Rain fell onto the moss-covered rooftops, pouring down like miniature waterfalls onto the ground, forming small streams on the dirt road through several tussocks of grass. Just above, trees waved their lush branches between ruined houses, their leaves rustled and sang as winds and rain blew through them while roots and vines covered and stilled the crumbling skeletons of what used to be houses of steel and cements. A shrew ran from one ruined wall to another between the bushes of the undergrowth, trying to avoid the pouring rain. A fallen banyan tree provided the small rodent with a temporary shelter, enough for it to dry it fur at least. Secured underneath its rotting wooden sanctuary, the shrew shook its body, splashing tiny droplets of water around, trying to dry itself, oblivious of the danger as the wall supporting the rotting giant started to crack.

A bolt of lightning lit the sky ablaze with a thunderous roar, making the shrew raised its head, surveying its surrounding. The cracking sounds were loud and close, signaling that the wall could hold no longer, but as the shrew put its front legs down to run. But it was too late. The concrete wall collapsed, crushed by the weight of the dead tree, the thing that the rodent thought would aid it. The unfortunate creature screeched, terrified of what has just happened, the banyan tree's rotting, hollowed trunk has trapped it underneath it, its left leg caught under a large chunk of masonry, causing the distressed animal to cried out in agony as it tried to claw its way out of stones and wood. Before long, the shrew was exhausted, as it was trying to catch its breaths, its eyes looked around frantically in the dark as it felt the rising rainwater threatening to drown it in the crater created by the collapsing wall.

Suddenly the footsteps of something large stilled the shrew, accompanied by a faint smell of rotting leaves and fungi. The sound and smell approached, closer and closer, until the footsteps stopped, directly in front of the fallen tree where the shrew is trapped underneath. The rodent tried laying motionless, save for the frantic movements of its ribs and its eyes looking around, trying to search for any way to escape. Then, all of the sudden, the rotting trunk shook and splintered, ripped apart by powerful claws, making the insects that have made their home inside its corpse fell out or scattered into the air. The shrew looked on, as if bedazzled by its rescuer's peculiar appearance, unaware of its trapped limb.

What stood in front of the rodent now could only be described as a walking bush, branches, feathers and other materials all weaved and bound together with vines, making it looked like the shaggy coat of a weasel in the midst of winter. Underneath all of that, the shrew could make out patches of leathery brown skins stitched together in a hideous parody of a hide, puncturing holes and cuts littered what it thought was the creature's chest. Small, lichens covered branches and vines hung loosely from its shrouded head, mimicking the mane of a very old bison, as it moved, so too did the vines and branches, swaying with every motion the creature made. After a while, as if assessing the situation, "the Bush" reached out to the shrew with its long, grey arm, covered with strange patterns resembling vines with sharp turns from its forearm presumably up to its shoulder. Long, clawed fingers touched the chunk of cement, pushing it away with effortless ease while another hand caught the rodent in its gentle grab.

The shrew struggled with its remaining three good limbs as "the Bush" brought it nearer to its face. The strange creature tilted its head slightly, seemingly amused by the struggling rodent as another flash of lightning lit the sky, illuminating the human-like face underneath, its amber eyes glowed for a second before fading into the darkness of its cloak. The rodent's breathing slowed, its small nose sniffed the air, reaching nearer to the creature's face, it could see under the shadow were a maw lined with daggers like teeth, slowing opening with trails of drools falling down from the slits. The poor animal didn't even have the chance to react as "the Bush" opened its maw and tossed the rodent in, sinking its teeth down to the squeaking animal before tilting its head back to swallow its whole.

Wiping bits of blood and flesh from its lips, the strange creature turned around and walked back into the deep forest, loosely hung branches from its cloak plowed through three-fingered footprints and the trail left behind by its long tail. Continuing its lonely patrol, the creature's shape slowly faded into the shadow of the canopies, soon only faint footsteps can be heard traveling further and further until that too melded into the sounds of rains.

***

The undergrowth was disturbed as the young boy ran for his life through the ruins, intertwining branches and his leather cloak were the only things that have been keeping him from being wet. Well, at least not soaking anyway. Clutching at the small, leather-bound journal into his chest with his pale, skinny arms, he stopped at a crossroad, unsure of which way to go as his pursuers were fast on his trail. Stomping frantically on the same spot as he looked around, his mind was tied to a knot with messy memories of the way back to his village. This time he has gone too far inland, too far from the trails and even from the familiar hunting grounds where he's forbidden to go to. The spine-chilling howl echoed from behind the boy, followed by a barrage of clicks and growls, along with hasty footsteps pounding onto the soaked forest floor.

- They're coming! They're coming! - He hissed under his breath. - What to do? What to do? Think Haru. Think!

A large patch of purple moss caught his sparkling eyes of the same color, the elders have specifically forbidden people coming near those kinds of mosses, not only for their foul smell but also because of the illness they may cause. But what choice does Haru have? Either suffer through a minor fever or torn apart by vicious beasts, it's rather obvious at this point. Closing his eyes tightly, the boy rushed toward the patch of moss growing from the tangling roots of large banyan trees. The trees hung above the rivers, mossed covered, wooden serpents dug deep into the cracked concretes, overlapping and entangling each other over the ruins riverbank, leaving behind large hollows perfect for hiding in. But the rain has filled the river, and the lowers hovels have been submerged under the murky water, leaving only small entrances into the network of cracks and root tunnels.

Left with no choice, Haru rushed toward an iron bridge across a river. The heavy rains caused the water level to rise, threatening to overflow at any moment. Choosing an entrance that's just big enough for him, Haru snuck his way deep into the darkness peppered with faint rays of light. The boy crawled through roots, avoiding chunks of broken cement, heart pounding loudly when the footsteps and hissing from before stopped at the river. Three shadows appeared just above him, from the middle of the gaps, he could see the soaking wet black fur with a long, reptilian tail wagged slowly from side to side as the creature sniffed the air. A three-fingered hand curved into a tree root in front of Haru, making him held his breath as the long, slender muzzle of the animal pressed against the moss and began to sniff. It has the body frame of a dog, yet its features were unlike any dog the boy has ever seen. Slender yet muscular long limps pressed firmly onto the roots, making the smell of moss even more unbearable. Each of its feet was three, bird-like fingers, long and scaly, tipped with curved, sharp talons that would rip apart any kind of protection. Their heads were devoid of fur, white and smooth except for two black patches of skin around the eyes that gave them their skull-like appearance which gave them their name, the skull hounds. Two long ears resemble those of rabbits' perched upward, catching every little sound of their would-be prey that they knew were hiding somewhere.

Closing his violet eyes, Haru listened to his heart pounding, so loudly that he almost thought that it was readied to jump out of his chest. He began to recite the prayers in his head, secretly hoping the water and the smells of the moss have disguised his owns. The stench was putrid, bitter like a tar pit, searing his eyes and nose, making them watery, but Haru kept silent, staying motionless, hoping against hope that those creatures would go away soon.

After a few more heartbeats, as if couldn't bear the smell of moss any longer, the beast gagged and turned away, tail whipping to signal the other two to follow, back into the forest. Inside his hiding place, Haru froze, eyes still glued to where the beast has poked its snout through. With his heart still thumping loudly, the boy peeked out from a hole, trying to survey his surrounding, making sure that the beasts have gone. One minute, two minutes, nothing, aside from the overflowing river, the rustling of leaves and his breathing, there was no sound but he has to make sure. A good half an hour passed before Haru decided to get out of the tunnel, the front pages of his journal now soaking wet despite his best attempt to keep it from hitting the water. There was nothing he could do, the boy told himself as he looked at the tunnel, now beginning to flood with the overflowing of the river. Letting out a sigh, half of relief and half of regret, Haru looked up, searching for the sun to navigate his way back. Although the rain has not stopped, it wasn't as much as a downpour as before anymore, a weak ray of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds just a few minutes before being obscured.

- Oh, it's midday already. - Haru shrugged in defeat, he has planned to use the sun to navigate, but now he was left with no choice. - Guess I have no choice but to use "it".

He reached into his coat's pocket and took out a well-wrapped leather pouch, inside the pouch was black, ground box the size of his paw. With his slender fingers, the boy gently opened the lid of the box and miraculously, it stood still without a stick or anything holding it from collapsing. Inside the box is a layer of transparent stone with two straight lines superimposed on each other horizontally, each ends of the line marked with a precise drawing, the top of which were two parallel sticks connected by another sharply angled one, the head of a trident lied on the right, a curved snake guarded the left and the bottom was a pair of dog canines. Slightly moving under the glass was an arrow, while in the village, it always points to the drawing of three sticks and he just needs to follow.

Taking a lung full of dampened air mixed with the smell of moss, Haru closed his eyes to offer some prayers to the ancestors, asking them to bless him before walking in the direction of the arrow. As it moved, joy and hope overtook the small body, almost making him jump and yelp out of excitement, but he knew better than to make loud sounds here. Taking back whatever amount of courage he's gathered, the boy began to walk in the direction of the arrow, into the forest, not noticing the six pairs of eyes watching him from far away from their concealed ambush.

Pushing away some vines with slender wrists, the teen stepped through the forest floor, his grass sandals soaked with water, rubbing at his feet and made them itch. Ignoring the annoying sensations, Haru continued walking deeper and deeper into the forest, somewhat sheltered from the rain by the high foliage. Centuries of continuous rains punctured by harsh winters have transformed these ruins, the "cities" of the Old Ones, into a graveyard filled with new life, making it hard for one not to move without touching a leave of a vine from low hanging branches. The thickness of the forest makes him feel cramped, as if the air itself was cramped, suffocating, muffling everything under the canopies. Thousands of sounds poured into his ears like invisible rivers, even the sounds of his own footsteps could not be heard anymore. So stagnated was the air that everything seemed melded into one, messy mass of sounds and smells that threatens to devour anything and everything that dared to enter the forest's dark bowel.

Haru sighed, all he wanted was to draw the ruins of an ancient world and submerge himself the fantasy realm that his mind has made up, and in that daydream, he has gone too far. Now he's trapped in the campiness, the similarity of each tree and the sounds of beasts and he has no way to get help. His wide, violet eyes glanced around as he picked up the pace in a vain attempt, he wanted to see the sky, not the leaf-covered arms of the forest that shrouded all that were above. The warm, moist atmosphere of undergrowth littered with puddles choked his lungs and drown his minds with horrible visions of his own death. After running non-stop for what seemed like half an eternity between wet trunks and vines, Haru collapsed against the side of an old tree, catching his breaths while cursing himself for his foolishness.

He suddenly felt the hair on his neck stood up, the low growling and slow footsteps on the puddles were coming from behind. Haru immediately fell back, dodging a snap of one of the animals earlier, its bald, lizard-like jaws snapping only inches for his ear. The predator staggered from its missed attack, three-fingered hands clung to the ground as it shook its black fur covered body, throwing water of its fur and hissed, signaling the other two to engage.

One of the other two growled, letting out a barrage of clicking sounds, it crouched down and prepared to pounce. The beast recoiled, powerful muscles writhed under wet fur as it prepared before springing at Haru. The boy closed his eyes shut, preparing for the sensation of claws hooking into his flesh. The powerful screeched was cut short, transformed into a surprised and painful yelp as if caught by another animal. Silence befell the scene, not a sound was made except the echoing flaps of panicked birds from the distance and the dropping of water from the high canopies onto the soaked forest floor.

What has happened? Haru asked himself as he waited for something to touch his skin, but it never came, the air around him was still, serene, devoid of all motions, as if time itself has stopped for all but himself. After what seemed like a solid ten minutes, the boy decided to take a risk and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw that the gaping maw of his pursuer, filled to the brim with needle-like teeth, stuck to a bald white head that resembled that of a stork but with a nose of a dog. Haru jumped backward, but quickly realized that it was unnecessary, the beast was pinned down at its shoulder and neck by a scaled, three digit raptorial foot of what could only be described as a walking bush. The second hound chirped and rushed to "the Bush", just to be grabbed by its neck by a grey arm covered in strange, vine-like tattoos and thrown at the remaining hound. The teenager watched while the hounds yelped and retreated in the dense forest, leaving their comrade under the talons of the creature.

The beast groaned in defeat and laid still, only responded when white talons hooked to its skin making it bleed, flowing down into the damp fur and dying a puddle of water. The creature tilted its head, bloodied talons dug deeper, causing the creature under its feet to struggle and hiss. The hound raised its head, snapping the air with its toothy maw, trying to bite its attacker, only to get punished with talons digging deeper.

- Stop! - Haru finally found his courage to speak up.

"The Bush" stopped and turned to look at him, so confidence was the beast that it didn't even bother to hide its puzzled expression in every gesture it makes. Tilting its head curiously, it pressed its talons deeper into the bloody hide of the hound.

- Stop! I said stop it! - Haru screamed again, much to the creature's delight.

As if aware of his feelings, and quite amused by them, "the Bush" pressed on the animal with its talons, causing it to scream again. The human kept screaming, "the Bush" kept on torturing while the poor animal stayed still in pain and exhaustion, its fur was all but torn off, revealing a layer of brown skin underneath with blood pouring from gaping wounds. Haru began to feel frustrated, he felt like his lungs would burst from the shouting. With his hands on his knees, he gasped for air, trying to regain his strength, sweats dripping down his face and falling onto the puddles below.

Khu. Khu. Khu.

Deep laughter rumbled from "the Bush", its shoulders shook slightly while its head drooped down a bit lower. Haru glued his attention to the strange creature in front of him, a series of thoughts flashed through his head as the creature laughed. He did not know what it was, nor did he know if it understood what he was talking, but he was sure it was amused. The laughter stopped as suddenly as it's began, what followed was a voice belonging to a man in his twenties coming from under the cloak of stitched up branches and vines:

- Hey kid, what's your name?

- W-Wh-Wha... - The stuttering escaped Haru's shaking mouth. Trying to swallow down his fear with a gulp, he replied in a trembling tone: - W-what?

- "What"? - "The Bush" tilted his head in amusement as he replied. - That's a rather strange name.

- N-no! - Haru shook his head. - M-m-my n-na-nam-name i-i-is H-Ha-Ha...Haru!

- Haru eh? - The creature turned his attention down to his prey and stomped with his clawed foot.

- Stop! I said stop! - Haru screeched, his leg automatically took a step, causing low branches to tear at his already worn cloak.

- Why? - "The Bush" asked with an amused tone as he kept his raptorial foot on the poor skull hound half driven mad with pain.

- Let it go! It's endured enough! - Haru said again, his violet eyes became teary. He clenched his lips, trying to keep his composure but his voice grew louder with every word escaping his lips. - I don't want to see it in pain like that!

As if the boy's voice has touched his heart, "the Bush" lifted his foot, letting the hound slip away, blood dripping from the wounds on its side as it skulked into the dense undergrowth, letting out painful grunts. The bush's shoulders began to shake as the laughter began again, this time louder, making insects that have used the cloaked of stitched up materials to take off or fall to the forest floor. The laughter became louder and louder, sending chills down Haru's spines and animals fleeing from nearby trees.

- Young Haru, I like you! - The creature said between laughter. - I can't believe there are still people like you here! "Don't want to see it in pain"? Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! Oi kid, these skull hounds are experts as hunting human you know! If it wasn't for the smell of those damn mosses you'd be eaten alive in those roots!

The laughter kept getting louder and louder, echoing across the forest, sending every single animal in a kilometer radius scurrying in terror. Haru's fear quickly disappeared, replaced by shame as the laughter cut into his fragile confidence. "What's wrong with not wanting anything to be in pain?" He wondered, his face red from nose to mouth. Seeing that scene, the other creature burst out another laughter that made the boy just wants to crawl into the nearest pit and bury himself there.

- Stop it! What's wrong with being kind?! - Haru yelled, hands tightened into fists as he walked toward the bush. - Only inhuman things like you would...