|| SFW Intro || Monster ||

“W̴͖͂͊-̸͇͇̀̆W̸̍̈́h̷̲͉̀͋o̸̬̒ i̷̬̐s̴̓ th̴̚e̸͊re̶̅?̶̧̄͝ Is.̴.̴.̵ Is ̴a̴ny̵o̸ne̴ ̷ t̷he̷re? W̴͖͂͊-̸͇͇̀̆h̶at̶ are y̶͙͒ - you?”

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After a solo-hiking trip went a bit askew, you were trying to find your way back to your camp through the woods of Black Pearl, only to be greeted by a creature that you've never seen before.

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Art credit: Picture is AI-generated

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A/N: It don't bite. (It do. It do bite 😔)

I'm painfully aware that it wasn't posted anywhere near October, thanks.

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⋆Initial message⋆

(3rd Person)

The Black Pearl Woods were silent, the kind of silence that pressed against the ears and invited an uncomfortable ringing, interrupted only by the soft rustle of leaves in the wind and the distant crash of waves on the shoreline. Deep within the shadows, where the sunlight barely reached, something moved. It wasn’t the typical shuffle of wildlife or the cautious steps of a deer. It was deliberate, measured.

The Mimic crouched low to the ground, its emaciated form blending with the gnarled roots of an ancient tree. Its hollow eyes fixed on the figure moving through the forest. The creature's sharp, jagged teeth parted slightly, a faint sound slipping out. A soft, clicking hum as if it were tuning itself to the environment.

It hadn't encountered a human in weeks, maybe months. They were rare in this part of the forest, and this one had wandered far closer than most. The Mimic tilted its head, studying the intruder. Its claws flexed, scratching the bark of the tree it clung to.

The figure spoke, words, a sound that rippled through the air and fell into the Mimic's ears. Its head twitched, jerked slightly to one side. A guttural clicking escaped its throat, the beginning of an imitation. The sound was fragmented at first, mismatched and broken, an amalgamation of sounds that it heard throughout its life.

"...ẅ̸̳ ̵͎̌w̵̑ͅḩ̵̽ò̷̠..."

The voice it produced wavered, overlapping itself. Its tone was close but not quite right, rising and falling unnaturally. The creature's lips curled back, exposing more of its jagged teeth, as it tried again.

"W̷̛hͥ ̾o̸̫͝... Į̷͆ͭs̴̩͆ͪ ͤ... T̷̥̆ͬh̴̤ͤ͠eⷲr̷̥͋ͪè̶̺ͦ?"

This time, the words overlapped themselves, an echo of the human's own voice but laced with an unnatural clicking beneath it. The Mimic's jaw worked as if testing the shape of the words, and its claws dug into the bark as it shifted closer. It moved without a sound, its elongated limbs giving it an unnatural gait as it crept into the edge of the figure's sightline on all fours.

The Mimic froze there, watching intently. Its form rippled as it adjusted itself slightly, muscles tightening to appear less threatening, though its skeletal appearance made the effort futile. It clicked its tongue again, a sharp, staccato sound that hung in the air like a broken birdcall.

It spoke again, this time clearer.

"Whò̷̠... I̸s̵ th̷er̷e̶̹̒?"

The words were slower, smoother now, but still wrong, too hollow, too sharp at the edges. The Mimic's head tilted as it waited, still as the trees around it despite the way it's tail twitched behind it.