Out of breath, Toranto sat alone beneath a tree. He ran for hours, his legs burned, and the tears on his face had long since dried up. He looked down at the snow covering the ground, trying to focus on its beauty rather than his current situation. He looked up at the tree he was leaning against, but it brought him no peace. The grass beneath him was dead, the branches above him were devoid of leaves, and the sky was painted with gray clouds.
…what do I do now?
He sat in silence for over an hour, taking in his surroundings. Bare trees filled every direction, the air felt dry, and the sun was just now starting to rise. Every so often, he heard gunfire in the distance. The ground was freezing, and breathing in the cold air caused his lungs to hurt. The cold was becoming a serious problem for his survival.
…where do I go?
…
…I don't know what to do.
He looked into his bag and took out the family photo he had kept, placing it into one of the pockets on the inside of his coat. Should anything happen to the bag, he wanted to ensure the photo's safety.
…I should move, find somewhere to hide. I'll freeze if I stay out here.
Eventually, he resolved to get up. His first goal was to find shelter, knowing he would freeze to death without any. His fur allowed him to function in the cold better than most, but not forever. He did not know exactly where he was, but he knew he was somewhere in the back forest area of Esfan.
Taking out a map from his bag, a map of the Esfan province, he studied where he thought he was. Approximating the location of a small village closest to him, he chose to stay near the border between the Esfan province and the neighboring country, Circa.
If I stay out of densely populated areas, I should be safe. Facing any militia head-on is suicide.
Finally, he started walking.
After an hour of navigating through the cold forest, he came across the village. It was much smaller than a city, but it contained a mini shopping district at its center. The homes stretched out in all directions from the center, all appearing empty. He couldn't sense anyone in the area, and most buildings were heavily damaged.
Better than nothing, I guess I'll live in one of the houses here for now.
He chose the house that appeared the least damaged, finding it eerily similar to his real home. There were wooden boards on the windows, and barricades behind the entrances. The barricades were torn down, bullet holes stained the walls, and he smelled dried blood throughout the house.
They prepared just like we did, and it looks like they had the same luck as us.
He looked in each room of the house, scavenging for supplies. He found a few extra cans of food, water bottles, and an empty journal. After searching every room on the surface, he noticed the house also had a basement. Figuring this would be the best place to hide, he went into it.
The room was barren, with storage shelves lining the back walls. It was partially damaged, and the smell of blood was still present, but it was better than nothing. Luckily for him, there were more supplies down here.
This should be enough to last me another month. At least I'll live.
"At least I'll live." Something about those words hit him in a way he didn't expect. How could he be happy to have a life with no one to share it with? Tearing up at this thought, he sat down in the back corner of the room. He curled his tail around his legs, trying to comfort himself as he stared into the cold ground. He took out the picture of his family and looked at it for a moment.
It's only been a day and a half…
Not even two days, and yet the damage was beginning to embed itself in Toranto's soul. He tried his best to hold back his tears.
I know it hasn't been that long…But I really miss you guys…
As always, he was failing to hide his emotions. His hands shook as he held the photo, and everyone's faces began to blur as tears filled his eyes. In that moment, he did the only thing he could think to do. Pulling out the journal, he opened the first page and wrote a letter to himself.
"Entry 1: Day 1…"
…
He felt a little better after finishing the letter. The idea stemmed from some of his mother's advice: to tell someone how you feel, and if no one was near, to tell yourself. He did nothing for the rest of the day except sit in that corner and process everything that had happened, he didn't feel safe enough to go anywhere. The only thing that kept him alive was the knowledge that his mother would not want him to perish this way, and so he pressed on.
A few days passed without him setting foot outside the house, despite the sounds coming from above. Sleeping, eating, and breathing were becoming difficult. He used basic fire charms to heat food and keep himself warm throughout the nights. He was proficient enough in fire-based charms to produce heat and flames from any part of his body. It helped in the moment, but it wasn't a permanent solution.
Although alive, his condition was worsening each day. He became concerned with his rations; there was enough to last a few more weeks, but risking starvation was not an option. So, a few days after arriving at the house, he decided that he needed to go outside.
It was late in the day, and the sun was starting to set. Snow still covered the ground, and the air was freezing. His body jolted suddenly from the cold exposure, and his eyes took a moment to adjust to the light. He hadn't seen the sun in days; for him, it was like stepping into an entirely different world.
I guess this is my life now.
He stood at the entrance to the house, blankly staring off into the distance. Forcing his legs to move, he walked out into the center of the village. After an hour of walking from building to building, collecting any rations he could find, he returned to 'his' house just as the sky fell to total darkness.
…
From that point, every day was spent scavenging for supplies. His thoughts quickly dissolved into nothingness, only occasionally writing down any supplies he found to keep track of rations. Two weeks after coming to the village, he made a terrifying discovery: while out looking through one of the houses for supplies, he heard a group of soldiers walking in his direction. Immediately, he ducked beneath a window and observed what they were doing.
"Split up and search the area, report back here in twenty minutes."
From inside the house, he heard their commander give this order to the other soldiers. I need to hide. If they find me here, I'm dead. With that thought, he moved to hide in the basement of the house as fast as possible. Adrenaline ran through his blood, making it hard to remain quiet as his heart pounded and his breathing accelerated.
He stood in the basement, motionless, keeping his hands over his mouth to remind himself not to make any noise. It was difficult to control his breathing and keep from falling over, but he tried to steady himself. He stood there for about ten minutes before hearing the front door swing open.
"We're with the Sanctuary's armed forces! We have control of this territory, as well as all of Denomi! If anyone is in this house, identify yourself now!"
All of Toranto's muscles tensed up in that moment, his hands dug into his face while the soldier above him searched the house. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, calmed himself, and tried to track the soldier's footsteps and soul signature, ensuring he wasn't coming down to the basement.
I need to get out of plain sight…
He slowly moved underneath the stairs to the basement, ensuring each step was as quiet as possible. As soon as he positioned himself underneath the stairs, the basement door opened. The soldier walked halfway down the stairs before stopping and observing the room.
…
His eyes shot open, and his body froze in place. The overwhelming stress caused his ears to ring badly. Among the ringing, he could hear his heartbeat loudly. He stayed low to the ground and held his breath. The soldier's flashlight quickly scanned the room, covering the walls and empty shelves. Upon finding nothing of value, the soldier went back upstairs and left the basement.
Toranto gripped his chest, feeling his heart racing, and took a deep breath. He listened to the sounds above him, waiting for the soldier to leave the house. Upon hearing the door open and sensing the soldier's soul leave a great enough distance, he resolved to walk back upstairs and watch the group.
He made it back upstairs just in time to see the soldiers regrouping. He hid beneath a window once again and observed the soldiers gathering in the center of the village. He picked up the sound of a radio being turned on. "Confirmed, no persons sighted. We're moving to the next area." The commander ushered. The soldiers then left the village.
So, this probably isn't isolated; whoever their leader is controls all of Denomi now. 'The Sanctuary,' never heard that name before. A coup must've happened, King Zamar must be long dead.
He quickly returned to 'his' house. After making his way to the basement, he retrieved his bag from underground using a basic earth charm. He focused his energy by crossing his arms, then drove it into the ground by stomping on the dirt. As he parted his arms, the energy he imbued into the group diverged into its surroundings, separating the soil and revealing his bag.
Glad I buried this thing. They definitely would've stolen it.
He took out the journal and began writing.
"Entry 4: Day 15. A group of soldiers marched into the village today, and I came close to getting caught. I think they came to search for supplies and find anyone still alive. It was…terrifying, I don't want to think about it anymore. But I learned their name: "the Sanctuary." It must be the formal name of their army. I think King Zamar is likely dead or a prisoner of whoever controls Denomi now. Either way, this proves the old government is gone, but I still can't tell if Denomi is under martial law or if someone is controlling all of this. But I guess that doesn't matter right now, I still need to prioritize survival. It was scary in the moment, but it seems easy enough to avoid the militia. They seem to enter an area in a group, then disperse to search more efficiently, then regroup and leave. They don't search for very long, and they're not very thorough, so as long as I can avoid being seen, I should be fine. Even though I know I'm strong enough to fight, I don't think I can handle something like that. My shields are still in my bag. Maybe one day I'll be ready to use them, but not today. On the bright side, all isn't terrible; the river behind me has been a lifesaver, and distilling river water doesn't take too long. I made use of some old bottles and rags I found to set up a simple distillation apparatus, it's worked out much better than I thought it would. But I don't have a consistent supply of food. I'm considering hunting wild animals if I have to, although I really don't want to. I need to do a wider search of this village tomorrow to find something better than rotten food. I'm planning on searching the outer parts of the village tomorrow, hopefully I'll find something useful. I'm going to get up early and try to get back in by midafternoon. I don't know why, but something is telling me I shouldn't be out there for too long tomorrow."
Before going to sleep, he prayed for his safety. He couldn't tell why, but he felt that he would need it.