ã€ŠFolkloreã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Tai nimbly flipped over the school''s barbed-wire fence with his friends'' help. Not even a second later he sprinted across the open field, making a beeline towards Block C and dove into the thick foliage by a windowsill. He shifted, careful not to make any noise, and made himself comfortable as he listened to the teacher inside the classroom. His tiny frame was completely hidden.

    "...besides our Thumbling Kingdom, there is the Human, Cinderella, Giants and a few others. I''ll be writing them all on the board." The crisp, young voice was loud¡ªwhich was the reason Tai always came for her classes. It definitely was not because she sounded lovely.

    He fished for a mirror shard wrapped in cloth from his pocket, and with a practiced motion raised it up to a suitable angle and read the notes written on the chalkboard. As long as it didn''t reflect light inside, he should be alright.

    Eight other kingdoms huh, that''s cool¡ª

    Tai felt his ten year-old shirt being yanked from behind with a strong force as he was hoisted up mid-air.

    "What¡¯re you doing here, brat?" the school''s security officer scowled as he stared at the obviously malnourished kid. Tai grinned sheepishly at the bulky man. After a few seconds, The security officer seemed to have come to a decision and carried him in the direction of the principal''s office.

    Tai''s smile vanished, his heart racing as he wrestled the officer to no avail. Realizing where he was being taken was only five steps away, he wriggled and tore his body through his undersized shirt. He fell to the ground as the officer grabbed at his arm.

    Tai yanked his arm away before the officer got a good grip and sprinted towards the fence. Quickly skating the fence at the cost of a few slices to his body, he bolted to the nearest alley and never looked back.

    Tai continued his sprint to a dark area of the alley, where four 12-year-old boys as scrawny as himself sat.

    "What happened!" Tito, the shortest of them, came running towards him, scanning him from head to toe repeatedly. Tai let out a long sigh and brushed his curly green hair away from his eyes.

    "I got caught."

    "Well, good thing you got away," sweat was all of a sudden plastered on Tito''s baby face. "You learn anything?"

    With that question, the four boys stared at Tai expectantly.

    "Yeah," Tai said with a triumphant smirk. "Besides our tribe, there''s eight other kingdoms. Apparently, in size, we''re the tiniest of them all. The largest sized tribe is called the Giants'' Kingdom. The Human Kingdom has the most people, and¡ªguess what¡ªan adult thumbling is only as tall as their thumb."

    "What about the other five kingdoms?" Tobey asked. His shoulder-length auburn hair fell neatly on his shoulders despite his dirty appearance.

    "Got caught." Tai sighed. He''ll definitely do better tomorrow. "Alright, let''s look for some food".

    "It''s been a month since the last food distribution. If there is anything left to forage in this city, it''s gone," Tobey chimed in. Tai paused. Tobey was right. However...

    "Let''s ask Tziporah, that homeless girl."

    "You mean that suck-up city-rat? I''d rather die. Let''s just steal." Tariq''s lanky body towered over everyone else¡¯s.

    "You forgot what happened the last time we tried to steal food?" Tobey looked up at Tariq in obvious disappointment . It¡¯s always nice to have Tobey around. If it weren¡¯t for him, he would be the only one in the group with a brain.

    Tai walked to the end of the alley, his mind already made up.

    "She doesn''t have parents like us. Besides, a ¡®city rat¡¯ would definitely know these parts better than we do."

    "I''d still rather die," Tariq said behind him. The malice was thick in his voice.

    Tai couldn¡¯t help but laugh,"Well, I guess you''ll be dying today."

    Having dealt with Tariq, Tai stuck his head out the alley. The clean, cobblestoned sidewalks, beautifully constructed cement houses, and well-dressed people walking about already made this place foreign land to him. He glanced to the left. There sat the school, somewhere he''d definitely be one day. Beyond the school''s fence, the security guard was nowhere to be seen. He was safe.

    "It''s midday, she should be around here somewhere...any ideas, Tim?" Tai asked. At medium height, Tim''s skin had a light tan, just like his. Staring into the distance, Tim''s stone-like face had no reaction. The womanizing bastard was definitely playing dumb. It seemed he had to reel out a bait...

    "I have the latest Thumbling Beauties magazine¡ª"

    "She''s three blocks away from us, by the bridge. In five minutes she will be roaming the streets, so if we hurry we should catch her." Tim said, his poker face reigning supreme.

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    Everyone stared at him, unimpressed. Tim broke out in a sweat. "Uh....if I had to guess, I''d guess she was there". Tito laughed boisterously, falling to the ground and disturbing each passerby.

    "Thank you Tim," Tai nodded in satisfaction. If he didn¡¯t know Tim was deceptively delicate, he¡¯d have been laughing with Tito. Tim already looked like he wanted to cry.

    The five boys quickly made their way to the bridge, ignoring the unwanted attention their raggedy clothes brought.

    On their way, Tai felt a stinging pain from his empty stomach. The hunger pangs were more and more painful throughout the past week, and he was becoming bonier by the day.

    To distract himself from his depressing thoughts, he glanced at the green foliage that peeked above the towering walls of the Thumbling Tribe. The vibrant green leaves from the distant forest glowed in the sunlight and calmed his heart.

    In no time, his group reached the bridge. There they saw Tziporah cleaning the river bank, picking up any garbage that floated by.

    "Hey Tziporah!" Tai shouted to her as they approached. She gave Tai a sidelong glance then continued her work. Tai didn''t mind. He stepped from his hesitant friends towards her.

    Her waist-length jet black hair was clumped together by unknown substances. She was 11 years old, one year younger than him. Frail, slender hands gracefully reached for a soiled baby nappy and tossed it into a large, dirty cloth bag. Trodding up to her, Tai swung his arm around her shoulder.

    "How u doin''," Tai gave her a toothy grin. Tziporah froze, cranked her neck towards him, then smiled. Her half-burnt face was frightening, but he didn¡¯t care.

    "Hello Tai," she started, "What can I do for you today?"

    Tai grinned brightly at her greeting,"You know any spots where we can find food? We''re starving here."

    "Everyone is starving here," her smile faded as she shrugged off his hand.

    "Everyone poor, you mean. Though you should be fine, since you''re busy being the garbage collector of rich folk," Tariq spat.

    "Shut it," said Tai, "Tzipor¡ª"

    "I don''t know of any spots," Tziporah quickly said, "I apologize." She returned to cleaning the river bank, seemingly serene.

    Tobey coughed awkwardly, "Well, since we have already cleaned out all the usual spots yesterday, I guess this is where we part ways." Tai was unwilling to give up, but seeing his friends slowly stepping away from Tziporah, he sighed.

    "Yeah, this is it guys," Tai said, "We''ll meet again tomorrow, same alley."

    Tobey, Tito, Tariq and Tom walked away, each to their own business. When they all left, Tai turned to Tziporah, and realized she was looking at him.

    "I''m sorry about that," he said, embarrassed, "Tariq doesn''t like anyone with enough money to have three meals a day."

    "Mmm," Tziporah once again began cleaning the river, ignoring him. Tai did not mind, but laid on a patch of moss near her and stared at the clear blue sky of the afternoon.

    The soft wind on his face and the subtle sounds of the garbage being fished from the water sang a lullaby to his ears and calmed his heart.

    "Why do you always do that?"

    Tai''s attention was snapped into reality with her question. Tziporah stared at him with that blank look she always has.

    "Hehe, do what?" he''ll just play dumb.

    "Everyday you hang around me, just like this. Why?" she stepped towards him.

    Tai beamed, "You look lonely, that''s all." Her blank face seemed to have cracked at his words.

    "Uh.....thank you," she said. She fished for a pocket-sized book from a hidden pocket and gingerly gave it to him.

    "Here. I think you would like this."

    Tai''s eyes widened, and he snatched it without courtesy. She continued, ¡°It¡¯s about a Thumbling warrior¡¯s adventures outside the kingdom. My favorite part is where he said: ¡®A Thumbling knows he is not at home when even the grass is two times your height¡¯. He died, sadly.¡±

    Tai¡¯s heart began to pound. A book. He actually has a book.

    "...Thank you," he said.

    Now he felt bad, he had nothing to give her. "...do you want to see my plant collection?" Plant collection was a bit of a stretch¡ªthey were more like glorified weeds he became fond of. Not like you could find a proper plant lying around here. These were the most valuable things he possessed.

    Tai had never shown his precious treasures to anyone before. He was a little excited.

    "No thanks," she cracked a smile, "I''m cleaning the river."

    He wilted.

    "You know, just because it''s your job doesn''t mean you should be doing it every second of your life. Take a break sometimes"

    Tziporah laughed, "This was never a job. It''s my hobby. Some people just happen to appreciate it and give me food sometimes." Tai stared at her, speechless.

    He spent 20 more minutes by the river bank, nose-deep in the book. Realizing it was almost nighttime, he bade farewell to Tziporah and went home.

    ...

    Tai carefully opened the delicate wooden door of his house. Making a beeline to the kitchen, there he saw Theresa, his mother, preparing dinner. It was the last ration of food left. Tiidrick, Tai¡¯s father, sat by the small dining table. Tai sat opposite to him, his stomach growling.

    Not long after, Theresa dished out dinner and sat by the table as well. Three bowls of steaming brown slob and each only had enough for two mouthfuls.

    "Thanks for the meal, ma," Tai said.

    "Tsk," Tiidrick, Tai''s father, stabbed into the blob and stuffed a spoonful in his mouth.

    "Our last meal you mean. Been askin'' around today. The food quota''s gonna be handed out in the next four weeks. We won''t survive." Tiidrick''s broad shoulders drooped, much to Tai''s surprise. He never saw his father so discouraged before.

    Theresa abandoned her dinner and gently embraced Tiidrick. Tai was not letting his dad''s mood impact his meal, though. In a minute the bowl was licked clean. Theresa gently coughed, looking at him.

    "Tai, dear, could you please go upstairs to your room? Your father and I need to talk."

    Tai acquiesced and went up stairs, not that it mattered. With all the holes in the already poorly constructed wooden floor and walls, you could hear anything. Entering his room, he sighed and plopped on his bed made of leaves sown together with hay stuffing. Not comfortable, but it worked.

    The moonlight shone through the cracks in the ceiling, encasing the cramped room in ethereal light. His mom and dad''s conversation drifted into his ears.

    Not long after, his door creaked open and Theresa''s bony yet slender frame stepped in. She gently sat by the edge of the bed and lovingly caressed Tai''s rich green curls. She smiled.

    "I always wonder who you inherited your green hair and eyes from. I remember when you were just born, and the first thing I saw when you opened your eyes were two beautiful emeralds staring back at me," Theresa wistfully twirled her fingers in his hair. "You do need a haircut though," She giggled.

    Tai had to admit, his mother was beautiful. The moonlight beams serving as a backdrop only accentuated her soft facial features. Taking her sweet time, she hummed a lullaby, still caressing his hair.

    "We will survive somehow. Don''t mind your father, he was just a little frustrated." Tai gave her a reassuring smile. She always managed to calm his mind.

    "Okay ma"

    She gave him a light kiss on his head, and continued to hum the lullaby until he slowly faded away into slumber.

 Chapter 2

    "Aaarrrggghhh!"

    A shrill scream frightened Tai awake. Humongous jaws with razor sharp teeth filled his vision. A deafening growl resounded in his ears and brought forth a strong gale that threw his body backwards.

    The huge maw snapped its jaws at him. Before he could feel terror, the beast was thrown to the side then collided with a colossal tree about fifty times its height.

    The entire area was populated with similar massive trees, along with flora and fauna, save the small clearing where he was.

    The beast quickly sprung up on its four feet and growled at its intruder. It was another beast that looked quute different, with four feet as well but bigger and thicker. It had matted skin, unlike the furry skin of the first beast. They stared off at each other for a few seconds.

    He did not know where he was, but he knew life-threatening danger. Years worth of experience from escaping kicked in and immediately he got to his feet to run, but fell flat on his face. His hands and feet were bound by a rough rope. Terror rose from his heart as he aggressively tried to squeeze his bony hands through the rope bindings.

    The matted beast pounced at its furry opponent, completely dominating it. The angry furry beast tore into the matted beast''s skin with its teeth. With each tussle, the ground beneath Tai vibrated, reminding him of how tiny he was to everything around him.

    How tiny he was....

    His mind immediately went to the book Tziporah gave him as her comment echoed in his ears: "A Thumbling knows he is not at home when even the grass is two times his height."

    He glanced again at his surroundings. The grass...was two times a Thumbling''s height. He was in the forest outside the kingdom.

    Boom!

    The furred beast slammed its larger opponent against the tree. Tai tapped into every memory and experience he had to break free from the complex knot. Whoever did this to him definitely wanted him to die without resistance.

    Just like the people around him. Or rather, the people who once were around him.

    Thumbling bones decorated his surroundings like a twisted graveyard. It spanned a ten meter radius, which was huge for him. The graveyard was a mixture of red, brown and black, giving the rancid stench stinging his nose a new meaning, threatening him to throw up. The strong scent of fresh blood mixed within the rancid stench reminded him of what cruel fate awaited him if he did not get moving immediately.

    He finally freed himself at the cost of deep abrasions on his hands and feet. At that moment, the two creatures were heavily injured, and were facing off in their final clash.

    He did not stay to watch. He shot up to his feet and sprinted in the opposite direction of the fight. Running across the bone-infested field, he aimed for the lush grass bordering the area. Well, grass for the beasts, but a forest to him. It was the perfect place to conceal himself as he escaped.

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    In the corner of his eyes, he saw a girl, shivering in terror as she stared wide-eyed at the clash between the beasts. She was not bound like he was, and despite that, she was not moving¡ªseemingly terrorized. The large burn scar on her face contrasted against her hazel eyes.

    ...Tziporah?

    Without a second thought he changed course, dashing in her direction. He dragged her unto her feet. Her hazel eyes regained focus as she turned to him in surprise.

    "We need to run."

    She nodded shakily.

    Seeing she was physically unharmed, he grabbed her hand and dashed towards the grass with no reservation. He was halfway there when he heard the sickening crunch of bones.

    Tai looked behind him. The furry beast howled in agony as its opponent clamped its jaws around its neck. The matted beast slowly released the now broken neck of the furry creature, turned in their direction, and revealed a bloody smile.

    "You''re next," it said.

    That was the last scene he saw before he reached the grass.

    ...

    Tai trudged on the muddy ground, his bare feet sinking slightly with each step. The stems of the grass running along the forest floor threatened to trip him, but he had yet to fall.

    Tziporah wasn¡¯t so fortunate. She fell so often that he decided to give her a piggyback ride. At first, she was loo light to feel the burden of her weight, but after nearly two hours, he was a fatigued mess. His makeshift sack made from his shirst also wore him down.

    He looked up and tried to peer through the small openings the grass allowed. The orange glow of evening basked the forest in a warm glow. At least, from what he could see.

    It was beautiful.

    "Tai...you''ve been squeezing my feet for two hours now," Tziporah''s soft voice betrayed her weakness. It was then he realized that he was still tense. Tai chuckled nervously and loosened his grip.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± her hot breath tickled his neck.

    Seeing that they really were not being chased, his preservation instincts fully wore off. He finally had time to think properly.

    He was worried, and that animal with the creepy smile did nothing to help. Why did he end up here? Who will water his plants while he''s not at home? Why was Tziporah here too? If she was here, what about his other friends?

    ...what about his parents?

    The very thought of them being endangered tore at his heart. He suppressed it to have maximum awareness of his surroundings.

    Speaking of surroundings, Tziporah has been unnaturally quiet. She was quiet before, but this time, it was different. She must be much more scared than he was.

    Despite his messy mental state, he found himself smiling in fascination. In the Thumbling Kingdom, there were no trees or plants. Even the ''plants'' he had at home were glorified weeds, at least that''s what his parents told him. Looking around, they were right.

    The stalks of grass surrounding them were lush and sported a healthy green unlike anything he had ever seen. Through the gaps above, the rich brown barks of the towering trees stood proudly, their crowns being adorned with leaves of various shapes, sizes and colors.

    The scenery served well as a distraction from all his worries, especially that beast. Well, a bear, according to Tziporah, and the other one was called a wolf. Tai committed their names to his memory.

    He rummaged in his makeshift sack by his hip that he made using his shirt. Finding a piece of mushroom, he bit into it with relish as he waded through the grass.

    The evening glow was slowly welcoming the dark of night. If what was said in the book was true, they needed to find shelter, and fast.

 Chapter 3

    The moonlit night completely replaced the receding glow of dusk. The air was chilly, and the deafening silence was unnerving.

    "Tai...are you sure this is safe?"

    This is definitely not safe.

    "Yep," Tai patted her head, "now go on inside"

    She gingerly stepped into a hollow branch they discovered while walking through the seemingly endless grass. It was the only habitable area they found amidst thorny bushes, moss-covered rocks and wide trunks of numerous trees.

    She squealed and ran outside as numerous bugs crawled out behind her, scattering in all directions. Tai didn''t mind them though. His fear of bugs disappeared since that time he explored the sewers with his friends. Thinking of them made his heart ache.

    He was reluctant to ask Tziporah of how she felt about their situation. She was even more pitiful than him and seemed to be stretched thin from what happened today.

    Tziporah was currently using him as a meat shield, hiding behind him. If it weren''t for the situation, he''d shove her in the tree branch and run away cackling. Instead, he stepped forward and inspected inside.

    Mom did say I was mature for my age.

    "Don''t worry, they''re all gone now," Tai said with mirth in his eyes. Tziporah blushed and hurried inside. Tai fished for dead leaves by the branch and used them to cover the entrance .

    Tai and Tziporah huddled together in the absolute darkness. It was really cold. Seeing Tziporah curl herself into a ball, he wrapped his arms around her to give her warmth.

    "Tai...aren''t you scared?"

    "Huh??? What do you mean¡­don¡¯t I look scared?" He sure felt scared.

    "No," she said immediately.

    Tai sighed, "I was thrown into this forest and nearly died. Thankfully there were mushrooms here so we didn''t starve, but...what about my family and friends? I''m alive¡ªI don''t need to care about myself. What about them?" He choked on the last word, the emotions and thoughts he''s been trying to suppress all along threatening to erupt.

    "Oh" Tziporah said. He couldn''t see her face in the dark, especially since she''s all curled up.

    "This is the first time that I''ve opened up like this to anyone other than my family" he added, his voice barely a whisper. Tziporah didn''t respond.

    The night became even frostier, and they huddled even closer. Not long after, he heard faint, steady snores from Tziporah. He wanted to sleep too, but couldn''t.

    As the night progressed, he felt colder and colder. His teeth began to chatter and Tziporah began shivering despite being fast asleep. As he started pondering whether or not to sneak outside for one of those dead leaves to cover themselves, he heard heavy, pounding steps of some creature outside, disturbing the silence he grew comfortable with.

    The monotone footsteps grew louder and louder till Tai felt vibrations that increased in intensity. The creature was surprisingly slow, and was getting even slower as the footsteps gradually became louder. Were they found?

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    Tai''s body tensed, and lightly shook Tziporah to wake her u-

    Crunch!

    Half of their shelter was crushed in half, missing them by a centimeter. The massive foot of the creature slowly raised itself and moved on as a chilly wind rushed in and slapped Tai in the face. Tziporah remained fast asleep.

    Tai''s eyes widened as he stared outside. Though it was nighttime, the moonlight was strong, so he was able to identify objects and vaguely perceive its color. And that''s why...it''s either his mind was playing games with him, or the grass outside was pitch black. The trees in the distance donned a shade of darkness, looking eerily different from daytime.

    The book said no one who roamed the forest at night time ever came back alive. It never said why.

    The ink-black grass, besides the ones flattened by the creature, pulsed like living, breathing organisms, and thick veins bulged from the trunk of the trees. Through the leaves'' gaps, he saw the massive creature. Thick lacerations decorated its body and oozed a pitch black substance.

    The creature trembled and fell to its side with a loud thud. The forest was once again quiet. Long, thick limbs akin to arms without hands stretched out from the shadows and penetrated the animal through its lacerations.

    The limbs paused.

    Two glowing eyes blinked opened in the darkness of the shadows where the limb came from and gazed at the half-crushed branch, where Tai and Tziporah were located.

    He pressed his face unto Tziporah''s head, not daring to look up or move. For a few seconds he struggled to breath as he heard weird wet noises from the direction of the collapsed beast. Tziporah attempted to shift mid-slumber, but he held her firmly in place.

    Silence reigned in the forest once again.

    Tai held Tziporah, unmoving, his face still planted on her head.

    ...

    Tai didn''t sleep all night. The most he did was levitate between a state of slumber and awakeness while his mind was consciously active. He felt groggy and irate. Despite everything that happened, Tziporah was still snoring, and even smiling at that!

    I can''t believe this.

    The morning glow of the sun illuminated Tziporah''s peaceful face as she laid cradled in his arms. A good while after the incident last night, he loosened his arms around her, then a punch greeted his face as she stretched and adopted a different sleeping position. He definitely tasted blood.

    Now that it was daytime and he could finally see, he stared at her for a minute. If it weren''t for her scar, she''d have been decent-looking. He really wanted to ask her what happened, but it really wasn''t his place.

    He gently shook her then tickled her feet to wake her up. Tziporah eyes shot open as she flailed her feet around like a drugged worm. He wasn''t so grumpy anymore. He grinned.

    "Good morning"

    She glared at him and huffed, not saying a word.

    They set off once again, aimlessly. They sucked the morning dew drops from off leaves to quench their thirst and ate strange, juicy red balls they found that Tziporah called ''raspberries''. Tai never felt so sated in his life.

    It felt strange.

    During their breakfast, he narrated what happened last night to her. She ate her food and said nothing.

    The chirps and coos of birds permeated the forest, bringing it to life. An animal called a ''deer'' even sniffed them once. It surprisingly didn''t terrorize them. The air was fresher too. He never knew inhaling could feel so refreshing.

    Tai turned to Tziporah as they walked, "So...we have no idea where we are exactly, and where we are going. We''ll look for a stable shelter first, somewhere close to food and water. As for what to do after that...we''ll cross that bridge when we reach there. What do you think?" This was the best plan he had.

    She didn''t respond.

    It''s been hours since they woke, and Tziporah barely spoke to him or looked in his direction. She even refused every help he offered. Tai stopped in front of her and forcefully brought her to a halt.

    "I''m sorry for tickling you awake this morning. I was wrong...will you forgive me?" He sincerely looked her in the eyes. He was quite fond of her, and he didn''t want her to be upset with him.

    "...that''s not it," she looked away, her eyes watering. They stood there in silence. She seemed to have something heavy on her chest that she needed to let out, so he patiently waited for her to spill. Hopefully she didn''t take too long, as they couldn''t stay at one place for a long period in this forest.

    "Tai...your friends, and family, are safe and in the Thumbling Kingdom. Your parents...arranged for you to die out here. I tried to stop them¡­and the rest is history."

 Chapter 4

    His family was the foundation of his happiness. All their love, no one else has ever shown that to him. There was no way they would do that.

    But...

    It made so much sense.

    Dear memories of his parents flashed by like a slideshow on 2x speed in his mind.

    His mother''s kind smile,

    The delicious candy dad brought for him,

    When they tuck him in at nights, everything.

    Everything was a lie.

    Tziporah was still talking to him. He didn''t care.

    All he could hear was the hum of his mother''s lullaby.

    Tears flowed like a river from his eyes. It didn''t make him feel better.

    "Tai! Don''t- Don''t cry," Tziporah looked left and right, frantic and unsure of what to do. "You''ll be fine..."

    All my life...

    Heavy thuds resounded in the forest, quickly approaching their direction.

    Dad said family was the only thing we have in this world.

    "Tai.....we need to run..." Tziporah said, her voice trembling.

    Mom said I was the apple of her eyes.

    "Tai!"

    Dad lied to me.

    Tziporah dragged his body towards a tree and shoved him into a cramped hole then ran off somewhere.

    Mom lied to me.

    ...

    Tziporah screamed in horror and ran with all her might through the jagged terrain of the forest.

    Hot streams of tears ran down her face as the heavy thumping of the huge monstrosity of a wolf''s feet resounded behind her.

    Six wolves...she didn''t even know how they were going to share her tiny body amongst themselves.

    A fifty of her steps equaled one of theirs. But still, she ran. Her weak constitution due to homelessness finally caught up to her. Each step was more strenuous than the last. No sooner, she saw stars and began panting like a dog.

    She felt the monsters shorten the distance between them as their gazes on her back felt more and more intense.

    She looked around furtively, trying to find something¡ªanything¡ªfor cover. She spotted a few large shrubs to her right and changed course towards them. At that point, she could practically feel the wolves'' hot, windy breath.

    As she almost entered the shrubbery, she felt a blinding pain in the center of her back, stretching from her neck to her lower back. She ran into the shrubbery, going on all fours and crawling beneath the intricate web of branches. Warm liquid flowed down her body from her back.

    The six wolves tore at the shrub with their claws. Tziporah crawled even faster, trying to avoid the falling sticks and leaves. Immediately behind the bush happened to be a tree with a thin crack stemming from its base.

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    Yes!

    Finally there was hope. She felt a renewed strength in her body and gave a last push towards the tree. A falling twig stabbed in her wound and Tziporah screamed in pain. She pushed forward.

    The shrub was rapidly decreasing in size, and she could now practically see the wolves above her. Their merciless eyes stared at her with a suffocating greed. Her heart lurched.

    Thank goodness she was almost there.

    Most of the bush was now torn to shreds by the time she finally left the web of thin branches. She scurried up the large, thick tree root protruding from the ground and shot towards the tree crack.

    As she neared the crack, despair invaded her heart like ink in water. It was too narrow. She desperately pressed her body against it, hoping for some miracle to happen. The six wolves have now fully demolished the blocking thicket, and one of them pounced at her.

    She forced her body in the crack and screamed in pain as the wood gratered against her back.

    A millisecond before the wolf attacked the position she once was, she forced her entire body in. Her body spasmed in pain with every movement.

    The beast clawed at the crack, brushing her arm and leaving another wound.

    Her lips trembled as she uttered incoherent pleas, her eyes bloodshot. She had long run out of tears.

    ...

    Tai sat, curled up in the hole Tziporah shoved him in for 10 minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

    He wiped away the snot from his nose as he slowly regained clarity. He rolled out of the hole, got up, and stretched. His heart....felt messy.

    He was confused, hurt, and many other things that he didn''t even know how to identify. His mind was a swirl of questions.

    He needed more information.

    He needed to find Tziporah. He ran in the direction he vaguely remembered Tziporah went. Based on his vague memory, she was being chased by wolves. She saved him and sacrificed herself.

    Another conflicting thought popped up in his already crowded brain. He was suspicious of Tziporah lying to him, but, would a person that lied to him about his parent''s actions sacrifice themself for that person?

    If what Tziporah said was true, then she tried saving him from being abandoned out here, then received the same fate in the process.

    Tracing the large footsteps that crushed every fauna in its way, he ran for five minutes straight at full speed. His heart ached even more for the destroyed plants.

    As far as Tai knew, Tziporah was a sincere, naive girl... she would not lie to him. He knew her that much.

    ...did he?

    If she really played a part in this...he could leave her to die. He will most likely die trying to save her life anyways. But what if she really was innocent? Soon, he heard a commotion in the distance to his right and sped in that direction.

    There he saw six wolves clawing at a thin crack, ripping out the bark of the tree. Laid between him and the scene was a shredded bush. Underneath it was a thin trail of blood leading towards the tree. However, the wolves had no signs of injury.

    Tai suddenly felt cold.

    He circumvented the shredded bush and dashed towards the wolves, whose backs were all turned to him. Then he grabbed a tiny, pointed stone that he could grip in his hand as he leaped and grabbed the wagging bushy tail of the wolf causing the most damage.

    The tail didn''t react, and continued wagging rhythmically. He stuffed the rock in his makeshift bag and climbed with experienced grace. Finally reaching the wolf''s back amidst the fur, he ran up its spine and reached its head.

    The animal shook its body then continued its attack on the tree with its companions. Reaching the top of its head, Tai took the stone, laid flat on his belly, and slowly crawled forward, using his elbows and his feet.

    He barely moved towards its eye, careful not to alert the creature. When he finally reached within arm reach of its huge eye, he stabbed the wolf in its eye using the stone. His hand, along with the stone, sunk deeply into the gel-like substance.

    The wolf barked in pain and swung its head side to side then blinked, threatening to crush Tai''s arm. Tai grunted in pain and used his other hand to grab a fistful of hair as he held on for dear life.

    At this point the other wolves looked on in confusion. One of them tried to smack him off with its paw, but ended up missing him by a hair''s breadth and instead clawed the wolf''s eyelid.

    The wolf opened its injured eye in another bout of pain as Tai yanked his hand back, bringing some gel-like flesh along with it. With his hand now free, he stabbed at the once again closed eyelid and the wolf howled in agony.

    It opened its eyelid again and this time, Tai took a deep breath and launched his entire body into the eye.

    His body sunk in the substance with ease as the wolf dropped and rolled on the ground. Tai dug into the gel substance till only messy mush remained.

    Seeing that everything was utterly wrecked, he pried the eye open and slid out with the eye membrane and fell awkwardly on the forest floor.

    The wolf was still whimpering in pain and rolling on the ground. He ignored it and ran towards the crack.

    The other wolves, for some reason, either ran off, or were currently sniffing their assumed leader and were completely ignoring himself and Tziporah.

    As he neared Tziporah, he saw her pale body lodged in the tree crack with her unfocused hazel eyes wide open. Blood slowly trickled from her body into a small bloody pool by her feet.

 Chapter 5

    The morning sunlight was blocked by thick gray clouds, giving the heart-wrenching scene a gloomy vybe. The adrenaline and faint glee at killing one of those horrifying beasts faded away like a wisp of smoke.

    Tai ran to Tziporah and, without hesitation, carefully dragged her out. With each movement, her body twitched, yet her eyes remained unfocused.

    He gently laid her slumped body sideways on the tree root and assessed her injuries. The gash on her arm is fine for now, but the slice in her back...

    He really didn''t know what to do.

    The warm blood flowed with unnatural ease from the long, narrow and deep wound. If he didn''t act now, Tziporah would definitely die.

    Think.....think...

    That incident when Tito got a deep cut while they were frolicking about in the city popped into his mind. Based on what he remembered, the wound has to stop bleeding first, then you clean it, then bandage it.

    He knew how to do none of those, let alone for such a large, deep slice. He looked around. Maybe he could use a leaf to cover it then apply pressure?

    He swiftly placed his plan into action, to no success. As a result of his actions, he agitated the wound.

    Pressure won''t work...maybe he could seal it? But with what?

    He could stuff a leaf in it...

    Tai pondered as his eyes caught a gooey, sticky substance that oozed from the scratches of the abused tree. His eyes lit up.

    He immediately scooped a handful and hastily made his way towards Tziporah. He slathered it all on her wound thoroughly.

    He looked at his handiwork. It was messy. He admitted it.

    An unnecessarily thick coating mixed with blood covered the slice wound that stretched along her frail ivory back. He tried as best as possible to remove the strands of hair mixed in the coating, but instead made the remaining goo in his hand mix with her hair further.

    He''s killing her at this point, if she''s not already dead.

    Thank goodness she''s still breathing.

    Now that he temporarily solved that emergency, he could finally assess their situation.

    He scanned their surroundings. Due to the earlier scuffle, a small, messy clearing laid around him. The bits of bush were scattered across the scene. The injured wolf was nowhere to be seen, save the faint whimpers in the distance.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    If these animals wanted to eat them so badly, then with the bloody state Tziporah was in, nowhere on the forest floor would be safe.

    Tai stared at the branches of the colossal trees. He heard the echoing chirps of birds, but never saw one. Those winged creatures might be more dangerous, but he''ll never know if he doesn''t try.

    The morning sun shone ever so brightly as insects, rodents and other creatures made the forest pulse with life.

    His heart ached for the destroyed fauna. Despite the heartbreak he felt earlier¡ªand still feeling now, the abundance of greenery excited his inner wannabe gardener, though the emotion was buried under the throbbing pain of his chest.

    He wished he could go back in time¡ªto the time when his parents wanted him. He took a deep breath and shoved his thoughts away. He touched Tziporah''s forehead. She was hot.

    I need to get Tziporah to high ground.

    Being this tiny didn''t allow him to see a lot of trees due to the blocking bush and grass, but he remembered this weird, wide spreading tree he glanced at yesterday. Its branches were thick enough to move around comfortably with room to spare.

    Most importantly, there are some odd, rope-like things that draped from the sides of the branches, touching the ground. If he could climb those, they would be safe.

    With his destination locked, Tai propped Tziporah over his shoulders and ran as quickly as he could without draining his energy too quickly.

    If that tree was safe enough, they could use it as a base for a few days.

    Bypassing the torn-up bush, he retraced their path, just past the branch they slept in. He stopped and peered inside. The risk was great, but if the tree proved dangerous, they could lodge here again.

    Before he could react, an elongated insect creature with innumerable legs pounced out of the darkness and bit at him with two sharp, pointy mandibles.

    Tai fell backwards in a start and Tziporah''s limp body cushioned the fall. Thank goodness the ground here wasn''t rocky.

    Tai kicked at the creature with his foot immediately and besides the painful recoil he felt, the creature bore no reaction. Its shiny, beady eyes stared at him coldly. It bit into his shoulder.

    Tai screamed as blinding pain assaulted his senses. He felt pain rattle violently throughout his body and his eyes bulged. He watched in terror as the creature yanked at his flesh. The pain multiplied.

    He hugged the creature in a desperate attempt to keep his body intact. The insect swung its body left and right aggressively in retaliation, but Tai held on by sheer will to live.

    He had to live.

    Tai tried but failed to latch his feet unto the bug. Its numerous sharp legs attempted to scratch him to no avail.

    Blood gushed from the wound in his shoulder, and the bug shook more aggressively. Tai gritted his teeth and released one arm. His twin wounds opened even further and he yelled angrily as he smashed his fist into every animal''s weakness¡ªthe eyes.

    The bug shrieked and slammed his body on the ground repeatedly. The aggravated wound got deeper. Tai blacked out.

    When he regained consciousness, he felt his body slam into the ground once again. The beast was still in a frenzy.

    He gave one more push through the pain and used his right arm to forcibly loosen one of its mandibles from his skin. Blood gushed even more from his wound as he strained to barely unhook the mandible from his flesh.

    The beast continued its frenzy and Tai, hooked by one mandible, was flung away as the latched mandible was ripped out of his flesh. He landed in a bed of dried leaves.

    The insect loomed over him, shaking its mandibles. He could almost feel its glee at his suffering.

    Tai couldn''t help but softly chuckle at that moment. If his parents wanted him to die, they really chose the right place.

    If he died here, no one would know, let alone care.

    Despite that, he was going to live.

 Chapter 6

    Tai expected the bug to finish him off in one go, as the creatures in the forest weren''t the type to give hope to their prey.

    The creature, surprisingly, stood there, with half of its lengthy body poised upwards. Its numerous, sharp legs began to tremble, and the bug became more and more agitated.

    Its tough exoskeleton skin loosened, and before Tai''s very eyes, the bug molted.

    Layers upon layers of the bug''s upper body molted rapidly, and what was revealed underneath was a golden, Thumbling upper body. It looked exactly like a thumbling except for its mouth, which remained as mandibles, and its eyes. Its eyes were completely black, cold and cruel.

    It was also quite ugly. The weird creature suddenly uttered strange noises that Tai assumed to be words. The more it tried, the more coherent it became.

    "Niiish bloood," it said to him while checking out its new appearance,"Shhhtrong Blood"

    He definitely wasn''t waiting on this ugly thing to have its moment.

    The molted skin¡ªits molted claws particularly, caught his attention. The potential weapon portruded from the pile of molted skin and was not far from him. With much effort, he moved off his back with a groan and positioned himself for a suicidal sprint towards the molted skin by the bug. Pain, more intense than ever, coursed through his body and blurred his vision.

    The bug at that moment was rambling on and flailing its two new human appendages, unsure what to do with them.

    Tai groggily went on all fours and crawled as fast as he could towards the claw. What felt like years in reality was only a few seconds as Tai pushed on with all his might.

    "What you doing...little food?" Two powerful adult-sized arms grabbed at him¡ªand completely missed. The bug screeched in anger, or maybe embarrassment, and once again attacked him. It closed in on him, not leaving any room for mistakes. Tai, however, finally reached the weapon.

    With calculated ferocity, he thrusted the claw towards its chest when it was close enough for him to see the crazed twinkle in its eyes.

    The claw was extremely sharp, he will give it that much. Tai''s impromptu weapon carved a hole through the body of the half-thumbling creature.

    It didn''t live for long after that. The dead body fell on him and brought him more pain in his injured state. With much struggle, he pushed the creature off him, and creeped to Tziporah, who was worse for wear but, surprisingly, not dead.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ...

    Tai stared at the tree. It was much, much wider now that he was close, and the rope-like appendages were all at least two times the width of his torso.

    His injury was now somewhat stable with his makeshift leaf band-aid wrapped around it. The pain was still strong as ever. He was starting to suspect that he was poisoned.

    He pressed forward into the rope-maze, whilst dragging a broad leaf with Tziporah laid on it, unconscious.

    A cacophony of noises from insects and animals permeated the forest, serving as a constant reminder that he was at the bottom of the food chain.

    He was a wreck, and was numb at that point. He once had a hope to somehow return home. All he wanted now was to survive.

    After wading through the rope-maze, he found an appendage which was quite jagged. To climb, it would be his best option.

    ...

    With a desperate grunt, Tai strained to haul himself unto the edge of the expansive tree branch. He rolled himself away from the edge as his sweat painted the woody surface of the tree.

    He finally did it.

    He caught his breath for a few seconds before pulling up a rope with Tziporah attached to it. It wasn''t the most comfortable method, but it was the best he could do.

    Finally, they were safe.

    His stomach growled loudly as it begged for attention. He ignored it, though. He was no stranger to this feeling. Oddly enough, it brought comfort, since it was the only thing that remained the same.

    He laid beside Tziporah and, with relief, slept soundly.

    Three days have passed, and Tai became more and more skilled at traversing the rough terrain and avoiding danger. Tziporah was still unconscious, but thankfully, she seemed stable.

    After witnessing more than a few animals being killed by that monster every night, Tai realized that as long as one doesn''t move, they would not be harmed. He also observed the uncanny disappearances of the corpses after every night.

    It was now the evening of the fifth day since they''ve been in the forest, and finally Tziporah began to stir.

    Her eyes barely cracked open as she recoiled from the light of day. Tai smirked at her.

    "About time," He said, "you''ve been out for three days now."

    She stared at him in response. After keeping eye contact with her for a few seconds, Tai began to feel guilty. She wouldn''t have been in this if she didn''t sacrifice herself for him.

    He muttered a thank you to her. He was genuinely grateful after all.

    After his apology, her eyes seemed more expressive. He guessed she was happy. Her delicate lips, cracked and dry, barely twitched, which seemed to have taken much energy on her part.

    Tai rummaged through his new and improved sack for a sealed jug that he managed to carve from a suitable branch using the claw he kept.

    The weapon was no longer a bug''s leg with sharp edges, but now a proper weapon with a handle.

    After finding his precious jug, he pried open Tziporah''s mouth and gently fed her some water.

    Not long after, she was able to make audible sounds and could, at least, with much effort, feed herself. She gingerly ate some berries Tai foraged in the past days.

    For the rest of the evening, they sat in silence. At that moment, Tai and Tziporah seemed to have come to a tacit understanding.

    He huddled closer towards her till they were touching shoulders. Tziporah leaned on him.

    Tai took in the fresh forest air. From now on, all they had were each other.

 Chapter 7

    The moon¡¯s milky white light reflected on the glossy surfaces of tree barks, though barely illuminating the ptich-black forest. The forest floor, however, seemed to absorb all light, almost appearing to be a sea of darkness.

    Tai already told Tziporah of all he knew about the forest so far, much to her shock.

    Her wound doesn¡¯t look too good. It was black and blue at the moment and there was no bleeding.

    However, her rising fever had him worried. As they huddled together in the chilly night, Tai felt the biting chill of the air and the burning heat of her skin.

    This was the first time Tziporah saw the forest at nighttime. She gaped in an exaggerated manner at the pulsing black veins. Tai was almost sure she wanted to hide in a hole.

    Sadly, this tree sported a perfectly smooth surface. If it weren¡¯t for his trusty blade he always had by his side, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to climb onto the branch they resided on.

    Tziporah eventually calmed down. She stared vacantly into the surroundings whilst leaning on his shoulder. As Tai was about to fall asleep, she poked his cheek.

    ¡°Are we really descendants of Tom Thumb?¡±she said.

    He perked up, his interest peaked ¡°Of course, all of us Thumblings are¡±.

    ¡°Really?¡±, she immediately retorted, ¡°Then why is it people like us suffer so much, by the hands of our own!?¡±

    He had no answer. A low rumble of thunder resounded throughout the forest, and a heavy downpour of rain followed. Heavy droplets drenched them again and again despite the numerous leaves towering above them.

    Tziporah continued, ¡°We''re all basically relatives, right?...Why do some of us starve while some drown in opulence? You''re Tai Thumb, I''m Tziporah Thumb...everyone in the kingdom has the same last name. As a matter of fact, all our names start with the letter T as well. Why....why can''t I even have a home to live in?¡± She became sadder and sadder as she spoke.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have a home to live in, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll have all we could ever want and need," Tai said. He¡¯ll definitely make sure of that.

    The following day after breakfast, Tai aimed to carve out a cave within the hard, smooth tree trunk. This took him all day.

    Tziporah was not getting better or worse, which was a miracle in his opinion. She went through alot, including the downpour of rain last night.

    Since that night, Tziporah became more talkative and he came to know of her background. She once had a family who was in servitude to a powerful and wealthy family. She, of course, was a servant girl. That was all he knew so far.

    Seeing the horrid scar on her face, he can guess whatever happened left her without a family and a home. She never mentioned having any siblings. Her family meant alot to her, and she missed them dearly.

    Two more days passed, and they got closer and closer. The rich forest never failed to provide food much to their happiness.

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    While sighing in appreciation of a full stomach, he carefully, albeit a bit clumsily, made delicate carvings into the wall of their new home. It was quite spacious- like a mansion.

    ¡°Tai, what are you doing?¡±, Tziporah said. Her caramel eyes stared unblinkingly in curiosity as she laid on a bed made of dead leaves.

    She was now bald, as she requested. She claimed it was because her hair was irreparable.

    Tai grinned, ¡°I¡¯m making a map of the area. We need to make note of all the spots we can find food as well as spots where there is definitely danger¡±

    She looked at him with mirth, ¡°Tai¡­do you know how to draw a map?¡±

    Well¡­.he thought he did?

    Tai sheepishly sat by her bedside and patiently waited like a dedicated student for her to teach him.

    ¡­

    Tai could now confidently say he knew how to draw a map. He deftly traveled along tree branches to gain a thorough view of his surroundings from a vantage point.

    Picking up speed on a thin branch, he leaped towards a branch close by. He narrowly missed death by a hair¡¯s breadth as he clung for his life.

    Not scraping himself up another branch for the first time, he continued his exploration, not the slightest bit rattled.

    He then climbed upwards along the tree. Based on what he had seen so far, this is the tallest tree in the small area he managed to scout.

    He beads of sweat rolled off his dirty face and traveled past his bare upper body to his old and soaked pants. He carefully lodged his hands and feet into the shallow grooves of the tree.

    Once he felt secure, he scanned his surroundings, searching for any hostile predators. Seeing there was none, he shakily sighed in relief and continued his climb.

    In two hours, he sat, tired, on one of the highest branches. He was right-this tree was the perfect choice to explore what was above and what he saw took his breath away.

    Birds of all different colours and sizes flew about in the sky. Some dove into fruit trees to eat, some frolicked from tree to tree and some violently fought with other birds. The scene before him was chaotic yet in harmony.

    His tree, however, saw no birds. Seeing there were no fruits or seeds of any kind on this tree, it was not an anomaly as to why it was so.

    Against all odds, he heard the caw of a bird quite close behind him. As he turned around, he was grabbed by the waist and before he knew it, he was far, far above the tree he felt so secure in.

    The bird''s clamp around his waist squeezed tighter. He aggressively wrestled for freedom as he gasped for air.

    Suddenly, the bird swerved left and right as birds of all different species clawed at him to snatch him away. Not far away, another bird''s prey was similarly attacked. It was torn to shreds as the birds tussled with each other.

    Dread filled his heart.The birds did not seem so breathtaking anymore.

    Amidst the chaos, the bird flew higher and higher, gradually losing its enemies. The once colossal trees shrunk smaller and smaller.

    Eventually, the last hostile bird gave up and flew away, joining the chaos of birds below.

    With all the massive creatures gone, Tai finally got a chance to have a full view of around him.

    As far as he could see, a large green blanket of trees coated the land. Colours of every kind decorated the green expanse, and he also saw moving dots, which must be birds, flying around for miles on end.

    However, the bird which captured him flew in the direction of large landmassess extending from the green blanket and reaching toward the skies.

    The bird firmly held him in its grasp while it flew higher and higher. It was a struggle for him to breathe before, but now, he was sure that there was just not enough air to sustain him anymore. He heaved, wheezed and choked, dying to get air.

 Chapter 8

    Tai had a pounding headache. He was also dizzy, and the wind grating on his skin didn''t make him any better. He hoped and prayed for the bird to stop somewhere¡ªanywhere nearby¡ªto put him out of his misery. Instead, it flew on towards the nearest set of mountains.

    It might''ve been an hour or five, but eventually, the bird smoothly descended towards an expansive assortment of pillars made of rock. It was a stark contrast to the blanket of trees everywhere else.

    As the bird neared the stone pillars, Tai found out with dread that they had reached not only the nesting space of the bird but for the rest of its kind. Thousands of gray stone pillars stood tall at various heights, and each housed a nest upon their flat tops. Large numbers of birds, all of the same species, flew in and out of their habitat.

    Deafening, high-pitched squeaks of what seemed to be the baby versions of the birds resounded throughout the entire area. With his severe headache, those babies were nothing short of vile.

    As Tai was writhing in mental pain, his carrier took an abrupt dive and smoothly glided towards a nest with three hungry chicks and two eggs lying by the rim, as if abandoned.

    When the bird was right above that nest, he felt its grasp on him disappear, and he fell right in.

    He clumsily landed deep within the nest of sticks as thick as his waist. Not long after, three bloodstained yellow beaks stabbed at where he fell with deadly force, threatening to kill him.

    Tai delved into the large nest and quickly squeezed his body through the openings between the myriad of sticks.

    The chicks'' immature chirps became feral, but Tai was now too deep to care about them. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

    Crack! Crack!

    A huge, familiar beak stabbed into the nest rapidly. With each stab, it came dangerously close to where Tai was hiding. Despite that, he remained unmoving. From the pattern of the adult bird¡¯s movements, it definitely doesn¡¯t have a clue of where he was.

    The bird screeched in anger and stabbed its nest in a frenzy, not caring for where he was. The attacks strayed farther and farther from where Tai hid, much to his relief.

    ¡­

    Nighttime came, and the cacophony of chirps gradually quieted. Tai remained still. The chicks and their mother nestled into their nest and were now in a deep slumber, not far from him. Surprisingly, the mother was wide awake.

    Through the uneven openings, Tai managed to glimpse the face of the mother bird. The look in its eyes wasn''t unfamiliar to him; it was cold, merciless, and cruel. The creature surveyed its nest, obviously still looking for him.

    Three days have passed, and Tai was long past sore from being curled in one position for so long. The good thing, however, is that he managed to have a thorough idea of the mother bird¡¯s routine.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    She leaves her nest as the sun rises and returns in three hours with food for her babies. That is the longest time she leaves her nest. After which, she stays by her children''s side.

    The night was currently giving way to dawn, and the mother bird, who woke up before her chicks, was picking her feathers, looking relaxed. Occasionally, she would survey the floor of her nest, trying to find him.

    Once the first ray of sunshine touched the birds'' habitat, she flew off, leaving a gust of wind that woke up her chicks. After their initial flurry, they settled once again, cuddling each other and drifting into slumber.

    Tai slowly, yet carefully, crawled out of his hiding spot. It was painfully hard to do so because of his numb hands and feet. He carefully treaded towards the edge of the nest.

    Suddenly, he heard the shrieks of thousands of birds, like a mighty roar. It was so loud¡ªthe very air vibrated. The shriller, immature shrieks of baby birds resounded immediately after, creating an air of confusion and panic.

    Tai soon saw ten, then twenty, followed by thousands upon thousands of birds in the sky, all flying in one direction. The fleet of birds darkened the barely lit surroundings. They made an intimidating sight.

    The chicks in his nest also went into a frenzy. Amidst their panic, they spotted him. Tai''s heart sank. The birds, who now seemed to have channeled all their panic into anger, chased him. They were fast but clumsy, and that allowed Tai to dodge them well, albeit awkwardly due to the odd terrain of the nest.

    The birds zooming overhead had now disappeared, giving way to a clear sky. Tai hopped and dodged as he haphazardly ran towards the edge of the nest to find some kind of amnesty.

    He was, unfortunately, too slow. He attacked a dangerously close chick with his knife with the intent to kill in one fell swoop. He dodged yet another clumsy peck from the chick and stabbed it in the chest.

    As soon as the attack landed, he retrieved his weapon and dashed towards his goal. He just killed one of those things. His badly bruised pride had somewhat recovered.

    Tai took the opportunity to climb to the edge of the nest while the bird shrieked in pain. Maybe the other birds were shocked at what happened, but he heard none of their footsteps following after him. In no time, he reached the top.

    He paled.

    What greeted him were the myriad of narrow stone pillars crowned with bird nests. Each pillar''s surface was smooth and glossy. He knew that there was virtually no way of scaling down the stone pillar on which the nest was, but he hoped for maybe a weed growing along it, grooves in its surface, something¡ªanything. There was nothing.

    The baby birds behind him resumed their screeches, and this time, they sounded manic. He turned around.

    Two baby birds, faster than ever, ran towards him. The dying baby bird was on its last breath. Its dull, unmoving eyes stared at him as if he were dead meat.

    Tai brandished his weapon and hacked at the bird closest to him. The bird rushed in, its beak poised for a deadly attack. It struck at Tai as he hacked at its left eye.

    They both missed.

    His blade sliced the bird beneath its left eye, and the bird missed his body entirely. The clumsy baby bird shoved him off the nest with himself in tow.

    Tai''s scream drowned in the sea of the desperate shrieks of thousands of chicks. The familiar rush of wind around him welcomed the familiar terror from the depths of his heart.

    Through the corners of his eyes, he saw a large, white bird followed by thousands of birds, whom he was now intimately familiar with. What stood out to him now, however, was that they were all flying towards him. The white bird elegantly dove below him, and before he knew it, he was on its back.

    "Haha! You really don''t see this every day!¡±

 Chapter 9

    Wa¡ªwho¡ª!...There''s a Thumbling on this thing?!

    His confusion was cut short when the large white bird tore through the air with thousands of angry birds zooming in pursuit. The usual calm and slow scenery was now a flash of blur he could barely see.

    Tai clung onto the bird''s feathers for dear life as his body cut through the air space, together with the Thumbling and his mount. He was almost addicted to the exhilaration and terror coursing through his veins.

    The Thumbling who saved his life was laughing loudly and was nowhere near as rattled as Tai was to see him.

    Suddenly, the Thumbling stopped. He swung his head around to face Tai. The wind whipping by crashed against his skin, sending ripples throughout it. His head, however, was as stable as the buildings those rich folks had.

    "Kid, you better come up here and hold onto me. The balance of my ride is way off with you there," he said.

    Tai tried but failed to move an inch. He was still trying to accept what''s happening. He heard the adult Thumbling sigh audibly.

    He grabbed him by the arm and against all odds, dragged Tai to the leather seat behind him with ease.

    "Hold unto me. Don''t let go," the Thumbling said. Tai quickly positioned himself and held firmly onto the back of his clean yellow shirt.

    Immediately afterwards, the bird reached the forested edge that marked entrance into the forest. It dove in and without reducing its speed, pressed forward, dodging every tree.

    It looped and twirled as it wove through the branches. Resisting the airforce, Tai gave in to his curiosity and looked behind him.

    Scores of birds crashed into trees and fell unconscious to the ground. Eventually, after weaving tirelessly around tree branches for an hour, they eventually lost the fleet.

    The bird made a sharp ascension towards the barrier of leaves separating them from the sky. As it broke free out of the sea of green, they were greeted by clear, whimsical blue skies.

    However, it continued its dizzying speed in the air. A few minutes passed by, and thankfully, it steadily decreased its speed. After a while, the bird was casually gliding through the air.

    "Hey kid. What''s your name." the Thumbling said.

    "Tai," he said weakly. Too much happened to him in one week.

    "You see that tall tree over there? We''re making a stop there." he said. Tai looked to where he was pointing.

    There, a tree noticeably towered above its counterparts. Its rouge bark was thicker than anything he had ever seen. Innumerable branches decorated the tree and were accompanied by an abundance of leaves which were comparatively bigger than its surrounding competitors.

    ...

    The tree was much, much bigger up close. The bird gracefully landed on one of the bigger branches. The stranger quickly dismounted the bird, and Tai followed.

    As he followed him towards an unnatural hole in the tree bark, Tai observed him.

    The first thing he noticed was that he was not starving. He was bulky, yet not overly so. Despite all that, he definitely looked well fed.

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    He was also clean. His yellow shirt was the cleanest yellow he ever saw a person wore. His pants, though black, were free of holes and obvious smudges. Within the Thumbling kingdom, persons who were that clean would not even glance at him out of scorn.

    His raven-black hair was short and obviously well-trimmed. Even the way he walked made him look important. Maybe the stranger felt the stare in his back, because abruptly he stopped walking. He turned towards Tai who was trailing behind him. Two vertical light blue strokes laid parallel on his right cheek.

    He scanned him from head to toe before he spoke, "Tell me everything about yourself."

    Tai raised his eyebrows. He was grateful for this guy saving his life, but there was no way he could push him around. He doesn''t even know his name.

    "Why should I tell you?" Tai said with a taunting smirk. He must be crazy to trust some stranger, even if he saved his life. His parents cared for him for years, yet they tried to kill him. In response, the man laughed loudly.

    "Kid, no need to be scared. We''re all in the same boat here. I''m not asking for your life secrets. Tell me about yourself," he smiled kindly at him.

    Since he seemed so sincere, Tai decided to tell him something. He proceeded to tell him only of what he encountered in the forest. As far as personal information went, he only knew his name.

    As he narrated all that he went through, they entered what seemed to be a house carved inside the gargantuan tree.

    "I''m impressed that you and your friend didn''t die. My name is Tenma. There are many survivors like you in these woods. Together, we thrived and created villages of our own. We have been saving every kid abandoned all these years. Normally, there is a set time the kids are thrown out here to die¡ªwhich is every two weeks¡ªbut your set came a week earlier. I apologize. We failed this time."

    This news was a bombshell he never expected. Until he met Tenma, he really did believe Tziporah and himself would be living in solitude for years to come. Remembering his dear friend Tziporah, his heart skipped a beat.

    "We need to save Tziporah. She is all alone, bedridden," Tai said. Thankfully, there was food stored in their hideout, so she would not be in danger anytime soon. Unless, a predator finds their not-so-hidden hole in the tree.

    "The search teams were notified of you and your friend''s existence today," he sauntered to his table filled with weird tools and jars filled with various specimens. With nonchalant grace, he began working on...something.

    "I want to find her myself," Tai said. He needed to see that she was fine.

    Turning his attention away from what he was doing, he looked at him laughingly, "You need to trust me kid. Besides, playing hero is not my job"

    Tai''s muscles tensed as boiling anger filled his chest. This guy was not taking him seriously at all. Trying not to seem rattled, he changed the subject.

    "Alright. Are you all a resistance?" He asked.

    "We are, but,we''re survivors, first and foremost. Not everyone wants to dedicate their life to fighting some kingdom. After all, in many ways, living here is a luxury they never would have gotten if they were back there," Tenma said as he busily tinkered with his tools.

    "Aaaand done. Here, drink this," he strode towards Tai and shoved a crude, weirdly shaped glass bottle in his hand. Within it was a murky blue liquid.

    "What is it?" Tai said.

    "A tonic for your bony body. Don''t worry, it only has a quarter of the usual potency," Tenma said.

    Tai glowered at him, "You think I can''t take it at full strength?"

    Tenma laughed, "I know you can''t". With that, he went to the white bird who was sunbathing in a sunbeam outside. He then gently rummaged beneath the bird for something.

    He fished out a bird''s egg that looked awfully similar to the ones within the nest of those deadly birds. However, it was four times smaller. Even with it being so small, it was as tall as Tenma''s torso. Tenma had a satisfied smile on his face whilst he carried it inside.

    He fell into the couch with a thud, and with supernatural speed, he flicked out a knife and gently knocked around the top of the egg with the hilt. A mouthwatering scent wafted into Tai''s nostrils.

    Tenma gorged down the golden liquid and Tai was too embarrassed to ask for any. He was already saved by the guy. He didn''t want him to be his caretaker either.

    After that torturing episode, Tenma licked his now glossy lips. He then focused on Tai who was awkwardly standing in the same spot ever since he walked in.

    "It''s true that a lot of us don''t want to directly butt heads with the rulers of the Thumbling Kingdom," he said, "but that doesn''t mean we don''t want to overthrow them. We have a plan, and for it to be a success, we need kids like you."

 Chapter 10

    Tenma lazily stretched on his couch after his spiel. Unfortunately, though Tai prodded him relentlessly, he refused to say more.

    "We have time kid, no need to rush. Now that my stomach''s full, we can finally get to assessing your physical condition. You''re a train wreck...reminds me of my youth," Tenma said, wistful.

    Now that he said it, Tai felt every scratch, bruise, and stab he suffered in the past few days. Tenma led Tai through an inconspicuous corridor on the right side of the room to the first door to the right.

    Inside was another wide table filled with odd tools and an elevated platform with what seemed to be a large pillow covering it.

    "Go lay on the bed," said Tenma.

    ...That platform was a bed?

    Tai stifled his doubts and laid on the soft platform. He sank into the strange resting furniture, much to his surprise. His muscles relaxed, and as the tension left his body, drowsiness flooded in.

    "It seems that I don''t need to give you a sedative at all. But, just to be sure..." Tenma prodded open Tai''s mouth, to his bewilderment, and poured in a tasteless liquid.

    ...

    Tziporah almost shouted for joy at the presence of other thumblings. Their calm and dominating appearance was a reassurance to her worried heart.

    Tai had disappeared long enough to force Tziporah to assume the worst. As the group of women marched in with confidence, the cloud of despair weighing on her heart faded away.

    Blood and grime covered the five women from head to toe. What used to be a look Tziporah would label as criminal was now a symbol of strength and safety.

    Two battered but stalwart female Thumblings stood guard by the door while the other three approached her. Subconsciously, she dug her toes into her makeshift bed, her heart rapidly beating.

    The Thumbling at the center, who was the tallest and fiercest-looking of them all, spoke.

    "Hey there. What''s your name?" Her voice was mellow and smooth, like honey. She sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her bloodstained legs.

    Tziporah stared at her emaciated hands, reluctant to speak. As silence prevailed in the room, the brunette to the right made her way to the other side of the bed. She drew strange tools from the hidden pockets of her bloody gear and assessed her.

    "Tziporah," she whispered.

    "A beautiful name," the leader said. "My name is Topaz."

    The brunette, assessing her body, continued to carefully run some tests in silence. After a few minutes had passed, she made subtle hand signals to Topaz.

    Topaz raised an eyebrow, then beckoned to the brunette and the other woman, who was motionless like a rock. They huddled in the far right corner of the room, which was as far as possible from her. Discrete gasps and excited whispers traveled to Tziporah''s ears.

    She hoped they would at least let her in on it, as they were obviously talking about her. Topaz returned to Tziporah''s bedside, this time with a serious look on her face.

    "You''re safe now, Tziporah. You''re with us."

    Tziporah wanted to ask what her diagnosis was, but in the end, she kept quiet and nodded.

    ...

    Tai groggily woke up in the dead of night. For once, everything wasn''t all black and spooky. A ghostly fire was mounted upon a stick by the wall¡ªbeside the room''s entrance.

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    The fire''s dim blue glow shone on his band-aid-riddled body. To top it all off, a thick gauze wrap covered his wounded shoulder, courtesy of the bloodthirsty multi-legged bug.

    The materials used were different from what was distributed in the kingdom. The band-aids and gauze were comfortable, having a softer feel than what he was used to buying from the local trader near his home.

    Or rather, his past home.

    Tai didn''t call for Tenma. He stared at the wooden ceiling, looking back on all that happened to him in the past week and what Tenma said to him today.

    His goal at the moment was to survive and find out why his parents tried to get rid of him. He had no particular thoughts about the entire kingdom. Despite that, it would be stupid of him to think his parents had no help.

    Besides, overthrowing the kingdom was a bit of a stretch. Unless... the governing class of the Thumbling Kingdom was mainly to blame?

    Despite that, he shelved the thought. It was a bit too heavy at the moment. Instead, he tried to regain his composure and fully accept his new reality. He quite frankly had a lot of time to do so because Tenma hadn''t visited him once all night.

    After an unknown amount of time, familiar sunshine creeped through the only window in the room. Along with it were the routine morning chirps of birds and other creatures that strove to make melody. Tai was now resolute in the path he decided to take.

    Tenma strode in with a plate of steaming hot food in his hands. The intoxicating fragrance made Tai''s stomach grumble aggressively.

    In all honesty, Tai did not care what was on the plate. He gorged down the entire thing in seconds. He heartily burped, enjoying his first actual meal in over a month.

    "So, Tai, how much do you know about the ''Tom Thumb'' of our kingdom?" Tenma said. It was then that Tai realized Tenma was looking in the other direction, frowning. He quickly wiped his mouth clean with his hands.

    Tenma''s lips twitched, and his expression worsened. At that point, Tai was confused. Why was he upset?

    "Not much," Tai admitted. "The Tom Thumb is the absolute ruler of all thumblings. When he nears the day he will die, all the eligible youth of ages 14¨C18 of the upper class must compete for the throne."

    "And that''s all? Follow me outside," Tenma said. Tai strenuously followed behind him. He was a bit chafe due to his tended wounds.

    Tenma casually sat down on the edge of the red branch, and Tai followed, albeit much slower.

    Tai was offended. "I risked my life every day trying to get information like this." He puffed his chest out in pride¡ªat least, as much as he could without feeling pain.

    Tenma snickered, "Well, it is amazing for kids like you to know anything. But the information you ''stole'' is not completely true. All children who qualify, no matter their status, must take part, whether they like it or not."

    Tai widened his eyes at him.

    He continued, "That false information is taught in all schools, so children will not prepare for the opportunity. It is clever of them, actually."

    Tenma paused for a minute or two to let him digest all that he had been telling him.

    "An anonymous source informed me of the king''s situation. His advisors have determined that in the next two years, he will be too old to rule. He''s going senile."

    If what Tenma said was true, he would be able to compete for the title of Tom Thumb. Tai''s heart started to pound rapidly. So this was the way they decided to overthrow the kingdom.

    "You want one person to dedicate their life to overthrowing the kingdom?" Tai asked.

    "A group of you kids. May the best brat win," Tenma said, his languid demeanor disappearing. The look in his eyes seemed contemplative.

    "Two thousand thumbling children are abandoned every year," Tenma''s face darkened. "It''s been 15 years. Based on reliable sources, the ''Tom Thumb'' of our kingdom is as responsible as our own parents."

    What Tenma said confirmed what Tai brooded about last night. Hearing it from him brought forth a level of gravity he didn''t realize was attached to it.

    "Whether you like it or not, you are a potential heir to the throne. Tai, are you willing to fight for the throne of the Thumbling Kingdom?" Tenma asked, looking him dead in the eye.

    Tai nodded without hesitation. This was a cruelty that none of them deserved, and if nothing changed in the nobility, the cycle would not stop.

    Furthermore, the very thought of helping the struggling, poorer class within the walls of the kingdom filled him with a rush of joy. There would be no more starvation.

    And maybe, just maybe, they could even get a chance to eat desserts under his rule.

    "I will fight to become the ''Tom Thumb''," Tai said, facing Tenma''s burning gaze. Tenma''s eyes crinkled in delight as he grinned from ear to ear. The blue parallel lines on his right cheek were now glaringly conspicuous as they bent into a weird shape.

    "You should have realized the forest is bountiful in food sources. But training opportunities for you are rare to come by," said Tenma. He sounded a little excited.

    "There will be a competition¡ªtwo months from now. The top fifty kids will receive priority training that will ensure rapid growth without endangering their lives. If you want a shot, you''ll have to be in the top twenty out of five hundred," Tenma said. "I know you are wounded, but if you mean what you say, you must succeed there."

    Tai held his breath. Two months.

 Chapter 11

    The large white bird, Angela, flew towards them from who knew where. With a mighty flap of her wings, she perched on the tree branch of which they sat, barely making a sound.

    "Hey Angela," said Tenma. The bird screeched in response. She brought her head low towards him as he went to her, caressing her head.

    "What kind of name is that?" Tai couldn''t help but ask. As far as he knew, names always began with the letter ''T''.

    "It''s a human name. Anyways, I''ll be back kid," Tenma said as he mounted Angela, "Don''t touch anything".

    Tai nodded, his expression as pure as a lamb. The muscular thumbling gently knocked his heel on the side of the bird, and it flew off.

    Tai watched them fly into the distance till he could see them no more. After that, he got up, turned around, and made a beeline towards Tenma''s worktable in the room Tenma led him into on the first day and what he called the ''living room''. If he was going to live here, Tenma couldn''t possibly believe he would not to scope out the area and ''inspect'' a thing or two.

    He took up a funny-looking glass bottle, and a pang of guilt assaulted his conscience. Tai took a deep breath and peered outside. Tenma was not there. He resumed his antics, observing the swirling purple liquid inside the sealed bottle with wonder.

    Glowing threads of lilac swirled in the deep purple liquid. Occasionally, blue hues peppered the liquid, producing mini clouds of colour.

    However, an ominous vibe emanated from the mixture. Tai, in a cautious manner, placed it where he took it up from and went on to explore the rooms in the house.

    Tai strolled in the bland, red corridor, looking in every room he came across. He explored every single one, amazed at how many useless rooms Tenma had. One of the rooms in particular had mirrors lined along every surface.

    When he entered the room, in each glass was a scrawny, patched-up boy with a messy head of shoulder length hair and vibrant green eyes looking back at him.

    Though he had green hair and eyes, he never felt like the odd one out. Now that he was abandoned, he had to wonder...did it have something to do with his deviant appearance? Tai sighed.

    Aside from all that, to Tai''s absolute horror, he was clean. How was he not dirty? Tenma immediately popped into mind, and Tai grimaced uncontrollably. He had to ask him about it when he came back. Tai backed out of the room, casting one last unsure look at himself.

    Tai roamed the other rooms, totaling 50 in all. Some were filled with ropes hanging from the ceiling, some with spikes on every surface. Every way you could make a room be weird, Tenma did it.

    After two hours, Tai reached the end of the winding corridor. He opened the 51st door he found, expecting the most out-of-ordinary scene. However, it was the opposite.

    The last door was the largest of them all. Tai pushed it open, and there, he saw a library. He never saw one before, but someone described it to him once. However, what was before him was much, much more majestic than they described.

    Each book was in pristine condition, all of them shiny and neat. This was why the large, rectangular table filled with scattered papers and open books immediately caught Tai''s attention.

    Aside from books, papers with scribblings on them laid carelessly on the table. Though Tenma''s house was eccentric, this was the first time he saw something he could truly label as messy.

    Tai decided to take a look at the only book that seemed to be handled with care. It laid there, untouched by its messy surroundings in front of the only chair by the table- and in the whole room. Tai gently turned the battered cover, revealing a dirty yellow page.

    ~~

    Considering our world is called ''Folklore'', it will suffice to assume that despite human beings being the most plentiful, folk beings are of great significance.

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    Giants, Cinderellas, Rumpelstiltskins, Mother Gooses, the ''Hoods'', Rampions(Rapunzels), Dancing Princesses and Fairies. Each of them are profoundly unique, sporting abilities that are nothing short of supernatural.

    This book will explore all the folk beings of Folklore, as listed above, and will seek to give a comprehensive presentation of each, devoid of bias.

    The writer hopes, through this text, the perception the reader has of these beings will be of a positive nature so that one day, we embrace these foreign creatures, in hope that all sentient beings will move into the future as allies, and not enemies.

    ~~

    He frowned. Shouldn''t Thumblings be folk beings too? He skimmed through the scattered pages on the table, and realized Tenma must have had the same question as well.

    Turning what seemed to be the introduction page, his simple curiosity turned into greed for knowledge. Yet, he paused.

    The very thought of Tenma catching him snooping around sent chills down his spine. The guy was always happy, but this forest taught him what an apex predator looked like. Tenma was way too comfortable living in a place like this. Alone.

    Moreover, the fact that no bird came within a certain range of this colossal tree was rooted at the back of his mind. He closed the book and made sure that it was as he first saw it.

    He sneaked out the room¡ªnot that anyone was there to see him anyways¡ªand dashed across the never-ending corridor to the living room.

    Tai panted, a little exhausted after his anxious sprint. He scraped his way to his ''bedroom'', and laid on the bed. He soaked in the surreal comfort and stretched without care since Tenma wasn''t home yet.

    He looked at his hand that was wrapped in gauze due to the many infected abrasions Tenma said he had found. But then, something felt amiss. He wriggled his fingers and clenched them into a fist. There was no pain.

    Tai unwrapped his left hand and to his surprise, what remained of the nasty cuts he had were fresh, pale flesh marks. He moved his shoulder, feeling out the deep puncture that should be there.

    Tenma also mentioned the ghastly state his shoulder was in. Now, it felt as if there was no wound to begin with. He unwrapped the gauze on his shoulder. His skin was as good as new, with only a shadow of an injury left.

    Tai unwrapped his other hand, torso, feet and head. Every wound, cut, bruise and everything in-between was gone. Tai couldn''t help but marvel at the drug Tenma gave him. What was in it?

    He ran around the room, jumped, stretched in every way possible, did pushups, sit ups¡ªeverything he could think of. He felt no pain, or any discomfort at all.

    Tai grinned uncontrollably. Now, he had double the time to prepare for that competition.

    Tai frolicked around the house like an energetic cockroach until Tenma returned. When he saw Tenma, he ran to him, eager to tell him what happened.

    "Kid...you running around my house?" Tenma pinched between his brows and mumbled incoherently. "I see we will need some house rules," He stared daggers at Tai, who didn''t know what he did wrong. He didn''t knock over anything, or made a mess...

    Then, Tenma''s eyes widened. "Kid, you''re fully healed?"

    "Yes," Tai grinned, "Thanks for your tonic. You really know your stuff."

    Tenma studied him, not saying anything.

    "Will you teach me how to make it?" he tried his best to sound sincere.

    Tenma grunted in response as he dropped a large sack by his work table, then headed to the corridor. Tai followed him without a second thought.

    He then went into the room Tai found to be a kitchen. It was as large as his old home; he was completely humbled.

    Tenma opened his huge cupboard and took out some ingredients. He then placed them on the island that was lined by stools. Tai sat on one of them and watched him cook.

    "Kid, before you go trying to take over the kingdom and all that, you''re gonna have to learn about what''s around you. That includes the flora and fauna, the villages we have, and all the boring politics that comes with them," Tenma said.

    "However, let''s start with places you''ll have to know while you''re in the forest. There is the Sky, Tree, Ground, Moving and Neutral village," Tenma fetched a clay pot and turned on what seemed to be a pipe. Crystal clear water gushed into the pot.

    "The Sky village lives at the very top of trees. They''re always on birds, flying around. The Tree village dwells a little lower, making intricate houses within tree trunks, much like this house¡ª"

    "Where does the sky village sleep, if not inside trees?" Tai asked.

    "I''m not done," Tenma glowered at him," You''ll find out soon enough. The Ground village lives underground. The moving village lives on top of elephants. You hardly see them around. Do you know what elephants are?"

    Tai shook his head.

    Tenma snickered, "We have a lot of work to do. Now, the Neutral village does not have a set dwelling place. They are traders. They migrate from one village to another in search of opportunities. Of course, some settle down in villages where they find a steady flow of income. I, am the leader of the Neutral Village," Tenma looked at Tai with a smirk and pointed at the blue vertical lines on his cheek.

    "If you''re going to be in this forest, you must choose a village to be a part of.¡±

 Chapter 12

    Tai didn''t know which to choose. So, he went with the most convenient choice.

    "I''ll join the Neutral Village."

    "Good, good," Tenma chuckled. He poured the ingredients in his pot and after a few stirs, the most delicious scent pervaded the kitchen.

    ...

    After the best lunch known to thumblings, Tenma beckoned Tai to the living room. There, he opened the sack by his worktable.

    Tenma took out a dazzling blue flower the size of his palm, placing it into a small bowl. After that, he grabbed a sealed glass bottle from the sack and popped it open. A viscous orange liquid was poured onto the flower, melting it. However, the strong orange was instantly consumed by the gentle blue.

    "The Neutral Village''s goal is to improve yourself however you desire. Never forget that."

    Tenma dipped his two fingers into the thick liquid, then raised them in front of Tai. Two wet lines stained his right cheek as a faint, yet addictingly sweet scent accompanied it.

    "Don''t touch it kid, or you''ll have a smudged face for life," Tenma walked off, presumably to wash his hands. His voice echoed from the hallway, "Since you''re well, training starts today."

    ...

    After a long ride on Angela, they descended from unto a nearby tree branch. Tai stretched after the long ride and took in his surroundings.

    The buzz of wildlife permeated his surroundings, promising much danger. Trees sporting much thinner branches intertwined with their neighbors, creating a complex three-dimensional maze. One misstep, and he would fall to his death.

    "We call these web trees. I don''t believe I have to explain why," Tenma chuckled to himself as he strolled on the thin yet sturdy branch.

    Tai''s muscles tightened as he strained to keep balance. The branches all around rose and fell and danced with each other, birthing a complex maze. Tenma walked on the thin pathways as if it was flat ground. He was relaxed and calm.

    Whenever they passed anything of interest, he rambled on about its uses and its role in the ecosystem. Tai wobbled and trembled as he trailed behind Tenma, who was kind enough not to walk quickly.

    All of a sudden, he stepped off the narrow path, landing on a lower branch.

    Tai followed in tow, refusing to be outdone. He jumped, landed on the lower branch, and fell. He clung for dear life as he wrapped his sweaty arms around the unreasonably thin branch.

    "Holding up there, kid?" Tai could hear the challenge in his voice.

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    "Of course," he forced out. Tai climbed onto the branch one foot after the other.

    Before he was able to catch his breath, Tenma strode off. He trudged behind as he forced himself to listen to Tenma, who had been speaking for two hours non stop.

    Nevertheless, Tenma''s spiel helped him to gain a clearer understanding of his surroundings. What first seemed like a wild mess of danger, turned into a unique kingdom Tai never knew existed. In this kingdom, survival was everything.

    "Over there is the yellow-backed tree frog. Its sticky tongue is extremely fast. Defeating it is a symbol of high reaction speed and skill within the villages. If you want to place in the top 20 two months later, you must be able to hold your own with it."

    The tree frog in question was hidden far away, amidst a few leaves. It took Tai a couple of seconds to spot it. If it were a battle, he''d be defeated in no time.

    Tenma continued to spot animals where if not for him, Tai would never have seen them. They hid in plain sight.

    "Well, kid, we haven''t covered much ground, and the sun''s about to set. Let''s speed things up." Tenma''s walk sped into a light jog, instantly widening the distance between them.

    Beads of sweat stained Tai''s face as he matched Tenma''s pace, then he fell. Again. And again. Then one more time. This routine continued till the sun slowly disappeared.

    ...

    Tai heaved and wheezed, his body aching in places he didn''t know he could feel pain. He thought he at least had some experience from traversing the forest alone. Seemed he was wrong.

    Tenma looked as fresh as he did before he left the house.

    "From now on kid, I''ll give you classes every morning till noon. After that, I don''t care what you do with your time." With that, Tenma took in the evening sun as he stretched in ways Tai never saw anyone did before. Naturally, Tai copied him.

    "You''re doing it wrong. Your foot should be here," Tenma''s voice caught Tai by surprise. He had not exactly been gentle on him. Tai adjusted his right foot to match Tenma''s with renewed excitement.

    After that, Tai took a long, hard-earned nap.

    He woke up to the dull eerie glow of the fire in his room. He peered through the window and saw the consuming darkness of the forest below. Morning was not anytime soon. So, Tai decided he would sneak into the library again.

    He snuck past Tenma''s bedroom¡ªwhich was next to his, and dashed across the corridor. His usual haphazard steps were now purposeful and sure, due to the torturous training of Tenma''s.

    After passing 50 rooms, he reached the last one. He pushed open the large, heavy door, only to see Tenma sitting on the sole chair within the library.

    Tai''s heart lurched, but he strode in, a casual smile plastered on his face. He made enough noise anyways. He approached Tenma and leaned on the table. The table was now clear of all the messy papers he had seen before, and only the old book remained before Tenma.

    "Hey, how you doing?" That was horrible.

    Tenma gave him a sidelong glance. "You''ve been here before?"

    Tai''s heart was in his throat, "Of course no¡ª" Tenma''s eyes narrowed.

    "Yes..." Tai turned away from his threatening eyes, looking around as if the unending rows of books were extremely intriguing.

    "I leave you for a few hours..." he sighed, then closed the book before him. "Since you''re here, start reading those books I picked out for you. Every week, I want a summary of what you read."

    Beneath the table, Tai saw a stack of books neatly placed in a pile. Seeing he had nothing else to do, and couldn''t snoop around, he sat on the ground and grabbed a book at the top of the stack.

    ...Thumblings could do that?

    If what he read was true, he could move up to five times the speed of a wolf and lift 10 times their weight on average.

    Based on what he saw, Thumblings were definitely weaker than that. One mushroom had to be carried by two grown Thumblings on their shoulders. He couldn''t help but doubt it. It was then, Tai caught a knowing glance from Tenma. Maybe he shouldn''t.

    Tai memorized the strengths and weaknesses of his race and how they would fare against other creatures till morning came.

    "Get up, kid. Training time."

    In no more than forty-five minutes, they returned to the webbed trees.

 Chapter 13

    Once again, Tai struggled to keep up with Tenma. They have been trekking through the unending web of branches and leaves for three days. The good thing was that he improved.

    Now, Tai was able to jog without losing his balance. Tenma was still ahead of him though. He was always ahead of him. It would be a lie if he said he was okay with that.

    Tai sped up, aiming for Tenma''s back. Maybe he could push him or something...anything to not make Tenma underestimate him.

    He slipped for the first time today and fell on his face. He definitely tasted blood. He quickly clung to the branch, or he really would fall.

    "Are you okay?" Tenma, who still had not broken a sweat these past days, stopped in his tracks.

    "I''m fine," Tai grumbled. He genuinely admired Tenma''s skill. Nevertheless, it''s disheartening to see the gap between them. Tenma did say it took him two years. But...if it took that long, why did he expect him to have that level of skill in two months?

    "We can take a break. You''ve made great progress recently," Tenma said. Tai was taken aback. This was new.

    "No," he was grateful for the suggestion, but he wasn''t done.

    "Alright, ready when you are."

    Tai propped himself up, managing to gain a steady footing. Maybe he should take off his new shoes to get a better balance. After all, since he used to be so poor, a layer of mud was the only footwear he used to know.

    Carefully balancing himself on one foot, he gingerly took off the leaf shoe Tenma gave him. He then did the same for the other foot.

    He felt out the unique texture of the tree beneath his feet. Something about his raw skin touching its surface just felt...right.

    Now that his feet were bare, it was easier to move. It felt as if the tree was helping him to traverse itself. With this new feeling, he tried to meld it with his experience from the past days.

    Immediately, the surreal feeling disappeared and Tai lost his balance. It seemed that if he was going gain the tree''s help, he must not try to aid himself. Oddly enough, it made sense to him.

    Tai realized that all this time, he treated the trees as his enemies. They never harmed him. His food, shelter, and clothing came from trees. Maybe...he should trust them more.

    He stopped trying to balance himself.

    Tai relaxed and placed one foot after the other. The narrow path instantly appeared different. It wasn''t a rough terrain meant to hinder him anymore. The branch was now a way the tree provided for him to travel on.

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    "Kid, are you hearing me?" Tai snapped back into reality. Tenma was looking at him, obviously expecting an answer.

    "Let''s race." Tai grinned at him, hopping from foot to foot without breaking a sweat.

    Tenma raised a brow at him and hopped down to a branch nearby. He made some casual stretches, then grinned.

    "Last one to reach that leaf insect over there will wash the dishes tonight," Tenma said suddenly.

    Tai squinted, trying to find the leaf insect Tenma spoke of. The leaf insect he spoke of was far away and could barely be seen past the myriad of branches. If it didn''t twitch, He definitely wouldn''t have seen it.

    "Deal."

    Tenma gestured to him, and without courtesy, Tai ran off at full speed. He hopped from branch to branch, and with each one there was a different feeling¡ªa subtle difference that forced him to move differently with each branch his feet touched.

    Squirrels, birds, and other jittery creatures hid in a flurry as he pushed himself to run faster, to hop quicker.

    "You holding up kid?" Tenma''s leveled voice came from beside him. Tai numbly glanced at him. There Tenma was, matching his pace with ease.

    "You''re making too many unnecessary movements. Look ahead of you. Find the shortest path you can take without tiring yourself out."

    Tenma sped ahead of him after his little pep talk, reaching the leaf insect in seconds. Tai tried his best, but the more he tried, the slower he became, the more he stumbled, the more he nearly fell.

    Tai ran with all his might to the finish line.

    He grinned brightly as he reached the leaf bug. He lost, but it was the first time he didn''t feel useless in the forest. It wasn''t much, but he finally learned how to traverse this unfamiliar environment.

    He wiped the sweat off his face. As he took a moment to catch his breath, a wave of fatigue slapped his body.

    His muscles screamed in pain as he helplessly collapsed, losing his balance. Tenma grabbed him and hoisted him upon his shoulder before he could fall to his death.

    "I''ll take you home early," he hoisted Tai on his shoulders as he made a strange whistle, akin to a bird. It perfectly melded in the blend of melodious chirps that echoed through the trees.

    In less than five seconds, Angela arrived. Tenma jumped on her back then laid him on the bird''s back. The bird screeched in displeasure, maybe because he dirtied her feathers with sweat, then took off.

    Tai drifted into a half-slumber as the wind caressed his skin and ruffled his hair.

    ...

    It was nighttime when he woke up. He felt a familiar refreshing feeling he only got when Tenma treated him. Beside his bed, Tenma sat on a chair, looking at him.

    "One minute you were a wobbling snail, then suddenly, you had enough speed to dare to compete with me. You wanna explain, kid?"

    Tai was a bit speechless. He didn''t know either. "I don''t know. I just...decided to treat the tree as my friend"

    "A friend...interesting." Tenma flipped out a notebook from nowhere and scribbled some notes down. "Well kid, you need your rest. You better make sure you read all those books I give you in four weeks, though."

    He snapped his notebook shut and strolled out the room like how he usually does. With Tenma''s reminder of the stack of books, he couldn''t relax, even if he wanted to.

    He made his way to the library to finish the book he started yesterday. He pushed open the large door, expecting Tenma to give him another jumpscare. Thankfully, he wasn''t there. Sadly, the intriguing old book was nowhere to be found.

    Maybe he should ask Tenma what he was up to, instead of snooping around.

    Tai sat in the empty chair. He tried his best to read, but the chair was uncomfortable, which was odd. He didn''t find it uncomfortable before. He shifted, trying to find that comfy spot, but every position felt the same.

    The chair became so agitating that he couldn''t stand it anymore. He sat on the floor, like he did yesterday. Immediately, he was relieved. Finally, he could read in peace.

 Chapter 14

    Tai woke up to the comfy floor of the library. He groggily got up, stretched, and made his way to the kitchen for food. In the kitchen was Tenma, scribbling some notes in a book.

    "Where''s breakfast?" Tai couldn''t help but ask. By this time, Tenma would have had two steaming hot plates on the table.

    "Well," he snapped his book shut, "You need to wash the dishes. Since you''ll be in the kitchen, make us breakfast."

    Ah, yes. The bet. He definitely forgot about the bet. He was fine with that, but he should cook too?

    "I don''t know how to cook." After all, cooking was for rich thumblings. The cost of ingredients alone could buy two weeks'' worth of nutrient goo.

    "In the stack of books I gave you, there''s a cookbook. Don''t worry. I''ll be here to make sure you don''t poison us."

    Tai proceeded to make the best food he ever made in his entire life. Though Tenma said it was the most disgusting thing he had tasted in years.

    After breakfast, Tai prepared himself for training. Through trial and error, he learnt that he must always prepare for the unexpected...like that time a snake tried to swallow him when Tenma left him for five minutes.

    He packed his trusty sack given to him with light items. A cloth gourd, a knife, dried meat and fruits, along with other miscellaneous items.

    He strapped it across his back, and went outside. Angela, the beautiful white bird, was perched on the branch, as she was every morning.

    "Hey Angela," Tai caressed her neck. Her eyes squinted as she chirped happily.

    "Kid," Tai heard behind him, "We''re doing things a bit different today. I have something important to do, and you''ll help me"

    Something different? Tai nodded and alighted Angela.

    ...

    Sadly, they did not go to the webbed branches. Tai was beginning to enjoy it, since it got easier to traverse them. But, where Tenma brought him felt different.

    Wherever they were, it took them four hours of Angela flying at full speed to reach. They were now close to the string of mountains that Tai found to surround the expansive forest, including the Thumbing Kingdom.

    The air was cool and crisp. The chitter of birds was not as prevalent, yet there was this faint buzz of life. The trees here felt more alive.

    "From now on, whisper when you speak," Tenma''s voice was low and faint. A steady wind blew from the east. "There is a special fruit that grows around these parts. I must get it. We''ll be up against dangerous animals¡ªand possibly thumblings. You better keep up kid"

    Tenma sprung into action. He climbed down the tree, and Tai immediately followed. Years of experience kicked in, and instinctively, Tai followed him closely.

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    They dashed into the grass once they reached the forest floor. Through the thin stalks of grass, Tai followed Tenma''s trail. Wherever he went always seemed to have just enough space for them to pass through. Like that, they did not agitate the leaves, making sure their movement went unnoticed.

    Not long after, Tai saw a mound covered in lush grass. At the center of the mini hill stood a mini tree. Round, orange fruits decorated its green foliage.

    Tai turned to Tenma, awaiting further instructions. Tenma was surveying his surroundings, and Tai was honestly impressed. He could barely see past the grass they were hiding in, not to mention getting a full perspective with their miniature height.

    "Go to that tree to the left. Make sure no one sees you," Tenma''s voice was quieter than ever.

    The tree Tenma spoke of was not too near nor too far from the mound. But, it stood out like a sore thumb. It would not be simple to climb it unnoticed.

    Tai turned to ask Tenma a question, but then he realised he was gone. Tai got to work immediately. He took out his water gourd and poured most of it on the ground, making mud. He coated his entired body¡ªespecially his hair¡ªwith the dirt mixture.

    He tactically made his way to the tree, crouching for added measure. He went to the side of the tree that was not facing the mound. He climbed, like a gecko, the textured bark of the tree. Each movement was slow and sure.

    Tai settled on the lowest branch on the tree, not only to minimize movement, but to also be as close as possible to the other tree nearby. Its branch was a short jump away. It was a perfect getaway route in case he had to flee.

    He laid belly-first on the branch, and waited.

    Everywhere was silent. Now that he was at a vantage point, he had perfect view of his surroundings. There was definitely not enough fruits on the tree to share with everyone here.

    There were snakes of at least five different species¡ªthe swiftest of their kind. In the trees nearby, squirrels, birds, lizards, laid low, like him. Beyond the mound, there was...a green leapard? Its fur naturally blended with the grass it was crouched on.

    No one made the first move.

    Until, a spider with exotic colours pounced on the tree from above. It nipped the stem of the orange and bounced away with the fruit. Then, all hell broke loose.

    The leopard lunged, making a mighty leap to the top of the mound. A large lizard used its sticky tongue as a fishing rod, aiming for a fruit. Snakes from all directions darted to the tree. Many, many more animals that Tai did not know was there dashed to the tree.

    The animals wrestled and tussled with each other for the fruits of the tree. If Tenma was there, he could not spot him amidst the chaos.

    "Kid!" Before he knew it, an orange was hurled straight to him. He caught it, much to his pain due to the recoil. The orange was as tall as himself, which was considerably small.

    Realizing he wasn''t noticed by any predator, he tied up the orange with his rope as fast as he could. He gripped the rope-covered orange, and jumped to the nearby branch.

    He jumped from branch to branch, fleeing the scene. Not long after, a brown ball was hurled at him. Tai dodged the smelly projectile. Three yellow bellied monkeys swung in from every direction and blocked his path.

    They screamed at him then attacked. Tai weaved past their lanky arms. His goal was to reach where Angela landed, and escape. Luckily, these monkeys were a bit slow. The only thing of threat was those smelly blobs they threw at him.

    Tai moved from tree to tree with unnatural ease. Every once in a while, he had to dodge poisonous bites, rocks, and kill any animal that was in his way.

    The longer he had the orange, the more aromatic it became, the more animals chased after it. Even now, the monkeys were still chasing him, hurling their faeces at him every now and then.

    Finally, he could see Angela''s white plumage in the distance. Two oranges were strapped to her sides. Tenma was nearby, delivering deadly punches to the green leopard. The fierce animal was battered and bruised.

    Tai gave an extra push, increasing his speed. As he was to reach Angela, he was yoinked back by an incredible force. Before he knew it, he was in the closing mouth of a creature.

 Chapter 15

    Tai realized he hated being eaten. He ruthlessly slashed the roof of the creature''s mouth. The mouth clamped shut, and its tongue pushed him to the roof. The muscular tongue pressed on him, forcing him towards the throat, where a strong suction forced dragged him in.

    Tai lodged his knife hilt-deep into the tongue, and dragged it along the surface. The mouth immediately opened as a pained screech vibrated from its throat.

    Tai crawled out its jaws with the orange in tow. He jumped with a mighty leap and landed on a nearby tree branch. Tai turned around to get a good look at the creature who dared to eat him. There, a purple iguana was screaming in pain as blood leaked from its mouth.

    There was no more time to waste. He made his way to Angela, finally reaching the comfort of safety. A second later Tenma alighted the bird, and she flew off.

    ...

    Tai did not get what all the rave was with this fruit.

    "You don''t feel it?" Tenma looked at Tai incredulously. "This fruit contains power to activate the potential we have, the potential you''ve been reading about."

    Tai didn''t feel a thing. The orange looked tasty, but that was all there was to it.

    "So, is that how we activate our potential?"

    "It is one way, but you would have to eat over a hundred of them," Tenma said, "the other way is more...spontaneous. Some, after staying out here, were suddenly endowed with supernatural abilities."

    Tenma snatched the half- eaten orange from him. "It''s very hard to find these fruits. I''m working on a concoction that can forcefully activate our potential. The vitality potion I gave you was a subproduct of my research."

    So, not only was Tenma really strong, he had the intellect to back it up.

    Later that day, Tenma led him to a room he hadn''t mentioned before. Tai had before fought the urge to ask him about it; the dull room was the coolest one in the entire house.

    Weapons of all kinds were mounted upon rows of racks. Most of them, Tai didn''t know could even exist. He didn''t wait for Tenma to say anything. He excitedly ran for an oversized broadsword and tried to swing it like how he saw in local stage plays.

    His arms trembled as veins lined his arms and a dull ache came from them. The massive weapon that was definitely the same weight as him slipped pathetically through his fingers and made a loud clang as it fell to the floor.

    "So, before I was rudely interrupted," Tenma was leaning on a rack nearby, "choose a weapon that fits your personality and physique."

    "But I like all of them." They all were so cool.

    Tenma sighed and grumbled to himself. "Kid, I see you did pretty well with that combat knife I gave you. Though I brought you here to get a feel for the other weapons, I believe you work best with that dagger."

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    He liked the knife, but what if he did well with nunchucks?

    "...what about the nunchucks?"

    Tenma smacked him in the head.

    In a flash, two weeks passed. In the mornings Tenma trained his reaction speed, precision, strength, hunting skills and so on. In the nights he''d read until he fell asleep. Like that, he devoured one book after the other.

    The ''History of Politics'' was an absolute torture to read. He was so glad that the Tom Thumb will have advisors and proxies. There was no way he wanted to deal with stuff like that everyday.

    No matter how many ''special'' fruits Tenma gave him, he never felt the elusive ''quality of your existence growing''. After a while, he stopped eating them.

    Between Tenma''s daily training and his nightly reading, his daily schedule was jam-packed. It has been three weeks since he met Tenma. One month and a week was left till the mini competition.

    ...

    Tai sprawled on the floor as he read about the other kingdoms. The inheritance competition two years later will not only be for Thumblings, but all folk beings. If thumblings even are folk beings. However, they must be if they are included every rethroning cycle.

    Feeling a wash of drowsiness, Tai closed the book and shifted in a comfortable position on the floor to sleep. As he was about to surrender himself to slumber, he felt the presence of someone beside him.

    "Tenma, why won''t you cook tomorrow?" It was a long shot, but he might as well try to relinquish cooking duty tomorrow. Now would be the time when Tenma insulted his cooking skills and claimed he needed more practice.

    He heard no response, which was odd. Tai opened his eyes and glanced at the chair. Tenma wasn''t there.

    He didn''t hear anyone enter, which was normal. Tenma made no sound when he walked. Maybe, he was mistaken. Taking it as a cue to get some rest, he closed his eyes.

    He felt a prod, like a baby trying to shove him. His eyes flew open as he sprung up, wary. The feeling was harmless, but he tended to suffer the consequences of not being alert.

    He stood there for a solid five minutes, then sweeped the library for any intruders. It was an open space, but he could never be too careful, especially when the enemy was unknown.

    He laid on the floor again, this time seemingly tranquil. He felt it again, and this time, now that he was fully conscious, he realized that even though it felt physical, it wasn''t. It was as if his very soul was being touched.

    Now, the ''hand'' that prodded him seemed to realize it got his attention. It...waved at him? How did he even know it was waving at him? Subconsciously he spoke, "Who are you?"

    The entity continued to wave at him in greeting. Was it dumb? Maybe, it couldn''t interpret physical ways of communication. He tried to send an emotion, an ''intent'', saying hello. The entity jumped in excitement and grabbed his ''han¡ª

    Tai was immediately disconnected from his body.

    Tai tried to breathe, but he couldn''t. His hearing, vision, smelling, and feeling was gone. He couldn''t blink. He couldn''t feel the comforting wooden floor he laid on. Despite that, he was not dead.

    He did not have a head, or hands, or feet. He didn''t even know how he was thinking without a brain. Wait...he did have limbs. They were firm and unmoving. Attached to them were beautiful lush leaves.

    Actually, he couldn''t see them, but he spent a lot of energy to make sure they were absolutely perfect.

    Currently, his roots weren''t as deep and far reaching as the trees around him were. His gorgeous leaves also weren''t getting enough sunlight. He licked the sporadic beams of light like a hungry wolf.

    "Aren''t you a feisty one. You will definitely live very long."

    The appearance of the baritone voice sliced through the silence. Tai was shocked and afraid. He was just a humble tree. What was going on?

    Then, he saw a mirage. Green eyes, and a kind smile. It...it was a friend. This friend was very important. This friend was his life. His life?

    Tai choked for air as he opened his eyes. Where was he? A library, yes, he was in a library. He got up. Wait...how does he ''get up''? He was a tree¡ªno, he was Tai. Tai Thumb.

    Tai spent the next fifteen minutes trying to gain a bearing of his surroundings and himself.

 Chapter 16

    No matter what he did, he could not erase those green eyes from his memory. They were obviously not his but he couldn''t deny the relationship. Those rich, green irises sported darker streaks of green, giving the unknown owner an air of deep maturity, vastly unlike his lighter shades.

    Then there was the tree he once was¡ªor rather, the tree he possessed. This colossal rouge tree...it was definitely this tree when it was far smaller. Tai, now seated on the chair in the quiet library, returned to the floor and traced his fingers along the wood veins.

    Thrums of life pulsed against his fingertips. It was not quite like a heartbeat, yet it signified this tree possessing vitality.

    "Hello there," he whispered softly. The thrums became a little livelier, adopting a rhythm to respond to him. It was talking to him. Interestingly enough, he could understand.

    ''Turan?''

    Tai''s heart twisted in pain."No, I''m not Turan." Turan must have been the name of that thumbling he saw. He knew how much that thumbling meant to this tree. However, this tree was at least a millennia old. Turan was long dead.

    The tree still communicated with him, convinced he was Turan. He tries to dissuade it, to tell it he was Tai, and he was only twelve years old, but the tree refused to give up. He couldn''t blame it. Turan was the only one that cared for it.

    Nevertheless, even if by some outlandish miracle Turan was born again or some other impossible tale, that thumbling and himself were not the same. He could feel it.

    Tai pressed his palm on the surface, and immediately, his soul left his body, and entered the tree. The familiar sensations of not possessing a body slammed into his consciousness, making him disoriented for a moment.

    Unlike when he was a humble tree, he wasn''t fused with its consciousness, and therefore thinking he was a tree. They were separate. However, he instinctively knew he had the ability to control its growth.

    Tentatively, Tai tried to extend a young branch. A crippling pain pierced his soul and shoved him from the tree to his vacant body. He gasped and choked for air as he adjusted to his body. His soul was too weak to handle this tree.

    Besides the pain in his soul that had yet to vanish, Tai was excited. This should be the potential Tenma spoke of. Some were common, and some were unique. Seeing he has never heard of this power in another thumbling, his was definitely one of a kind.

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    His excitement faded as he remembered Turan. Maybe, his powers weren''t that unique. After all, Turan definitely had a special connection with plants too.

    Tai decided to give his newfound powers a break and tried to get some rest despite the nagging pain.

    When he woke up, he found that he was long past the time when he was to head out into the forest. Tai sprung to his feet and hurried out the library to get ready. At this point, Tenma must be upset.

    In ten quick minutes, he had a bath, did some light stretches, prepped his weapon and packed for the journey. Tenma was mounted on the back of Angela, his expression unsightly.

    Tai hung his head low and made his way to the back seat.

    "Kid, we''ll be going to a river today." Tenma''s face couldn''t be seen.

    "Aren''t rivers boring?" The river in the kingdom was peaceful, nothing of danger or thrill ever happened in it. Also, rivers were filthy.

    "Do not ever mention that disgusting, fake river to me ever again. I''m taking you to a real river."

    Tai''s interest was piqued.

    ...

    Tai gaped at the absolutely massive torrent of violent, clear water that gushed by. He never knew that river waters were clean. On top of that, this river was wider than the overwhelmingly wide tree barks that used to have him in awe.

    "Do you still think this isn''t fun, kid?" Tenma''s mirthful voice snapped Tai out of his stupor.

    Tai''s face paled, "What are we doing?"

    Tenma chortled. He was definitely drunk off his berry rum. "Think of the craziest thing we can do."

    Tai''s heart sank. There was no way they were going to swim in that violent river.

    Tenma stripped to his under garments and descended the tree. Tai took a deep breath and left his clothes beside Angela, who was relaxing as always, and descended the tree.

    Reaching the soft, damp earth, Tai made his way to the rocks that lined the river. He climbed the rock that was covered in miniature grooves, careful to avoid the slippery moss. Eventually he reached Tenma who was at the top.

    "Do you swim a lot?" Tenma looked at him.

    "Not a lot..."

    The most experience Tai had was sneaking into pools at the dead of night. Tenma fished out a rope from who-knows-where and tied one end around his waist.

    "Well kid, after this week, I''ll be sending you out into the wild to fend for yourself until the inter-village competition. For the rest of this week, you better get used to this rope."

    Tenma had never mentioned this to Tai. This sudden news was concerning, yet exciting.

    All this time, no animal, big or small, dared to come near Tenma unless it was for the special fruit. He was unnaturally safe during the past month.

    Tai wrapped his waist with the rope and tied a secure knot Tenma taught him to make. The only way he would be in danger would be if the rope snapped.

    Tai began to carefully climb down the rock to the river. Tenma grabbed his arm with one hand and lifted him up. He held him up with both hands, and before Tai could protest, he threw him.

    Tai flailed in the air like a scared chick for a couple meters, then he fell into the water. With great force, his body was pushed downstream. The rope pressed onto his skin and grated his bones.

    He forced himself to not inhale. He failed miserably. Water filled his lungs. He tried, and failed to swim for air. At this point, he didn''t know the surface from the riverbed.

    The rope around his waist dragged him against the current. Eventually he reached the rocky border of the river, where a pair of hands encased him from below the river surface.

    Before Tai knew it, he saw the light of day again. He inhaled, and exhaled. Then inhaled again. He now did not like rivers.

 Chapter 17

    Tai wrapped his shoulder-length hair into a bun. It was a nuisance more often than not. He glared at Tenma, who blatantly ignored him.

    "If it was an emergency, kid, you''d be dead," Tenma said seriously. "Next week, you''ll be alone for an entire month. Kid, you''ve been working hard so far. But if you really want this, I need you work harder. If you break¡ªwell¡ªyou better not."

    Tai stared at the torrent of water. It seemed that Tenma brought him here to get a reality check. He had trained in combat throughout the past weeks, but was it enough to survive here? He now had a passable level of knowledge in the basic school curriculum for his age, but was that enough?

    He was proud to make it so far...but was it enough to reach the top of his generation?

    Tenma told him of the thumbling with the most potential within the kingdom. The entire high society acknowledged him as their new leader. His name was Thomas Thumb. It was said that he was an oustanding gem that outshone his peers with sheer ability.

    There may be some truth in there, but Tai didn''t buy it. If that was so, was there a need to eliminate children like him?

    "We''ll come here again tomorrow, kid. We have five days to go before the next month begins. Make it worth it."

    Tai got dressed. He didn''t know if he could be the best, but he would die trying.

    As they mounted Angela, a gruff roar sounded from within the forest. Knowing Tenma, Tai immediately brandished his dagger. Where there was chaos, Tenma always found himself in the middle of it.

    Tenma descended Angela and hopped from branch to branch and disappeared after two blinks. Tai followed, unwilling to miss out.

    He hopped from branch to branch with speed that outmatched his former self. His now toned body did not easily bruise, and he recovered quicker from injuries.

    He caught up with Tenma, who was fighting a giant, matted bear. Animals tended to look the same, but Tai could recognize that bear at a glance. It was the bear he encountered on his first day in the forest.

    Tai took a deep breath and stopped himself from running away.

    His heart thumped in his chest as ice filled his veins.

    calm down, calm down...

    He robotically analyzed this situation in full. Besides the attention-grabbing fight between Tenma and the bear, a score of thumblings, injured, were strewn across the forest floor.

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    He instinctively made his way to them with his knife in hand in case of any danger. He did not know why, but seeing these people he did not know being injured caused pain in his heart. The feeling transcended any trauma he had at the moment because of the bear.

    Expertly climbing down the tree, Tai found the first thumbling. He seemed to be around his age. The thumbling in question had his face scrunched up in pain. His two feet were broken, and the crown of his head was bleeding.

    Tai checked the first aid reserves in his sack. If he had to treat this thumbling alone, he could do something. However, there were nineteen other thumblings with similar injuries.

    Tai began to thoroughly assess the injuries. Though the scene was chilling, he''d be alive for now. He cleaned the head wound and wrapped it with a sterile cloth. He carefully and methodologically moved him from the scope of the ongoing fight.

    The thumbling gritted his teeth in pain, refusing to make a sound. Tai carried him behind the tree he descended, and rested him on a soft bed of leaves by the tree root.

    One by one, he carried the other thumblings to the same spot. Each had varying degrees of injuries, and one, was dead. He still carried the dead body to a safe spot.

    Occasionally, he heard the bear hurling slurs at Tenma to intimidate him, but that would never work with Tenma. However, it affected him even though he was not the target. It was not what the bear said, but the mere fact he could talk.

    Only animals that ate a massive amount of thumblings could develop the ability to speak.

    He tried his best to stop the bleeding of the worst injuries. Thankfully, Tenma was very skilled in the area, so he learned alot. As for the youth with broken bones, he used the wood of sturdy trees to straighten his feet and wrapped it with soft fibers.

    Tai realised that aside from the first thumbling, the others were definitely adults.

    They had an exaggerated stocky build and skin many times more thick than his and Tenma''s. Their hair was quite unkempt. What stood out to him the most, however, were the black, ziz-zag lines traced along their entire forearms. Those tatoos were the symbol of the ground village.

    The young thumbling had them too.

    Tai heard again again another roar of pain and a torrent of slurs. Tai would love to plant his dagger into the bear despite his fears, but he knew his priorities. He dutifully monitored the thumblings of the ground village.

    Thankfully, when apex predators are fighting, the other animals tended to stay clear.

    Tai knocked out the screaming thumbling. His foot was a mangled mess. It was better for him to be out cold than suffer unbearable pain. His anasteasic herb was completely spent on the other thumblings.

    As Tai passed the young, lean thumbling, he said, "If a predator finds us, we''re dead."

    Tai calmly looked into his dead eyes. They were pitch-black, and unreasonably cold. Tai smiled.

    "We''ll be alright. Animals tend to avoid those up the food chain. We''re still close to the fight."

    "Coyotes don''t care for strength," the thumbling spat.

    "They don''t come around these parts. Bears like their territory free of threats, especially sentient ones." Tai tried his best to placate him. He finally seemed to relax. His dead eyes gained a little life to them.

    Tai smiled reassuredly and continued to survey above and around himself.

    After a while, there was silence. A bloody and somewhat tired Tenma came from behind the tree.

    Tenma ruffled his hair, "Good job kid."

    Afterwards, Tenma called Angela. He sent them off in groups of two and three to somewhere safe. Tai took the oppurtunity to speak to the young thumbling waiting in queue.

    "Will I see you at the inter-village competition?" It would be good if he could get some allies.

    "I will. Who else would be the winner?" He raised his brows at him. Tai grinned brightly, accepting the veiled bet.

    "Who else?"

 Chapter 18

    Tai entered the secret hideout. The room was well-lit and airy, considering it was carved out of a large boulder. Miniscule holes dotted the ceiling. Tenma, dressed in a doctor''s coat with tools hanging, addressed the thumblings of the ground tribe one by one.

    "Kid, get ten droplets of sap from a primeva tree," Tenma laid the unconscious thumbling on the only bed in the dome-shaped building. Tai quickly left, carefully covering the entrance with the camouflage covering.

    He found the primeva tree after five minutes of searching. When he was about to stab it and extract the sap, he suddenly felt bad. He did not want to hurt the tree. He pressed his palm on the tree to gain a connection with it. Nothing happened.

    Did it not have a consciousness? He tried a few more times to no avail. The primeva tree definitely did not have a consciousness. That, however, did not mean he should stab it.

    Tai pressed his palm on the tree, and whispered, "I know that you would never want to, but could you give me some of your tree sap? I need it to save a life." Now he felt stupid. If it didn''t have a consciousness, how would it understand him?

    Against all odds, the sap of the tree oozed out of pores unseen by the naked eye. Tai quickly captured each thick white droplet with his spare cloth bottle. He whispered a thank you and ran off.

    ...

    Later that day, at sunset, Tai visited the tree. His curiosity got the best of him. After all, he just might possess the ability to command trees. He gently whispered, "grow a flower."

    Somehow, it felt right to whisper, and not shout, or even command. The tree was a friend.

    A peculiar affection rose from the depths of his heart.

    At the tip of one of its branches, a bunch of fresh green buds sprouted at a speed visible to the naked eye. They blossomed, revealing beautiful beige flowers with yellow highlights.

    At the corner of his eye, he was sure that he saw his hair glow, though it was not noticeable.

    He played around with the tree for a bit, making it blossom flowers well out of its season. After a while, he realized that the tree sucked energy from his body to make them.

    To his absolute horror, he definitely lost a little weight. That was unacceptable. He worked hard to get this fat.

    He tried his best to guide the tree to suck the energy it needed from the soil and the sun. That did not work well. Tai peered into the inner workings its structure. Hopefully, he could see what was wrong.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    A rough structure of of the tree appeared in his mind. He zoomed in on the vessels that transport the nutrients obtained from the earth. The level of nutrients in the vessel was scarce. That was a unsettling discovery, since that meant the soil did not possess enough nutrients to sustain the forest.

    But, if that was so, how was everything so lively and vibrant? Tai decided to leave that question for another day due to the setting sun.

    ...

    "Went out to train, kid?" Tenma scribbled on his notebook without looking up. All around were makeship beds that were straining under the weight of the thumblings of the ground village. It dawned on Tai that he was quite strong to carry these adult folk to safety.

    "I...was out training." Tenma didn''t know of his newfound abilities, and it would stay that way for as long as he could.

    "That''s good to hear. Keep it up," he continued to scribble on his worn-out book. Tenma probably kept him due to his unique hair, hoping to find something special about him. He didn''t trust him, no matter how much he helped him train.

    Tenma snapped his small book shut, and looked up at him. Tai didn''t know if he had a distasteful look on his face, but he tried to look neutral. "I''m not your parents," he started, "If you want to hide things from me, do it all you want, as long as you won''t betray me. We rejected ones are sensitive to betrayal."

    Tai hummed in response and laid in a vacant bed. He tried to sleep. A hard object smacked him in the face.

    "I''m giving you this book. Destroy it, and I''ll kill you." The book in question was eroding at its edges and looked like it would tear at a touch. It was around the same size as the book Tenma carried around to scribble on. However, this book had a name.

    On its cover, written in bold, golden ink, is "The Lore". He flipped through the pages. Small, bold letters in black ink were cramped unto each page. The writer made sure that the book was of the portable kind.

    This was the second book he had ever received.

    In the following days, Tai helped Tenma take care of the patients until reinforcements from the ground village arrived. During that time, Tai got to know the ground villagers and how they survived living underground.

    They were a boisterous bunch, something he didn''t get to know when he first met them. It was as if they spoke at the top of their lungs all the time, unless they were under threat.

    They also liked to boast. Like Tenma, they believed that their tribe was the best. They were expert armor and weaponry makers. Also, they created tunnels throughout the entire forest, even beneath the Thumbling kingdom. They infiltrated the kingdom many times.

    Tai and Tenma made their way home after that episode that took till nighttime. It had been a long time since he saw the forest at nighttime.

    As they flew over the pitch-black forest, Tai looked down in awe. Occasionally, the shriek of an animal could be heard, then silence.

    When they reached the massive tree they called home, Tenma went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Tai naturally went to help.

    For the rest of the week, Tai trained as best as he could. He read the last book given to him. He trained himself to read eloquently and knew more words than ever before. The past month forced him to be thoroughly aqainted to a myraid of topics required of a ruler.

    When he was not reading, he trained in combat. It was hard to see the progress he made, since Tenma had him fight a more skilled opponent each time he improved. One thing he knew for sure, was that he fell in love with the dagger. Now, it felt like a companion he could stake his life on.

    When he could, he practiced other useful skills such as cooking, wood carving, herbology, and whatever else he could do with his minimal spare time.

    He did not sleep much, but he felt more fulfilled than he ever was, especially since his stomach was never empty.

 Interlude #1 - The Lore

    This book is a collection of events I saw or heard.

    Actually, my wife forced me to write this book. I believed that folklore must be told over a bonfire in the dead of night, and never written. She, nonetheless, said that people will never know the truth if it stayed that way.

    Word of mouth changes throughout generations, and one day, the truth will be hidden.

    So, here I am.

    ____________________________________

    Chapter 1

    Once upon a time, there was a little girl that lived by a farm, with her parents. There was a beautiful pond with crystal clear water which sparkled in the sun. It was right behind the horse pastures, and the little girl hung by there everyday. One day she saw a baby goose by the pond, scared and alone.

    "Hi there, little fella!" She said, "My name is Cassie. What''s yours?"

    Squeek!

    "Oh! Your name is Goose. That''s a lovely name." She beamed at the cute animal and scooped it in her arms.

    "You have an interesting way of speaking," she said.

    The animal could not speak. Animals do not talk.

    Cassie yapped on and on with the creature. With every squeak of the goose she laughed and laughed, as if the world''s funniest joke was being told. The little goose understood nothing she said.

    Cassie was five years old.

    ~~~

    "Hey Goose! I saw this new dress the seamstress made and I just had to get us matching pairs," Cassie, now 16 years old, was a budding flower that all the young males in the town were enchanted with. However, there was one issue...

    "Oh. My. Gramcrackers. You look gorgeous!" She squealed at the now adult goose donned in an expensive ball gown. The goose, clueless, shook the oversized clothing off and scampered off to its favourite corner in the bedroom.

    "I get it, not your style. Don''t worry, we''ll find the perfect fit one day, I just know it."

    Someone knocked on her door.

    "Cominngg!" She ran to the door and swung it open. Her parents stood there, worriedly looking at her.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Ah...Cassie, the other girls in the village are having tea this evening by the river up North. Would you like to join them?" Her mother said, tentative.

    "Goose is already taking me by the pond to swim. Sorry mom," Cassie said. Cassie''s mother''s eyes turned watery as she exploded in tears.

    "Where did we go wrong, dear?" She said, mid-tears. Her husband sighed.

    "Cassie," he said, "You will soon be an adult. You''ll have to go out in the big, wide world, and even get a husband. Your mother and I are worried about your future given your....habits."

    Cassie widened her eyes.

    "Habits?"

    ~~~

    "Oh Goose! You shouldn''t have! This is the best birthday ever! I should know, I''ve had 49 birthdays already," Cassie chuckled at her own joke.

    The goose dropped a random twig stuck on its wing by her feet. She leaned forward on her rocking chair and lovingly took up the stick then wrapped it in a napkin.

    "I''ll treasure it forever. I actually had this bonnet made for you, but I didn''t know how to go about giving it. Now is as good as ever," Cassie wrapped a Victorian bonnet around the goose''s head.

    She stared at it in awe. "I think....we finally found your perfect fit."

    Bang! Bang!

    Cassie heard a violent knock coming from the front door. Slowly getting up, she walked past mounds of fabric and wooden mannequins towards the door.

    "Oh, Mrs. Hawkins, you came early. Thank goodness I finished your dress on time," Cassie said.

    "Good morning Ms. Dower, yes. I figured I would come here before I sent my children off to school," Mrs. Hawkins said.

    Cassie handed Mrs. Hawkins her dress, neatly folded and wrapped with a cloth.

    "Thank you so much Ms. Dower. I''ll give you the full payment now. It would be an insult to your skills if I am to check if there are any issues. I dare say you are the best seamstress in the world."

    "Thank you," Cassie beamed, her face blushing.

    Mrs. Hawkins left, and Cassie turned towards the goose and smiled. "It''s just you and me Goose. Who needs a husband and kids when I can have you? Did you see the bags under Mrs. Hawkin''s eyes?" Cassie laughed, her voice filling the everpresent silence of her house.

    ~~~

    Cassie coughed and wheezed, her shriveled hands grabbing the edge of her bedsheets. She laid there, unable to move. The goose was at the edge of the bed, sitting and picking its feathers.

    "Goose," her voice was hoarse,"Thank you for staying by my side all my life. You''re the bestest friend I could ever hope to have. Thank you..."

    She stared at the ceiling of her room. Her cloudy eyes dimmed by the second.

    "...Thank you."

    On the seventy-fifth year, sixth month and fifth day since meeting the little duck by the pond, Cassie drew her last breath.

    The goose stopped picking it''s feathers. Awareness grew in its eyes. It looked around, as if seeing the world for the first time. It''s body began to swell, and it exploded into a curtain of feathers.

    As the curtain of feathers fell, it revealed a naked, fair young maiden that looked to be five years old. She had snow white hair and pitch black eyes. She looked around the room with wonder.

    She eventually saw the elderly lady on the bed. Stepping towards her, her inexperienced body lost balance then fell flat on her face. She dragged her body onto the side of the bed, then gazed at the old lady.

    Recognition bloomed in her expression and, slowly, tears flowed from her eyes as she stared, unmoving, at the dead body.

    The maiden sat there for seventy five years, six months and five days. Dust coated everything, including the maiden and the now bones of Cassie.

    She got up, slowly, and dressed herself in the last dress Cassie made for her.

    It was a perfect fit.

    To complete the outfit, she donned one of the bonnets Cassie made. The human-looking creature, with dainty yet firm steps, left the compound, and never looked back.

    ____________________________________

 Chapter 19

    It was now the beginning of the month. By the end of the month, the inter-village competitions would be held. He would be training on his own until that day came.

    Tai checked his sack one more time. The wind slapped against his face as Angela glided beneath the clear blue skies. Tenma was languid as usual. It almost seemed like he did not care that he might die before he could be of any use to him.

    "We''re here." Tai looked below. He saw the usual green¡ªhowever¡ªeverything else was unusual. The green coated the area like sheet on a bed, save the rare occurence of a hole or two.

    "What is that?"

    "If I told you, that''d be cheating," Tenma was obviously enjoying his confusion.

    If he had to guess, the coat of leaves was an unreasonably large weed that managed to dominate trees. If that was so, the scene was awe-inspiring and chilling at the same time.

    Angela elegantly dove in the air towards one of the openings. Without a word from Tenma, Tai prepared himself to jump.

    As Angela paused her descent, he jumped and reached for a vine with his gloved hands. He gripped the vine and his fall was abruptly cut short, sending a tremor through his limbs. He looked below him. All he could see was darkness.

    It would be difficult to find that animal Tenma tasked him to kill before the month''s end.

    Tai swung like a monkey from vine to vine, eventually reaching at the bottom of the many layers of weed. The sunlight dimmed with each layer till it was completely consumed.

    He grabbed the nearest branch of a dead tree underneath. It snapped immediately. He slammed into the branches below, each breaking upon contact.

    Tai crashed into the ground. Sharp pain stabbed his right foot as his calf bent in places where there was no joint. He bit his lips until he tasted iron, refusing to make a sound.

    He rolled out of the spotlight caused by the opening above. With each roll, the pain multiplied and numbed his mind. But he held his composure. He could handle this level of pain.

    He laid still in the darkness, listening for any danger. The area was silent. It was as if no living creature existed for miles on end.

    Tai slowly sat up. He took a deep breath, and in one swift movement, shifted his lopsided foot in its correct position. He wrapped the foot tightly against a tiny stick that broke off while he fell.

    Tai, despite hesitating, took out a vial of glowing purple liquid. This life-saving liquid was limited; he could not afford to waste it.

    He sipped a bit and immediately stowed it away in his trusty sack. His broken foot immediately felt warm. It would take hours for his wrangled foot to heal

    He tried to stand up. The pain intensified, but he remained unfazed. Tai slowly limped farther away from the light into the pitch darkness. His only guide at the moment was the wind. Where there was wind, there was space.

    Suddenly, the wind stopped. He now had no reference of direction. He turned to see how far he was from the beam of light. It was gone.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    He...did not know what to do, but he couldn''t stay where he was. He continued on, so that hopefully he will encounter something, anything.

    He took one painful step, then another. A sharp object pressed against his stomach, and out of reflex, he took a step back. He waved his hand before himself. He felt a wall of sharp blades in front of him.

    He retreated to the direction he came from, and in less than two steps, he encountered another spiky wall. All around and above him were the same sharp blades.

    It was shortly after his discovery that he realized...the enclosure was shrinking. Tai repeatedly tried to slice the blades with his dagger. The enclosure shrunk some more. He hacked at the blades as hard as he could.

    His dagger that accompanied him for so long shattered on impact, leaving him helpless. He stashed his hilt in his sack. He traced his fingers to see if any damage was done. His trusty dagger did not leave a scratch.

    However, he suddenly resonated with the blade. Its surface felt familiar, like wood. It should be some kind of plant. Maybe, he could try and connect with it, and convince it to not kill him.

    Now, he did not have the space to move a step. He tried to press his hands between the blades, but there was not enough space. Blades pressed from above, forcing him to crouch. It moved in on all sides. He could feel multiple punctures in his skin despite his leather armor.

    The possibility of dying now felt all too real. No one was there to save him. During the last time he was alone, he would have died if Tenma did not save him. The current situation gave him a grim deja vu of his weakness.

    He was tired of being weak. He was tired of being at the mercy of others.

    He pushed his hand on the blade. It tore into his skin. He continued to push his hand until he reached its root. A somewhat flat surface presented itself.

    Now, his palm was on the plant. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, though in the absolute darkness it made no difference. The puncture wounds on his body became deeper.

    Immediately, his consciousness connected with the plant. Unsurprisingly, it possessed a consciousness. As he was to gently greet the plant, it struck at him. A blinding pain unlike anything he ever felt before assaulted his consciousness. A deep laceration on scarred his soul.

    The plant continued to attack him, and he was helpless to resist. Again, and again, it attacked with deep hatred. He could retreat back to his body, but he''d be dead if he did so. He tried to coerce the creature, to comfort it, but nothing worked.

    He was not going to die here. After he realized that plants could possess consciousness, he refrained from taking over their vessels, but now, he couldn''t care less.

    He shoved the plant''s consciousness off the ''driver''s seat'' of its body, much to its resistance. The more he tried to push it away, the harder it fought back. However, he would not back down.

    The more he fought, the more fatigued he became. He did not have much time left.

    Using all the energy he had left, he pushed himself in the ''seat'' with all his might.

    One second. He managed to take control of the plant for one second. In that second, he made a gaping hole in the plant''s trap. Afterwards, the consciousness knocked him out of the ''seat''.

    Tai immediately retreated to his body and gasped for air. He crawled out of the trap in an adrenaline-powered frenzy and did not stop. He crawled for a while, then got on his feet and limped away as quickly as he could downwind.

    He was incredibly tired and wounded. The serum he drank earlier stood strong in his body, coagulating the many puncture wounds and healing them. The downside was that his foot would not heal as quickly after this. Nevertheless, he was happy that he survived.

    ...

    Tai limped, dragging his foot across the damp forest floor. One minute turned into one hour, then a few. All he could feel was the pain.

    The mind-numbing darkness started to feel like home.

    It felt like a reflection of his life. He was chewed up and spat out at every turn. He was always on the recieving end, but what should he do? Throw himself into battle? He wasn''t Tenma.

    That was not like him. He always ran away in the face of danger he couldn''t handle. That was life. That was how one survived. Only fight when there was no other choice.

    Tai, who was battered, bruised, and in pain, turned around. He did not even know if he truly turned around. He walked for a minute, then an hour and then a few more in the direction he lost the plant creature.

    Based on his memory, he should be where he encountered that creature. The all too familiar beam of light stood afar off as a grim reminder of the suffocating darkness around.

    Black streaks of serrated vines marred his view of the beam of light. The creature was back. Every fibre of his being screamed to run away, to survive. He suppressed the thought and focused on the upcoming fight. Either himself or that abominable plant would die today.

 Chapter 20

    "I can''t believe you threw that kid into a forbidden zone! Actually, I can''t even believe that I trusted you to take care of him." The brunette rubbed her temples. Knowing her, it won''t be soon until she got a headache.

    "Calm down, he''ll be fine. The kid is too used to the good life. He can use a little tempering," Tenma took a swig of the booze the brunette had personally concocted. She nagged alot, but her booze made it all worth it.

    "Every thumbling we get is a valuable resource. That is one more chance of beating Tore at his sick game of ''chess''. What if he dies in there?"

    "The kid won''t die. Do you really think that a child who survived in this forest for days before we found him can be easily killed?"

    Tenma looked on with relish as Taylor glared at him. She''ll cool down later. If he left that kid to grow organically, he would be way behind the true cream of the crop.

    The inter-village competition would be easy as pie for him with his current level of strength. However, the kid couldn''t be just above-average. He needed to be above-best.

    Tore had his eyes on the throne for years. As soon as his only child was born, he trained him relentlessly to become the future Tom Thumb. He had to admit, the child became outstanding.

    Yep. Outstanding. He should make sure Tai knew all about politics after the inter-village competition.

    "Are you even listening to me?!" Taylor was on the verge of exploding. He couldn''t help but snicker.

    "Heard every word."

    "What I am basically saying is to be a little more gentle on Tai. He is one of our top candidates and as you know, his batch was the last to be thrown out here. We can''t afford to use the same...harsh methods to find the diamonds in the rough."

    Tenma closed his eyes and refrained from commenting. He took another swig and relished in the intoxicating burn of the liquor.

    He was the strongest village leaders, yet because of his recluse behaviour, he had the least say in major decisions. Behind his back, the village leaders used inhumane methods to filter out the best.

    It took beating most of them half to death for the cruelty to stop. By then, it was far too late. It was ironic that the same leader who was cruel to her people became gentler than himself.

    It took a cut in thumbling supply for her to change.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    "Okay." He left her lounge.

    ...

    The vine plant was impenetrable, and deceptively fast. It melded with the consuming darkness, and made no sound when it moved. Tai was calm.

    He shoved his hands in the wet dirt, flailing his fingers about. He swiftly removed them and dug into another spot. Then, a familiar stir coursed throughout his being. He found a seed.

    He rubbed his thumb on the tiny seed, hoping to take control of it. It will be easy since a mere seed would never possess a consciousness.

    Meanwhile, in the cold darkness, the chilling wind stopped. He was now in the vines'' trap. He focused on the seed, attempting to take control of it. The seed, against all odds, fought back. It exuded a hate similar to the terrifying vines that entrapped him.

    However, his mental strength dominated it. He forcibly manipulated the seed, convincing it that he was its friend. It stubbornly refused. It saw him as an enemy.

    The seed was like a pebble in a river: no matter how much it was thrashed to and fro, it would not give in.

    "Damn it."

    Out of desperation, Tai rubbed the seed on his bloodstained clothing. He remembered the greed of the bug after it tasted the power of his thumbling blood. The seed vibrated, and a faint yet crisp crack filled the silence. The seed began to grow.

    The stubborn, weak consciousness took the initiative and reached out to Tai, asking for blood.

    The unreasonably sharp blades now brushed against his newly healed skin. He was forced to crouch, much to the pain of his injured foot.

    Tai decided to play with the seed''s desperation. ''If you want more blood, be my slave. If you refuse, I''ll crush you to death,'' Tai transmitted mentally to the seed. His heart twinged in guilt at threatening a baby seed, but he steeled himself.

    The naive seed vibrated in anger for a moment, then agreed. The metaphorical gate restricting him from absolute control was opened, and he recieved free reign over the seed.

    Tai hurriedly rubbed the seed on his bloody clothing again and buried it in the earth. He took a deep breath, and commanded the plant to grow without limits. The tiny seed exploded before his face.

    Tai clung for dear life to the rapidly growing tree. They long broke free of the tiny enclosure he was trapped in. His mind was stretched so thin he could feel ''strands'' of them snapping.

    Though he instructed the plant to spread its roots as far as possible for nutrients, it still took energy from him. He could feel the little fat beneath his skin vanishing away. If things continued like this, he''d be dead.

    ''Hide me,'' he commanded.

    The tree created a pocket of space within its expanding bark. Tai limply fell in. He took a deep breath and focused on controlling the plant.

    He felt multiple vines entangle with the fresh tree, sawing it in half. Tai''s heart lurched, and he quickly commanded the tree to expand its roots to gain nutrients and repair the damage.

    The situation quickly became a game of tug-of-war. As soon as the tree repaired itself, the vine lodged its blades on it and ripped out the fibers.

    The weak consciousness of the tree scratched at him, begging him to not let it die. He gently assured it. As he assured the plant, his hair glowed, and he lost a bit more weight.

    Even calming the plant took energy.

    At the moment, the seed was growing into a tree. He couldn''t have that. It needed to become a vine to stand a chance at beating the opponent.

    Or maybe...

    He could try to transform it into a carnivorous plant? Doing that would certainly take a lot out of him. Looking at how much energy he had to spare, he would be have no energy left if he went with the plan. The plant and himself would be sitting ducks if he failed.

    Without a second of hesitation, he went with his plan.

 Chapter 21

    The thin, translucent leaves of his tree swelled, its razor-sharp edges yawning into a gaping maw, drooling with corrosive liquid.

    He pushed the tree to become more vine-like, more predatorial, all while the unknown black vines continued its barrage. But now, Tai was able to strike back.

    Tai''s plant, now very much like a tree with wobbly strings as limbs, became filled with muscular power, slipping out of the black vine''s grip with ease.

    The hungry maws clamped down on the vines, their acidic saliva eroding it. Limb after limb fell to the forest floor.

    With the newfound energy, Tai directed the plant to create more maws. They were responsible for eating the fallen limbs.

    As the auxiliary maws slurped the wriggling limbs of its enemy, Tai could almost hear the black vines scream out in pain. Of course, not physically.

    As the plant chomped down on the enemy, Tai''s muscles regenerated at a rapid pace. His body now felt warm, alive.

    Though his plant had already eaten fifty vines and was growing at a rapid pace, his opponent seemed to have an innumerable number of appendages.

    Despite the overwhelming numerical advantage, the black vines moved in a crude manner, never employing any complex tactic, and Tai used this to his advantage.

    Pressing towards his enemy, Tai spent fifteen minutes devouring one plant after the other.

    After devouring them all, Tai reached a huge stump-like cylinder. Feeling around in the darkness, his now gigantic plant encapsulated the cylinder and chomped down with relish. Bite after bite the enemy plant "screamed" in pain until there was silence.

    Tai left his plant to eat to its heart''s content as he took in a deep breath then sharply exhaled. He killed it. He killed an enemy that he should never be able to kill.

    Tai sat within the pocket space within his carnivorous vine, and relished in the thrill of victory.

    A sudden rush of energy invaded his body through his link with the plant. Tai sent a signal, expressing his confusion. After the plant''s explanation, he sent a signal of gratitude. It gave him a third of its energy to express its gratitude and allegiance to him.

    The rampant energy traveled through his body like it possessed a mind of its own, strengthening every atom of his being as it made laps through his blood vessels.

    A month later.

    Tai stood atop the massive blanket of leaves and vines that drenched the entire area beneath in darkness. His vine-plant that brought him to the surface waved goodbye and descended. His hair was a mess, and various unknown substances clung to his skin.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    His hand held his trusted dagger as if it were second nature. Though he should be safe, he scanned his surroundings continuously, his mind prepared for any danger.

    The new year would begin tomorrow, if he counted accurately. He would see Tziporah again.

    The crow of a bird screeched behind him, and without hesitation, he ducked. A torrent of wind rushed above his head, carrying the talons and ugly visage of a fiesty bird. The avian creature shifted gears and made a u-turn, diving once again in an attack.

    As the bird dove in for the kill, Tai jumped with spectacular timing, lodging his blade in the bird''s chest and ripping it out of its flesh in a clawing motion.

    Blood sprayed on his face, yet he was unfazed. He closed his eyes and continued to attack the floundering bird with precision no less than if his eyes were open.

    In one minute, he was where he stood before, nonchalantly cleaning his blade. In the distance, a white spot with wings rapidly approached.

    "Congratulations on not dying, kid!" Seeing Tenma, a wide grin involuntarily spread on his face. If it was not for Tenma''s thorough lessons, Tai would''ve died a long time ago.

    "I can''t die before I kick your ass," Tai jumped onto Angela''s back. The bird chirped in displeasure, obviously due to his dirty appearance. Tai chuckled.

    "Oh? You''ve grown balls." Tenma sounded impressed.

    Tai tactfully kept his mouth shut. Tenma wasn''t afraid to give him a beating of a lifetime. He would bide his time until he was strong enough.

    Taking in the wind as it dried the blood on his skin, he peered below at the green blanket that hid many horrors. Some of them he was fortunate to escape from, though many more died by his hands. He will come back someday to settle the score.

    Tai entered Tenma''s home. Everything looked so familiar yet so foreign. He felt like a savage that finally found civilization. He almost forgot how to use the shower.

    "Get some rest kid. Tomorrow, you will finally get to enter a village and see that friend of yours."

    The next day arrived quickly.

    Tai and Tenma sat on a low-hanging tree, waiting for the moving village. Tenma did not ask what he went through, or how his skills improved...and Tai did not tell him.

    Soon, a herd of elephants appeared from the foliage, each having a mini-town on its back. The moving village arrived.

    Tai followed Tenma''s lead and leaped onto the elephant''s head. The animal in question did not react. The followed a ''trail'' painted on its head that led up to the village''s entrance. However, there was no gate to speak of. Based on what Tenma told him, a thumbling could enter the town from any direction, except from above. They would be fined on the spot.

    Tai closely followed Tenma as they passed peddlers, shops of various kinds, inns, and much more. Eventually they passed the noisy crowds, reaching a quieter area. Tenma led him to a house that could be considered opulent compared to other buildings.

    Painted on the door was a symbol of the sky village.

    "This here kid, is the house for the girls of the sky village. You stay out here."

    Tai raised his brows at Tenma as he sauntered into the ''girls only'' club.

    Tai sat on the ground, near the door. The ground was dirtless and featured the flat gray back of the elephant.

    After ten minutes, Tenma strolled out with a beautiful girl with gentle hazel eyes. Her clear skin perfectly complemented her raven-black pixie hairstyle. Of course, the iconic scar marred the side of her face. As soon as their eye met, her eyes were filled with tears.

    Tai grinned widely and dragged her into a bear hug. They kept like that for a minute. Tziporah pulled away and immediately wiped her tears clean while donning the usual blank expression. However, her puffy eyes betrayed lingering affection.

 Chapter 22

    Despite Tziporah appearing the same, she definitely changed. Beneath her blank gaze was a silent challenge to the world, as if she wanted to dominate it. Well, he would not judge her. After all, she wasn''t the only one who changed.

    Who changed more, however, he couldn''t tell.

    Nevertheless, she was always his family. He grinned brightly as he absorbed every word she spoke. Instead of trailing behind him, she firmly held his hand and pulled him through the bustling streets.

    Tai almost forgot how attention-grabbing his hair was. Eyes trailed his every move, but he didn''t care.

    Eventually, they reached the city''s edge. There, another city was visible, atop the elephant trailing behind.

    "That city over there, is where all the other competitors are. Do you want to take a look?"

    After a moment, Tai decided against it. "I''ll pass"

    "Yeah, you''re right. Tomorrow we might have to kill some of them. No use acting friendly now."

    Tai looked at her side-profile, a bit shook. "Kill? As in....kill other thumblings?"

    ...

    Tziporah was confused. She met his wide, emerald eyes with a slight frown. Didn''t the infamous chief Tenma teach him all this? Well, it didn''t matter. She''ll explain.

    "Sure we all found shelter in the villages for the same reason, but in the end...there is only one Tom Thumb." After a slight pause, she continued, "sure I won''t kill everyone, but if they stand in my way, I''ll have no choice", she slightly chuckled.

    Tai seemed..speechless? She had never seen that look on his face before.

    Tai finally spoke, "We can compete without killing each other. This is a competition, not genocide."

    She frowned, "Tai....this is not a fairytale, or some happy bedtime story." She looked at his innocent eyes, the same ones that comforted her over two months ago, at the kingdom. She admired those eyes so much back then. Nevertheless...times have changed, and obviously Tai had not changed along with it.

    "Our lives are stories. That is who we are." Tziporah gave him an incredulous look. He fished around in a bag strapped to his waist, taking out a pocket book with the blurry title ''Folklore'' written on it. "This book...it''s very important. You should read it too."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Tziporah frowned. She grabbed the book and skimmed through its contents. Her frown deepened. "You''ve been brainwashed."

    Seeing his expression rapidly changing, she quickly said, "I haven''t seen you for ages Tai. Let''s change the subject," she pleaded. She didn''t know how to feel about this, but she knew they were family. She would change his perspective eventually.

    She quickly grabbed his hand, suppressing her feelings. She introduced everything there was to know in the mini-village, and how much better it is than the Thumbling kingdom. Tai was alot less talkative, not that he had been speaking much in the first place.

    They both changed, but she changed for the better.

    ...

    Tai waved goodbye to Tziporah who seemed more reserved after she made that remark. Though they took divergent paths while separated, he was happy to spend time with her again. It felt like a missing piece of his life was found again.

    Instead of going to the inn Tenma claimed he was staying¡ªhe didn''t believe him¡ªhe climbed a random building, laying on its flat-topped roof. He took in the passing scenery above, enjoying the gentle rocking of the elephant below.

    The elephant''s gentle rock brought an air of leisure, calming his heart. He opened the book Tenma gave him. He didn''t know when, but it became a source of comfort for him.

    ...Tziporah didn''t think the same.

    Tenma hadn''t mention anything about killing thumblings, only other animals. He will figure it out eventually.

    "Woah! You must be sick in the head like me to be up here!" A mop of orange hair and crazy smile popped into his vision, completely unwelcomed. "Call me Troy. What to they call you greenie?"

    Tai cringed at the nickname, "Tai, my name is Tai." He noted the blue parallel lines on his cheek. They were from the same village.

    "I''ve been around all the villages¡ªno other villager in training ever did that¡ª and I''ve never seen you around. What hole have you been hiding in?"

    "I''ve been with Tenma." Tai responded casually. He looked curiously at the eccentric Thumbling before him. Though ginger was a normal hair colour, his had a shocking flavour to it that mirrored his personality.

    "Woah! Chief Tenma! What''s he like? I heard that he lives with rats in a deep, dark cave, and he drinks the blood of any animal or Thumbling he defeats."

    Tai exploded in laughter after picturing Tenma living with rats. "If that''s true, then he eats other villagers?"

    "No! The guards from the kingdom! Sometimes many of them come out here. No one tells me why they''re out here, though."

    Tai doubted if guards really came out here, especially since it''s coming from the same guy who believed that Tenma lived with rats.

    "I must look like I live with rats too."

    "Uh...no."

    Tai couldn''t help but burst into laughter again. He''ll stay with this guy for a while.

    ...

    Tai returned to the rooftop after frolicking around with Troy.

    The crescent moon didn''t give much lighting, but the glow from the streets below reached the canopy of leaves above, giving the forest a warm hue.

    "I know, it''s beautiful," Tenma''s voice sounded behind him. His steps were silent, as always. "Tomorrow, you will be competing against your fellow villagers. The top five will then compete against the other villages."

    "I heard you live with rats," Tai looked at him with mirth in his eyes.

    "I do," Tenma said, giving him a pointed look. Tai bursted into laughter.

    "Anyways," Tenma continued, "Taylor, the chief of the sky village, gave me an earful because I ''brainwashed'' you." Tai immediately remembered what Tziporah said to him. He remained silent. He didn''t believe Tenma lied to him.

    Tenma laid atop the roof beside him. They stayed there for the entire night.