The Missing Feet
Claire groaned as she rubbed her elbows. She stood up and was dismayed at the state of her Fall Shawl. The brown felt was covered in grass stains and soaked in sweat. The gold thread had tattered and unraveled. The hem was missing an innumerable number of leaves as well.
Claire turned back to Hogsquash and Jarim. No doubt they were a mess too. Jarim's black hair was sticking out every where and he had unbuttoned his silvery vest in an attempt to cool down. Hogsquash, however, looked much the same as before their flight. She had some leaves crumpled in her hair though , which made Claire suspect she had hopped all the way here.
"Jar," Hogsquash said frowning, "we need to find out where we are. Do you mind scaling a tree to see?"
"Hog! You know I'm no good at climbing," he complained. "Why don't you just do it yourself?"
"Maybe you haven't noticed," Hogsquash said, turning red with anger, "but I don't have the gift of Fae's toes."
"Not so fun being a goblin, eh?" Jarim smirked, climbing up the pine.
"So what's your story?" Claire asked as Jarim climbed out of earshot.
"Well, Jarim came from Laspira when he was a kid. I'm his little sister... well, half-sister I suppose," Hogsquash explained chuckling. "Our mother was originally a lady-in-waiting to Queen Alkali, but when Jarim was seven it was decided that they would come to the Labyrinth. I was born a few years later. It's been about fifty-two years if I'm counting correctly."
"What's the difference between a Lisperan Goblin and a Labyrinth Goblin?" Claire asked.
"A Labyrinth Goblin never reaches over three and a half feet. A Lisperan Goblin on the other hand, is commonly known to reach height of four and a half to even five feet. Otherwise they're the same."
"He isn't as formal as he looks is he?" Claire asked gazing up into the leaves.
"No. He only does that to impress people. Once you get to know him he's actually very out there," Hogsquash giggled.
"It's beautiful up here, Hog! It's the stuff you would die for!" Jarim called down from the screen of green above the pair.
"Yes, but where?" Hog called back.
Jarim dropped down from the lower levels of the branches to stand in front of them. "Jareth always starts his runners off at the South Gate so we seem to have run the rim. We're at the West Gate.
"Well, let's get walking," Claire said determinedly.
Claire and Jarim walked side by side as Hogsquash hopped circles around them.
"So, I heard Hog telling you about us. What of your past. Any juicy secrets?" Jarim asked, smirking at her.
"Nothing you would want to hear," Claire said smirking right back.
"Oh come now! By the way Jareth is playing this, I suspect we'll be spending a lot of time together."
Claire just caught the inner lying insult before the retort escaped her lips. The nerve of him!
"You don't think I'll make it, do you?"
Jarim looked at her with wide-eyes. He seemed surprised by her sudden change from cheery to cold.
"That's not what I said!" he cried defensively.
"But that's what you meant," Claire said softly.
"No, it's not," Jarim said frowning.
"Say what you want to, but I will make it through this stupid labyrinth!" Claire yelled as she stalked off in the direction of the North Gate.
"Where are you going?" Jarim called after her.
"To the North Gate!"
"Whatever would you do that for?" Hogsquash asked.
"Because that's the Labyrinth's exit," Claire said pausing and turning to Hogsquash with a puzzled look.
"No it's not, sil-" Hogsquash started to say, but immediately Jarim slapped a hand across her mouth.
"You know we can't," he said hurriedly.
He caught sight of the owl perched on the pine branch above Claire's head. It looked hungrily down at them. Hogsquash caught sight to and her eyes suddenly widened.
Claire turned back to the path and walked on. What could they have meant? The fog swirled around her ankles. The end of a maze is the exit... right? Although.. my goal is to over think things. She stopped as she realized she could no longer hear the sibling's soft foot falls. She looked around everywhere.
"Jarim! Hogsquash!" she called over and over.
After about fifteen minutes, Claire stopped. She had no idea where she had gone. Sometime in all the looking she had wandered off the path and now the mist snaked it's way up her legs. She rubbed her hands up and down her shaking arms. For once, she was afraid. Claire looked up as a snowy owl whoed from a branch beside her. It flapped its wings and swooped down towards her. Claire ducked and as she came back up she caught sight of the bird flying off into the mist.
At her feet lay a beautiful flower with orange petals. Claire bent to inspect it. It wasn't anything like the Assassin's Breath and she assumed it was safe. She looked around for some sign as to where it had come from. Shrugging, her curiosity got the better of her. she breathed in the sweet fragrance of the flower and smiled.
Claire's head was foggy now. She yawned as she sat in front of a tree. It was incredibly tiring to find your way through a labyrinth. Perhaps she would take one little nap and wait for Hogsquash and Jarim to find her.
