Up is Down || Tuah & Maya
âYou told me that itâs a feral dog!â Tuah whispered loudly, alternating between glaring at the other and peering behind the blackened tree trunk of the Old Growth Forest. Well, a version of the forest at least. Ash-like spores floated in the air and thick fog surrounded them causing low visibility even with his supernatural ability. His ears perked up, straining himself to hear the faint growl that came from the creature that came after them, echoing through the forest making it hard to pinpoint where exactly the beast was.
âI thought it was a feral dog. It sure acts like one,â a weirdly modulated voice answered him, and his attention went towards the doppelganger next to him, its yellow eyes with slitted pupils looking at him blankly (were doppelgangers able to express emotions like humans did? Tuah wasnât so sure). Then he heard rather than saw the doppelganger talk, âsorry babe.â
âFeral dogs donât have their faces open up like flower and reveal nothing but fucking teeth, serrah!â It was quite a feat to have Tuah cursed our loud, having undergone a lot of stress trying to get away from the beast as far as possible. But no matter how fast or how far theyâd run, the beast managed to get onto their tail, creating a chase of cat and mouse between them â Tuah and the doppelganger being the mice, in this scenario. âAnd we talked about this. Do not call me babe.â The doppelganger looked away, its long skinny arms wrapped around its folded legs a little tighter. âItâs Tuah. Now letâs just find a way back before it gets to us, alright.â
The doppelganger nodded its head, still looking away from Tuah. He heaved a sigh, running his fingers through his short hair. He had recognized the doppelganger immediately when they bumped into each other, with it having an almost earthy, clay-like smell that he recognized from his first encounter with it. Tuah didnât immediately knew that it was the same doppelganger, of course, having disguised itself under a different face altogether. The only dead giveaway was when the doppelganger referred to him as âbabeâ, and proceeded to remind him of who (what?) it was. It was upon Tuahâs insistence that the doppelganger reverted itself back to its original form.
As for the reason for them to be this version of the Old Growth Forest⌠well. Tuah blamed it all on his own curiosity, having pointed the direction of thick viscous trail on the forest ground by the doppelganger which lead him to an ashy coloured tree with visceral-like membrane resembling sticky spider webs covering the opening at the bottom of its trunk. When Tuah touched the surface, it glowed before tearing away in a manner similar that of the flesh. As he pulled his hand away, long fingers held him fast and pulled him into the tree, causing him to stumble into this version of the forest. It was then that he first met the creature, with its saliva dripping onto his face as it snarled loudly. If it wasnât for the doppelgangerâs help, he wouldnât be alive right now.
âCome on. There has to be another⌠portal that we can get through.â Tuah slowly got up, having made sure that it was safe for them to come out of their hiding before making his move. âPerhaps there are several gates opened at one time, making it easier for it to travel in and out of this place.â The one that they had entered had closed behind them, and Tuah wasnât able to find a way to get them opened, not when the creature was hot on their tail, so to speak.
âMaybe the portal where the witch came through still opens,â The doppelganger commented, which prompted another glare from Tuah. âWhat? I thought she could handle it. She has magic, you know.â
âYou ââ Tuah clenched his jaw and curled his fist, entertaining the idea of simply beating the doppelganger to a pulp for having brought in another innocent person into this mess. He forced himself to take a deep breath and exhaled loudly, unfurling his fist and unclenching his jaw. âWhere did you last see this witch?â
âAt the town centre. This worldâs town centre, that is.â Despite the doppelganger towering over him, his body language showed that he was timid. At least, that was what Tuah interpreted anyway. âRight.â Tuah took another deep breath. âLetâs go there, hm. Gods I hope sheâs alright.â And they started to move towards The Crowne, hoping that this witch was still alive.