“Well, I think we should slow things down. I thought that that one would have been an easy start, but it still went a bit wrong,” Tex began.
“A bit? I DON'T HAVE ARMS! I would call that catastrophically wrong!” You exclaim.
“You're still speaking aren't you? Still moving? Catastrophically bad is you end up as a puddle of latex that no longer even has the mental capacity to question where it all went so wrong, and there's a whole spectrum in between. This was bad, but it could have been a lot worse. That's why I think we may need to reconsider our options, or at least retreat to a safer location for now. We can't afford to be caught out by someone or something much meaner than Mr. Lizard back there. You know the lay of the land much better than I do. Any ideas?”
You think for a moment before replying, “Well, this forest borders and runs through part of the city where I live. We're only a couple miles from my apartment. What's more, I didn't see any living latex things until I got near here. If I'm keeping up correctly, it sounds like you guys are all just waking up or appearing, and we're currently at ground zero. If we can make it home, I'd assume we would be a lot more secure indoors. Even just being in the lit streets would help.”
“There's a settlement nearby? With fixed structures?” Tex asks, apparently somewhat confused by what you've just said. “It's definitely a starting point. But you assume correctly, what you've seen so far is just the tip of the vanguard. Those of us slumbering closest to the surface have begun to stir and emerge first, but many more of all castes and natures will follow, each eager to engage in the Period of the Feast. Any collections of humans near an emergence site will be a fast target and won't be safe for long.”
In agreement, you both carefully make your way back towards the trail while you think over what Tex just told you. After a few minutes of slowly trudging through the darkness and underbrush, you see the light of the footpath. You and Tex agree that you would be too exposed to walk along the path proper. Instead, you elect to stay within the cover of shadows and thick plant life, just close enough to use the light of the path as a guide.
Movement would be difficult enough from the darkness alone, but without your arms to help, you often have to awkwardly duck and contort around branches and shrubs that block your path or otherwise walk straight through them. You try a few times to use your trunk to help you navigate through the thicket, but after finding out the hard way that a plant possessed thorns beneath its leaves, you deemed the appendage too sensitive for the task. At one point, your foot catches a root, tripping you. Without the ability to catch yourself, you land hard on your side, knocking the breath out of you and leaving you bruised.
The pair of you move cautiously, trying not to make any excess noise. You often stop to listen for potential threats hidden in the distance, finding that your new ears are much more sensitive than you first realized. Oftentimes the noise of an animal or the plodding of footsteps forces you to wait or temporarily divert away from the path. Your progress is painfully slow, but you remain unaccosted.
You frequently hear the distant clamor of animals that you know aren't native to this area. Sometimes you hear noises that don't even sound like they could be produced by any animals with which you're familiar. Other times the cries are distinctly human, giving you shivers.
Eventually, the trees begin to thin, and you soon emerge onto pavement just down the road from where you entered the forest path. Tex looks at the sparse buildings and lots before her in amazement.
“Human, what... What is this?” she says as she takes in the dim street corner.
“It's a street? We're on the outskirts of the city where I live. My place isn't too far from here, maybe a fifteen minute walk?” you answer, examining her as you begin walking up the sidewalk along the quiet road. She flutters along beside you, occasionally darting back and forth to get better looks at her surroundings.
“I've woken up in this area many times in the past, and the only humans that were ever around were scant farmers or nomadic shepherds. I can see even bigger things off in the distance, and they're lit strangely. I've never seen anything like this before, and trust me, I'm a lot older than you'd believe. I wonder if the cycles are lengthening... How many humans are here? Hundreds? Thousands?”
“Uh, I'm not sure of the exact figure, but a few hundred thousand I think.”
She immediately shoots up to look you in the eye, inches from your face.
“HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS?! Are you sure? I...” She stops and regains her composure, frowning in thought as she continues. “Well, if that's how it is, then I'll have to accept it. This could be good or bad. Luckily, laying low will likely be more successful than I first assumed. But this area will change quickly. It isn't often that we could go through a whole Feast without even leaving the Origin... Well, it doesn't do any good right now to think too hard about how things might shake out. Let's just get to our destination. We can discuss it later.”
-----
It's still a few hours before dawn as you make your way back home. The streets are mostly empty besides the occasional car, which you have to explain to Tex, along with the streetlamps and other aspects of modernity. You try to keep your head lowered and hold your trunk as close to yourself as you can in order to keep your silhouette as inconspicuous as possible, though you can't do much for the ears. You get a few startled glances from passerby, but they all quickly continue on, ignoring it similarly to your own reaction a few hours ago.
You pass the spot where you first saw the latex wolf attack the man. There's no trace of the puddles that they left behind. You hope that that's a good thing, but you doubt it. You still listen for signs of any threats, but it's harder with the increased road noise and the intermittent barks of dogs or yowling of cats.
After continuing your trek a bit further...