Clockwork

Sullivan walked happily out of some bushes after handling business, he whistled a merry tune to him self as he went back to their campsite and began to build a campfire to cook any fish he might've caught. After setting up a usable campfire and clearing the leaves and grass from around it leaving only dirt, he set out to gather some logs. He collected logs that were dry and slightly thick, after gathering about five logs he collected them up in his arms, and brought them back to camp. Using a handheld axe that he kept is his sac he got to work on the logs, only cutting two creating a slight seat in them and leaving the other three to be used for the fire. After finishing this he rested for a bit simply laying down in the grass, his body still ached and he was still quite fatigued and hungry. After a while he got bored of waiting, deciding that it'd be better to go and gather some food. He went and checked on his trap that he had set in the stream.

Upon arriving at the stream he found that he had already caught a few fish that were swimming down stream. He carefully plucked fish out of the water using both his hands and carrying them a ways away, he then got out the dagger he had borrowed from his sleeping partner and used it to bonk the three fish, he had decided he wanted to eat now, on the head. After they were swimming their way to fish heaven he brought them back to the camp site and set them down beside one of the logs he had carved into a seat. He slit open the stomach and proceeded to cut off the head, then by pulling the head out he brought the guts along with it. He poured water from a water skin he had, over the body of the fish, using his thumb to scoop out what was left inside. He grabbed the heads and carried them far away so that the animals in the forest wouldn't decide that they fancied eating his leftovers.

He impaled the fish with some long sticks and set them down, using a piece of flint and the dagger, he struck the flint getting enough sparks to catch a bit of leaves on fire. He set it in between the sticks he had set up in the fire place and blew on it till the fire grew sufficiently enough that he could add the logs. He waited till the fire became a low simmer and then set the fish over it allowing the smoke to catch it.

"You've got some for me too, right?" A voice said from behind him.

Lester stared at the large clock in front of him slightly nervous but more determined to find out why he had been called back to this place. It had already been revealed to him that his kitsune element was that of time, still he wasn't sure how this place related to it at all. The short hand had moved to twelve but the long hand had stayed the same. He walked into the clock once again, however this time inside was a large amount of gears. On the walls and roof, but the gears on the floor were the ones the concerned him the most. They were the size of a small living room and rotated while not at an insanely fast pace, fast enough to make Lester think twice about stepping on them. He saw in the middle of the room was a gear that did not spin and on it stood a person that looked oddly similar to himself.

"Are you going to admire me all day, or come to me?" The person said. He didn't know why, but he felt as if he had to go to them. So he jumped onto the first gear in front of him, aside from this one there were maybe four more till he reached the person. It spun him round and round slightly dizzying him. He made a dash as the gear spun, timing it so that he landed on the next gear after it had made its rotation. He rolled across the second gear, pushing his hands down on it to stop himself from continuing to slide about.

He forced himself to his feet and made a second dash of power landing on the next gear, however his head was getting cloudy now and he began to feel as though he might throw up. there were only two gears left, still he wasn't sure how much more he could take. He crouched low on the gear waiting for a few second as he let it spin, he simply timed it as it continued to spin him round and round. Finally he dashed jumping from one gear to the next, but he didn't stop. He kept running across the last gear and leaped off of it too, tumbling on the middle gear that he had finally reached. He lied on the ground for a few minutes allowing himself a rest.

"Well, are you just going to lay there all day?" The person said. As he stood to his feet he could see that it was an exact replica of himself.

"We've met before, I am as you know it, time. Impressively enough, that little burst you did a while back when you froze time allowed you to complete your first small hand rotation." He said with a voice that was deep and rich, even though it had his face, it was clearly not him.

"And that means what exactly?" Lester asked still feeling funny about talking to something that looked like him.

"It means that since you've reached me now, you can upgrade your powers a little bit. After your large hand makes a full rotation, you'll be able to get your next tail, in other words you'll get more powerful." Time said to him sitting down on the single wooden chair that sat in the middle of the gear. He wore a green coat with a white shirt underneath, Like Lester had brown hair, tan skin, and emerald green eyes.

"Well if you understand, you've just cleared your first trial so its about time you claim your little power up and go on your way." Time said reaching out his hand. This felt familiar to Lester as he reached out and grabbed the hand. Everything went black, and as he opened his eyes he found himself right by the river he had fallen asleep at He sat up looking around.

"I'm, back here?"