Follow the Caterpillar

Nami took one last glance at the tribute tied to the town monument. While she wanted nothing more than to help the girl, right now she determined it would be better to leave her behind. Once she had the means, she promised herself that she would return.

She looked up at the monster calling himself Capilla and nodded. "Fine, I'll play along for now. Take me to this Lord of yours."

He replied with a smile and a nod, then turned to face the street to the side. "This way..." His long feet dragged across the pavement, barely lifting off the ground with each step. Yet despite the subtle movements of his legs, he moved surprisingly fast, already having cleared several meters in a matter of seconds.

Nami gave the bound blonde one last look, then dashed off after the blue brute.

As she chased the large mutant down the street, steadily foliage and greenery began to eat at the architecture of the town. Vines crawled through cracked concrete, and lines of trees and flowers soon became a familiar forest.

The Seducing Woods.

Of course the navigator didn't know the name that the locals had given the thicket, but she was certain this was the same place where she had wandered lost only a couple days ago. Further in, mixed with the green shrubbery were stocks of candy cane and lollipops. Rivers of chocolate and juice gurgled pleasantly in the near distance, and what was once paved concrete soon turned to meticulously placed crackers and cream. This was the surely land of absurdity that she had come to expect.

It was at that point that she realized that she had lost sight of her escort, and had been left alone.

"Hey!!" she called out. "Mr. Caterpillar Knight?!"

Her voice bounced off the curved shape of the land, echoing until it was lost in the candied leaves of the surrounding trees. Her experience before told her that simply wandering about would only yield in her being further lost, possibly trapped forever until something or someone eventually found her.

The path that she had been following carried forward in a straight line, but would she be able to trust it to take her where she needed to be?

What else could she do?