Kalon #306 Tryout Form (Please don't post)

[MotherMother]

Instructions
This is a sort of choose-your-ending story, where you will follow Kodiac on his adventure and help him make decisions! At the bottom of most posts will be two or more options, and you get to decide what happens! Just click the option you want, and it will link to a post that continues the story that way.

Beginning
He hit the ground in a swirl of dust that stung his eyes. The air was knocked right out of him and he lay in shock, unable to breathe. Slowly he reached around and pulled out a small rock from underneath him that had been jamming into his back. It took a great effort to stand up. He shook his coat and dirt showered down. He ran his fingers through his hair, groaning and rubbing his head.
He took a look around. He was on a road that cut through a forest of ancient trees towering ominously over him. He immediately got a feeling of unease as he realized he had no idea where he was. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, hoping this was all a bad dream. Nope, all real. Now he was on his next case, one that was the utmost importance to solve: how would he get home?

(Please continue to the next post)

[MotherMother]

Ahead of Kodiac lay the curved road he had been dumped onto. On either side was the wilderness. Surely if he followed the road, it would bring him back to where the crooks had captured him, outside his apartment in the city of Amsterdam. Was he still even in Amsterdam? It had been a long and reckless journey. He could be anywhere.
Another thing that got him thinking was, which direction would he walk? The obvious answer would be the way he came. But even stuffed in the burlap sack he could tell they had made a few U turns, surely to confuse him. "Well, it worked." He grumbled to himself.
He realized that his voice was the only sound around. No normal city din. No honking cars, angry drivers or annoying pigeons. Not even his loud neighbours that bothered him ever so. Now, he was begging for even them to come and save him. It felt strange standing here, in the middle of nowhere. The city's noise would feel so comforting right about now. But no, he was on his own. And the forest didn't want him.
Shadows hid whatever could be lurking, rustling bushes disguised prying eyes. Kodiac gritted his teeth. Not even the birds were singing. He was unwelcome.
If he chose neither forest nor road, he could just sit and wait at the side of the road for someone to drive by, and maybe he could hitch a ride with them, or at least ask for directions back to the city.
Well, he had a decision to make. Walk on the road, brave the forest, or sit and wait?

Walk on the road — Brave the forest — Sit and wait

[MotherMother]

Making his first decision made him feel a little better. At least he was doing something, not just sitting and waiting. If he did that, it'd take hours before anyone came down this barren road, and even then he couldn't guarantee his safety.
Kodiac took a deep breath, trying to decide which way to set off. But then, a light bulb flashed in his head! A way to know how to get home!


Of course, how had he not thought of this earlier? He looked up at the sky, squinting at the sun. Well, it was only early evening to it was hard to tell the direction the sun was going, but he made it out. He stood to face the burning star, knowing it would lead him west. The city was east, so he turned on a toe and faced the way home. Of course, east didn't perfectly line up with the road, but it was close enough for him to feel confident that if he followed the pavement he would make it back. But how long would it take? A few hours? Days? New stress pulled down on his shoulders. He began to sweat. He wasn't prepared for spending a night out here. He had nothing for shelter, fire, not a scrap of food. He doubted he would find water, and if he did he'd have no way to purify it. He took a deep breath, "Ah, no need to think about that right now. For now, and probably the next few hours, just walk." Oddly enough instructing himself aloud made him feel a bit safer, a bit more confident. One paw after the other, he kept the sun at his back and watched his shadow in front of him grow in length until it seemed as tall as the trees around him.

The long walk was uneventful. A bug scuttled across his path, and he stopped to watch it. He missed it's company when it went on it's way. A deer, perking up from his grass to stare distrustfully at Kodiac, displaying his impressive mantle of antlers. With a flick of it's tail it disappeared into the woods. Kodiac considered if he should follow it into the forest. After all, deer have to drink. That meant water was nearby, and Koda was feeling quite thirsty from all this walking. Not to mention the sun was going down, and a soft bed of grass under a tree-branch shelter sounded better than laying at the side of the road. Though, if he stayed by the road, he'd be able to hear cars coming and wouldn't miss any opportunities for a quick ride home.
Then again, maybe settling down for the night isn't such a good idea after all. It'll get cold, and he wasn't used to the wilderness. He'd always slept in a bed in his apartment, and on the rare occasion that he'd go camping, there was always plenty of food and a soft sleeping-bag to snuggle into. He groaned. He was tired. But he had to push his exhaustion aside and make the best choice for his well-being, whether that meant continuing to the city or spending the night.

Set off into the forest — Sleep at the side of the road — Keep walking

[MotherMother]

Kodiac set his teeth and stepped off the pavement, the grass so foreign compared to the concrete sidewalks he was so used to. The trees' branches looked like arms stretching out to grab him, in the same way his captors had just earlier today. He shuddered, then struggled to suppress the memory.
The air tasted sweet and the luscious foliage supported a few flowers here and there. Perhaps the forest wasn't so bad? "It's just like camping," He told himself. Well, not quite.
Kodiac picked a random direction and began weaving through the trees. Eventually he broke into a meadow, and sent birds flying from the tall grass. Huh? What were birds doing in the field? Koda took a closer look at the tall yellow grass and noticed rows of seeds at each tip. Wheat! This is where bread comes from, right? Kodiac's inexperience with the outdoors told him that yes, of course he could eat this, and it would be delicious! He picked off the seeds from a couple stalks, and expected it to be just like those pumpkin seeds or pine nuts he got from the bulk isle in the grocery store. He popped a few in his mouth, and nearly broke his teeth on the casing each seed was protect by. He spat them out, keeping one to examine closely. An outer shell of indigestible plant matter. Dang it.
Kodiac sank to his knees. He wanted to take a break, maybe chew on the seeds just to comfort him. Unfortunately, this only stimulated his stomach and set it off on a symphony of growling that wouldn't stop. So this wasn't turning out as good as he had hoped. Maybe he should have gone on the road. He still had time before the sun sank to the horizon to follow it back home.

Head back to the road — Stay in the forest

[MotherMother]

Koda didn't feel like wasting his energy on walking back to the city when surely a car would roll by sooner or later. He picked a nice spot to the side of the road, where he could lounge on the grass and slowly pick the petals off a few daisies that surrounded him. Thin white petals gathered all over his fur, and it took more than just trying to shake them off to free himself from their annoying beauty. He sneezed when one found it's way up to his nose.

Eventually the sun kissed the forest and the air grew chilly. Suddenly, he felt very uneasy. In the day time, it was easy to say he could sit by the road in wait. Now he just wondered what could be lurking. He dreaded the moments when the sun was eaten by the trees. He shivered, whether from fear or cold, he couldn't tell. Maybe this was a bad idea. He should head into the forest. But no, he'd miss any cars that drove by! Kodiac hooked his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees, looking around worriedly.

Stay at the side of the road — Head into the forest

[MotherMother]

Kodiac hadn't realized he'd dozed off until the soft purring of an oncoming engine awoke him. He sat up in a daze, panicked for he did not recognize where he was, and then recalled the day's events. Calmed, he looked at the two bright headlights approaching. Hope welled inside him, until he realized it was going the wrong way. He couldn't hitch a ride, but perhaps he could ask for directions.
Though the sun was down, the forest was blanketed in a hushed blue glow that made the earth be visible for the time being. It was that sweet spot between night and day that would allow him to be seen.
Standing up, he stood at the edge of the road, waving his arms. The headlights slowed and the sleek metal body of a silver car slid up to him. The driver, wide-eyed and on edge, did not roll down his window. Koda didn't blame him. A stranger on the side of the road in a forest at nightfall looked very suspicious.
Kodiac walked up the window and smiled, trying to relax the driver. Still the window was not rolled down. "Directions?" He said, pronouncing it well so that even if he wasn't heard, his lips could be read. The driver shook his head, unwilling to converse with him. He slowly began to drive away, when Kodiac dropped to his knees and interlaced his fingers, begging the man. Kodiac couldn't miss his chance, this could be the only driver on the road for hours!
Seeing him on his knees made him seem vulnerable and unable to attack. The driver opened his window only a sliver, so his voice could be heard. "Where do you need to go?" He said in a low voice, trying to hide his unease. But Kodiac's trained ears knew how to detect nervousness and could hear it in his voice. "Amsterdam," He said. The driver pointed a thumb back the way he came. Kodiac nodded a thank-you, and the driver took a last glance at him before continuing on his way.
Kodiac rose to his feet. East is where his city lay, and the driver confirmed any ideas of where that was.
Kodiac sleepily returned to his spot, the grass matted down from where he lay. No point walking right now, at this hour. He closed his eyes and drifted into dreamland.

Kodiac slept fitfully. The ground that felt comfy last night felt like a bed of nails when he woke up. Twigs stabbed his back, lumps of earth made him sore. It was hard to stand up and stretch, and he winced at the surprising pain.
Waiting hadn't done him much good. All he knew was the way to the city. Actually, that's not that bad. At least he knew which way to walk. Kodiac didn't think waiting was a good idea anymore. If he walked along the road, he could actually be making progress, and still wouldn't miss any cars that go by! It sounded like a good deal to him.
But then his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. His mouth watered just thinking about the bacon and eggs that sizzled on the skillet, the crackles and pops as droplets of oil bounced from the pan. "That's not helping," he told his brain and pushed the images away. He wouldn't find his regular breakfast in the forest, but maybe he'd find something. He contemplated his options.

Continue walking on the road — Go into the forest

[MotherMother]

He had to keep walking. The night was too daunting for him to let his guard down. Prying eyes would not watch him, nothing would sneak up onto him if he only kept going.
Disappointingly, Kodiac did not find comfort in continuing his journey. He had thought that staying awake and alert would give him a feeling of security, but it only made him more wary of the rustling shadows around him. He grew tense, and fidgeted with his paws. Fidgeting progressed to gnawing his nails in nervousness, a habit he thought he had broken long since elementary school. Guess not. He glancing around, painfully ashamed of his level of fear. He had gone into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous alleys of the city and had never felt like this. Never felt the creeping unease of feeling so secluded and alone but at the same time being watched...
His nerves got the best of him and he sprinted down the road, fleeing his fears, imagining all sorts of demons flying after him. But where would he go? There was nothing but more forest and more road ahead of him. Exhausted both mentally and physically, he slumped down at the side of the road, tears blurring his vision. He was a little schoolboy, all alone and no one to comfort him. He just wanted to go home.

Continue

[MotherMother]

Koda turned and faced the direction he assumed he came from, and began his journey back to the road. He was angry at himself for wasting time and energy, "I should never have gone into the forest in the first place," he grumbled. What was a city kalon like him thinking? That he could just waltz into the forest and expect a buffet? His fists were clenched and his heart was pounding with anger. He was so upset with himself. At least that distracted him from the long walk back to the road.

The sky told him it was late by the time he got to the road. It was as long and empty as he'd remembered, which was not a comforting thing. He sat by the side of it and gathered his thoughts. His legs were tired. His eyelids felt like bricks. His mouth stretched in a yawn. If only he were back in his apartment, on his soft bed and burrowed into his blankets. A pillow sounded better than a million bucks right now, as he lay his head down on the grass.

Continue

[MotherMother]

It was a difficult decision, but he had to rely on his mind and not his stomach. Staying by the road meant a way to the city. He dare not think about the food that waited for him, for he feared he would flee into the forest and eat anything he could find.
The sun beat down on him and made him sweat. His feet were sore. He had a crick in his neck. The city was sounding better and better as he recalled all his happy privileges. He would choose the noisy cars over the birdsong he was listening to as he walked down the road. He'd prefer the hum of a car over the purr of a kitty cat. Yes, the soft, rolling purr of an engine keeping the car warm. He could almost hear it. Wait, he could hear it! He looked over his shoulder to see a car coming his way, traveling the same way he was traveling. It slowed to a stop next to him and a kalon leaned out the window. "Where you headed?" She asked, before he could even speak. "Amsterdam," he said, coming closer. "Well, you're in luck" she said, and a grin popped on his face. "Because you're already in it." She finished. "Oh," he said and blushed, "uh, thanks."
The driver then said, "But if you're looking for a way into the heart of the city, I know how to get you there." Koda perked up again. The driver stuck her paw out the window and pointed forwards. "That way," and gave him a sly grin. "All right, all right, enough teasing. Hop in," she invited, unlocking the door.

Get in the car — Too risky, just walk

[MotherMother]

After a moment's hesitation, Kodiac decided this kalon was too friendly to be harmful, and sat in the passenger seat. When he shut the door, she started driving. "So what's your name, drifter?" She asked, glancing at him for only a moment before returning her eyes to the road. "Kodiac," he said softly, almost surprised at her openness. "That's funny, you look more like a Jeremy to me," she laughed.
"And you?" He asked, "Sarah?"
She laughed again, so bubbly and genuine. "Ah, that doesn't matter." She grinned.
After a moment of thought, he asked, "Don't you know you shouldn't talk to strangers?"
"You're not a stranger, you're Kodiac. I know your name. Now I know you."
A chuckle slipped through his lips. "Whatever you say."
Kodiac's eyes trailed out the window, and he sighed. The mysterious kalon asked, "What were you doing out in the woods with no supplies? You're the worst camper I've ever seen."
Kodiac smiled softly. "It's a bit more complicated than that,"
"Well, it's a long drive back to town. Care to tell me?"
Kodiac thought about this. He couldn't tell this kalon who he just met what happened, could he? That he was thrown into the middle of nowhere by two spiteful criminals who have countless reasons to hate him? How failing to get rid of him meant that this new acquaintance of his could be in danger just for picking him up and ruining their plans? Surely she'd throw him out immediately to save herself. He would probably do the same.

Tell her who he is — Lie












































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