Trojian Horse
Chapter 25

The first thing Roue became aware of was the sensation of moving. The next thing he became aware of was the smell. A strong whiff of wet fur invaded his nostrils and jolted his brain awake. Next followed by the smell of wet earth, leaves, fragrances from the many flowering plants in combination with thousand of other aromas. He was out of the cave, being carried over his captor’s shoulder although he had no idea where they were going and especially why he was dead. Maybe this was all an illusion, maybe this is what it was like being dead and he was headed for his final resting place or final punishment for a life full of bad choices. Patches of light penetrated the darkness from above, illuminating a pathway beneath the dark forest canopy.

All around them were trees, mostly tall ones, with patches of smaller shrubs, bushes, vines all scrambling for that little bit of sunlight that managed to break through the canopy. Flowering vines crept up the trunks of the trees reaching up for that desirable sunlight. As they walked on the cracks in the canopy became larger and larger as the thick concentration of trees seemed to dissipate into a sparse forest with large blades of grass replacing the towering trees allowing him to see much farther. It was a breath-takingly beautiful place with green rolling hills with a hint of blue, and a backdrop of a colossal mountains coupled with distant mountain ranges. The plants and the animals were much larger than anything on any planet he had seen before while he had been alive and they all seemed to keep away from them no matter how intimidating the creatures looked. He was still slung over the shoulder of the furry beast and though they had been walking for hours it all felt rather comfortable. A fog started settling around them as they walked across what he looked like a bog blocking out much of the sunlight which forced on him the realisation that he was breathing freely without his helmet. This only confirmed his existence in another plane besides that of the living. His hands were tied together though his legs were free. That was odd considering he couldn’t go back to being alive again so he couldn’t really go anywhere. He shrugged it off as one of those things that probably happened in this place. Having never been dead before he wasn’t an authority about death protocols on ‘the other side’. Perhaps they reserved this kind of treatment of individuals destined for punishment, so there was no confusion as to where you were headed. Leaves rustled in the gentle breeze, and birds fluttered in the nearby trees. Visibility was very poor in the fog but the breeze ensured that in an a short while the fog had cleared and they were once again walking in the sunshine. They were once again walking into a forest with the trees getting closer and closer together until they were once again walking beneath a canopy. The whole forest was awash with the crowing, cooing, tweeting, and barking. He was curious as to where exactly they were going so he thought he would ask.

“Eh, where are we going?” he asked slurring his words. His voice sounded peculiar to him.

There was no reply except the squeezing of a strong arm which was placed on the small of his back to keep him in place on the shoulder. The beast was very large with broad shoulders, walked on two very broad feet and was covered in thick white fur. It seemed to glide over the terrain which meant minimal jarring for Roue perched on its shoulder. If this had been a planet he would have found it hard to believe that life could thrive on a planet which was surrounded by so many suns and not be pulverized by radiation. He pondered the mystery that was life in the universe, considered how one atmosphere could be toxic to one type of lifeform and yet be critical to the survival of another. Life was by no means bound by the rules of logic. It was so plentiful and varied that practically anything could grow in even the most inhospitable environments, one just had to look hard enough. That existence was something he would never be a part of again. This was his existence. He wondered if he would catch a glimpse of Hethios and the other Vulpeculae here, perhaps be given the chance to catch up on some conversation before being shipped off to some obscure fire pit where he would be punished for all eternity.

He started feeling a little drowsy and decided that he would close his eyes for a moment and rest. Soon he drifted off to sleep and once again found himself on board the Rogue, hurtling through the vast emptiness of space with just Iris for company.