@"Anzellous" @"hyperhurricane"
Hari could remember exactly when his powers awakened. It was around the night he and Sebastian finished their first date and he was sleeping soundly in his arms. Hari was suddenly awakened by thousands of little voices inside his head, speaking a language he didn't know but completely understood. When the initial surprise died down and he and Seb talked to a teacher, he realized... there was a tree living inside him.
He took the realization in stride. It was only a few days later when he broke down in class crying because of a relatively bad grade in a Math test (he got a B) that Hari managed to react properly to his situation. The tree was a curse and a blessing. It turned him into a murderer and a monster, but it was literally the only thing keeping him alive. He knew that if he were to extract it from his body, both it and him would die. Theoretically, that is.
It was a part of him now.
A week after that, he started discovering his powers bit by bit. His flesh would at times morph into wood, he could touch things normally and he could go for days on end without eating or sleeping and still feel healthier than before. Despite all the odd events, Hari was the most relaxed he'd ever been. It was as if dark clouds were finally beginning to clear in his head for the first time in a decade. He felt like he could properly fit into the world now. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore.
His biggest problem right now were the plants. He could tone down the voices sometimes, but they were like thoughts that refused to settle, even powering his own from time to time. He never realized plants were so... chatty. They were incredibly talkative, to the point it was very annoying. Sometimes, when Hari closed his eyes, he could see all of them in his head.
The call was stronger in the forest. It knew his status as an Old Tree, so they tried to impress him by whispering its secrets to him. He knew the locations of secret oasis, plants that bore the most delicious fruit and, most of all, buried treasure.
The forest told him a story of an old pirate woman that ventured deep into the Forbidden Forest to bury her treasure. Before she could trek back to her ship, the werewolves gored her into a bloody pulp. Her body was never found, and her treasure was still buried and unclaimed.
It sent a thought to his head. What if he were to claim it?
He tried testing his luck in the forest a couple of times. He figured out that he could survive most threats if he shapeshifted into wood, and even the forest was helpful enough that it would inform him of the most safe paths and hiding places. He had a good grasp of his powers. The forest, though an enemy to most, was on HIS side. Would it really be so bad to listen to its call and go on an adventure of a lifetime?
He told his friends about this excitedly, and he was surprised they wanted to hop onto the adventure with him. He assigned them a date and prepared for it with the usual meticulousness he applied in his schoolwork. His adventure backpack contained the following things: A hunting knife, a paring knife, a swiss army knife, a small pot, a wool blanket, a lighter, matches, a flashlight, a first aid kit, painkillers, scissors, a flask of vodka, silverware, shampoo and soap, a whistle, paper towels, a towel, clothes for two days, four water bottles, latex gloves, rope, a net, five flares, a fully-charged Smartphone with earbuds, two bags of nuts and trail mix, two cans of meat and two cans of soup. He told the others to prepare, too. It was a bit heavy, but it didn't hinder mobility. He wanted to add more but... Well, he supposed the forest could provide.
The day of the adventure arrived. Hari was wearing a hat, a scarf, a thin coat, a loose shirt, cargo shorts and hiking boots. The three adventurers stood at the entrance of the Woods. He turned to his companions and smiled.
"Are you guys ready?"
Hari could remember exactly when his powers awakened. It was around the night he and Sebastian finished their first date and he was sleeping soundly in his arms. Hari was suddenly awakened by thousands of little voices inside his head, speaking a language he didn't know but completely understood. When the initial surprise died down and he and Seb talked to a teacher, he realized... there was a tree living inside him.
He took the realization in stride. It was only a few days later when he broke down in class crying because of a relatively bad grade in a Math test (he got a B) that Hari managed to react properly to his situation. The tree was a curse and a blessing. It turned him into a murderer and a monster, but it was literally the only thing keeping him alive. He knew that if he were to extract it from his body, both it and him would die. Theoretically, that is.
It was a part of him now.
A week after that, he started discovering his powers bit by bit. His flesh would at times morph into wood, he could touch things normally and he could go for days on end without eating or sleeping and still feel healthier than before. Despite all the odd events, Hari was the most relaxed he'd ever been. It was as if dark clouds were finally beginning to clear in his head for the first time in a decade. He felt like he could properly fit into the world now. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore.
His biggest problem right now were the plants. He could tone down the voices sometimes, but they were like thoughts that refused to settle, even powering his own from time to time. He never realized plants were so... chatty. They were incredibly talkative, to the point it was very annoying. Sometimes, when Hari closed his eyes, he could see all of them in his head.
The call was stronger in the forest. It knew his status as an Old Tree, so they tried to impress him by whispering its secrets to him. He knew the locations of secret oasis, plants that bore the most delicious fruit and, most of all, buried treasure.
The forest told him a story of an old pirate woman that ventured deep into the Forbidden Forest to bury her treasure. Before she could trek back to her ship, the werewolves gored her into a bloody pulp. Her body was never found, and her treasure was still buried and unclaimed.
It sent a thought to his head. What if he were to claim it?
He tried testing his luck in the forest a couple of times. He figured out that he could survive most threats if he shapeshifted into wood, and even the forest was helpful enough that it would inform him of the most safe paths and hiding places. He had a good grasp of his powers. The forest, though an enemy to most, was on HIS side. Would it really be so bad to listen to its call and go on an adventure of a lifetime?
He told his friends about this excitedly, and he was surprised they wanted to hop onto the adventure with him. He assigned them a date and prepared for it with the usual meticulousness he applied in his schoolwork. His adventure backpack contained the following things: A hunting knife, a paring knife, a swiss army knife, a small pot, a wool blanket, a lighter, matches, a flashlight, a first aid kit, painkillers, scissors, a flask of vodka, silverware, shampoo and soap, a whistle, paper towels, a towel, clothes for two days, four water bottles, latex gloves, rope, a net, five flares, a fully-charged Smartphone with earbuds, two bags of nuts and trail mix, two cans of meat and two cans of soup. He told the others to prepare, too. It was a bit heavy, but it didn't hinder mobility. He wanted to add more but... Well, he supposed the forest could provide.
The day of the adventure arrived. Hari was wearing a hat, a scarf, a thin coat, a loose shirt, cargo shorts and hiking boots. The three adventurers stood at the entrance of the Woods. He turned to his companions and smiled.
"Are you guys ready?"
