Chapter Text
Crows gather in the trees, cawing their frustration at the disruption of their evening roost.
The entity is immobile, unable or unwilling to do anything but feel. Their form moves against their will. Every rock and twig they scrape past ingrains itself into their bones. Every buzz, chirp, and howl of the wild rings through their ears, replacing the weak thrum between their ribs.
There was no opportunity to gather their bearings, if such a thing was even possible, before weight presses them down into the earth. At least, they assume it is earth. Sounds that were so sharp and all-consuming only a moment ago are now muffled, replaced with the stench of damp soil. The smell is too much, so they focus on the barely audible caws of birds miles away. Every piece of their being hones in on this task. Without the guidance of sight, those sounds gave them purpose. Gave them feeling. Anger. Fear. Despair.
Lost.
So lost.
How long have they been...alive? They had to be alive. They have the tactile senses someone should have, even if those senses were struggling to relay the information they were supposed to. It's simply too dark, too cold, too heavy. Life was overwhelming, and that was when they only had darkness.
Then, they reach out and find themself trapped. Buried and contained.
They hate this. Hate hate hate hate.
The entity's hand curls, preparing to claw their way out. They won't be shrouded any longer. Not under this dirt, and not in the agony that surfaces behind their eyes, threatening to consume them. Fingers are desperate to push away layers of earth, to escape the feeling of suffocation that started burning in their lungs. Muscles scream from long disuse. Had they ever been used? Everything aches in a way that suggests these joints have not experienced movement before this struggle. They dig fast, shuddering and collapsing into a heap the instant cold air hits them. They make note of all they could finally see. Dirty clothes, cracked nails, and an endless expanse of green foliage. Sight was dull and unfamiliar, flitting between different shadows.
Their eyes are drawn to the sole source of light. They hope to find answers in the moon’s glow. They silently beg for the moon to explain to them why they were here and where here even was. The least the moon could do is tell them who they are. None of those answers are found, not even when warm tears streak down their cheeks.
Shaky and slow, the entity takes their first breath.