Guardians by Design - Land

Speaking with the Dead

Drifting just above the ground, Ermun lazily pushed his body left and right, avoiding rocks and trees that stood too tall to glide over. Upon arrival in the land of yellow rocks, he would find somewhere higher in altitude to hide his physical body. There, he would comfortably suspend himself, allowing enough time for the Guardians to catch up. It had already been hours since his last nap, after all, and his eyes were growing weary.

Before him, a mighty chasm had split the land in two, representing one of the many entrances to the land of grandeur. The wind he rode was being sucked straight into the V-shaped crevasse. Lazily allowing his body to be pulled into the canyon, he leaned hard to his left to catch a gust that traveled vertically up the cliff face. Jagged rocks whizzed mere inches from his face and extremities that hung loosely in the breeze.

Losing force at the top of the ridgeline, the wind gently dropped Ermun near a suitable tree to hang from for a rest. “Pine! One of my favorites…” he said gleefully before digging his claws into dense bark. Reaching the lowest branch that would support his weight, he suspended himself upside down to drift off into a slumber.

Ermun’s eyes rolled back under closed lids as he was separated from his physical body. Upon drifting back down to the soil he had climbed from, his eyes shot open, exposed to a different world. The ground beneath his feet hosted a multitude of new species of flora. Many that had not existed in this region in thousands of years… some millions. The ridgeline where he had chosen to sleep was densely covered in ferns, mosses, shrubbery, and various species of trees – all varying greatly in height and size.

Just as a usual precaution, Ermun turned his head to check on the body he had left behind; ensuring it was still there, hanging upside down. The tree in which he had left it, however, was not. His claws clung to nothing, suspending his physical body in mid-air.

Though the plants around him were still identifiable, they were… different. Each species varied in opaqueness, as if rated on a scale. Species that still existed in the physical world were only slightly translucent, and surrounded in a lightly glowing aura. Endangered species were slightly more see-through. Those that were now extinct in the physical world were nearly completely transparent here, yet all plants were outlined in the same aura. Flora that still lived in the present on the physical world were not visible at all on this plane.

Ermun stepped to the edge of the ridgeline to find the valley before him in a similar state. A plethora of lost plant species blanketed the land, replacing the brown, nearly barren ground. Trees overlapped shrubs which overlapped ferns which overlapped flowers which overlapped grasses. The plants were so close together it seemed they were growing out of each other! Looking far enough towards the horizon made the flora indistinguishable from one another, blending into an amorphous glowing hue of greenish-white.

Each glowing aura that existed on this plane, the Species Coppice, represented a plant that had once existed in that very place at some point on the planet’s timeline. After perishing in the physical world, the plants then continue to thrive in the jungle-like conditions of the Coppice. Some, however, never return to the physical world. Only then is the species of flora, or fauna, considered extinct.

Ermun was unsure how he was ever able to access this land. Any place he was able to fall asleep would be where he awoke within the Coppice. Perhaps this was why he spent so much time in a slumber. This land felt safer – more accepting. There was no aggression here; no creature present required sustenance, thus, nothing had an appetite.

It was only here that he could visit members of his own species whom had gone extinct long ago – the great ground sloth. A beast able to harvest leaves inaccessible to other species thanks to their towering height. Ermun had been the only one of his kind to survive that which killed the rest of his species. He had been spared and augmented by the Designer, perhaps out of favoritism.

Ermun had neglected to inform Ohmlur of this unique gift out of fear of the consequences. Species that had been lost over millennia were meant to stay lost. Should Ohmlur discover many of his species still thrived on a different plane of existence, he may make drastic attempts to bring them back into the physical world. As far as Ermun knew, this was impossible. Ohmlur was not one to accept ‘impossible’, however. He could see Ohmlur now – pouring over his table of creation for thousands of years, attempting to bring back the dead… wasting time resurrecting lost species instead of designing fresh species or improving the presently existing.

Plants were not the only things allowed to populate this alternative land. Birds with vastly different traits dominated the skies. Animals scurried across the ground. Some scaly, some covered in dense coats of fur depending on the epoch they had originated from. Before Ermun was a melting pot of eras, joined together as a collaboration of creations within the region. He found it humorous that species now capable of roaming the entire planet within this realm still chose to stick to their native land within the Species Coppice.

The only constant Ermun knew of the Species Coppice was where to find his family. Through all of his visits, they had never changed locations within the Coppice. He was unsure if they just wanted to be easy to find, or because they felt something special about the land of yellow rocks, even in the after-life.

Ermun leapt from the edge of the cliff. The drop was gust-less, making no sound. Nearing his landing, he passed through various plants that remained undisturbed by his presence. Standing completely still, they did not move nor waver on contact. He made his way in a perfectly straight line, passing through all flora and fauna he encountered. The only sounds in the valley were that of species communicating with each other. The sounds were slightly muffled and skewed, as if talking though a layer of bark.

Using familiar landmarks, Ermun made his way to the unique geographical feature he knew his family had taken residence near. It was a tiered waterfall of white rocks they had grown quite fond of. More of a spring, really. ‘Spring’ on the physical plane, that is. Here, it was merely dry, white rocks that resembled steps to a non-existent threshold. Should temperature exist in this plane, Ermun would be able to use steam that rose from the spring as a beacon to guide his path. Alas, he would have to find his way there by memory. What was quite a short distance in reality felt much further due to the density of the fauna he passed through. It had become so concealed, in fact, that he had passed right by the tiered rock formation!

“Out on a stroll?” a muffled voice said behind him.

Ermun whipped around, embarrassed to find his that his father had spotted him first. Perhaps his navigations skills were growing fuzzy. The specter of his father dwarfed Ermun. Despite being the same species, Ermun was much smaller in comparison, after Ohmlur’s augmentations to his physical body.

“Heh, I knew I was in the right spot… suppose I was lost in thought,” Ermun replied bashfully.

The beast nearly the size of a mammoth passed directly through two trees that shared a similar, faded aura to approach his son. He reached his hand out to touch Ermun affectionately, even though they had been unable to make physical contact in thousands of years. The edges of the surrounding plants glowed vibrantly with increased intensity of a blueish-white light as the sloths feigned an awkward attempt at embracing each other. Passing through the translucent silhouette chilled him, but offered comfort none the less. It was always good to see a familiar face. What was left of it, at least.

Ermun strained his neck to make eye contact with his father to find his face exhibited no recognizable expression. It had nearly completely faded, leaving only a clouded void with minor outlines of features such as eyes and a squared nose, resembling Ermun’s. Most details of the towering sloth’s body were smudged into obscurity. There was no sharpness or texture to his pelt. No definition or layers to his arms or legs. When he spoke, no mouth moved. His voice was merely a muffled projection from the phantom.

“You look… different. Faded,” Ermun stated flatly. His hope of returning his family to the physical world was becoming less and less realistic with every visit. He felt as though he was checking on a terminal patient. Yet, how does one die again in the Species Coppice?

“I feel faded, like a distant memory. One that the world will soon forget about,” his father replied slowly.

“Don’t think like that. It doesn’t help. I will be doing whatever I can to persuade Ohmlur to return our species to the planet. We will thrive in this land once again.”

His father let out a booming laugh that would have shaken the surrounding plants, should they be alive. “That’s the spirit! No pun intended… Come, visit the others before you awake.”

The family of ground sloths stood huddled around the inactive hot spring as if waiting for something to happen. Ermun and his father passed through shades of plant life from a different lifetime to approach the encampment. It was clean and simple. There were no possessions, nor food here; they didn’t need them in the Coppice.

Many did what they did best; slept. Some hovered, defying the gravitational pull of the earth. Should they sleep too long, they would be carried away in random directions. Sometimes it made for a fun adventure upon awakening to find their way back to their family of spirits – lost within the multi-century thicket. It was more of a meditation, really. Without a body to recharge by the act of sleeping, it was quite unnecessary – yet a hobby they missed dearly from their lifetime.

“Ermun! Is this… this is finally it? You’re here to stay?” a figure called from behind the tiered rock formation, excited by his presence.

“No, mother. Just visiting. Ohmlur has me on another follow mission,” Ermun replied to his mother with a suppressed smirk. His mother? He thought it was his mother. Despite being less faded than his father, it was still difficult to distinguish between some of the specters without defined facial features. He simply judged based off stature and muffled tone of voice.

“Oh… That’s too bad. I was hoping you had really died this time!” she said, deflated. Her shrill voice was not as high-pitched in this existence. Two clouded, brown eyes floated within the frame of her head just above where her nose and mouth used to be. Rough lines that resembled fur stood out in small patches across her body. Must be her – he was always able recognize his mother’s eyes.

“Ha, well… sorry to disappoint you. I still have responsibilities in life. Perhaps when Ohmlur is done with me.” Ermun winked after his reply.

“He’s still having you do that stuff? He’s going to have to think of something a lot better than horns and thicker hides if he wants Maurlynn’s creations to stop feeding off his own…” Jorge, one of Ermun’s distant cousins butted in pessimistically. Awoken by the disturbance of voices, he had pushed himself back down towards the ground to acknowledge Ermun’s presence.

Jorge was merely a deep black silhouette, surrounded by the same glowing outline. Like a void leading to yet another plane of existence – perhaps a third tier where only mean, rotten things go. Ermun did not want to pass through him, fearing he never be able to return. Jorge, however, retained facial features that were still quite defined. His eyebrows always faced down in permanent annoyance. His eyes were outlined in a similar hue to the rest of his body, yet more fiery and intense. Arms rounded and muscular, they matched the bulbous outline of his powerful chest and plump face.

“It’s getting better… He’s working on thumbs and erect postures. This generation of Guardians seems more promising. Not just another party of tentacle-wielding sycophants,” Ermun replied to his cousin. “That is why I’m here… to see how they do.”

“I assume he recommended this place, as usual?” mother said, passing through a thicket of extinct ground-cover shrubbery to approach her son.

“Yes,” Ermun said through a sigh, “I don’t know what he sees in this place. It’s just a collaboration of the elements where he can easily get his appendages satiated.”

“And when this generation fails?” mother inquired, reaching her long arm down to touch her son. Her hand, the size of his torso, passed through him, providing only another chill. “Ermun… I don’t know why you keep giving him more chances. It’s time for you to join us, here… Where he cannot control you any longer. A permanent rest where you will be undisturbed by violence and preda –”

“I have motives of my own.” Ermun extended his arm to push away his mother’s, but they simply passed through each other. “Should I… do his bidding, perhaps I can convince him to bring the great ground sloth back to the physical world.”

“Oh Ermun, stop. We’ve revisited this tragedy of an idea a thousand times,” Jorge said.

Ermun hated his rounded face, big nose and tiny ears. He looked like a cross between a pig and a monkey. He wanted to punch him after every nasty comment he made, though he knew it wouldn’t affect his cousin, and feared where his fist would go.

“We have no host in the physical world. Remember? We were wiped out. Without a host, our breed can never return,” Jorge continued.

“Wha… me. I’m a host. So technically our blood line still exists… we could –”

“First of all, nerd,” Jorge said sharply. “You’re never going to find anyone to mate with. And even if you did, you’ve been augmented. Look at you, you’re puny! There’s nothing ‘great’ about your size. Besides, it would just be modern sloths, based off of your new breed. Not us. What, do you believe in some kind of… reincarnation?”

Ermun’s chest clenched in pain. Should liquid exist here, tears would have welled in his eyes. He was still trying to be optimistic about bringing his species back to the physical world, but he knew Jorge was right. Once an animal had died, they were sent to the Species Coppice. If a member of their species still remained on earth, they were permitted to return as a new generation, even if endangered. Should the particular species become extinct, however, and no hosts were present in the physical world, they were unable to return. Ermun’s species was extinct; their silhouettes represented quite transparently in the Coppice.

“All I can do is try,” Ermun said. “Is this really the existence you’re comfortable with? Never able to taste food again? Smell plants? Feel a spring breeze? Touch one another? This isn’t even existing. You’re a specter… void of emotion and sympathy, Jorge!”

“Boys, please… enough.” Mother floated between them. “Jorge, he is our only representation on the other side. Please just assist him in remaining hopeful… He has a point. We don’t want this for eternity – this is nothing.”

“Ermun, sweetie. We just want you to have reasonable expectations. The ground sloth may never exist in the physical world again… and with the rising threat of being eaten anyway, we’re not entirely sure we even want to. I mean, this place has unlimited naps! What more could you ask for?” she said with a forced smile.

“I will find a way to convince Ohmlur. Or bring you all back myself.” Ermun swung a hooked paw in an aching fashion at his side. “I have tried researching other methods, but they are frowned upon by the rules of nature… If it’s the only way I may not ha –”

“Woah,” said a voice Ermun had never heard. Seemingly coming from behind him, it broke his sentence. Crystal clear and enunciated, it wasn’t muffled by the environment of the Coppice. He whipped around to find no one behind him.

“Ermun… what is it? Your body?” his mother asked.

“I don’t –” he replied, facing away from his family.

“I… I have no idea,” the strange voice continued. “I’ve never seen anything like it! I think it’s a tiered waterfall made of ice!”

Before Ermun could turn back to his family, he opened his eyes. He stared up vertically, directly at the branch he had fallen asleep on. His long, black claws were still wrapped around the tree’s limb, suspending his lanky physical body. Commotion from the ground below caught his attention. Craning his neck, he spotted the owner of the voice that had awoken him. A ram.

Using only two legs, the creature carefully hopped from rock to rock to descend from the very ridgeline Ermun had slept on to visit his family. A bison, a moose, and a raccoon all patiently awaited the ram’s report. The raccoon seemed to be scolding the ram. By the looks of the path he had taken to ascend the hillside, he had not done it carefully. A cascade of rocks ran down the cliff face to the dead ground below. A tree that had been uprooted from a grasp of desperation laid on the pathway. Ermun silently watched the Guardians as they made their way towards the active geothermal feature residing within the land of yellow rocks. His family that had surrounded it was no longer visible.