Page 21 of Palingenesis

Though some dare wander into my territory with ill intention.

They believe they are alone when they do their deeds, transferring packages from one to another or daring to challenge the landscape of the wilderness out of human boredom I will never understand.

Some come here to … mate. Make lewd acts to create their offspring in the deep blackness of the forest at night while the woods observe.

But others … They believe this land is a cemetery for their unwanted.

Unusual as it may be, I have been witness to many lifeless forms left behind for the mountains to claim their sacrifice, the wildlife here tempted by the scent of an easy meal that hides the transgression that brought them here.

I know the cruel ways of the human, having studied them long enough that I’ve forgotten I once was one.

A man with a heart that I would sacrifice life itself to keep forever.

Mistakenly, I assumed forever would never end.

But where humanity ends, morality dissolves, and in its wake is nothing but the monster beneath it all, doomed to repeat the cycle until there’s nothing left.

Perhaps the humans that leave their dead here have lost their morality before their own bodies could have caught up.

Headlights.

Crouching low, I track the beams of light that slice across the forest. The vehicle is not designed to reach farther into the tightening woods, with good reason, yet the human behind the wheel attempts to advance his path. He finally comes to a stop, one wheel paused against the bark of a fallen tree and gets out of the contraption.

The energy that follows him is dark, his muttered curses ones I’ve heard from human lips many a time as he stretches from the cabin and runs thin fingers through his light hair.

This one … seems different as he unfurls the back compartment of his vehicle to reveal more light. Inside it is a lifeless form he must be here to surrender to the wilderness.

“The thing can have you now, you prick,” the man mutters as he drags the body from the back, his effort plentiful until the limp arms and legs thump to the ground. “There! It’s a sacrifice to the mountain gods or whatever the fuck.”

He looks up as if I would be at the peaks instead of observing him from a low perch among the very forest he’s sacrificing to, arms stretched wide and breath labored.

A sinister laugh explodes from his lips, echoing off the trees, and a deep part of the forest responds.

He looks … deranged. Unwell.

I have seen this before—a sickness of the mind—in walking among humankind. It seems that it can be controlled at times, easier now that humans have invented medicines, but it is not always a guarantee. This one seems to have failed at his attempts to treat himself.

The lump of flesh beside him groans, drawing both of our attention, and my gaze narrows when the assailant strikes with his foot.

From the ground, the man weakly cries out in pain before falling silent long enough for the other to get into his vehicle. It takes several attempts for him to flee, narrowly missing his “offering” to the wilderness left on the ground, though I suspect that the driver may have preferred it otherwise.

Released from the forest’s hold, he takes the light with him and I tilt my head at the fading red lights until they disappear completely.

Observing the one left behind, head cocking at the silence, I wait.

And wait.

It takes some time for his weak cry to penetrate more than just the mountains, and I find myself stretching to my full height and moving in his direction. A vague voice in my mind suggests to remove myself, to let the humans be humans, but I cannot leave him to the animals when another soft whimper morphs into audible discomfort.

The pain in his voice is evident.

Approaching gently, I blanket the human with my mind, reaching into the depths of his psyche where he freely allows. Offering him moments of perceived solace, memories of peace. There is not much access that the human grants me, intriguing me farther, yet there is enough to encourage his form to ease.

I cannot see these moments held within his mind, more so feel them crawl across my skin in chilled pebbles. Still, I close the distance between us.

Explanation for my actions evades me as I kneel next to him, drawn closer by sheer curiosity.

I aim only to ease his suffering, to probe deeper into his mind.