Remembering
"GAH!" Carrot screamed into the woods, gripping at his wild hair. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! WE'VE BEEN WALKING THROUGH THESE WOODS FOREVER!"
"Darling," Chocolate said, grabbing onto his arm, "we've only been traveling since this morning."
"We've wasted a whole day in this stupid forest! I could've been looking for pretty girls!'
"Darling, there's no need for that. I'm right here!"
"Sister!" Tira said in protest as her older sister snuggled her cheek on Carrot's shoulder.
"Chocolate, get off me!" He struggled to remove the red-haired off his arm. "Hey Marron," he said to his little brother. "How much longer to the next village?"
"Just a few more miles, Brother," the younger Glace replied, pushing strands of his long, dark hair from his face. "We should be able to reach it in the morning."
"MORNING! Why can't we get there now!"
"The sun is setting, Moron," Gateau said, pointing to the blood red orb fading over the horizon. "We'll never get to the next town before it gets dark."
"And we'd get lost if we tried," Tira added.
The wild teen suddenly stopped, as he thought about the last comment. Getting lost meant that he wouldn't be able to hunt down any pretty girls. He shuddered at the thought. "Fine," he said, sitting on a nearby log, "but we'd better be able to get to the next town tomorrow, or I'll. . ."
"I assure you, Brother," Marron interrupted, something he hardly ever did, "we will be able to reach our destination in the morning." Carrot said nothing, but lay down with his hands folded behind his head, dreaming of all the pretty girls that might be there.
"It'll be dark soon," Gateau said after a few minutes of silence. "I'm going to get some wood for a fire."
"That's a good idea," Tira said, looking around the woods. "We don't know what's in this forest." The blonde nodded, then left to retrieve the lumber.
"What about food?" Carrot said, sitting up again. "If I can't chase girls, can we at least get something to eat?"
"Darling, let me give you a tasty treat!"
"AAH! CHOCOLATE, STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He screamed again as the oldest Misu sister tackled him, sitting on top of him as she tried to kiss him.
"Sister, stop that!" Tira cried, grabbing her sister's shoulders to yank her off. Carrot struggled from underneath her, trying to get free.
Marron sighed, shaking his head. Seeing as how the other three were preoccupied, he left to find something for them all to eat. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that maybe…just maybe…something was not quite right.
There was a rustle in the bushes next to him. Marron froze, then turned to his side. Pulling out an ofuda ward from his pocket, just in case, he readied himself for an attack. But when a raccoon appeared, he relaxed, letting out a silent sigh.
"There is nothing out here," he reminded himself. "This is just a normal forest. There is nothing for me to be worried about. But. . . still. . ." He thought back to what the youngest Misu sister had said before he had left.
"We don't know what's in this forest."
The young mage pondered the cherry-head's words for a moment, then shook his head slightly to remove those thoughts. "There is nothing here to be worried about," he repeated, as if trying to convince himself. It didn't work.
He knew he had better hurry back, since his brother was probably 'starving' by now, as he casually slung the fish he had caught over his shoulder. Still, he had a magic charm in his hand ready.
A twig snapped, and Marron jumped slightly. As he realized, however, the sound had come from under his own foot, he relaxed. . . a little. 'I don't understand why I'm so alarmed,' he thought to himself. 'I've never been this frightened before, even in the midst of a sorcerer. But still. . . I have the strangest feeling that I should be alert. . . just in case. But why?'
For some reason, he had a feeling that he should be on guard. Ever since they had entered that forest area, something had been bothering him to the point that he was as restless as he was.
"But there's nothing out here," he stated verbally. "There's no reason for me to be worked up."
He chuckled slightly as he thought what his brother would say if he had seen him that way. "I can't believe that Marron is finally losing his cool," Carrot might say. "I never thought I'd see the day."
But Carrot wasn't with him at the moment. Neither were the others. He was by himself in that area of the forest.
Then why did he feel like someone else was out there? Someone. . .waiting and watching…
He continued to walk back to the campsite, where the others were probably waiting for him. The sun was fading fast, as he looked to see only the tip of the sun over the horizon. The pinkish-purple sky was slowly losing its light, and a star or two had already appeared.
Marron entered an area surrounded by thick foliage. As he placed his foot down, the ground collapsed underneath him. He gasped as he fell along with the branches and leaves into a deep pit.
He felt the side of his head collide with something hard. Colors exploded in front of his eyes, before fading into darkness.
TBC