Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Mistwood Forest

[Tiko]

as written by Lobos and Tiko

Padding in near silence through the brush, Riaze loped nearer and nearer to the muted sounds and flickering glow of the Nightroad encampment. Slipping free of the outer fringes of the city where Sanina had left him proved easy enough, as simple as sembling as the wolf and running into the trees. While such a sight would have been far more attention grabbing in the city proper, beyond the suburbs, the sight wasn't nearly so rare.

As it was, the temporary state of free roam had been liberating, easing some of the aggravations at the wait that had been building. All the better for Sanina's sake, yet as he drew within sight, trepidation filled him. He was here to collect an old belonging, and then he was leaving once anew. With a grimace, he veered, walking barefoot into the camp in human skin.

At least acquaintance breeds familiarity. Most of his kin payed him no mind, and those who did, it was merely to offer a pat on the back, a wave or called greeting. The clan's vast majority was dwellers of the wild places, coupling with his new garments to cover the still healing weals where silver had pierced flesh, left his recent exploits virtually nonexistent. With a sigh, he came to Raya's tent, sniffing once to determine she was out.

Slipping within, he vanished from the eyes of the camp, quickly and readily finding the object of his journey and hefting the wrapped shape of his old blade. The cloth could not disguise the weight, or the memories that came with taking it up once again, but Riaze shoved these thoughts to the side, locating the baldric for his weapon and slinging it on himself. Adjusting the rig took a few moments, before he slid Tumba de Maria's slightly unfamiliar weight through its loops.

Stepping back without, he paused a moment, sighing heavily.

____

"You know, she's not going to be none too happy with you taking that, right?" Chase commented with a chuckle from somewhere behind Riaze. "I take it this means you're heading off again?" he asked.

The lad all but idealized his uncle. Not just for his combat prowess, or his attitude. Riaze came and went as he pleased, something Chase envied in him. Pack life had its ups and downs, but lately it was more down than up. When was the last time something interesting had happened around here?

"How long this time? A year? Six years?"

There wasn't any anger in the question. He wouldn't begrudge his uncle for his avoidance of the pack, however envious of it he might be.

____

Grimacing, Riaze canted his head, regarding his nephew with one eye. Sighing again, he shrugged. "Hard to tell."

"Raya may get ticked to find this gone, but at least she'll realize what that means, Chase. But I couldn't give you a straight answer this time. It's gotten dangerous to be me around here, especially-" Biting off the remainder of that sentence, the man scowled, regarding his younger kin with a wary eye. While his own apparent indifference might seem like he missed insights on the personalities of his own family, he marked them, and marked them well. And Chase...

Was like him.

Rolling his neck abruptly, he feigned a stretch. "Needless to say, I shouldn't stay here too long. I won't bring my troubles on the rest of the clan." Turning to give a brief glare at his nephew, his next words were almost engimatic. His phrasing curious, as important was what was not spoken. "I'm trusting that Father isn't going to hear about this, in any case. Eh?"

____

Chase shrugged. "You're all over the news, so it probably won't be long before he figures it out. Why do you think I was keeping an eye out for you," he added with a quirky grin.

Chase, unlike those of the pack who avoided the city, was apt to enjoying the night life that came with having setup camp outside Westeria City. And Riaze's stunt the other night is all that had been playing on the televisions in the local bars. It hadn't taken a genius for Chase to sort out that Riaze had brought a lot of heat down on himself.

"I figured you would be coming back here before you took off again. Or at least I hoped you would. I want to come with you this time," he added. "Mom and dad'll probably send someone after us, but I imagine you have plenty enough experience dodging family, eh?"

"And you know I can handle myself as well."

____

He was positive he'd managed to keep the ghost of a smile off his face, nodding solemnly as he regarded Chase. Raya would skin him alive for agreeing, if she found out, but his nephew was of his kind. Wanderlust and more eventful life was a drug to some, and the lad had it bad.

"Get your things, then. I'll tell you more on the way. Meet me in the glade to the southeast."

_____

He was positive he'd managed to keep the ghost of a smile off his face, nodding solemnly as he regarded Chase. Raya would skin him alive for agreeing, if she found out, but his nephew was of his kind. Wanderlust and more eventful life was a drug to some, and the lad had it bad.

"Get your things, then. I'll tell you more on the way. Meet me in the glade to the southeast."

 

[Tiko]

as written by Architect and Sentry

From the depths of the Mistwood forest a growling noise could be heard. This sound seemed to gargle and crunch, crackle and spit. It originated in a small glade, where the air grew thin and the wind grew loud. Small animals began to flee and birds took flight from their perches in the trees. Soon the mist in the air began to swirl, and with a sharp clap of thunder, a tear began to appear in the air itself. As it grew larger, the space within the tear became more and more visible. It was filled with a cloudy darkness.

In the darkness, echoed the scream of a young man. And suddenly, the tear exploded open and seem to spit out the screaming man and what looked like a motorcycle.

The young man and his bike tumbled violently across the ground as if they'd been shot out of a cannon. The motorcycle flipped and twisted, metal contorting and bending with every collision of the ground. It smacked into a large rock and was sent smashing into a tree where it finally came to a stop. The boy also seemed to stop in a similar fashion, bouncing and rolling along the ground until his back slammed into the trunk of a tree with a force so hard it threatened to break his spine.

The tear, satisfied with itself, snapped shut and disappeared along with the noises that had signaled it's arrival. The young man was left alone, nearly unconscious as he groaned in pain inside of his helmet.


____

It was with curious endeavor that something less than savory crawled over to the fleshpile that the tear had spat out and loomed over him. Inquiring cyan eyes ran up and down the fleshpile- it wasn't dead yet, was it? As she thing loomed over what could presumably be a fresh corpse, a tumble of orange hair rushed over her shoulder and around a slender, pale neck.

With one bony finger extended, the stranger proceeded to hook her pointy nail beneath the presumed cadaver's helmet, and tried to slide it off.

____

His hands here glued to his ribs, clutching at them in an effort to stop the immense pain that radiated from them. He could barely feel the helmet being pulled off, only when he could feel the cool air against his head did he realize it had been removed. He managed to pry his eyes open, but his vision was hazy. The crash had left him rattled and broken, and the pain was dulling his senses.

Her features went largely unnoticed, but he could barely make out two bright blue orbs staring down at him. He couldn't even say a word before his eyelid squeezed shut once more as a wave of pain spasmed through his abdomen.

Words were beyond him. And he could only find himself wondering when, not if, he was going to pass out. He wondered maybe he would die here, after being swallowed up by something he couldn't understand, being watched by something he didn't know.

____

The stranger's head tilted to the side, eyes growing wider. Thin, orange lips spread into a wide smile.

"Oh, it lives," sang a high-pitched voice. The biking helmet toppled off as she pushed it further off his head. "I was almost sad you had perished, though you'd of been an interesting experiment for reanimation. Oh, uh. Are you dying, though? You really kinda sound like you're dying."

The fingers of the stranger skittered lightly across the not-cadaver's body. "Does this hurt? Do you want to scream?" She swung a leg around him, straddling the young man with a cheeky grin. "Can you not speak?"

____

He must've been losing it. He could hear a young woman's voice. But she sounded....less concerned and more....joyful? Her words were muffled but he could make out he didn't understand. Something about "reanimation"

It was then he felt a weight drop onto him. The resulting pain caused his eyelids to shoot open and he got one good look at her face, cheeky grin and all, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His head went limp and dropped forward, his forehead coming to a rest on her chest.

____

The young woman pouted, fingers steepled to her lips. Her brow came to a frown. "Well, that's not fun," she complained, reaching her nails beneath the bottom edge of his hoodie. She thumbed his shirt beneath that, and lifted both layers of clothing to expose his ribs. With her other hand, she cupped his chin, and lifted it from her chest. She leaned forward and huffed at him. "You silly boy. I don't like being flirted with by unconscious, almost-dead fleshpiles. Shame on you!"

With a giggle and a snort, she scooted back and bent over to examine the boy's ribs. Her brow quirked.

"Is that all? What a pussy," she groaned with a roll of her eyes. She took one of those nails and traced it beneath his ribcage, making a fine line where the nail dipped in, creating an incision. "It's too easy to make humans like you snap, isn't it?" She dipped her middle and index finger into the incision, until the first three digits disappeared from view. Blood oozed from the incision in thick drips down his stomach, circling his belly button before pooling inside. The girl closed her eyes, placing one hand on her heart, letting the warmth that grew there spread from her chest through her arms and into her fingers, releasing it into the wound.

The process took a minute, and no more. She wasn't any cleric, but the girl had done enough dissections to understand the basic workings of the human body, and how to fix the easiest of its ailments.

Once she felt her work was done, she pulled her fingers out of the wound with a wet squelch and braced her hands against the boy's thighs. "Aww, boo. But you'll bleed out, huh? Look at the mess I've made!"

She circled her nail around his belly button, waiting for a response. When one didn't come, she grunted, lifted her hand, and delivered a mighty, red slap across his cheek. "Hey!"

____


His eyes fluttered open once more. His cheek stung, and he felt sick to his stomach. But...the pain in his chest seemed to have vanished. He straightened up once more and rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes.

He locked gazes with the woman sitting on him. She looked....strange. Nothing that he could explain, her physical appearance seemed practically normal. She was gorgeous by anyone's standards, with fiery orange hair to contrast the color of her eyes.

But something instinctual cried out to him as he watched her. He imagined it was similar to the feeling a field mouse has when it meets the eyes of a viper.

"Who...?" He muttered, before peering down at his mid section.

It was then that he noticed he was bleeding profusely.....and that her hand was covered in what he assumed to be his own blood.

"W-w-what? What did you do you do to me!?"

____

The girl hooked one of her clawed fingers to the corner of her mouth, seemingly forgetting to take into account the fluids staining it. "Oh, wow! Nice way to treat the girl who saved your life, huh? Maybe I should just let you bleed out here! No skin off my bones!" She turned away with a pout, arms crossed. "Rude."

____

His respirations quickened exponentially as he felt fear grip him. He covered his wound with both of his hands, pressing firmly down against the injury. He knew it probably wasn't doing much, but he had to do something! He looked around for something, anything that could help him. But he didn't have a clue as to where he was. He needed a damn hospital and here he was in the middle of some forest.

He was scared.

He looked back at the girl who seemed to have the only answers.

"I-I'm sorry, please...." He breathed softly. "I don't know what's going on..."

____

The girl tapped her chin, eyes rolling to the top of her head. She stuck out her bottom lip contemplatively. "Mmm. Iiii dunno what happened. Got thrown out of a portal, I guess." She spread her arms to the side in a shrug. "Mistwood Forest. Not surprised if you've never heard of it, but if you don't square up soon and stop freaking out, you're gonna get eaten' up by something nasty."

____

His attention seemed completely focused on the blood pouring out of his midsection. Even as the girl talked, he heard only a few words as his mind raced with panicked thoughts.

"Uh....huh....ok um..." He stammered, again looking around in vain for something to place over his wound.

"Yeah so, can you help me? Cause like, I'm about to pass out here."

____

The girl's lips pursed into an "o."

"Riiight. How do I sew up incisions again..." she mused, hands on her hips, staining the thin, white dress that bunched at her hips. "I was taught once. But I've only done it once! You trust me, right?"

Sliding down, the strange young woman brought her face up to the wound. She peered at him from the top of her eyes with a devious smirk. From between her lips, her tongue slid out, and its rough surface ran along the cut, saliva numbing the skin and patching the wound.

____

He didn't know if his shiver was his body reacting to the touch of her tongue, or his mind freaking out about it. He was pretty sure it was a bit of both.

God it was all too strange. What the hell was going on!? Here he was bleeding out to the point of dizziness and he had this chick messing with his head.

"This has to be a bad dream or something...." He muttered as his vision blurred. "j-just a bad dream...."

____

The strange girl lifted her head back up and leaned one hand onto the young man's shoulder. A brow perked up and her mouth drew into a fine line. "I'm... sorry? What part of this seems bad to you? What, disappointed or something? Don't get your hopes up too much, okay? We only just met."

____

"I-" He couldn't win. This woman, she spoke like she was in a world of her own. The urgency of the situation was lost on her. He felt out of place, freaking out about bleeding to death, it didn't make any sense. Was he being unreasonable? Wouldn't this be any normal person's response?

"I'm just gonna...sleep for a while..." He mumbled as his eyelids grew heavy. He was cold now...maybe he'd wake up in a little bit.

____

A swift slap was delivered to the boy's face.

"Oh, nuh-uh! That's boring! Grow some balls and stand up, okay?" She smiled and wiped her hands on his shirt, sliding backwards to get to her feet. "But... I dunno if those got lost in your crash..."

____

Another stinging slap and he was forced away from sleep again. He gasped at air and his eyes squeezed shut as he fought against the pain. He said nothing in response to her comment, it took all his energy just to keep breathing. He looked down at his body.

His whole side was painted a dull crimson, a small puddle had even begun to form on the grass beside his leg.

He leaned back and rested his head against the trunk of the tree.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, staring up at the sky.

____

The creature who'd found him had begun to suck on her fingers when he addressed her with a question. She snorted. "I'unno. I was bored, I guess," she drawled. "Like, hardly anything happens out here and I get in too much trouble in the city. So, like. Yeah, someone random gets chucked out of a portal. Whooo. My luck, right? You probably couldn't even do anything if I tried to push you over-" She hopped over to him and attempted to do exactly that with an extended leg.

____

And he fell over, just as expected. He lied on his side, clutching at his wound, and heaved a heavy sigh.

"If you aren't going to help me...then please just leave me alone..." The pain had gone numb, and he felt like he was freezing. He doubted that even if she did suture his wound that it would be enough to save him. With the amount of blood that he'd lost already...he was probably past the point of return.

____

"Psh."

One end of her lip pushed up in a half-amused sneer. She curled a strand of her orange hair around her finger and began to back up. "Okay. Fine. Let's see how well you do tonight without me. Maybe it'll be kinda funny to see your half-eaten corpse in the morning. Or rather, to see you half-eaten and still alive." She turned on her heel and began to strut away. "Asshole!"

____

He simply groaned in reply, propping himself up against the tree once more to preserve some of his dignity. His breathing grew labored and he closed his eyes once more. Softly he began to mutter.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

One of his hands went into the collar of his shirt, and revealed a small cross secured to a string.

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

____

Looking over her shoulder, the girl glared. She traced her lips with her stained fingers and tapped her nail onto her teeth. "Oh, I'm sure the big guy will give you the time of day. People have real good luck with that in these woods," she spat, disappearing into the thick of trees.

 

[Tiko]

as written by Architect and Sentry

Some time later


He sucked in air with a gasp and his eyes shot open. As his gaze darted around, he noticed it had grown dark within the forest. The sun had long since set, and athe night's chill had set into the air. The was so strong his breath became visible with every exhalation.

Immediately he looked down at his chest.

The blood had dried against his skin, and when he ran a finger along his side, he noticed something that confused him. The wound had vanished.

With a groan he pushed himself to his feet, leaning against the tree with an outstretched arm. He squinted as he attempted to see through the darkness, making out only the shadows of trees. He stumbled from tree trunk to tree trunk, making his way towards where he thought the remnants of his motorcycle would be.

Surely enough, he found it to be in worst shape than himself. Metal that wasn't broken, was bent and twisted, the wheels were warped, and one of the handlebars had been sheared right off. He found the aforementioned handlebar laying in the grass not far away, and picked it up.

He didn't know where he was, he didn't know anything. Who knew what was in these woods other than himself. The metal handlebar was solid enough, and if worst came to worst it beat having nothing to protect himself with.

As he stumbled through the darkness blindly, dragging his weapon of desperation against the ground behind him, he found himself fending off a massive headache. He rubbed his face, and as he did so, he began to recall some of the images he'd seen before passing out.

Who was that woman? He wondered as he walked. Did she...help me after all? I should try to find her...

He couldn't attest as to how "good" the plan was, but it was something. It beat wandering around the woods aimlessly.

____

She moved in a specterlike manner around the woods as he walked. It had been an awful drag just waiting, waiting, WAITING for him to do SOMETHING. The time was well worth practicing sigils- a study that normally drove her insane- but for some reason or another, she felt compelled to wait for this boy to wake up. She told herself, however, that she'd rather drown for an eternity in a cesspool than do this once more.

So, when he'd finally woken up and rose from his spot, a spike of excitement rose through her. Enough that she had to stop herself from shooting forward and making a racket.

Instead, she ghosted. Walked without a sound behind him. Came daringly close to him, then slipped away with nothing more than a breath on his neck.

____

He did not notice her tailing him as he stumbled through the woods. While the pain had long faded away, he could not shake his body's exhaustion. Occasionally he had to stop and rest against a tree. It was getting only darker, and he found himself looking up at the sky, praying for some kind of direction.

But he could not even recognize these stars, not that he knew much about constellations. But he prided himself on the fact he could usually at least make out one of the "dippers". But tonight, he couldn't, not even the easiest to recognize. It was slightly upsetting.

Not nearly as upsetting as the sound he heard in front of him when he looked down from the sky.

A dull, but loud growl came from the shadows. He raised his broken handlebar, and swallowed the lump in his throat. His throat went dry and his body felt even colder. As he peered into the darkness, he could make out two bright yellow eyes glaring at him. But they were much to large to be eyes. They were the size of stones.

The hair on the back of his neck stood straight as his eyes adjusted to the dark. As the yellow eyes closed in on him, he could perceive a shape that was familiar to him. One of a large dog, a wolf he assumed.

Only one that was about ten times the size of any wolf he'd ever seen.

____

"Seeeriously?" moaned the orange-headed girl, throwing her hands up. Of all the weird things that could have come after him, a damned giant wolf?

"What, no tentacle monster? No pink-Mohawked sparklepire? No flamboyantly gay centipedecreature? You couldn't even be some conniving werewolf with a... I dunno, like, ? I'm done. So fucking done"

She walked out from the bushes with a confident and rather violent stride, hand lifted toward the eyes. Lapping off the woman's fingers were dancing blue flames, lashing back and forth.

____

His knuckles were white as he gripped his desperate looking weapon. As the Giant Wolf bore down on him, the young man felt nothing but fear throughout his body. It's growls grew louder as it bared it's fangs at him.

The growls were so loud he barely made out the familiar voice behind him.

He turned his head slightly to catch sight of her, but even then he could not feel relief. When he noticed the fire on her fingertips, He felt the same fear as staring down the beast that threatened him.

He said nothing, did nothing. Only clutching the handlebar, waiting to go out fighting.

____

The fire that blazed about the woman's hand melted to the ground and made a circle around the gigantic lupine, raising up until the flames stood taller than both the people it faced. The girl's hand came to her forehead in a salute as she backed away. "You just hang out there until I'm in the mood to deal, mm'kay? Mmkay."

She spun on her heel to face the boy at an uncomfortably close distance, toothy grin there, taunting and mischievous.

"Hey, let's go."

____

He couldn't stop his body from reacting. He was just so afraid that it moved out of reaction, not out of thought.

So when she turned and smiled to him, it was already to late to stop his swing. The end of the handlebar was on a collision course right for the side of her head.

____

"Hey, le-"

That's all she'd really gotten out before the bar came swinging down on her skull. Normally one would have seen stars, gotten a concussion, or keeled over and died.

Not this girl, who stumbled to the right with a hiss.

"Asshole!" she spat, holding her head. The skin had split, coloring her pale skin with streaks of red. "The fuck do you think you're doing?"

____

He readied himself for another swing, the metal bar bouncing up and down slightly in anticipation.

"Wh-what are you?" He stammered. He slowly took a step away from her, and then motioned quickly at the giant wolf surrounded by flames. "Th-the hell is that? What the hell is this some kind of circus or some shit?"

____

The same blue flames spread across her body, igniting her shoulders and arms.

"Motherfucker. You're in hell, now. I'm not letting you crawl out of here without a single bone in your body unbroken!"

____

Oh. Shit.

The time for asking questions was over. He whipped the metal bar at her and took off in the opposite direction. His fear and adrenaline dulled his senses as he sprinted off into the woods.

"The lord is my shepherd, the lord is my shepherd, the lord is my shepherd, Oh god, the lord is my shepherd..." The phrase repeated quietly on his lips as his legs pumped.

Yeah, maybe she was right, this place certainly could've been hell.

____

The witch ran after him, but she was hardly hurrying. This was child's play, going after a man who was injured. She was really going after him at a light jog.

"I'm gonna summon every demon in the immediate area to tear you apart! You think hell was a joke? You must've really fucked up in your last life, kid!"

____

Was this woman Satan? The hell was she talking about, summoning demons. And more importantly, why was she not getting any farther away!?

He tried to go as fast as he could, but even he eventually had to give in to his body's condition.

He tried to hide behind a tree and catch his breath. She'd be on him in seconds. What could he do? this was not something he could understand, never mind fight against. This girl was something out of a story, and he was just some normal, beat up guy.

____

Just as she'd tired of the race, the boy gave up. She sprinted past him, looking around, stopping and frowning, her arms crossed.

"Dammit," she hissed under her breath, holding back a smirk. "Where'd the lil' bitch go?"

 

[Tiko]

as written by Tiko and Lobos

Elsewhere in the forest...

Deep in the forest a car sped along the back roads with reckless disregard for remotely safe driving speeds as Zahira shifted gears and floored the pedal. The vehicle sped through the trees as beams of moonlight danced across its hood through the canopy overhead, and she had the windows down and the music blaring.

Zahira was a woman of privilege. Both wealthy and possessing great grace and beauty, her alluring looks had carried her far in life, but even further still had her captivating violet eyes carried her. Capable of implanting false memories into the minds of others, her influence over people had known no bounds.

Her privileged upbringing and unique talents had bred a woman with no regard for any but herself. Self-serving to the core, she lived her life with no thought of consequences as was evident by the open case of used needles sitting on the seat beside her.

Intoxicated and singing at the top of her lungs, she scarcely had time to react as a cloud of inky shadowed forms overtook her vehicle from the nearby bog. In her panic she hit the brake - a mistake that left her car careening out of control as it all but flew off the road as she tried to take the bend. Terror gripped her as her vehicle hit the ground and rolled onto its side, tumbling down the embankment until it fell still against the trunk of a tree.

Steam rose from the hood of the vehicle and it was several minutes before woman's groan could be heard as Zahira blinked blearily through the cracked windshield of her car. Cuts and scrapes adorned her arms and face, but she was alive. Her hand fumbled with the handle of her door and she all but spilled out onto the ground as it fell open. Bits of broken glass littered the ground and embedded into her arms as she pushed herself to her knees.

She couldn't make sense of what had happened... or what it was she had almost hit. It had come out of nowhere...

____

The collective intelligence of the Raven recognized the proximity of something moving nearby, evidenced further by the portions of the swarm that had brushed the vehicle. The liquid forms writhed on the street, keening quietly as their pools of brachish metallic substance reformed, vaguely crow-formed creatures rising to extruded feet within the span of a dozen seconds. The swarm settled, alighting on trees, logs, rocks, the overturned car itself.

Hopping with distinctly bird-like motions, each figure was the size of a large cat, bearing an avian countenance of slowly churning substance, eyes occasionally flashing with inner lights. There were dozens of them, each shifting to watch the woman in tandem, silent as the grave itself.

One form hopped from its place on the tree before her, landing on the marshy soil with a gentle squish. Popping forward in short jumps, it halted about five feet from her, cocking its head to the side to stare one eye directly at her. As one, the swarm's beaks opened, yet no harsh grating caws sounded en masse. Instead, a far more eerie sound emerged, an childish voice, feminine.

"Who. You?"

____

Zahira groaned loudly as she managed to drag herself to her feet with the aid of her mangled car door. She needed to get back to the road... to call someone...

Her thoughts where jumbled and sluggish and it took her several moments to realize the movement settling in the trees and forest around her wasn't birds. There was something unnatural about the creatures that stared at her with such intense curiosity, and she felt an inkling of fear as her instincts told her to get back in the car and to close the door. What good would it do though, the windows were all shattered.

She instead reached for what was most familiar to her as she met the gaze of the one that spoke to her. One word was projected.

'Friend'

Glimpses and images flashed through the minds of the collective, but Zahira had not expected to encounter so many minds at once. The thoughts she was pushing became as fragmented as their form was, and her consciousness was swiftly swallowed up as the strain proved too much for the woman.

Darkness overtook her, but not before she had imparted fragments of broken imagery upon them. Images of them conversing, of her walking among them. The fragments where incomplete though, and the words where indistinct as if trying to recall up a memory from long ago. Did they know her?

____

Friend.

The word whipped from one to the next, images lashing through the collective like buckshot fired into a tornado, rapidly dispersing into nothingness, but felt, heard, seen nonetheless. It triggered a flurry of activity as they lifted from perches on flapping wings, harsh, grating squalls, clicks as claws and beaks slapped together, raked against wood and stone. The collective entity that was the Raven. The semi-sentient portions of the hive consciousness squabbled and bickered over the implanted memories, the suggestion of friend over food, or foe, or fickle mortal. Several edged forward with more violent intent, but yet as the debate continued in furious speed of thought, yet more flocked to shield the woman from the hungering murder of its own extended body.

Long minutes passed, yet finally the cacophony silenced, and as one the Raven looked to Zahira's unconscious body. Looking her up and down. Glancing between itself.

Some time later, the Raven alighted once more, a cloud of flapping figures in the sky, with two figures carried in numerous claws. One was Zahira, yet the second was only vaguely humanoid, cast in the same unnatural substance as the entity, pulsing with sickly emerald aethers. Holding the woman it was a caricature of more gently than avian talons could manage, numerous minds studied the odd peace in her face as they were swept away, bound for the nearest of the entrances to the underground labyrinth that was home to its master.

 

[Tiko]

as written by Architect and Sentry

He covered his mouth with a hand. He tried to breathe as sparingly and as quietly as possible. What could he do? He couldn't fight that. He couldn't outrun that...and it would only be a matter of time before she found him if he did nothing.

He could hear her searching for him now. God, he was terrified. She was so close.

He dug his hands into his pants pockets, desperately hoping to find something, anything he could use. The only thing he did find though, were his keys.

He blinked. An idea came to him in that moment. He peeked around the tree carefully just to confirm she was close. He saw her back and swallowed hard. He retreated back behind the tree, turned to his left, and as hard as he could, whipped the keys deep into the forest. He waited, and listened. Soon they hit something and made a noticeable jingle about thirty yards away.

He waited silently. Would it work?

____

When the keys jingled in the distance, the witch disappeared faster than a mistress out a window. Her speed, especially in the dark, was nothing short of incredible.

____

When she disappeared he felt his heart seize up momentarily. This was absolutely terrifying. but he couldn't stop now. Silently he tiptoed away from the direction he'd thrown the keys. He made sure to keep hidden behind something, whether it be a bush or a tree or a rock.

All he could do was try to stay quiet and out of sight...and pray she'd fall for his trick and search in the other direction.

____

She'd worked hard to pretend that she'd run off in the other direction and disappeared, though she was right behind him, tailing him as silent as a grave once again. It was as though her feet weren't even touching the ground.

She crept up behind him, reaching forward so her fingers feathered his neck before whispering, "Boo!" and disappearing in a sprint.

____

"Boo!"

He almost fell over immediately.

FUCK! He screamed inside of his head as he broke out into a run once more. What the FUCK am I supposed to do!?

As he barreled through some underbrush, he came across the remains of a car. It looked pretty beat up, it must've crashed going pretty fast. When he saw it, he took in a deep breath and ducked into the driver's side. It took him a moment but soon an audible

clunk

was heard as the trunk of the vehicle popped open. He ran around to the back and dug through the cargo space as fast as he could. Soon he found what he was looking for: A tire iron. With a growl he backed away from the vehicle's remains and held the weapon ready.

He was tired of this already.

____

"Wow, nice. You can do six more damage with that thing than the last thing. Gonna do godly amounts of damage against an enemy with three thousand health points and an OP healing factor."

The girl, laying atop the hood of the car, winked at him.

"I'll let you take the first hit."

____

He was tired. It was this combination of exhaustion and frustration that just made him turn agitated. This was just a game for her, and everything he did, she just made it look futile. He was done playing.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, the iron dropping to his side.

____

"Wow, boring. You can't even come up with anything snappy? I should break your ribs again, even though I took such a long time putting them back together. One of 'em was smashed, you know that? That was the worst jigsaw puzzle ever."

____

"Whatever game you're playing, I won't be a part of any longer." He threw the iron at the ground towards her. "If what you say is true, then I thank you. But all of this, fire and chasing nonsense, it's just plain terrifying. You obviously have enough power that if you wanted to harm me, you would've done so by now. So really, what are you playing at?"

He spread his arms wide. "Cause I don't have a fucking clue as to what's going on here."

____

The girl pointed to a tree opposite of her position. "Siddown."

Next, she glanced at her claws, musing. "Like, I really am not sure, either. You kinda popped outta a portal, so like. You could be from anywhere. But right now? You're in Mistwood Forest. In the continent of Terra. On the planet Valore. There's space travel to planets millions of lightyears away, there's magic, there's demons, angels, and anything else you've probably read in books wherever you're from. If you have books. You seem kinda dumb and thuggish, so I'm doubtful. Oh, and I'm a witch, so you know. If that wasn't obvious."

____

He had no more fight in him to deny her order, so when she told him to sit he did just that. As she went on and on about fantastical things, he could only shake his head in disbelief. How could something like this have happened? These things weren't supposed to happen in real life. They were for the movies, for stories, not for a mechanic on his way to the beach after work.

He let her finish, and for a while, he said nothing and stared at the ground.

Eventually, he looked up at her. "You got a name? Or do I just call you Witch?"

This was his reality, he couldn't fight it anymore. All that was left to do was accept it.

____

"Fei. What do I call you? Dumbass?" she snorted, folding her legs. "Give it a week. Everything crazy will be commonplace, but you won't get as lucky as you did with me." She winked at him, grinning. "Or are you? You might be fun in the future..."

____

"I'm David."

He sighed and put his head in his hands. Just what was he supposed to do now?

"I'm exhausted..." He muttered to himself. He looked at Fei for a moment before shaking his head. No way in hell would he ask her for anymore help. He doubted he'd be able to survive her much longer.

He looked around, a forest was all he could see. He didn't have the energy to make a camp right now. With a heavy sigh he got to his feet and walked over to the car that Fei was perched on. He opened up one of the back doors and threw himself onto the seats in the back.

____

Fei's eyes lazily watched him hop into the car. She scratched her chin and mused, bottom lip stuck out.

"Well, alright," she shrugged, biting her lip. She waited until she knew his breath changed, until he fell asleep. Her eyes were peeled as she looked into the woods, but all her other senses were good enough to alert her of anything nearby. She heard every worm in the dirt, every insect skittering about. Snakes, slithering around. Birds breathing in the trees.

"Jeez. Humans, I swear."

____

Fei's eyes lazily watched him hop into the car. She scratched her chin and mused, bottom lip stuck out.

"Well, alright," she shrugged, biting her lip. She waited until she knew his breath changed, until he fell asleep. Her eyes were peeled as she looked into the woods, but all her other senses were good enough to alert her of anything nearby. She heard every worm in the dirt, every insect skittering about. Snakes, slithering around. Birds breathing in the trees.

"Jeez. Humans, I swear."

____

"I thought you died."

Nibbling on one of her nails atop the vehicle was none other than a little orange-haired witch. "Your heart slowed down so much I almost couldn't hear it anymore."

____

"Oh?" He didn't even turn to look at her as he stood and looked out into the woods. "I'm flattered to know you were listening to my heart."

He looked down at the clothes he wore, they were in bad shape, and as he looked at his stomach he could feel it growling quietly. There was just too much to do.

How does someone even start life in a new world?

____

"I mean, it's kinda hard to ignore when you drone out the chirping," the witch mused, keeping her eyes on the boy. "Whaddya gonna do now?"

____

"Well, they say the first thing you need to do if your ever stranded is make a fire and find shelter...." He checked over his shoulder back at the wrecked car. "There has to be a road nearby, if I follow it I'll eventually hit some kind of civilization." He cast a fleeting glance at Fei before turning back to the surrounding woods. "I should probably see if I can find someone else who can help me"

____

She spread her arms in a shrug.

"A'ight then. I'll be here. Maybe. I get bored really quick, though..."

"You aren't coming?" He asked, not a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Uh. Why?" she snorted.

"I wasn't telling you to come, I was only asking." He shrugged, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. "I don't know anything about where I am, and judging from last night, these woods aren't exactly safe for me."

The girl snorted, folded her arms, Slipping off the car with a smug grin, she proceeded to drape one of her arms over the boy's shoulders. "Well, alright, if you think you really need me that badly! I understand my company's kinda infectious, too," she boasted, reaching over to pat him on the chest.

The reaction was lightning fast. A sizzling, like eggs on a hot pan, crackled where her hand hit his chest, and her scream just as loud. She toppled back, landing on her backside, holding her wrist.

"FUCK! What was that!? What did you do to me!?" she hissed.

____

David looked back at her, puzzled as to what had just happened.

"What're you talking abo-"Before he could finish, he noticed the heat against his chest. For him it was not the same kind of searing, flesh burning heat that the witch had felt; but instead it was plesantly warm, as if standing under a hot shower.

He noticed the heat seem to radiate from something surprising:

The small rosary around his neck.

"What's this about?" He wondered as he eyed the cross curiously.

The girl backed up until her shoulders gently rested against a tree. With a scorn, she turned her palm to face him. Still smoking from her tender flesh was a black burn, in the same shape as a cross.

"Why didn't you say something about that!"

"Oh please." David shrugged as he tucked the cross under his shirt. "How am I supposed to know that would happen?"

He put his hands on hs hips and looked at her.

"I guess it does make some kind of sense though."

Her teeth grit and she got to her feet, sucking gently on her palm. "Yeah, how? Just because I'm a witch? You don't even know what kind of witch I am! It's just a title!"

Again he shrugged. "I'm not pretending to know what or why. What I do know is pretty simple: You touch the rosary, you get burned. So for now I'll leave it under my shirt so you don't touch it again by mistake."

He paused and rubbed his chin as he thought for a moment.

"So....out of curiosity what kind of witch are you? Since you brought it up. I mean, are you weak against anything related to the church?"

"Some of them..." she mumbled, walking towards the boy. ""I might dabble in some less than savory things. Biomancy, demonology, necromancy..." She shrugged, then reached for his shirt, trying to use it to hold onto his rosary so she could inspect it. "Hold still."

David eyed her cautiously as she stood close to him. While she was distracted with inspecting his rosary, he took the opportunity to inspect her

She didn't seem as terrifying up close. In fact she looked rather pleasant. He found himself understanding now more than ever that looks can be decieving.

She had bright eyes that seemed to glow with the light of a blue fire, and he liked how sharply they contrasted with the color of her hair.

Hair that was swept to the side so that the girl could lean in and get a real good look at that rosary.

... or a real good smell. She felt the need to take a good whiff of it before scoffing in horror. "Ugh! Silver? Really? You had to choose silver? I guess it isn't iron, but still. Not that you understand what that means to someone like me."

She held up her hand to his face, wiggling her fingers. There was an unnatural length and thinness to them. In fact... they were so long, they had an extra digit to them. She flexed it to make it apparent.

"Does this mean anything to you? At all?"

"......some kind of growth or something? Like a third nipple?" He guessed sarcasticly. Of course it didn't mean anything to him. None of this made any sense. SHE didn't make any sense.

The witch rolled her eyes. "Gods above and below. You are the densest motherfucker ever." She put her hand on his face to push him away. "Never mind. I'm not even gonna bother."

"Hold on just a moment." he protested as he moved her hand off his face. "You can't just get my curiosity up and then cut me off like that. So what's the deal? Are you a human who's a witch, or something else entirely?"

He paused and looked at her appraisingly.

"I mean, it'd make sense that church related items hurt you if you were a demon or something. But...you don't really scream 'demon from hell'....are you perhaps a hybrid or something like that?"

Jeez it was like something out of books and movies. Was this really what his life was going to become?

"Ew, no. I'm not that depraved!" she snorted, crossing her arms. "It's like you don't even have any magical ability. Can't sense anything. Doesn't anything seem wrong when you look at me? You can't be that untalented. My glamor is sloppy today." She lifted her chin with a grin.

"I'm gonna keep you guessing, if it's caught your interest so much. Maybe you'll eventually figure it out."

David threw his hands up with a sigh. She didn't seem like she was the type to budge once she made up her mind. Defeated, he turned and began to walk off in the direction he suspected a road would be in.

"Well, I'm sure I'll figure it out." He lied, tucking his hands in his pocket.

With a giggle, she followed him, prancing right past his position. "Well, I'll drop some hints here and there. Who knows, though. Maybe you don't have my kind where you're from. In the eyes of some, I would be a demon, though. Just not the typical definition in your books. No spawn of hell! Though I've been meaning to take a trip down to one of the underworlds for-eveeeeeeeeer."

She gave him a headache, and she looked down on him from some pedestal. David wasn't fond of how demeaning she was, but he did have to admit that without her, he'd probably be a lot more lost.

"Thank you, for helping me." He said plainly as he followed after her.

"Just, no trips to the underworld anytime soon ok?"

"You're no fun," she whined. "And no thank-you's. I'd rather an exchange in favors, mmkay?" She gave him a wink. "Something to hold my attention."

She skipped out ahead of him, through the trees. "You really should be getting to the city quickly. Even with me here, it's pretty dangerous. Big black wolves are the least of your worries. Ordinary people catch the eye of all the unordinary folk."

"Favors huh?" He muttered quietly to himself. Weren't there stories in the church about humans that dealt with demons and devils?

Oh well, nothing he could do about it now.

"Do you know anything about the city that's close by?"

She turned to face him, walking backwards down a rough path. "Westeria? Oh, plenty. I go there often, but staying there messes with my mojo. It's one of the biggest... and most crime-affiliated cities in Terra. In Volare! Doesn't that sound fun? People normally dress like you, though, so maybe it's just your style."

 

[Tiko]

as written by CelticCat

As chaos was unleashed at other points of planar instability across the planet and above, Mistwood Forest spent a moment of absolute silence. As if all the animals and plants could sense what was to come.

Suddenly, there was a fluttering of wings and skittering of paws as the depths of the forest began to pour out a dense fog. The mist of legend. It surged out from the rift in every direction, quickly obscuring everything within the forest. All that could be seen were distant flickering lights. Where vision may fail, hearing would aid. Strange and familiar sounds alike echoed from various places within the forest. Animals noises, metal clanging, a cacophony of screams and yelling, and even weapons fire.

It was not to last. The noise began to settle and all at once, the mist regressed back whence it came. However, it did not leave the forest the same. Things that were once present were now gone or somewhere else, and new presences now occupied Mistwood Forest.

 

[Tiko]

as written by Architect and Sentry

It'd been almost a two days since he'd been thrown into this forsaken forest. The chirping of birds and buzzing insects sounded like nothing more than mocking laughter as it echoed in his ears. The Sun had long since faded behind the horizon, only to be replaced with the largest full moon he'd ever seen in his life.

In the distance David heard a wolf howl, and he paused. Turning his head out of slight concern. With a sigh, he gazed back up at the sky, again scanning in vain for any recognizable constellations.

"He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them." He mumbled with a sigh before lowering his gaze to the dark shadows of the forest. The mist was getting thicker now, he wondered if he should try to start setting up camp for the night.

"Hey," He called over his shoulder. "You wanna keep going or stop here?"

____

"I mean, I'm not the human here," Fei shrugged, eyes rolling in her head. "If your weak twiggy legs can't carry you any further, then by all means!" She gestured to the ground. "Take a rest, sleeping beauty. Just don't piss yourself when you hear some leaves rustle and a jackelope hope out of it. Mmkay?"

____

He'd lost his count as to how many times he'd rolled his eyes in the last hour alone, but it just went up by one. How he'd managed to get stuck with the biggest pain in the ass snob he could've imagined was beyond him. With a sigh he thought about the options he had laid out in front of him. He doubted he'd be able to make much more progress before it got too dark for him to see, and he really didn't want to wander around in the dark with just a torch. That big wolf thing had definitely spooked him enough to make camping out seem a lot more attractive.

"Hey you're the all powerful witch here, why don't you be useful and start a fire. I'm gonna see if I can't find some limbs to tie together."

____

"Oh, don't ask me nicely or anything. I might as well be your only chance of survival in these woods. You might be tired... hungry... maybe you're even a little annoyed at me. I'm sure you have a shred of manners somewhere in that broken body of yours."

She turned around, arms crossed. The witch had given him a smirk before, but it had vanished as soon as her face was out of sight. Her eyes became a stony grey looking into the woods. Something wasn't right. The sounds of war had been so loud earlier. Now they were gone.

The witch kept an ear out for the boy, but didn't make a fire yet.

____

"Seriously?" David asked, arms spread wide in dramatic disbelief. Unbelievable. Here was some being that could literally create fire at will on her fingertips, and she was giving him a hard time about asking to make a campfire.

Un. Be. Lievable.

With a sigh David gave up on the thought of a fire, and set about scouring the forest floor for broken tree limbs and decently thick branches. Would his entire ordeal be like this? He wondered just how much more of this he would be able to take. If he wasn't killed by some creature or the other, he'd probably lose his mind.

____

As the human boy did this, Fei planted one of her hands on a sturdy tree. The tips of her fingers glowed gently, and as she brought her hands away delicately from the bark, luminescent blue lines followed the movement to an adjacent tree. She worked on this for a few minutes, until she had successfully created what looked like a hammock made of spiderweb.

Afterward, the witch turned around and gestured with one hand at the ground, where a blue fire sprouted from the ground. Might as well keep the human warm, if not comfortable. He was amusing enough that she didn't want him to die. Maybe once she got him to the city, she'd see something in him other than crankiness.

Because, seriously. She saved his life. Why was he so rude?

"You dead yet!?" she called to him.

____

"Yes." David replied as he returned to the makeshift camp. He carried several thick branches in his arms, and several feet of vines were thrown around his shoulder. He paused when he noticed the fire, and looked up at her back as she finished with....whatever she was doing.

Hm.

"Matter of fact I'm six feet under at this very moment." He said as he sat down by the fire. He set to work holding pairs of branches together with his knees, and binding them with the vines.

 

[Tiko]

as written by CelticCat, Architect, and Sentry

A shriek rang out through the woods, accompanied by the heavy footpads of many, many feet. A black mass of fur and skin came rampaging down a path of the forest, a flurry of red caught amongst it. The crowd seemed to be made of many black creatures: horses, large dogs, and even some that seemed feline in nature. There was a glimpse of a humanoid face within, quickly lost again.

"Let me go, let me go!" a sharp, desperate voice cried.

____

David looked up from his construction just in time to catch a glimpse of the oncoming stampede. He squinted in an attempt to see through the dark and mist, even then he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He did notice that there seemed to be someone calling for help, and that was enough to spring him to his feet, clutching to a length of vine. "Hey, Fei, you see that?" He called to his....companion, if you could call her that.

"Looks like someone got grabbed by a bunch of....neopets or something."

____

"How could I not see that!?" screamed the witch. "It's right fucking there! It's basically slapping me in the face! Are all humans blind?"

The girl crossed her arms, foot tapping irritably. To save her, or not to save her? Was the human kid gonna whine if she didn't?

"Gaaaaaaaaawds this is annoying. You haven't even said anything and I already know what you want me to do!" she yelled, furiously jutting her neck out at David. "Don't choke on air while I'm gone! AND STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!"

And just like that, she was off, speeding towards the... flesh pile. "Hey! Anyone in there? Little Miss Worthless Damsel-Bitch-in-Distress, hey!"

____

The stampede of pookahs turned their attention at once to the yelling witch, slowing to a stop as a few of the more adventurous among them broke off to approach her. A pitch black goat with giant horns cackled loudly at her, pulling itself up on its back feet. Others, mere balls of dark fluff melted back into the pack.

The pause was enough. A young woman scrambled up to the backs of the beasts, jumping from one to the next until she had a free jump from the crowd. She took a deep breath and leapt towards the voice she'd heard, her ankle giving way under her. "Aw, god...Shit, shit, shit..." she mumbled, scrambling along the floor to get distance between herself and the pookahs.

____

Jogging up to the scene, came David, armed heavily with a tree branch. He looked around at the Pookahs, comparing them to tiny monsters he'd seen in popular video games.

He then glanced at Fei, who had utterly confused him nearly as much as the rampaging pokemon. Really? He hadn't even said anything and she'd gotten on his case about it....still, she did help, so he guessed he would let her off the hook this time.

Turning his attention to the young woman on the ground.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked as he watched her, trying to get a look at her face. "You need help or somethin?"

____

The witch's lips pulled back over her teeth in a wretched grin. "You wanna play this game? Because I can play this game!"

Fei stretched one hand out in front of her, fingers splayed out. Quickly manifesting at her palm was a length of string, ablaze with the cobalt flames she seemed to be so fond of. The string multiplied and twined into itself until it stretched into a rope. The witch took it in both hands.

"Rush me, I dare ya!"

____

The mob of pookahs began to surge back and forth, making assorted animalistic noises as they seemed to study the three individuals. The group finally seemed to lock onto Fei, the goat lowering its head to the ground. As if on cue, the hoard also lowered their heads as the moved towards the witch, aiming to scoop her onto their backs.

Meanwhile, Rhapsody was pulling herself up onto her feet unsteadily, glancing between David and Fei. "I, um..." Confusion and fear were plain on her features. "I don't know. I really don't know."

____

Ok . This was getting to be slightly annoying. As Fei loudly threatened the strange animals, cackling like something possessed, the young woman freaked out and barely helped him to understand the situation. David could feel his brain pulsing inside of his skull, a headache building up as he rubbed the sides of his eyes with one hand.

Christ give me strength... He thought with a sigh.

Fei would feel a sharp burn on her neck, a result of David tapping there with the rosary he hid around his neck.

"Hey, wicked witch of the west, will you cut the shit before I drop a house on your head? You're not helping. And you,"

David turned around to point a finger at the young lady.

"Calm down and explain What's going on, we can't help if you just speak nonsense."

____

The young witch belted out an unnatural screech that was loud enough to make David's- and perhaps Rhapsody's- ears ring. She jolted forward and clasped the back of her neck, hissing through her teeth. "What... what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Her snarl was backed by something truly animal. The fire that had engulfed the rope now blazed up her arms as she looked murderously up at David.

What truly took her attention after that, however, was a little more pressing at the moment. The pookahs were too close, prompting Fei to leap back- but not before reaching for Rhapsody and David, trying to tuck them both under an arm, and take off.

____

Rhapsody's face morphed from one expression to the next, unsettled on any particular emotion. "I don't know!" she replied to David, her voice almost becoming a desperate shriek at the end. Before she could attempt any further explanation, she felt herself lifted by the witch. She held completely still and didn't dare struggle. After all, this seemed to be a marked improvement from the raging darkness that had grabbed her first.

The pookahs gave a cacophonous cry as they missed the witch, still running rampant through the forest en masse.

____

Rhapsody's face morphed from one expression to the next, unsettled on any particular emotion. "I don't know!" she replied to David, her voice almost becoming a desperate shriek at the end. Before she could attempt any further explanation, she felt herself lifted by the witch. She held completely still and didn't dare struggle. After all, this seemed to be a marked improvement from the raging darkness that had grabbed her first.

The pookahs gave a cacophonous cry as they missed the witch, still running rampant through the forest en masse.

____

David wondered why he'd decided to try and piss off the closest thing to the literal Devil he'd ever met. Oh well, nothing he could do about it now. Mom always used to complain about how little he seemed to think before acting, he could see the merit in those complaints now. He felt very awkward being carried under one arm. First he found himself pondering just how strong Fei actually was if she was able to manhandle not just himself, but the other girl as well. Again, pissing her off was looking more like a bad idea.

He was also uncomfortable for another, more egotistical reason. In this situation, anyone would be expecting to see the reverse, and David felt that his pride was being seriously wounded right now. He was gonna need to learn how to survive better in this world, if only to spare his parents the shame.

____

There was a point where even the witch couldn't go any farther. She'd been running for a while. A feat while holding two people. After all, she was a fragile little thing who needed her rest!

At some point she dropped both her company like hot potatoes and planted her hands on her knees, huffing.

"You guys need to lose so much weight."

____

Rhapsody yelped as she hit the ground, laying there for a moment before pulling herself into a seated position. She eyed the two people with her warily, then tested her ankle. With a hiss, she placed her hands on her ankle and with one last glance towards the others, began to massage it. Quickly, she was rolling it a few times and then stood, no remnants of her injury visible.

"Hey, um...Thank you. For helping me," she mumbled. "Where is this...?"

____

David huffed when he got to his feet, and clicked his tongue at the witch, annoyed with her man-handling of him.

He brushed dirt and dust off his arms, and only shrugged at the other girl in response. "If I could tell you I probably wouldn't be sticking around Miss Warm and Friendly."

____

Fei's gaze toward the other young woman was intense. Her glowy blues were locked onto Rhapsody's ankle, then flew up to her face. The second their eyes locked, the witch sneered. "We're still in the woods," she said with a fold of her arms. "Fat. And, uh, what's your fucking deal?"

____

Rhapsody went tense and her eyes widened, unable to break eye contact. Her mind went racing, trying to find the answer that would please her new acquaintances, but...nothing made sense anyway. "Nothing. No deal, nothing. I'm just some kid." Her hand flew to her feather necklace and she grasped on for dear life. "I'm not from...around here."