Disclaimer: I do not own Wild Kratts
Chris stared out at the scape of houses and some larger buildings.
"Well, actually, I think its a town"
He couldn't believe it. Civilization! He was so thrilled with the new hope that he had to take a minute just to think of the possibilities. He could all the crew! They could come and get him and he could...could have them help!
"C'mon, Lilah! We have to go there" he said, not really giving a warning before he swung her up back into his back and started for the town. But that's when he noticed one thing. Something very wrong about the small town.
It was completely vacant. As he slowed to a jog down the dirt path paved into the hill, he noticed there was not a sigh of life. The town looked modern, too. It was run down and Chris though he could call it semi-urban. But it looked like everyone had evacuated. That the place had just been..forgotten.
He slowed down a bit and looked around. It was as if people had stopped what ever they'd been doing, and fled. The store's shelves were stocked and there were even cars in the street, some with their doors wide open and left that way, seemingly abandoned.
It made Chris uneasy, the quietness of the place. Come to think of it, he couldn't even hear any animals; no birds, the usual small animals, nothing.
It was eerie...wait, what was that?
Chris froze and held Lilah still. He listened hard to Make sure he probably wasn't hearing things.
It sounded like footsteps. Light ones, not loud or thunking against the ground. Chris knew he wasn't imagining it.
Even with the wind making weird sounds as it blew in and out of objects.
This was different. Slowly, he walked making his steps silent so he wouldn't be detected first. The person or whatever it was was close and didn't know he was there yet. Suddenly the footsteps stopped somewhere close.
Chris walked up toward the side of a building. Just as he peered around the corner a figure dashed right past him.
"H-hey! Hey, wait a minute!" Chris ran after the person as he dashed around a corner.
It was a teenage boy, a kid compared to Chris. He took a quick glance back at Chris, before running into an abandoned store. Chris wasn't about to lose him. He chased after the cloaked figure without having to rest. It helped that he did this all the time...but usually he and Martin were the ones being chased.
Racing past isles that were stocked with old goods, and out the back entrance, Chris made sure he didn't loose whoever he was following. The youth knew something, or else he wouldn't have run from him. Around another corner and down a block lined with stores on the outskirts of the small ghost town, Chris still had view of the person he was pursuing. He was also catching up- his target was tiring out.
However, the young person also made it a point to keep his distance and not get caught. More and more often Chris would loose sight of him for a second and wonder if he'd finally lost him only to catch a glimpse of the burgundy cloak and continue the chase. But Chris knew he could easily out run the boy.
Slowly, the other's speed began to falter. He stumbled a bit and Chris could tell he was really pushing himself and having a hard time. Then his body couldn't take it anymore. He collapsed on his hands and knees gasping for air. He was breathing hard and wheezing.
Chris ran up to him. "Hey! Hey, easy. Are you okay?"
Chris went to touch him but his hand was pushed away. The boy frowned at him, seeming to have recovered as soon as Chris had got too close. "No...no, no! Go...away! You are not suppose to be here! You were not suppose to know!"
All the time, he was pushing Chris and motioning for him to leave.
"Hey, what? I found this place by accident! Quite that, I'm not here to...do whatever you're talking about. I was just trying to see if you were okay and I haven't done anything to you!" Chris protested. "What is your problem?"
He forced the younger's hands away to stop the harassment he was receiving, and as a result was shoved down abruptly.
The kid had pulled out a sword handle that he had concealed under his belt. He pointed it at Chris threateningly. "I will use this! Don't move or else!"
Chris blinked in disbelief. 'Was he serious?'
Chris sat up, about to say something, when suddenly there was the tip of a cyan, electrified sword was within centimeters of his face. It seemed completely made out of energy. He froze staring at it, lingering near the bridge of his nose. It was so close, he felt the heat illuminating from it.
'Okay...so much for getting up'
Instead of sitting up, Chris backed up, and leaned back on his elbows. He glanced up at the red-haired boy, who held it with both hands, waiting. The boy seemed younger now that he was closer. Maybe around 14, it seemed by his face.
Chris carefully moved back from it a bit so he wasn't in immediate danger. He gave a short sigh. "Okay. You got me. But why exactly are you threatening me?"
More like why the heck did the kid have an electric sword in the first place.
"You know exactly why! Now leave here and never come back! Don't tell anyone we're here or else!"
"Who would I tell?" Chris asked in exasperation. He didn't even know why he was being treated like he had committed some horrible crime to the boy and his family.
"You know! Your master! The man you confronted earlier. you are only here to take me next! well I will never tell where he is, so you can just get out of here!"
'OKAY, WHAT?' is what Chris wanted to yelled out in frustration.
Instead he changed his approach as the one he was currently using was getting him no where.
"Why would you assume I'm after you?" he drawled out.
"You...you chased me" he said simply. "You were creeping around town in the middle of the forest. How do you explain that? What! You just stumbled in on this place?"
'Actually, I did, but you won't believe that'
Chris decided that the truth would do him good.
"Um..look. I just wanted to find out why you were running and we needed help, we thought it was an abandoned town, very tiring trip, loong last two days, and I just want to go home" Chris moaned out the last line.
At this point, the boy had lowered the sword almost completely toward the ground. His moss green eyes were analyzing Chris, as if trying to judge his truthfulness. Suddenly he made a crossing motion with the sword, and the long glowing blade scattered into glowing bits and vanished.
Chris thought that was the signal that he was allowed to stand and did so, dusting his shirt off, though it didn't make to big a difference.
He looked down at him. The juvenile glanced up at him with the same untrusting frown. The look he was giving Chris made him feel like he was the little kid.
"Who are you?" he asked Chris flatly, his arms crossed and handle still in hand.
"We'll, my name is Chris Kratt, if that's what you're asking"
The youth stared at him.
'Why did he do that?'
Chris tried to shift the attention away from himself.
"So, I told you my name. Who are you?"
"...Kenny"
Chris wasn't sure if he was giving a false name or not by the same, insipid tone he kept using.
"How...old are you?" Chris asked finally when he gave up on trying to guess.
"I'm 13, why?" he snapped.
Chris put up a hand in defense. "Just trying to figure out who I'm talking to. And, you know I've got some more important questions to ask you"
"Kenny" looked at him. "Yes?"
"Why are you out here alone in the middle of the forest?"
"This isn't 'the middle' of the forest. We are on the western edge. And I am not out here alone"
Thunder suddenly rolled nearly, loudly. Both Chris and Kenny glanced up. The clouds had grown really thick and ugly.
Kenny frowned before turning and he started walking back to where the street ran on the outer part of the town. He was just leaving Chris.
"You're just going to leave?" Chris asked, not believing this.
Kenny stopped and looked back at Chris in annoyance. "Are you just going to stand there and get soaked by the storm?"
Chris decided to take that as an invitation. Then a realization suddenly slapped him in the face. "Lilah!"
He had just left her when he had pursued Ken!
Kenny turned. "Who?"
"She was- she...the little girl-"
"Stop that!" Kenny interrupted. He glanced up, seeming to look for something in the bleak, grey in the sky.
"Look, she's fine"
this time, Chris gave him a look. He glanced up and didn't see anything.
"How do you know?"
"I just do, now would you please stop asking me questions right now? I will explain everything, but let us get out of the rain..."
Chris...didn't know what to say. And soon settled for not saying anything. "Tsk..."
He followed Kenny, not really knowing why. Not like he had any other ideas. He also seemed to know where Lilah was and he had to stay with her.
This was all just too weird.
Water:*sneaking out of the back door quietly while her friends distract, whispering*ppst! Review, guys! o.o'*glances back before escaping down the street*X) yes...