Rick was smiling, smiling as he stared out over a vast grassland. Out over great woods beyond the grassland with trees that reached for the heaven. Out over people he called family. Over a place he called, home.

A vision ripped away as something wet kept tickling his chin. It was hard yet soft, wet but not very. It was strange, weird and frankly, quite odd. He wondered why his people had woken him in such a strange manner, grunting as he tried to move his body and open his eyes.

Only to freeze in sudden, abhorrent, and incredible discomfort. His left arm and right leg feeling like absolute crap, like someone was pushing them deep within cold waters whilst tickling them, like something was scratching him from the inside out.

He opened his eyes, only to close them again, bright light not his greatest friend. Instead, trying to move his right arm to scratch at the offending, infuriatingly itchy body. But found it impossible, like a heavy weight had been placed upon his body, like fatigue taking physical form and pushing him down.

Suddenly, he felt as if he lacked air, as if he had forgotten how to breathe and quickly took a deep breath. Too deep. Making him cough, tasting something vile within the confines of his mouth, then something chunky coming up and splattering on his neck and face.

Whilst coughing, he managed small intake of air. Then as he stopped, he gasped for breath, breathing quickly, almost panicky, wondering what was going on.

The tickling wetness came back, this time slower but lingering longer. Then something hot breathing out on his cheek.

Once again, he tried opening his eyes, this time mildly successful as they opened to catch a glimmer of reality. Seeing in the corner of his eye, brown branches sticking out like overly long fingers surrounding a vast blue sky, dotted with sparks of white clouds.

Then something else came within view, glittering beautifully, contrasting wonderfully with the vast blue sky above. Two globes of molten red staring down at him, a mouth full of teeth, drawn back as if worried. A tongue coming out of this mouth, licking his cheek as the eyes scanned his face.

Blinking, Rick felt real reality slowly coming back to him. Flashes of bloody monsters, of pain unspeakable, of guilt worse than any pain. He blinked and, very slowly, lifted his head, his eyes scanning the beast’s body, finding them drifting to its hind leg. Spotting it completely unharmed. His eyes drifting back to the beast’s face, down to its throat, completely unharmed.

His head fell back upon the earth, a pulse of unbelievable discomfort and exhaustion shot up throughout his body, forcing a pained expression on his face. The beast whining upon seeing, nudging its snout at Ricks cheek, sounding like a whimpering dog.

Rick tried a smile, forced a smile, finding it unbelievably hard but doing it anyway. The little beast stopped its whimpering, head going up as it tilted to the side. Its eyes still looking worried. Staring down at him with its tongue flicking out from time to time.

Smiling grew weary, and Rick had to stop. The beast reacting, reaching down and nudging his cheek again, its tongue tickling, making it feel like a small river was running down it. And this time, a real smile grew on his face. The beast’s tail flying up behind it, teeth being exposed as its eyes grew wider.

It jumped back, keeping its eyes on Rick, and wiggled its bum. His smile going wider, ignoring the discomfort that came. The beast turned, quickly looking back at Rick, then turned, glancing back, then looking out and taking a step out of Rick’s field of vision.

Rick breathed out, his smile slowly fading as more memories came back. A certain memory being particularly unpleasant. One of a hand no longer capable of movement.

He slowly eased his head to the side, making sure to keep the rest of his body as still as possible, and unhurriedly kept his eyes to his left. Slowly, his head rolled to its side, giving him a view of his outstretched and unbelievably itchy arm. An arm that had a hand attached to it, looking perfectly normal if not for the completely destroyed clothes from the elbow down.

The sight shocked him, and he unthinkingly moved his fingers before his brain could comprehend the action. Giving him a pulse of excruciating discomfort, tensing his entire body as his neck bulged from the effort.

Seconds passed, and the discomfort eased to a manageable level.

Then something touched his cheek yet again, this time it wasn’t wet or soft. He slowly turned to look, seeing the beast holding Bob within its maw, glancing down on Rick as Bob lay “dead” within its mouth.

It dropped Bob unceremoniously on top of Rick’s face, closing his eyes as Bob plopped down, then slowly rolling off as he fell onto the ground. The little beast shrugging back in shock, whimpering as he quickly bent down to pick Bob back up.

Rick opened his eyes, only to spot something green growing from his side. Glancing, he spotted Bob sitting up, shaking his head with closed eyes, looking like a man after a few too many drinks. The little beast looking the same, taking two steps back as it shook its head. The two like men after a long night out.

Eventually, Bob opened his eyes, meeting Ricks. The two sharing a quiet moment. Droplets of wood slowly starting to form, dripping down Bob’s face, a face contorting into a frown, a sad frown, sniffling soundlessly. Then bawling as he jumped forward and hugged Rick’s cheek, hurting Rick in the process, not too bothered by it.

Two friends sharing a contemplative moment. A moment that made the bigger friend forced too blink away the pain coming up from his eyes.

A moment interrupted by a third party. Eyes glittering as it bumped its snout against the bigger friend’s right arm. Rick reacting by focusing his eyes on the beast, seeing it practically beaming, holding what looked like meat in its mouth. Nudging Rick’s arm as it dropped the meat next to it.

Meat that Rick immediately recognized as being from one of the dead monsters.

Bile rose up in his throat, and he had to look away, trying to ignore the quickly acting pain and discomfort that rose as he moved too quickly. Bob flying up a few centimeters with the sudden shift, screaming out soundlessly in minor panic, then laughing as he fell down upon his bottom.

The beast whined though, a ruffle of snow being crunched. Rick gently looking back, making sure to keep the meat out of sight, pushing the bile down. Upon spotting the beast, he saw it holding the meat within its mouth while backing away. It noticed Rick seeing it, and turned around. Seconds passed as it walked away, glancing back at Rick, then around at the ground. Acting weird. Walking around until it seemed to spot something on the ground, reaching its neck down as it, dropped the meat. It then turned in a circle and started shuffling snow over the meat, using its hind legs, avoiding Rick’s eyes.

Rick breathed out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, the beast glancing back on him, its tail once again rising as what could only be described as a smile growing on its face. Its many teeth making the smile look sinister if it hadn’t just done, what it had done.

Then the beast went up on four legs, ears flapping up as its head swiveled toward the woods. Its snout reaching up into the sky as its tongue flickered out. Looking as if it was, smelling. Its body growing stiff after a few seconds of smelling, ears turning towards one direction as its head followed. Then it jumped, darting off into the snowy woods.

Rick stared as it ran off, feeling weirdly, calm. He didn't understand why, nor did he have the time to think on it.

A sound of crushed snow came to Rick’s ears, very mild, not very loud. Turning to see, eyes widened at the sight of an armoured knight fully decked out from head to toe, having an uncountable amount of spears strapped to his back whilst holding a shield and spear in his hands. The knight’s visor was down, but Rick could tell that the knight was looking down on him.

“Oh, oh-ha. Hahaha, HAAH! Wow, what are the odds? Should I even be surprised? I mean, who else could kill this many monsters if not the famed toymaker? I should count myself lucky.”

The knight spoke in a grizzly voice, manly in tone but light in tonality. Taking a step forward towards Rick.

Panic like a sledgehammer hitting him in the chest at the knight's statement, feeling bile rise once more as he felt like a prisoner in his own body.

Staring helplessly as the knight moved towards him.