"I'll try, yeah. I was in my office, and saw some ships on the horizon, and then started hearing the explosions. I tried to get out of the building by going down the stairs, and I tripped and twisted my ankle. It still hurts a little bit, actually. I kept falling down the rest of the way, oh yeah, and I had this kitten with me during all of this. I wasn't actually supposed to have it with me, but that's not important. Anyway, as I got to the bottom of the building, I heard this strange voice say "forest!" like it was beckoning me, and almost like the kitten of all things was the one saying it, because no one was around me. So I started to head there, and I saw someone, a girl, going into the forest. Hey, maybe that was you I saw?"
Cromwell paused for a second, then began looking around him.
"Oh, I had grabbed a stick for a cane, where did I put that? Well, doesn't matter. Anyway, the kitten I was holding had jumped out of my arms and started to run into the forest, so I chased after it. And there was this green light coming from the forest, maybe I was imagining it, I don't know, and I felt so... compelled to enter the forest, too, it was really weird. And that's when I saw the panther. It just stood there, watching me, and that voice I heard came back and said "friend". And then I heard a voice that seemed to come from the panther, and it called me a "guardian" and said it was expecting me or something, and told me to come with it, and... I just did. Without even thinking or anything, I just found myself moving forward."
Cromwell stopped again, to catch his breath.
"I then I woke up. I don't even remember falling asleep. The panther was with me, and told me to have this kitten come with me. After that, I walked around the woods trying to find shelter, until I came across that shack and met you."