Lost and Found

'Why does my head hurt so much?' I thought, placing my hand on the soft, moist grass. I tried opening my eyes, but the blinding sunlight forced them shut for a few more seconds.

Despite the pounding headache, I managed to pick myself up and look around. It was... a clearing in a forest? How could I be here? What happened to the storm we were in just a few seconds ago? Besides, is there even a forest on the way home? I had no answers.

All I knew was that I had been on the bus with my school football team, heading home from an away game. We were caught in a huge blizzard and then... my memory was hazy.

Looking around again, I noticed that the spot where I was lying was the only place in the clearing where the grass was moist. The sun was directly overhead, probably around noon, so it made no sense for the grass to be that wet.

I pushed the thought aside; my headache was still intense, and I just wanted to go home. I had no way to orient myself. My bag, which had my phone and everything else, was missing. With no other options, I decided to climb a tree to get a better view of my surroundings.

The tree next to me was tall and sturdy, with branches that were easy to climb. It was taller than the others around it, which meant I'd have a good view of the horizon. I managed to climb it without any complications, but when I reached the top, my heart sank.

'What the fuck! Where am I? This forest can't be here! Where's the highway? Where's the bus? Where is everyone?' The shock almost made me lose my grip, but I managed to hold on.

I stayed at the top, surveying the scene. The forest stretched endlessly in front of me. There was a lake somewhere in the distance, and behind me, mountains loomed on the horizon, reminiscent of the European Alps. To my right, I thought I could see the ocean, and to my left, more trees and forest.

I stayed there for a while, trying to get my bearings. Besides the mountains, there was nothing to use as a reference point. Once I decided to climb down, I heard footsteps approaching and the sound of heavy breathing. Halfway down, I paused to listen. It sounded like an animal.

Afraid it might be a wolf or a mountain lion, I stayed where I was and scanned the area. As it got closer, I saw something bizarre. 'What the hell is that? A boar? How is it so big, and what are those horns?'

A boar, but not just any boar. It was about a meter high, with a brown coat and four horns—two on each side of its head.

'This is scary. What even is that?' I was glad I stayed in the tree. The boar had an arrow sticking out of its side, bleeding heavily and clearly exhausted.

Then, in a blink, another arrow struck its head, and the boar collapsed right on the moist patch of grass where I had woken up.

Voices called out in the distance, "I got it! Let's bring it back to the group; we've got boar meat tonight!" The relief washed over me. Those voices were my ticket back home.

"Hey! I'm up here! I need help!" I shouted, scrambling down the tree as fast as I could, desperate to get out of there.

As I descended from the tree, the massive boar lay right in front of me. The smell of blood in the air, combined with my headache, made me feel a bit nauseous, but it was manageable. From behind the boar, I saw three people walking into the clearing, and I immediately put my hands up.

One had a bow pointed at me, while the other two held swords. "Who are you?" the one with the bow demanded. I was too stunned to speak. I had never seen real swords before, and their clothing looked like something out of a medieval fair.

"I said, who are you! Answer before I release this arrow," the man repeated.

"WAIT, DON'T SHOOT!" I shouted. "My name is Arthur, Arthur Everest. I'm just lost. I was on a bus going home, and we were caught in a storm. I think I got lost in this forest. I don't know where I am," I responded, hoping they would stop being suspicious and help me find my way home.

"What is a bus?" the one holding a sword asked his friend, who shook his head. 'What? How do they not know what a bus is?' I wondered.

"Where are you from, Arthur?" the one with the bow asked again. He seemed to be the leader; the other two didn't speak much.

"I'm from Stainmore," I answered, feeling a knot of unease in my stomach. This was not what I was expecting.

"I don't know where that is," he replied. "But you're probably a long way from home. The only city near here is Greenhaven. We're heading to the duke's castle with new recruits for the army. You're welcome to come with us."

'A duke? Army? Nothing was making sense. Where was I? Who were these people? Why were they dressed like medieval soldiers?' I thought, feeling increasingly scared and disoriented.

"I don't really remember how I got lost. I think I hit my head or something. Can you tell me where we are?" I asked. The two with swords were already tying the boar's legs to a log for carrying.

"Well, you must have hit your head pretty hard. Your team probably thought you were dead and left you here. You're in Duke Fethering's province. His castle is just almost a day's trip from here. The nearest town is Greenhaven, where we're going to," the leader explained, preparing to move out.

I was at a loss for what to do. What was happening?

"Well, are you coming or not?" he asked.

Without thinking, my legs moved, and I found myself walking behind three men in leather armor carrying a giant, horned boar.

If I wanted to live long enough to figure out what was happening, this was my best chance to survive.