A/N: Hello! I'm kartoonfreek and this is my first GOTG fanfic! I've had this idea in my head for a while and figured "Why not?" I really hope that this idea hasn't already been used (I don't check). Soooooo... just a quick note; I would really like some feedback on this story and how I can improve my writing and such. I'm only a Freshman in High School so if my story-telling isn't the best then you know why, I'm still learning. Yep. That's about it. Just to recap: Freshman who is still trying to master free-write, I would appreciate critiquing, and... well... enjoy!

Rumors of a murderer had begun to panic the inhabitants of Catcher. Two people in the little town had been found with their throats slit that morning; Mr. and Mrs. Asher. No one in the quiet town had any idea why someone would want to kill them, they were very polite and didn't bother anyone in the town or anywhere else on Somnium. The head official of the town's authorities had been sent by the mayor to check on the people and find witnesses, trying everything to figure out who or what killed the couple.

"Are you sure you didn't see what happened? No clue of who might've done this?" Captain Night folded his arms as he watched the Asher's neighbor, Fl'mor, fidget with his long, gnarly hands. The suspect's small, thin body was very tense as he tried his best to explain to the Captain that no, he did not see what happened to the Ashers.

Fl'mor swallowed the giant lump in his throat, "Oh, the poor Ashers." He began fiddling with his white hair, intense brown eyes not focusing on the Captain, "What a lovely couple they were. Always so kind and gracious. Never caused any trouble-"

Captain Night put a strong, calloused hand on the older man's shoulder. "I know. They were great people," He released the man's shoulder and put that hand on his own hip. He could see that he might not get anywhere with Fl'mor. The man wasn't exactly the greatest at remembering details. He sighed, "Well, if you think of anything, you know where to find me." He nodded to the man before turning around to go back to check on the other neighbors.

"W-wait!" Night looked back at Fl'mor. "Have you found their daughter?"

A knot of worry filled the Captain's stomach. "Daughter?"

The man nodded, "She's been missing for five days."

…. Three Days Later

It had been three months since the defeat of Ronan and so far everywhere the Guardians went was because Peter wanted to show them 'cool' things around the quadrant. Mostly those "things" were bars that after a few drinks they would high-tail it out as soon as possible. Now, Peter decided that they would go to a place "less likely to get them arrested."

Rocket Raccoon huffed in annoyance, "Why are we here again?" He folded his fury arms as he looked at Peter who was busy landing the Milano onto Somnium soil.

The self-proclaimed Star-Lord looked over at the gun-happy raccoon with a big grin on his face. "Because of the annual Dream Festival! Duh!" Peter hopped out of his seat and started down into the common room. Rocket followed close behind, shaking his head at Peter's giddiness. "The Ravagers and I used to make stops here once in a while to see if we could get good…. deals."

'Yeah,' Rocket thought. 'I'm sure the deals came real "cheap".' They probably stole from a whole bunch of bystanders. Not that Rocket did any better. He probably would do the same.

"What is this Dream Festival that you speak of, Quill?" Rocket looked over at Drax who stood by the table in the common area, his knives already in his holsters ready to go.

"Well," the Half-Terran began, "Every year the people on this dinky planet have a cool festival that by the end of the week no one can remember." He slung his knapsack (Rocket still thought it was more of a purse than anything else) over his shoulder. "And there's also a bunch of awesome, magical storytelling that everyone buys into."

"Of course that's all you would remember, Peter." The group of men looked up as Gamora and Groot walked into the room.

"Well, it's not the only thing I remember." Peter sighed dejectedly.

Gamora rolled her eyes. "The Dream Festival is part of a Somnium holiday," while she explained, the Guardians started out the Milano's exit, stepping into a clearing that was just big enough for the Milano to fit in. They were greeted by a green forest, blue sky, and two-yellow suns shining down on them.

Rocket could instantly tell that the air was clean. No pollution or alien chemicals invading the air. A slight breeze tickled his furry face. He looked over at Groot, the tree-man (who was now fully grown again) was smiling. Of course a place like this would make Groot happy. It kind of made Rocket feel…. peaceful. Which was new considering he never actually felt peace before. He snapped out of his daze when he heard Gamora talking again.

"The Somniums have a special lunar cycle. Because they have two moons, they celebrate when the two cross paths."

"This way, guys!" Peter led the group through the field and into the dense forest as she explained.

"For three days, the Somniums give a sort of-" she stepped onto a log.

"Offering?" Peter held out his hand for her to take.

She smirked, "In a matter of speaking, yes." She took his hand and stepped down. They let go before continuing on their way. "You see, the Somniums have magical abilities of creating illusions. On the first day of the annual lunar cycle, they hold a festival celebrating a good year. In which they tell stories and-"

"Get drunk! And have killer parties!" Peter butted in.

Drax looked up in concern. "Why would they have parties that kill? I thought they were celebrating for good?" At this, Rocket snorted in amusement.

Peter sighed, "Metaphor."

"Anyway," Gamora continued, "After the first night, the second night is when they make preparations for the third night. The third night is when the two moons actually are in alignment. Then the third and final night is when the people of Somnium go into a dream state, as they call it, and "cleanse and enlighten" themselves for a new year." Gamora finished as she and the others ducked under a branch.

"How do you know so much about this festival?" Drax inquired, lifting a branch from smacking him on the head.

Rocket watched as Gamora stiffened, "That is on a need to know basis." Rocket shook his head. If there was one person besides himself that had trouble opening up; it would be Gamora.

They walked through the forest in silence, avoiding getting smacked in the face by tree branches. At least twice Rocket had to get Groot as he would walk up to a tree and place his hand on it. After a while of the pregnant silence, Quill started humming.

A few minutes of this noise before Rocket asked, "What're you humming?" as he fell in step with the Terran.

Peter stopped humming to answer. "It's called "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". It's from "The Wizard of Oz", a Terran classic." he continued humming.

"What's this "Wizard of Oz" about?" Gamora asked, walking on Peter's left. Peter seemed to puff in pride at the question.

"Well, this girl named Dorothy gets sucked into a tornado and-" Rocket toned out Peter's explanation. Instead he listened to the sound around them.

Rocket could hear birds (or things that sounded like birds) chirping in the trees above them. The leaves rustled in the gentle caress of the wind. A little way off he could also hear a waterfall. Didn't sound very big. He looked to his right in the direction of where the sound was coming from. Though instead of seeing more green brush, he saw a giant walking tree. "Ugh." He sighed. "Groot! Get back here!"

He walked over to where the talking tree was heading and stopped in front of him. "Groot, c'mon. The town's the other way," he pointed to where the others had stopped on the cluttered trail.

"I am Groot," Groot pointed to the direction of the waterfall.

"I know, buddy. I hear it, too. We'll check it out when we come back. Deal?" Groot frowned before nodding and heading back to Peter, Drax, and Gamora. Rocket shook his head.

'The idiot gets excited over every little thing,' he thought. He started walking towards the others when he caught a whiff of something. Something…. not quite right. The scent was sweet, like a fruit. He sniffed again. Rocket vaguely remembered this scent. Quill had bought a bunch of them at a market on a nearby planet. He said that they were called "peaches"; a fruit on his planet. "Peaches?" he muttered. Rocket turned looked over his shoulder at the direction of the water rushing. "What the hell?" Why would he be smelling peaches in the middle of a freakin' alien forest?

"Hey, Rocket!" The Raccoon snapped his head in the direction of Peter's voice. "You comin' buddy? Or are you just gonna stand there like the Tin Man?" the others gave him confused looks. Peter sighed before waving nonchalantly. "I'll explain him in a minute."

Rocket nodded, "Yeah, yeah! I'm comin'! Just go on 'head." The rest of the Guardians continued down the path. With one last glance behind him, Rocket rushed to keep up with the others. The scent still hanging in the air.

….

Deeper in the forest, two figures stood on top or the highest branch of a tree overlooking where the Guardians were trekking. "That was a close one," a silky voice said. "If that rodent had gotten any closer-"

A deeper voice interrupted, "Yes, that was close. It would have been a shame to… eliminate such interesting specimens. After all, they just barely got here." The voice chuckled. "Still, we must be careful of these five. If memory serves correct, they are the newly found Guardians of the Galaxy."

"So?" The other snapped. "They are nothing but bugs waiting to be squashed. They will be easy to kill. Just like those two other vermin were."

"Do not underestimate them. They defeated Ronan. I will not have them ruin this chance." The figure jumped down onto the next lower branch, "Do not interfere with them. Keep according to plan. The time is drawing nearer. You will keep an eye on our…. guest until the time is right." The companion jumped down onto the same branch. Both figures smiled at each other. "Be ready. The town will soon be gathering. The Lunar Cycle will soon start."

The softer voice chuckled, "This is going to be fun."

A/N: Alright! So that was the first chapter! Sorry if it wasn't too detailed and felt rushed. I'm still getting used to free-writing (I'm used to assignments in school). Again, please review! I would like to improve on my writing and all the reviews would help. 'Til next time.