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LP Chapter 5

Page history last edited by Volkes_Wagon 14 years, 1 month ago

The Forest Of Angels

     Now it's time for a bit of explaining. The world this story takes place in is one big land mass, except for the poles (which are extinct volcanoes so big that the lakes in them were agreed by geographers to be considered as oceans). The landscape is much like this here Earth's, except for two very important factors. First, the technology is much more efficeint and eco-friendly. It therefore follows that there aren't any big Great Wall of Chinas or New Yorks, and nothing's polluted. Second, and probably most important to this plotline, is that the world is divided into North and South by a Forest. The Forest circles all the way around the world's equator, and is about the width of the Atlantic Ocean. They say it was there ever since time began. The most mysterious aspect of this Forest is that there is only one way in, and one way out. Because of all the rumors and legends surrounding this Forest, it was named the Path of Angels and Demons. The entrance became known as the Forest of Angels, and the exit the Forest of Demons.

     Many people live in front of the Forest of Angels, despite the danger of it, because of the fertility of the earth and abundance of precious metals. The fact that it was a Natural Mystery also drew many curious travellers, so there was good tourism business. It was easy to wander around the gateway; but nobody had ever passed through and returned. In all the recorded history of that world, nobody had ever gone all the way through the Path of Angels and Demons. The Forest of Demons was merely a myth, since nobody knew exactly where it was or how it worked.

     Kuchiha planned to enter the Forest of Angels.

     "Eh!? Seriously!? Don't you know how scary it is!?" With a fantastic splash, Kake accidentally let go of the Skiplee fish he'd just caught. "Ah! Wait! Come back!"

     "Of course I do! I'm not an idiot! Jeez, why'd I tell you anyway?"

     Kuchiha dipped her hands into the swift-flowing creek. The cool water flowed gently, and the underwater reeds danced and carressed her fingers. She could see all the way to the sandy river-bottom, even though the light was dimming rappidly.

     "Don't ask me--it was your decision." Kake waded out from the middle of the river and sat down by their campfire. He'd given up on catching a fish. "So, why do you want to go there?"

     "Why're you asking your bodyguard this!? It should be me asking you what your purpose in life is! Some master you are, can't even catch a fish."

     As if to prove her point, another Skiplee fish swam by her still submerged hands. In a flash she slapped it onto dry land and sliced its head off. She turned and dipped her hands in the river again.

     "How many do you want?"

     "Five should do. Did you bring anything else to eat?"

     "You kidding me! Even if I did, I wouldn't give any to you! It's your fault all the food's gone, anyways!"

     "Yes, yes. My apologies."

     He sat in silence for a while, watching the fish being slapped onto the bank and decapitated, one by one. It was normally a four-day's journey from Waterloo to the Forest of Angels, but in two days Kake had eaten their whole food supply. Kuchiha was still grumbling about it. Neither of them felt like arguing about it at that moment, though. Slap. The fourth fish's head rolled into the river. The other brown and silver fish flinched away, nibbled at it curiously, then, realizing what it was, shot away in a panic. Kuchiha sighed.

     "I'm looking for somebody."

     Kake raised his head.

     "He's...he's a Southerner. The last member of the Fanged Wolves. Heard of him?"

     Kake shook his head.

     "If you ever see a guy that looks...like me, tell me." She let a fish slide through her fingers.

     "Of course."

 

     "Just how could you have gotten lost!!!??" Kuchiha yelled.

     "I don't know! I'm sorry! I thought--I thought--"

     "There was a sign!!! A sign on a perfectly straight path!!! If you wanted to chase after the bunny so much, then at least know how to get back!!!!!"

     Kake flinched and held the rabbit to himself protectively. "But--but I thought you would know!"

     "Why should I!? I'm the one following you! Useless master!! If you want to go somewhere, know how to!!!"

     "But you were walking in a straight line and had time to see the sun before you followed me in the forest. And you had something to mark the trees."

     Kuchiha blushed. There was a short silence. Kake decided that it was safe to break it.

     "Is this why you had to follow me to get to the Forest of Angels?"

     "NO!!! What-what made you think that!!? I can make my way fine! At least better than you!"

     Kake laughed lightly. "Alright. Enough with this. There's no point in arguing whose fault it is that we're lost at the edge of a desert. At least we're not in the middle. Do you know the distance to the closest village? We're short on supplies."

     "And whose fault is that? You've got some nerve to say it so shamelessly like that, kid!"

     "You're avoiding the question."

     Kuchiha looked away ill-tempered-ly [yes i know this isn't a word. who cares.] and grumbled out a "No."

     "Then the best thing we can do now is follow the river. Where's...the river?"

     The two stared back at the wide forest. It seemed to reach out for them and try to pull them in and devour them. It was disturbing how suddenly the tree roots and shadows stopped and gave way to the desert. It was like there was an invisible line stretching as far as the eye could see. Not even Kuchiha's sharp eyes could penetrate the darkness. They glanced back at each other and knew without speaking that there was no way they'd go back in. How had they gotten out of there alive in the first place?

     "So, what now?" Kuchiha was disgusted that there was such a large amount of magic in the North. Even if they were near the equator.

     "Follow him."

     Kake raised the rabbit. It had been squirming to get away, and now was struggling frantically. Kuchiha could almost hear the flutter of its steadily increasing heartbeat. She raised an eyebrow.

     "So we're gonna risk our lives on the animal instinct of a bunny." 

     "You could put it that way. But it's not a 'bunny.' It's a rabbit. It's a natural wonder, like the nightingale."

     "Huh. So it's a natural wonder. What does this one do--lead people to the Forest of Angels?"

     "Eh, you're pretty good at the guessing game. It could. No, I'm not joking. The rabbit can hear your heart's desires, and lead you to them. So! Kuchiha! On the count of three, think with all your might: I want to find a village!"

     She sighed and closed her eyes. It wouldn't do much harm to trust him on this. Picturing a busy marketplace, colorful homes, and noisy people, she wished with as much of her heart as she consciously could to rest in one. When she opened her eyes, the rabbit had stopped moving. It gazed at her with extraordinarily intelligent deep violet eyes. They were the same color as Kake's. Odd.

     "Hey. Is it dead? It's not moving."

     "It's alive. I think it worked, Kuchiha."

     Kake set the rabbit gently to the ground, and it immediately bounded to life. It leaped a couple feet away a 45 degrees angle from the forest, and turned around again expectantly. Kake trotted towards it with a pleased expression on his face, and Kuchiha followed in awe. It had worked.

 

Table of Contents

Chapter 4

Chapter 6 

Comments (2)

Volkes_Wagon said

at 6:25 pm on Feb 9, 2010

another aspect of a spazz story. the chapters are uberly short.

Volkes_Wagon said

at 11:54 pm on Feb 11, 2010

okay, forget about this. *deletes the conjunction paragraph.

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