a lot more calluses. With this new knowledge and knowing you were obviously in a dream, you grabbed onto one of the tree's vines.
~Oh the power to be strong and the wisdom to be wise, all these things will come to you in time. On this journey that you're making, there'll be answers that you'll seek and it's you who'll climb the mountain. It's you who'll reach the peak. Son of man, look to the sky, lift your spirit, set it free.~
You slid down the vine with ease and your feet met the solid ground. You decided to follow the sound of the waterfall, so you could at least get your bearings. You gripped the vine you swung down on and scaled up it. Once you made it pretty high up, you caught some momentum and leaped onto a vine nearby it.
It became a pattern and with a few obstacles you got the hang of it. Swinging from vine to vine.
~Some day you'll walk tall with pride. Son of man, a man in time you'll be. Though there's no one there to guide you, no one to take your hand, but with faith and understanding you will journey from boy to man. Son of man, look to the sky, lift your spirit, set it free. Some day you'll walk tall with pride.~
Before you knew it you ran out of vine and tumbled down. You found yourself over a huge lake and closed your eyes, bracing for impact. You expected yourself to wake up, but instead felt yourself get caught. You opened your eyes and caught a glimpse of an elephant, before he dropped you into the water. At least it was a softer fall than it would've been.
~Son of man, a man in time you'll be.~
You opened your eyes under the water and found a whole different world. You felt yourself not being able to hold your breath and busted out of the water. You breathed in some nice air, as you kicked yourself over to the side of the lake. You looked back over to see a pack of elephants, bathing in the water. Thank goodness they were there.
~In learning you will teach and in teaching you will learn. You'll find your place beside the ones you love and all the things you dreamed of, the visions that you saw. The time is drawing near now. It's yours to claim it all.~
"Hey, ___!" You heard someone call your name. You looked around, but saw a figure dart into the jungle. With a bit of hesitation, you stood up and followed after them. You tried to catch up, but they took sharp turns and different paths so much, that this seemed like a struggle. Suddenly, you heard people walking ahead and decided that the person must've went that way.
You climbed up a tree and began to use the vines to cover more ground. You lost some vine, again, but instead of falling, you grabbed a branch and swung yourself upwards. You landed on another branch and slid yourself down the length of the tree on your feet. You returned to the vines and finally ended up on a branch. You looked down and found yourself looking at a large group of apes.
~Son of man, look to the sky, lift your spirit, set it free. Some day you'll walk tall with pride. Son of man, a man in time you'll be. Son of man, son of man's a man for all to see.~
You carefully made your way down and looked over the apes. You felt a familiarity to them, but you didn't understand why. You cautiously approached one you felt you've seen before. Just as you were about to touch them, a voice interrupted your actions.
"Don't even think about it." You were taken back, as the voice came from the ape and you positioned yourself in front if them. Their voice had an accent, but you couldn't pinpoint what it was.
"How did you know it was me?" You asked hesitantly. You were still amazed on how you understood him.
"I'm your mother, I know everything. Now where have you been?" They answered nonchalantly. They defiantly weren't a girl, but the accent became clear now. Finnish.
"I thought you knew everything." You cracked a grin, realizing who it was. They were about to respond, when suddenly you were tackled. You heard laughing and looking up to find another ape. By the laughing, you could tell it was a girl. She looked back at Finland and smiled.
"Hey, Uncle T. You're looking remarkably groomed today." She said.
"Hello, Jxk." Finland, Tino, answered. Your eyes widened realizing who tackled you. And you weren't about to let her get away with it. You tackled her, sending you both laughing and play fighting each other.
"Not the neck, not the neck!" Jxk laughed, as you got her into a successful headlock.
"Okay, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Someone's gonna get hurt here, and it's always me." You heard a timid voice say. You looked over to see an elephant, who seemed really nervous. His voice sounded familiar, too.