A/N: Hullo various internet users! Welcome to my very first story on this fabulous site, I'd shake you all warmly by the hand but I just realized that I can't very well stick my hand through a computer screen and electrical currents. Plus I have no idea where all your hands have been and I doubt a lot of you even bother to clean them… Pfft nah I'm kidding, I'm sure you all wash regularly…hopefully xD ANYWAYS, I'm sure a lot of you who have followed along with the amazing story 'Ears to Hear Us', written by none-other than the most awesomest person in the world Mellifluousness (and no she didn't force me at sword point to put that appraisal in there, what silly little notion gave you that ridiculous idea? Hehe… *looks around nervously while saying that*) will recognize the two main characters in this story. And to a lesser extent me, if you happen to read my reviews that is XP Now enough of my ramblings, onto the reason you even clicked on the link! (If you don't know, its Story Time kiddies ;D)
The wet pounding of footsteps cut through the previously undisturbed silence of the jungle Vinehung, heavy breathing following after each footfall on the muddy jungle floor. A dark figure could be seen sprinting across, loosely holding a bow in his right hand, and garbed in a dark greyish-black hoodie with the hood pulled tightly over his head. Scarlet eyes stared out from behind a dark blackish-brown fringe, these bangs making his eyes almost unseen to onlookers but hardly impeding his own line of vision. His hoodie was accompanied by a pair of dark blue jeans and brown boots, perfect for just about any terrain while still being able to remain silent and stealthy. But today stealth was not needed, 'Well,not yet at least' he thought. Speed was, however, as he had just escaped from a pursuer back in the plains. He stopped and looked back behind him, but no one was there. He breathed a bit easier and tucked his bow back into his bag, in between his arrows and a diamond pickaxe. He then turned and proceeded to climb up the vines of a nearby tree, as he did so a small furry black and white head poked out of his bag with a more than annoyed mew.
"I know, I know," he said as he climbed. "Sorry about the running, I know you hate being tossed around in there but we were being followed by someone who I don't think would've been too happy to see us." The cat meowed in reply and although he couldn't understand what she was saying, he got the meaning quite clearly. 'You could've gone a bit slower though, and maybe not hit the bag with your elbow so much while you're at it.'
The boy sighed in reply. "I said I was sorry. Let's see, how 'bout I make you some fish when we get back home, would that make you feel better?"
She then mewed contentedly, 'Now you're talking.' The boy smiled. Blackie sure knows how to get what she likes, he thought.
A few more minutes of climbing and some precarious switches to other vines yielded the two with a stop at the top of the tree and an expansive view of the jungle. He gazed out, searching in the distance for… There! The gleam of the sun shining off of some iron armor could be seen near the far edge of the Jungle. It was just sitting there, almost as if it was reluctant to venture forth into the biome.
After a few seconds that felt more like hours, the figure turned in the opposite direction and headed back through the plains. The boy let out a pent up breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Well, looks like we won't have to worry about our pursuer anymore. Let's head on back home, girl." Blackie gave a mew of agreement and he stood up to jump down onto a somewhat lower tree top, the leaves beneath his feet crunching as he repeated this process in the direction of a large wooden structure hidden within the foliage.
When he reached the red wooded front porch of his home he opened the door and took off his bag, storing it and its contents in a chest next to the bed. Blackie had jumped out beforehand and was currently sitting lazily on the bed, patiently awaiting her previously promised treat. He looked at her and smiled. "You certainly know what your priorities are, don't you?"
She cocked her head and mewed, 'What? I don't know what you're talking about.'
He smiled even more at her mock innocence and said, "Alright, I did promise after all." Her tail swished from side to side happily as he went to a double chest full of food and pulled out eight pieces of raw fish. He then got a wooden bowl out of another chest with a sign over it labeled 'Wooden things n' stuffs'. He set the bowl on a wooden half slab that had blue wool surrounding it on the floor near the foot of the bed and poured the fish into it.
Blackie jumped down and strutted with her head up and eyes closed in an important-looking fashion over to it. The boy bowed and said, "Your dinner awaits you, your majesty."
She meowed back 'If I must, then I shall!' She plonked down on the wool and started to devour her fish in a very un-royal way. He smiled at her silliness and pulled a small leather-bound book from the chest next to his bed that he had recently acquired from the nearby town of OakFire, hidden away in a dusty, secluded part of the town library. The title on the cover read in big bold letters 'Prophecies and Myths of Minecraftia'. He lay back on his bed and flipped through the chapters; the first three were all on the almighty Notch and how he had created all things. Four and Five were about some rare and unseen creatures of the Overworld. Six to Eight talked about the hellish world of the Nether and its inhabitants and chapters Nine and Ten concerned the mysterious dimension known as 'The End' and its own creatures that reside there. Chapter Eleven was all about Notch's infamous brother Herobrine, Twelve held a lengthy description on a being called 'The Listener', then Thirteen to Fifteen explained how Notch and Herobrine had come together to fight the fabled Enderdragon that had been rampaging through the Overwo- He stopped flipping then. Something in the last chapter had caught his eye.
He flipped back to the chapter and started to read more into it. It explained how an all-powerful entity that resided within the 'Void' deep beneath the stone and bedrock could literally hear all the living and non-living sounds from everything in the entirety of the Realms. It went on to explain how every once in a while this 'Listener' chose a sort of host to be its eyes and voice, and with this chosen person it was able to communicate with just about anything that could reply. On the next page it said that through its chosen host it would bring all the mobs, including the most hostile of them, together with the Minecrafters into an era of peace and tranquility.
He chuckled to himself, "Well now, I'd like to see the day that that happens."
He continued to read through the rest of the chapter and stops when he sees what seems to be a hand drawn map accompanied by an ancient-looking language. A not-so-ancient looking, and perfectly legible, description on the side reads: 'A map of sorts which is supposed to show the location of a sacred chamber known as 'The Prophecy Room', a place where one could supposedly communicate, and possibly interact, with the 'Listener'. But, its location has never been discovered and the map has proven to be indecipherable by even the greatest minds of the Overworld. The only word that is in the least bit understandable is the title at the top that reads 'Vinehung'. This may hint at the thick jungle biome just east of Oakfire, though this remains to be seen as no one has dared to venture into this certain area. And anyone foolish enough to do so would become lost in its thick foliage and eventually be killed by hostile mobs. It almost seems as if the Biome itself detests intruders…"
He stopped and thought to himself, Well now, this certainly seems worth looking into… He sat up and announced, "Blackie, tomorrow we're going off to search for a mysterious magical room! I think it's about time we were due for a little adventure don't you think?" He smiled widely as he said this. Blackie's ears twitched and she looked up at her owner with a concerned look and equally concerned mew, the fish in her mouth dropping to the floor, at which she meowed pretty irritatedly. 'Now look what you did, you made me drop my fish. I don't quite like the taste of floor fish.' He laughed at this and picked it up for her, saying "Oh don't worry about it; I'm sure both us, and your fish, will be fine." He stroked her soft fur down her back to reassure her and she purred in that blissful way only cats can.
He looked down at the book in his hand while he continued to stroke her fur. A sort of chill ran up his spine as he thought about their soon to be adventure. Will we be ok, though? Of course, we've both lived in this jungle long enough to notice if it doesn't want us in here or not, so what's the danger in this? Nothing, maybe a few mobs but we can always just avoid them.
He yawned and looked out the window to see the orange sun slowly but surely sinking down below the horizon. "Well, time to go to bed, Blackie; we'll shove off for our excursion in the morning. Don't stay up too late, mkay?" She meowed in response and went back to eating. He kicked off his boots and climbed into his bed, pulling the covers up over himself, lying there quite snugly.
He closed his eyes and fell asleep…
VVVVVVVV
"Mmmuh…... hmm?" He woke up to the sound of meowing, and when he opened his eyes he found himself staring up into a pair of attentive evergreen eyes, the little feline owner of these eyes just sitting there patiently on his chest and looking down right back into his own, her tail swishing through the air from side to side.
"Oh… good morning girl," he yawned, "I expect that you'd be wanting breakfast now, hmm?"
He had a knowing smirk on his face as she happily replied, 'Oh you know it, now, go get me some munchies pweeze.'
He laughed. "Oh alright, I'll go get breakfast ready. But I'm gonna need my chest back, I can't make breakfast very well with you sittin' on me, now can I?"
She just cocked her head to the side cutely and lay on her side with her tongue sticking out a little bit. He smiles. "Oh, you just love acting all cute, don't you?" She started purring and his smile widened. "Alright, fine, I'll carry you, no need to put on the innocent act."
She meowed cutely, 'What do you mean? I'm not acting innocent.'
He sat up and cradles her in his arms. "You're such a baby sometimes, you know that?" She cocked her head again and he just shook his own.
He carried her over to a corner of the room where four furnaces were kept, two against each wall and a crafting table in the immediate corner. He shifted Luna in his arms and held her in one while he used the other to reach into a chest and pull out a few lumps of charcoal and some fish. He shoved the dusty lumps into the nearest furnace and placed the scaly raw fish inside the oven top.
He set Blackie down on the furnace and she lazily splayed out, the warm stone against her back making her purr in delight. Her pleasure in this intensified when the smell of her favorite food cooking wafted up to her, and she wasn't the only one enjoying the smell either.
He breathed deeply, taking in the salty warm smell of cooking fish. "Ah… oh how I love the way charcoal makes things smell better." He breathed in again, causing his mouth to water.
Charcoal was regarded to be a very unique item, as it seemed to provide a specific smell depending on what wood it came from. Regular coal only provided a dusty, smoky smell like the rock it was found in.
Each type of wood gave the charcoal that came from it a very distinctive scent that seemed to relate to the surroundings the wood had. The jungle redwood gave off a sweet, chocolaty scent while the dark brown spruce wood had a crisp cinnamon smell to it. Light cream colored birch wood gave off a fresh and airy smell akin to the ocean breeze and the classic oak wood gave whatever its cooking a more enhanced and arguably better aroma than the cooking item originally gave off.
He inhaled the salty aroma of the cooking fish deeply yet again, savoring how well the oak charcoal did its job. He had been saving it for just such an occasion as this, the beginning of an adventure like this one should be started with a grand meal, even if it was just a few pieces of fish.
"You know, we haven't really gotten a chance to properly explore our home yet, have we? This is surprising, seeing how long we've lived here." He chuckled; he had said this more to himself than he did to Luna, and even if he had said it to her his words would've fallen on deaf ears as she had fallen asleep right there on the furnace.
He looked down at her and smiled, slowly caressing her fur and thinking to himself. Thinking of times past, of two little boys running, climbing, and playing on and around a large mountainous area. His smiled widened as he remembered this.
The two boys were twins, almost completely identical to one another save for a barely noticeable difference in height of about half an inch, and the coloring of their hair and their eyes. One of a light-ish brown hair and deep lavender eyes, while the other of dark blackish-brown hair and bright scarlet eyes.
But his smile started to fade as his thoughts turned to a more dark setting…
There the two boys were, underground with their parents in an abandoned mineshaft that they had previously explored and cleared of cave spider spawners. The boys were happily hacking away at some iron ore with the gleaming silver picks their father had given them, their very first find on their own. Once they had finished up and collected all of the little blocks of the precious metal they proceeded down the shaft in the direction of their parents. They were currently mining out some coal in the ceiling of a small cavern that the shaft had opened up to, using some nearby gravel as steps to reach it. They suspected that there was gravel just above them, so they were doing this with extreme caution. As long as they mined it one block at a time then the gravel wouldn't come tumbling down all at once.
Before the boys made it to their parents however, the most dreaded and feared sound to any Minecrafter anywhere sounded from directly behind them…
"Ssssss…."
The boy with red eyes, having faster reflexes and being more knowledgeable on the mobs of Minecraft, grabbed his younger-by-five-seconds brother and pulled him to the side just as a loud BANG reverberated throughout the cavernous mine.
Where they had been standing previously now resided a small crater in their place. They stood up and brushed themselves off, both shaken up but otherwise fine. But their momentary relief wouldn't last long; they stood frozen in fear as they saw six green figures walk out from the shadows a ways behind the newly-made crater. Then the older red eyed boy said something that sent a chill up both their spines:
"Creepers…"
There was a hissing sound, then he jumped and let out a cry of both pain and surprise. He looked around his wooden home. No creepers had made that sound.
He looked down at his hand and saw that it was slightly singed. He had unconsciously let it rest on the hot stone of the furnace, where Blackie had previously been. He looked around for her now, reasoning that she moved off while he had been lost in his memories and he just hadn't noticed it.
He heard a curious meow from directly below him and saw her sitting at his feet, looking up at him, wondering why he was yelling and trying to burn his hand off.
"Oh, sorry about that, I uh… I should get the fish out." He turned to the hole where the delicious aroma of cooked fish was emanating from and reached in carefully, trying not to brush against the hot stone.
He pulled out their nice and toasty breakfast, taking five for himself and handing seven off to Blackie, who quickly devoured six of hers before he even finished his second one.
"Geez, what are you doing? Just tasting it and then breathing it in? Try to come up for breath once in a while there, eh?"
She licked her paw with one of those full stomach kind of faces, apparently not in the least bit worried about her eating habits.
He laughed and finished up his own fish while getting his gear all set. "Diamond pick, check. Shovel, check. Buckets, check. Stack of arrows, extra crafting Table and furnace, cobblestone and dirt stacks, stack of torches, check, check checkity-check-check. Alright then, all set!"
He hoisted his bag of supplies onto his back and headed over to the chest next to his bed. He opened it and pulled out a bow with a mystical purple hue. Blackie jumped into his bag, her head and paws sticking out of a specially made hole behind his left shoulder.
"I've been waiting to use this for a while now; I think this li'l venture yields the use of such an extraordinary item don't you?" He tested the string by pulling it back a few times, making a deep thrumming noise each time it snapped back.
"A Power II and Infinity bow, luckiest item I've ever found in a Dungeon. Now, let us go shall we?" He smiled and rushed to the door, snatching the book off of his bed on the way out as he jumped into the trees, quickly and easily running across the large canopy of the jungle.
A/N: Weeeeell? Whatta' ya all think? Not too bad for my for my first time eh? :D But I would like to hear stuffs from all of you rather than myself. I welcome any and all constructivial-criti-witticisms that any of you may have. I also plan on adding maybe 2 or 3 more chapters to this, depending on how it goes, because this story is going to be canonically connected to Mel's 'Ears to Hear Us'. A Fanception, as she calls it :P Well, I hope you all enjoyed, I look forward to writing more for you, and this site :D -Aaron
Oh yes, and a grand and generous thank you to Mellifluousness for her wondrous editing skills! And for also helping to make this story a reality :D
Double Edit: Forget the last edit if any of you saw it, name has been changed back do to a small mistake on my part X3