Yeah finally got it up! And i thought of a new summary!
Lets party! A TEA PARTY ... with GUMMIE BEARS! ... yeah
(its 5:00 am)
The reason why it took so long to get this up was because i wanted to post two chaps at the same time...
DON'T QUESTION MY LOGIC!
...Well that and i had writers block for a bit... and the fact that i was slacking off ...and ...
Lets just get to the story!
Never Cry Wolf
Chap. 2
Of gravity and apples
Minutes passed and still Lightning could only stand there. Looking at the boy pressed up against the apple tree. He … it... seemed so human. And yet- another snarl ripped from the boy's mouth and echoed on the trees. Its bright eyes savage, with no hint of reasoning within them. Its jaws clacked shut in warning.
Lightning snorted, disgusted at both her hesitance and the foul creature before her.
Whatever it was it was clearly not human. It was a thing; a monster that hid beneath the appearance of a boy. The only mercy that should be shown is a quick strike through the heart. Putting it out of its miserable existence would be more of an act of kindness than anything.
'It has to be destroyed,' her logical mind thought. And yet, all she could see was a bleeding half starved boy. 'It doesn't have to be cruel. It can be quick and painless. But it has to be done,' she tried to reason.
With a huff she clutched her saber in her left hand and took a step forward.
And then he was coming at her.
Faster than Lightning thought possible the beast rammed into her, sending her toppling. Her head bounced as it cracked against the forest floor. She silently gasped in pain as black spots blurred her vision. Then with another snarl the beast was upon her. Reflexively she paralleled the sword with his body and harshly pushed up to prevent him from coming closer without gutting himself. The blade sunk slightly into his skin making him grunt in pain and flinch back.
She forced the saber to dig into its skin again, trying to force him further away. The beast roared in furry and grabbed at the hilt. Trying to drive the sword back down and gain ground but Lightning's grip held strong.
Its massive fangs snapped shut with the force of a steel bear trap just inches from her face. And Lightning couldn't help but think for a split second of what would happen if the blade hadn't been planted between them.
The grizzly thought sparked a sudden surge of energy within her. With a yell she shoved the saber up until it sliced through his abdomen.
It yelped in pain and threw itself off of her. Retreating back to the apple tree. His body sliding against the rough bark before crumbling to the ground.
Slowly Lightning got up. Using her sword as a crutch to help her to her feet. Groaning softly as her head thrummed at the movement. She reached behind and felt the back of her skull. There was a nasty lump but nothing more. Satisfied it wasn't serious she quickly turned her gaze back to the boy collapsed under the tree.
Fresh blood flowed freely from his stomach and chest. The wounds seemed to smoke and sizzle as the beast struggled for breath. He cringed in pain at the slight movement of his chest and whined softly like a beaten puppy.
Though she was sure the wounds weren't fatal it was plain to see it had unexpected effects. The boy let out another pitiful whine and grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut.
However Lightning no longer felt any sympathy. Her mind kept replaying his jaws snapping at her with a deadly intent.
You must never forget the fang.
Kept thinking of how those incisors would've sliced through the soft skin of her throat with ease… or just ripped off her face entirely.
Their skin is only a clever disguise.
The elder was right. This was no boy. It was a demon spat out from the bowls of hell. Now its illusion was broken and she was able to see the creature for what it really was.
With swift steady steps Lightning made her way over to the beast. Her saber poised for a quick strike in case it came at her again. As she approached its head shot up. A growl rose from its lips but it was a weak sound, lacking any real threat. The beast squirmed and tried to get up but its legs buckled and it fell back to the ground.
A second later Lightning's thick brown boot slammed into his shoulder, pinning him where he lay. There was no hesitation as she took her sword in both hands and raised it above her head for the final blow.
With a yelp the boy weakly clawed at her boot before clutching it tightly like a lifeline. His breaths becoming frantic and painfully short. Lightning chanced a glance into his watery tea green eyes.
It burned. Oh maker it hurt. Warm sticky blood ran down his torso before wetting the ground. He wiggled in a helpless attempt to lessen the pain. The sound of footsteps reached his ears. She was coming again. He looked at her and growled; though if anything it came out more of a whimper. Why couldn't the human just leave him alone? Why was she so determined to hurt him? He wanted nothing to do with her! He never did!
The scent of his own blood filled the air, nearly making him gag as he half heartedly tried to get back up. Only to fall back to the ground, face first, when his legs failed to support the weight. Then the human's foot smashed into his shoulder, trapping him against the earth. He let out a soft cry at the sheer brutality of the action. The woman raised her sword into the air and he knew what was coming next. He had seen it happen before. Maker why won't she just go away and take that damned basket with her!
Tears of fear and frustration brimmed in his eyes making his vision misty. Feebly, he tried to sink his claws into the leather boot but the movement hurt. It stung as a fresh wave of blood seeped from the wounds. Bubbling like acid for a second as it touched the air before rolling down his side. Soon he gave up and squeezed the boot as tight as his hand would let him. Closing his eyes so he wouldn't see the blade come down on him.
But he didn't want to die! HE DIDN'T WANT TO DIE! He choked on a whimper as he began to hyperventilate. His chest aching at the action but he didn't care. It wasn't supposed to happen like this! He wasn't supposed to die like this!
Trembling with fear he looked up into hard Cerulean blue eyes.
Lightning stood there. Her face expressionless as she contemplated on what to do. The creature was crying. Tears soaked its cheeks as it waited for her to pass judgment. Waited for her saber to plunge down into his chest. Fear shined clearly in those mint green eyes as he silently begged for her mercy.
Never fall into those eyes, The color of shining fireflies.
But it wasn't really a boy.
She could feel him tremble slightly beneath her boot.
This was a blood crazed fiend..a demon … wasn't it?
They stayed like that for a time. Just looking at each other. Each not daring to move; not knowing what to do next. Until a small force of nature changed everything. Gravity. There was the soft snap of a tree stem as it gave in and a bright, golden colored apple clunked Lightning square in the head.
And then everything stopped.
The adrenaline that pumped through Lightning's veins dissipated instantly. She couldn't kill him. Not like this. Lowering her sword she slowly stepped off the boy, allowing him up.
The boy hesitantly tried to get back on his feet but she stopped him. Her sword striking out, slicing through the hard bark of the tree effortlessly. Just centimeters from giving his fuzzy white hair a shave- and taking the fluffy ears with it.
"Try anything and next time you won't be so lucky," Lightning sneered before sliding her saber back into its loop on her belt.
The white haired youth scrambled away as fast as his injured body could carry him. Quickly putting a healthy distance between them before turning back to watch her. His eyes narrowed with wary suspicion as she went to pick up the forgotten cargo.
Lightning sighed as she picked up the basket. Already the sky was turning red as the sun began to set. How long had she been there? She had lost track of time. And to make things worse she didn't know how much father the cabin was. Which way was she suppose to go? She looked at the weaving dirt road colorfully spotted with falling tree blossoms. In the end it all looked the same. There was no stand out land markings to help her navigate. No way of telling where she was or which way to go.
And she was running out of time. The forest was dangerous during the day but it was deadly at night. No fool in their right mind would be caught in this forest- on the path or not- at night. Even the bravest of caravans avoided these roads like the black plague when the evening rolled around. And Lightning could only imagine what slunk around in the dark.
You must never wander off the trail.
The scratchy voice echoed in her head. Without meaning to she broke the rule. The fight had pushed her off the beaten path and distracted her. Now she was lost.
Lightning looked at the boy and then back at the path. And in a split second made a decision. She would have to find a place to rest and get her bearings straight tomorrow. There was no way she could make it to Serah's in the dark. But in order to do that she would have to leave the path again. And she would need help to find her way in this organic maze. It would be risky, but right now it was her best bet.
To a wolf you must have no ties.
The voice rang in her head again. This time she promptly ignored it.
"You can understand me?" Lightning asked as she turned to look back at the boy.
The boys eyes narrowed even more; into little green slits. Making it clear that he could understand; and that he wanted nothing to do with her.
"Then I'll get straight to the point," Lightning said, "I need to find somewhere safe for the night and fast. You ARE going to help me." There was no room for argument.
The wolf glared at her but noticeably bit back another snarl. At this she couldn't help but inwardly smile. He was a fast learner.
With her free hand she reached into the wicker basket and pulled out a few of the medical herbs she brought. Waving them in front of her so that he could see them clearly.
"Your injures look painful. If you help me I'll patch you up. " She said bluntly, but her words had an edge of taunting to get her point across: I got what you want.
The boy looked at her for a minute; contemplating what to do. Finally he stiffly rose on his two feet and began to limp back across the road to the other side of the forest. Stopping just before the bushes to beckon Lightning to follow him.
Lightning stuffed the herbs back into the basket with a triumphant smirk before quickly catching up with the boy. They stared at each other for a second before leaving the path all together.
The girl falling closely behind as the wolf led the way.
As usual there is probably a million spelling errors in this story so pin point them out for me and ill fix them as soon as I can. That's all for this chap. XD
PS: i couldnt think of a better name for this chapter;
sorry all you ppl who were counting on an awsome chapter name
I let you down.
