1 A Strange Mask

Silently weaving my way through dense trees, I effortlessly make my way through the dimly lit forest. Due to the branches above my head, the light that actually reached the floor was relatively small. But this did little to deter my pursuit. I know these forests like the back of my hand. If even so much as a single twig were out of place, I would notice.

Slowing my run down, I press one of my knees into the damp earth, cold water soaks into my pants. Moving the hair covering my ears, I gently form a cup to hear better. Closing my eyes to the outside world, I put all my effort into listening.

…

Nothing but silence greets my ears. Opening my eyes again, I scan what's visible of the forest. On my right, a small hill limits my view to just under a hundred meters. The mountain gently slopes down on my left, allowing me to see much farther, yet still unable to find a place where a person could hide.

I doubt they would be stupid enough to merely hide behind a tree, which means they're likely hiding within something, but every place I've checked has yielded no results.

Could they be moving around? But if that was the case, they would have to know where I am. Wait a minute could they have-?

Looking around the forest, I'm reminded that numerous trees have low hanging branches. I feel the muscles in my face go limp as I look to the sky. I had been so sure that they would be hiding on the ground that I didn't even think to look in the trees. They've probably been watching me run around laughing at my stupidity this whole time.

My fingers practically pierce my scalp as I run them through my hair. The slimy feeling of sweat sticks to my hand the further I go. The more I think about it, the more my anger seems to rise. Thankfully I'm alone right now if someone else were here, I'd likely go ballistic at any noise they made. Breathing deeply, I manage to regain my composure. I can't just go barreling through the forest anymore. I need a strategy if I want to find anyone. Looking down at my side, a plain leather bag hung around my shoulder rests comfortably against my hip.

I know I said I wouldn't use this, but at this point, I just don't care anymore. All that matters right now is that I find them and preserve my dignity. Standing up, I reach for the leather bag. A single piece of wood threaded with leather keeps the top for opening.

Twisting the wood allows the top flap to open up, revealing the contents of the bag. Inside is a handful of what looks like small toys made of different materials. With a little digging, I manage to pull out four dolls. Each is made of straw bound by twine, taking the shape of a dog. Although far from perfect with a little imagination, one could guess what they were supposed to be. The dolls themselves were small enough that all four easily fit in the palm of my hand.

Moving them around with my fingers, I gently toss them in the air one at a time. As soon as they leave my hand, they begin to expand. Straw flows out of the dolls like water, quickly enveloping the doll. By the time they hit the ground, they had grown to the size of a real dog.

Although they had resembled dogs when they were dolls, now that they're far bigger, the resemblance is harder to find. Sometimes I really wish I had put in more effort into making these dolls. Without any basic features, like a mouth or eyes, they just looked like monstrosities. It's like if a scarecrow just started walking around one day. It just doesn't look right! The only reason I haven't changed them is because it's pretty funny when people get scared by them.

Despite being made of straw, they still acted similarly to real dogs. They looked around doing what I think is an imitation of sniffing. One was even pretending to lick itself. Why they were doing this, I have no idea. Well, let's get this over with. While you may have managed to hide from me until now, I will allow that to last no longer!

"Search this forest high and low for any humans in it. if you find anyone, let me know immediately and make sure you don't get spotted by anyone."

The straw dogs that had been moving around doing random actions until now stood stock-still as soon as I spoke. It sure is nice to have minions that listen so intently to what I have to say. I wish people could be more like them.

"OK, go!"

With a clap of my hands, each doll shot off in a different direction. Within a few seconds, all of them were out of sight. This wasn't a problem, however, because I could see precisely what the dolls saw. If I wanted to, I could change my vision to that of one of the dolls. Although doing this would cause me to lose vision in my real body.

Trying to walk around while watching the dolls was impossible, so I decided to sit down on a nearby stump. Thankfully, the stump had been sitting in a pool of light, so it was pleasantly warm on my butt. I can't help but give myself a pat on the back. With this strategy, I would find them in no time and be able to relax at the same time. Indeed this is the life that I'm sure everyone dreams of. Maybe I should take a quick nap while I wait. Any anger I previously had dissipates as I take in the sun's warmth.

Just as the idea of taking a quick nap enters my head, one of the dolls enters my mind. It's more of like a feeling than anything else. Like when you know that someone is staring at you without even looking at them. The only reason this would happen is that the doll is letting me know it accomplished the mission I gave it.

"Haha, too easy."

A smirk spreads across my face as I realize that I've already found one person. I knew no one could stand against me, for I am all-knowing! Now let's see who it is I've found.

Switching to the doll's view, I'm greeted by a pure white mask with two dark oval eye holes. I can feel the air leave my chest as my back slams into the ground. My shirt, soaking up any moisture in the dirt. As quick as I revert back to the vision of my body.

A sharp pain pierces my upper back as I try to stand back up. Looking back at the dirt, I see a large knot in a protruding root. Massaging the sore area, I stand back up to get off the cold dirt. My breath is ragged, as my heart rate seems to keep rising with each second.

"Nrgh... What the hell was that?"

I confirm that the other three dolls are still running through the forest and rest back down on the stump. Steeling my nerves to look again, I switch my vision back to the doll. Once again, I'm greeted by the white mask. Even though I was prepared for it, I can still feel my body jump a little.

This time the masked face has been pulled back a bit from the dolls. I still couldn't make out his body, but I could see from around shoulders up. The white mask covered his entire face. The mask was completely clean, it was if the man had never worn it before now. Covering the rest of his body is a black cloak with the hood pulled up. The bottom of his mask is slightly obscured by the lip of the cloak.

If I had to guess, it was likely that the cloak covered his entire body. If it was dark out, it would likely look like the mask was floating.

"Well, what do ya think."

A young man's voice comes from behind the doll's vision. Despite my best efforts, I'm to turn my head to see the other person.

The man holding the doll drops it down into the dirt to look at the other person revealing his full frame. The cloak is draped over his body like a blanket hiding his body. The only thing visible is a pair of tanned leather boots that just barely stick out. Mud cakes the top of them and just above that what looks like fur is strapped down to his legs with leather.

"Never seen anything like it before."

"Really! You know my opinion of you just dropped a bit, thought you knew everything. Looks like the truth is finally coming out!"

"Can it!"

Compared to the man's gruff voice, his partner's voice sounds more like a kid's than a grown man. Since I couldn't actually see him, it was entirely possible that it actually was a little kid. But that isn't the important part of all this. These two still managed to easily subdue one of my straw dogs. While it's not strong by any means, they're extremely quiet and fast, making them perfect for scouting. Even if they are seen, there's no way that a human should be able to catch them. The fact that these two caught one must mean that they aren't people to look down upon.

"Come back."

Even though I know they can't possibly hear me, the words still come out as just a whisper. Within a few seconds, one of the straw dogs is standing before me. Changing back to my regular vision, I look down at the waiting straw dog.

"Guide me back to the fields, and make sure no one sees us."

With a simple command, the dog begins trotting down the path. With the straw dog being my ears, I change my hearing back to the captured doll to listen to the men.

"So, what's the plan boss man?"

"Well, we can't just leave the person who made this alone. I'm making a quick change to the plan. Go find the person who made this and bring them back here."

I nearly trip over some rocks as I hear those words. I can feel my heartbeat rising again as I listen to what they're saying. What do they want with me? Do they think I'm a threat to them, and they want to get rid of me? Questions swirl in my head as I feel like I'm going to through up.

"Question!"

The man with a childish voice speaks up in response to the statement. I listen intently, hoping to figure out why they want me.

"What?"

"If they fight back, do I have permission to kill?"

"If that happens, just incapacitate them, that should be easy enough for you."

"Incapacitate?"

"You know, knock em out and drag em back."

"Ohh... Yeah! I can do that. Incapacitate... I like that word! You sure know some fun-sounding words!"

"How long will it take you?"

"Hmm... Let's see. Give me... Five minutes!"

"Very well, I'll wait here."

"OK! See ya!"

I can't hear the sound of them talking anymore; he must have really left. I should start running. My body won't run It feels like I'm not even in control. Are my legs trying to tell me that even if I run it's pointless.

Come on, it's not fair you can run when I don't need you but the one time it matters you refuse to work.

"Haha..."

Why am I laughing?

I must really be powerless after all. Why did I have to get such a full head?

I... I don't want to die.