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wannahug13

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All around us were birdcalls, or what I hoped were birds calling out. They were strange, shrill, and totally alien. I thought one was a child screaming in agony, but it ended with a humanly impossible high pitch and a low warbling. I clung to Henry during most of the trip, and he was smiling ear to ear each time I jumped at the sound of a foreign creature or rustling of leaves.

The trees and flowers were also unlike any I was used to, the trees were twisted and bent in gracefully fluid positions as if they were frozen dancers, and the flowers were extraordinarily beautiful. I touched one f the most magnificent of the flowers, it’s beauty unexplainable, but it pricked my finger when I touched the petal, and it bled for a long time. I did not plan on touching any other flora or fauna while in this land unless told that it was a good idea.

Within half an hour, we reached a small clearing with a gate made of vines from the massive trees that grew all around us, “Who wishes to enter this Kingdom?” A voice echoed softly through the trees around us, like the breeze on a summer day, just a louder volume.

“Aquarloftyne, and…” He looked to us, “What are your names, good humans? I had forgotten to ask you.”

“I am Fresia, and this is Henry,” I said to him tensely; I was not comfortable with the talking foliage, and I gathered that Henry was neither, judging from his stiff posture.

“Aquarloftyne, Lady Fresia, and Sir Henry, Brin’e,” He spoke to the gate in a firm voice, and a soft shuffling sound followed as the gate unwound itself, giving us access to Vincent’s Kingdom. As we were stepping through, a small creature rolled before us, smiling at us happily and welcomingly, sharing with us the sight of its jagged white teeth.

“Welcome to Lord Tussand’s Kingdom, humans,” It whispered, making the same sound as the gate had before. That must have been what spoke and created that intricately woven gateway. It was one foot by one foot, and lifted itself up to its full height by two stout arms. Two shriveled legs hung limply on the back end of its body, but the creature paid no attention to the legs and used only the arms for support. It looked like a box that was stressed at the sides to make it bend out slightly, and little finlike objects protruding from the upper portion of its square little body that acted as ears. Flower vines wrapped around it, and one vine ended in a pretty purple flower with huge petals and pollen falling from it in orange and yellow cascades.

“Well, this is the first time I have seen you in the longest time, Brin’e,” Aquarloftyne said cheerily and conducted his cute little bow with a squeak. Brin’e responded with a bow of its own, and giggled in a high pitch when our little friend squeaked.

“Yes, it had been,” The voice, now that I studied it, was feminine, though the appearance was not very feminine. I was learning that looks were not everything in this land, and it was nice change from my world.

“May we walk ahead and you catch up in a little while, Aquarloftyne?” Henry spoke, obviously agitated by any delay that kept us within the weird forest. I was tense too, but I found no need for us to rush our little friend on his visit.

“Oh, of course you may, sir; just keep going that that direction,” He pointed in the same direction we had been travelling before, “Do not stray from that direction, please; I do not wish to be punished for any problems you may encounter,” Aquarloftyne continued chatting with little Brin’e, but in a language unknown to me.

“Good, come along then, Fresia,” Henry seized my arm and started to walk forward, leaving our new friends behind talking happily. Along the way, Henry let my arm go, and I stopped to look at a pretty flower, losing sight of him momentarily.

“But, I was hoping we could wait for them,” I said quietly, but he nothing. I looked around frantically, thinking I had lost him, but he walked back to me from the forest and motioned for me to follow closer behind him, which I obeyed happily,  “Please, could we at least slow down a bit? This speed is bound to make one of us trip and that would not be good, for Aquarloftyne would be in trouble from Vincent if…” Henry turned and glared at me.

“Why do you like this creature so much? He is a bad guide, and he likes to stop and chat with anything he favors,” Henry said bitterly. The forest was getting to him, and it was making him take out any anger on Aquarloftyne.

“He has done nothing wrong, you are just on edge from this confounded forest; I understand that it is queer, and we are not used to whatever may happen, but it is no reason to be mean to a friend,” I stared at him, waiting for a response, but all I received was a guilty look.

“You will not apologize to me for being so rude to him?”

“I am sorry,” He sounded sincere enough, and that made my anger fade away. I was glad he was finally getting past the weird anger streak, it was not becoming of him.

We continued on, no conversation filling the void between shrill birdcalls and whispering of the trees. Once again, I jumped at the weirdest sounds, Henry smiling at my fear, though feeling some of his own at the sounds. Within a few minutes of walking in the appointed direction, I heard footsteps steadily closing in on us, and I turned happily, hoping to see Aquarloftyne.

“Why did you leave me behind back there? I have been trying to catch up with you for a while; and you were talking to yourself a couple of times, standing in one place and looking annoyed,” Henry ran up behind me, “What was that all about?”

I looked back to my left and the Henry I had been walking with stood there, smiling at me, showing a set of bloody, sharp black teeth. That was not the real Henry, “Say goodnight, little girl,” The imposter snarled while its nails grew out hideously long, and it lunged at me with ferocity.

Oh, God, this is not good, was the last thing I thought before the creature hit me full force in the chest, and the pain caused me to black out.