Tales Of Grimea Read Free

extreme, he would
lose all will and forget to breathe, sealing his fate and slipping
into sweet oblivion. That, he needed to avoid.
    The two footer decided to stop feeling for
the day. Coming down from the tree, he spent a few minutes resting
idly at its base, picking at leaves and doing nothing until he felt
better.
    The man went deeper into the forest,
cautious. A hush was coming over the area he entered, which told
him there must be a mighty predator prowling and keeping everything
away. A good hunter did not go to a place birds did not dare fly
over. In the distance he saw another two footer, who waved to him.
He waved back, then motioned that he was going back. The other gave
him an exasperated gesture.
    As he walked back, the two footer found many
low hanging fruits. The entire way, he marveled at everything he
saw. Even the slitherers, whom he normally hated, looked
resplendent in their scales that day. Perhaps it had something to
do with the feeling he’d experienced earlier, but he felt light,
better almost. A jungle’s constant chorus was often an overlooked
form of music, but on that day he treasured every whistle, cluck,
and roar. He smiled to himself that entire day.
    Soon, the two footer fell into a familiar
routine. He would wake up early, go out and feel for as long as he
could, savoring the sensations gleaned, and then go hunting. Raised
awareness became his ever-present companion, and even though he
spent a little bit longer feeling each day than the one before it,
there were never any hunting problems. He would hear and see things
that would have gone overlooked before, smell fruit and other
bounties in hidden places, and return to his cave happy each night,
sharing a little bit with the family that had helped save him. The
father, especially, took a liking to him and would teach the two
footer things about tying vines together to hold things. It was a
useful skill, he learned.
    One day, months later, the two footer
decided to take his feeling a step beyond. In his usual tree, next
to the small grey climber, he felt not only himself, but slightly
beyond. It was a jarring feeling, like expanding, but somehow he
was able to control it and not go into the painful state he’d found
himself in after being injured. He felt the branch beneath him, the
speedy climber’s wheeze, and the slow patient throb of tree. In the
tree, something felt off. Being unsure of what it was, but getting
a certain sense of direction, the hunter looked towards a specific
branch higher and to his left. He was surprised to find a piece of
fruit there, hidden from sight by a peculiar arrangement of leaves.
The fruit was rotten in its place, but taught the two footer that
it was possible to use his ability to locate food. That day he left
the tree early, saving his strength for searching. Every few
minutes he would sit and feel, probing the immediate area around
him. He only looked as far as he could run in ten strides, but the
technique proved effective. That day he found a large amount of
food, and had to leave some behind!
    As days went on, the man learned not only to
probe farther, but also discern his surroundings whilst moving.
That made it possible to hunt animals better. The first time he did
it, his skill was used against a red tailed four footer. It was
tiny and weak, but with time the two footer was able to expand and
find better prey and avoid predators, like those larger than trees
or more dangerous than even the Muahugh’ha. Feeling lighter,
knowing when and where obstacles may show up, made all the
difference. The fourth time, he was a able to run and climb, barely
touching branches with the tips of his arms and feet before
swinging off and leaping, pushing off as if he were walking
vertically on trunks. A huge tree came up, but the man was prepared
and leapt high, landing against it with most of his upper body, but
keeping his knees supple. He held there for a second, suspended by
speed, and before he could slip down