Nick managed to appease the tentacle with some food and a good movie, but it was a tiresome day, and he snuck to bed shortly after dark. His sleep was unsteady since he was worried about the tentacle grabbing him by his ankle and dragging him through the house and into the basement while he was asleep.
Eventually, he couldn't stay in bed anymore and woke up with a start in the middle of the night. He was wide awake for some reason, and it didn't feel like he was going to fall back asleep anytime soon.
He sighed and laid his wrist over his forehead as he complained in his heart. The last thing he needed was a bad night's sleep.
But then again, it wasn't like he had work in the morning. Time was an illusion, and since he wasn't tired, he didn't have to stay in bed.
He got up. He glanced out of his bedroom window, but it was pitch dark outside. Naturally, he didn't see anything, especially after he turned on the lights.
He went down the stairs. The tentacle greeted him halfway by swaying in front of him like a strand of seaweed. Nick nodded and yawned while turning on the lights in the living room and kitchen. He glanced at the TV.
He didn't have much else to do, but he didn't feel like watching another movie right now. He was bored but also too restless to sit still and just gaze into the screen.
Instead, he made a cup of tea and sat down on his porch stairs. He looked into the darkness of the Tiabe forest with the steam from his tea rising into his face.
He couldn't see much since it was so dark and he had light coming from behind him. But his mind relaxed just breathing the fresh forest air. He closed his eyes and listened to the forest instead.
He thought he would hear more insects and the like. But he barely even heard the wind rustling the leaves. It was an eerily silent night in the forest.
However, he suddenly heard a soft thrumming sound. Before he could place it, the tentacle swept out from beside him and intercepted an arrow headed straight for his forehead.
Nick's eyes opened when he sensed the tentacle move only for him to see the glimmering arrow tip a hand's length away from his face. He froze and slowly swallowed the mouthful of tea as the tentacle moved the arrow away from his face.
"Thanks," he said, not forgetting his manners even in this situation. The tentacle dropped the arrow and reassuringly patted him on the shoulder before turning toward the forestline.
Nick couldn't tell if it was pointing at where the arrow had come from or looking.
"I'm going to get up and enter the house," he said. Staying outside was clearly dangerous. He didn't know what was going on, but safety was a priority over understanding the situation.
The tentacle bobbed up and down once in acknowledgment. It would keep an eye out while Nick moved.
With shaking hands, Nick returned to inside the house. The tentacle stayed on the porch for a little while even after Nick went inside.
Nick put down his mug before he dropped it and slid down with his back against the closed door once the tentacle also returned into the house.
It was only now that he realized how fast his heart was beating and how soaked the small of his back was.
His body had realized before he did the situation he was in. He had almost died.
He rested his head in his hands and glanced at the tentacle through his fingers.
"Uh…?" He wasn't sure what to say, but he wanted some reaffirmation that everything was alright. The tentacle gently patted him on the shoulder.
It then pointed outside and tried to move its tip away but held the rest of itself in place.
Nick was confused at first since he didn't understand what the tentacle was trying to say. BUt then he remembered what the tentacle had done the last time something attacked him. There was no reason why the tentacle wouldn't have gone for whoever shot that arrow at him.
"You couldn't reach?" He asked. He had assumed that there was no end to the tentacle in the bottomless darkness of his basement, but maybe he was wrong. To confirm that, the tentacle nodded.
"I see." Nick narrowed his eyes and glanced at the door behind him.
"Do you know if whoever shot that arrow is still out there?" He asked. The tentacle nodded twice. It knew. They were.
"...This might sound a little crazy, but how confident are you that you can catch or stop any attacks on me?" He asked slowly, an idea forming in his mind.
The tentacle nodded assertively. Nothing was going to touch so much as a hair on Nick's head.
"I don't know if it will be enough to get them closer, but if we prove that they can't touch me, maybe they won't attack again?" He suggested. He had a feeling that if they didn't do something about it, whoever shot that arrow would try again some other time.
That wasn't a warning shot. It was someone trying to take his life. Since they wanted it that bad, a single failure wouldn't be enough to make them give up.
'I never thought this is what Sosora meant,' Nick thought to himself after the tentacle gave its assent to his plan.
He would go out and let them attack him as much as he wanted with the tentacle's protection. His attacker would either give up or try something that brought them close enough to the house for the tentacle to reach.
Since they used a bow and arrow, it clearly meant they were sentient. It was one of the tribes that were less friendly to his presence in the forest. It meant they could be talked to.
But they had forfeited that opportunity the moment they aimed for his life.
Nick had no qualms about helping the tentacle monster in his basement get some more food.