Fantasy Into the Forest

[April82]

'Thank you Fen.' Bubble turned to the two. 'Come on, the guy has found shelter.' And without waiting for an answer, Bubble bounded followed after the wolf, narrowly missing the puddles. Bubble wasn't at all tired, aand even planned to stay up all night, but the thought of having to bare with this rain made her shiver. 'Ben? Is it Ben? Are we going to get enough shelter from this rain? I don't want to, um, get my fur wet.'

 

[viska]

Annette struggled to her feet and rang out her wet hair.


With a shrug, she agreed - " why the Hell not.. It's not like this night can get any stranger."


Digging into her pockets, the only thing she could find was a soggy empty cigarette package.


Heaving a disappointed sigh, she cast it aside and turned her attention to her more frantic friend.


Resting her hand on the top of Asta's head, she tried to re-assure her.- " And Relax Asta. If mr big bad wolf was gonna eat anyone, it would be me. "


smelling her own hair she added " Smokey flavor, you know. "


Annette was always like this; Always riding the line between picking on, or being motherly towards Asta.


She only showed this affection to her for some reason.


Scruffing Asta's hair a little to shake some of the rain out Annette commented " Look at you, you look worse then me. and that's saying something."


Taking her by the hand she pulled her along the path in a hurry.


"Lets get you out of this rain " She added with a sense of detachment to the situation .

 

[Cosmilk]

Asta smiled at the gesture, almost instantly calmed by it. She thought for a moment about Annette, how calm and flexible she was in just about any situation you threw at her. No matter what,the other teen seemed to just roll with the punches and come out laughing. Asta stared down as she though, mindlessly keeping up with the group,


"why are you so nice to me?" she asked, a little bluntly


She kept staring ahead, not really wanting to hear an answer, but still curious enough to listen for one.

 

[xXMiaXx]

Aria stood folding the blanket her feet were in a ready position to run but she waited for the okay to leave "Here's your blanket" she said as she passed lillianna the blanket "And your flask" she said as she passed the girl the flask. without hesitation she asked to leave "May i leave?" Aria looked at lillianna "Thankyou" she said once more as she started to walk, her pace was faster than usual and she seemed to limp on her left leg.


@Kiroshiven

 

[viska]

Annette swerved and hopped as if to whimsically walk through the dark raining woods.


This would bizarre in light of the recent nightmare that had been plaguing the group.


But it was clear that she had given up on any sense of normalcy and was simply enjoying the ride.


That was until she heard Asta's question.


She froze in place for a moment, before stiffly turning to face her direction.


She never looked directly at her, but rather in her general area.


"Why am I so nice to you? what kind of question is that?" She asked with a fake laugh before turning away.


"You don't want to make things even weirder do ya?" She added with an almost sad voice.


She started walking again, this time with a stiff normal stride.


It seemed she was dodging the question.


" So.. Big bad.. where is this cave anyway? Little miss is gonna look like a black mop if we don't hurry."


Running up ahead to try and catch Bubble, she brushed past the wolf without a second thought.


peeking over a small hill she could see a small opening in a rock face.


"That's gotta be it" she said stopping to look back.


" Come on slow pokes. I gotta get out of this rain soon. salt melts you know." - She shouted back at the group.

 

[April82]

'Hey, wait up!' As Bubble tried to catch up to Annette, she too saw a big empty hole in a grey, ugly hunk of rock that moss growing on the back. It looked quite dry, and it looked so warm and comfy, Bubble regretted ever thinking that the cave wouldn't be dry. Bubble usually said silly things, but on rare occasions, she actually knows id what she said was wrong. When this happened, she'd blush, and slither away from annyone who could've heard it. She never wanted anyone to know that she was slightly... weird.


But Buble didn't even care. Not this time. She was too excited, if not tired. Despite the rain, she felt a warm glow inside, that made feel like she was running on warm grass on a clear, sunny day. The glow was warm and made her feel relaxed. By the the time they got to the entrance, Bubble was far too sleepy to go inside. Instead, she flopped down on the patch grass just and inch from her. She inhaled deeply, before speaking up. 'So, what are you going to eat?'

 

[viska]

Annette laughed at Bubble's cute remark as she lovingly picked her up. - "Im not sure little miss.. what do whatchamacallits eat? I'm sure there are bugs around. that's what boring skunks eat."


she scruffled her fur to try and get some of the rain off it before sitting the two of them down in a dry corner.


As the others caught up, they could hear them approaching the cave.


Laughing to herself as she stroked Bubble she added- "We better come up with some ideas before Mr. big bad wolf decides to have us for dinner. "

 

[Cosmilk]

The corner of her mouth twitched at that answer but she consoled herself with the idea that she was just being weird. Asta picked up her pace to keep with the rest until they came across the opening, before she settled she reached in her bag and the rock like candies made a return. With the dorkiest smile, she treated the box like fine china before deadpanning


"ugh that's right, skunks can't eat licorice" she shoved it back in her bag before looking back up


"I dunno, there's probably a pond or lake around here, and with the rain the fish'll be a lot more active and easier to catch"


She took a quick glance around the odd ball group,


"We'd all be able to go off fish, but then-" she kept on rambling about the lack of poles and how they could go after catfish- or even if they were native here then jumping to if they were they might've been moved and released. She kept going back and forth jumping from one topic to another in a conversation with herself. Asta went until she was nearly out of breath and her cheeks gone red, finally stopping to breathe.

 

[April82]

'Bugs?' Coughed Bubble , 'well, I suppose I could eat them, and fish sounds tasty too. You can eat fish. Hey! Suppose I catch some?' And without waiting for an answer, she dashed off to find the nearest pond. It was still raining, and it soaked her fur through, but there wasn't muchshe could do about that. 'Maybe the fish will like it' she thought. Shuffling through the wet grass, Bubble looked carefully through every bush and tree, hoping to find flat, dark puddle that sparkled brightly in the moonlight. She hardly knew any rivers; pretty much the only river she knew was right outside her home, which was miles away. Finally, in the distance, Bubble caught a glimpse of a spaarkling, silver lake lined with stones. Bubble jerked her head to the right, seeing the lake behind a ghastly tree that cast a ganrly shadow on the body of water. 'Yes' she whispered to herself. The fish swirled around as Bubble padded quietly over to the muddy bank. Careful not to slip, Bubble bent over the water, seeing her own, dark reflection staring back at her...


The rain was still pouring as the grey and brown fish struggled helplessly in the jaws of the little bluish-black skunk, who was walking back the cave with filthy paws. Pausing to shake her fur to get the worst of the rain off, Bubble looked down at her catch making sure there was was enough to go around. She had caught three; one for Annette, one for Asta, and one for Fenris and Bubble. Bubble was only going to have a half, seeing as she ate three snails along the way. The smell was so strong, it almost sickened Bubble, so she lost half of her appetite already. Soon, Bubble caught sight of the cave, and dashed off, trying her best not to let go of the fishy tails she loosely held. Panting, she seemed to slip through the grass as she made it to the entrance. 'Here.. we... go..' she heaved as she finally let the fish go, 'dinner.'

 

[viska]

Annette rushed over to Bubble and scooped her up to bring her deeper inside.


She didn't seem to mind the mud smearing her designer cloths, showing a striking difference to the way she would normally act.


" Your the best Little miss" she said in a motherly voice as she tried to dry her off with the him of her cloths.


Gathering up some brush, she used her lighter to make a small fire.


" I told her I packed useful thing" she remarked to herself as the warm glow lightened both the cave, and the mood.


Sitting back down, and leaning against the wall she looked over at Asta.


With a slight laugh she asked her " I don't suppose you have a frying pan in that bag?"


Resting her head on the wall, it was almost like her joke, was a sarcastic rhetorical question.


As she closed her eyes her face twitched and crinkled, showing signs of pain.


a small tear rolled down her cheek, that she quickly wiped it away to try and hide it.

 

[April82]

'Whats a frying pan, Annette? Is it a fish? Is it dirt? Ha. Why would anyone wa-' But Bubble stopped when she saw Annettes poor, sorrowful face. She looked like the worst of world was agaisnt her, being stuck in this forest. But why? Because it was the people she met that hated her? Why would they hate her? Well, at least I'm not the worst of the world, at the very least I'm not agaisnt her for anything. Maybe I should ask? Softly putting her tail around Annette, she snuggled more closely. 'Annette? Are... you okay?'

 

[viska]

((Sorry for the long post, but I've been dying to use this plot twist before it's too late))


Annette paused for moment before looking down at her and asking " can I tell you a story?" in a soft voice.


Before even waiting for a response, she whispered to Bubble her 'Story' .


"Once there were two...Princesses.. They lived in an alabaster tower in a kingdom far away.


The oldest was beautiful and fare, the younger..just a shadow in her wake.


One day, there was a horrible car crash. A..Horrible."


Her voice shook, and her eyes shifted and twitched with signs of PTSD.


As her pupils refocused she came back and continued her story.


"When the younger one woke up, she was upside down. There was ..Blood everywhere.. So much of it.. All around her. On her cloths.. In her hair...Oh God."


her eye teared up as she struggled to stay quiet.


"I..I . SHE, could only Scream and struggle to move in the twisted wreckage until she passed out from shock.


She lost both her grandparents that day, but her and the elder sister survived.


But this was only the beginning..


The accident had taken the eldest sisters leg, Taking away her bright future or so it was told..


The King and queen lavished her with attention and gifts.. The younger one, was abandoned.


A stranger in her own castle, she acted out in many ways to get attention.


This was only met with resentment and punishment, but if it meant existing to them, it was worth it .


This carried on for years until the one day she found an outlet for her anger and attention seeking.. Highschool"


Her pained eyes turned to that of resentment and anger as she continued.


"She found that her family's wealth, and her developing body allowed her to garner the attention of boys.


She never cared for any of them, but loved the attention and false respect.


She wouldn't let anyone get in the way of this, and became a dominating evil woman.


She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she didn't care.


She had to protect what she thought she was entitled to. "


She again paused as if she was done with her story before glancing over at Asta.


She looked back to Bubble and again whispered to her- " Then one day another princess came to her Highschool.


She wasn't one in the wealthy sense.. But her beauty, grace, and kindness was more then any fantasy princess could ask for.


The young Tyrant girl was immediately smitten.


But such a thing couldn't be, as they both were princesses and she was always told such things were the work of the devil.


She would lose what little love and attention she got from her parents if she ever revealed her feelings.


And then it got even worse when the Princess she had fallen for started dating a young prince.


So she swore to herself to always look after her..


Love, spite, bitterness, emptiness..This was the path she chose in life.. Or More accurately, the one that was chosen for her."


Again resting her head on the wall she added " Now things are all messed up again. I'm not even sure I want to leave this forest. At least here I have you.. But I have to make Sure-"


She stops her self with a deep sigh that shook like she was about to start crying.

 

[April82]

Bubble stayed silent. She shivered at the thought... the thought of the path the opoor princess was forced to follow. 'That's... that's such a sad story...' she whispered. She was on the edge of tears at the thought of how thoughtless her parents were, and was heartbroken of the thought of loving someone who fell in love with someone. It only got worse when Bubble looked up at Annette. 'Anne... Annette...?' Bubble was confused. She looked liked she was about to burst into tears. But why? Usually the storyteller doesn't cry when they tell stories, because they were made up... unless. 'Annette! Don't cry! Please!' But big, hot tears were already rolling down the little skunks snout.

 

[viska]

Annette could hardly see through blurry, tear filled eyes.


as she looked down at her furry little friend, she noticed what her tearful story was doing to her.


She held her tight and tried not to cry, but she couldn't help letting out a whimpers and cracks as tears finally began to roll down her cheek.


"Little miss.. my sweet little what-cah-am-a-call-it" She sobbed as she hugged Bubble.


As she raised her arms to hold her up higher, a small child's key chain fell out of her pocket.


It was badly scratched up with most of the paint missing.


But the distinct shape of a crown could be made out.


As it clanked to the cave floor, she realized she was making a scene .

 

[April82]

Bubble couldn't help but cry as she laid down on Annettes chest. Breathing heavily and shakily, Bubble didn't notice the strange key chain until she opened her little black-brown eyes. It was in poor shape, but Bubble saw a little, small crown. She stared at it for a little while, wondering what it was supposed to be, but then she remembered the fish she caught. Along with the fire, full stomachs could warm everyone up. Forgetting about the story, Bubble wriggled out of Annettes arms and snatched the fish up, and shuffled to the fire. Laying them down, Bubble looked expactantly at Annette. 'Which one, Annette? And if you don't mind, whats that crown for?'

 

[viska]

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Annette cracked a weak smile at her furry friends attempt to cheer her up.


In a still slightly shaky voice she decided " I.. I think I want that one. "


Scooping up the key chain she tried to dismiss it- " oh this.. it's just a toy from when I was a kid..My sister gave it to me."


She choked back some tears as she stated " It's a princess crown"


Again wiping the tears from her eyes she announced to the group, "Damn fire smoke, making my eyes water. "

 

[April82]

Bubble nodded to show she understood, though she really didn't understand all that well. Bubble didn't want to think about princes story, so handing one fish to Annette, Bubble started to nibble at the fish. It was terribly soggy on the inside, and the scales didn't help with the flavour. 'Yuck! And I thought I would like fish!' Forcing herself herself to sollow her mouthful, Bubble backed away from the fish without another bite. Yawning greatly, Bubble curled into a small ball, covering herself with her damp tail.