AN: And now it is time to meet our mystery character! For those of you who guessed Moonjumper you are correct! I just had to do a chapter on our lovely, mysterious, moon boy.
Also oh my goodness thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I was smiling the entire time I was reading them! :D
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Crack!
A startled shriek. The ground giving way. Her broken yell escaping as she fell down, down, down into the darkness below.
The wind rushing past her face, blowing her hair around and almost knocking her hat off of her head. She quickly used one hand to hold it so she would not lose it. Her cape fluttering around her, useless as she fell.
Her other arm stretched up towards the gaping hole in the ice she had fallen through, as if the gesture would somehow magically return her to the surface. The starts shone above her through the hole she had fallen through, their light almost blinding her
Questions raced through her mind as she fell. Why, why had the ice broken? Why did she have to fall through? Why-
Splash!
Hat Kid yelped as she felt her back smash onto the surface of the water, which quickly dragged her under. Water filled her mouth and lungs, making the child choke on it. Gagging the entire time, she swam back up to the surface as fast as she could.
She broke the surface with a loud gasp and then promptly began coughing out water. Slowly she swam towards the nearby shore, coughing and gasping the entire time. After what felt like an eternity, Hat Kid dragged her exhausted body up onto the cold dirt.
She was in some kind of cavern and it reminded her of the ones connected to the Subcon Well. It was extremely spacious. The walls shone brightly, providing their own light in the dim atmosphere. There was one tunnel that was right in front of her and a quick check of the cave showed that it was the only one.
The only obvious exit was the hole in the ice dozens of feet above her, something she would never be able to reach. She had no climbing gear and the walls were far too slick to hold on to. Heck, even if she shouted as loud as she could it was highly unlikely anyone, be it a Subconite, Snatcher, or some random creature, would hear her voice from this far down.
At least I landed in that big puddle!
Without the water to cushion her fall the landing certainly would have been much more painful.
And deadly.
She sighed and stood up, doing her best to get rid of all the extra water that had soaked into her clothes. With the cave surrounding her the cold wind would, hopefully, not have a chance to make her sick.
Then again, the cave itself was really cold…
Her soggy boots squished with each step she took away from the cold water she had landed it. The child sighed, the cold sapping all of her energy and making her feel exhausted. She had to stay away from the hole in the ice in case anything else fell, or if the wind got too cold.
With a yelp she tripped over a stone sticking up in the faintly glowing dirt, and she fell to the cold, dirt floor. Why, why did everything have to go wrong today? Suddenly, the child was intimately aware of another presence, the feeling of something or someone watching her.
Hat Kid looked up and met the gaze of the strangest creature she had seen in Subcon Forest.
The eyes, if she could call them that, looked almost like small voids with strange red designs in them. The creature's right eye had red diamonds while its left was a red spiral with what appeared to be a broken monocle resting in the bottom corner. Strange red lines ran from its eyes and mouth to the edge of its face. Its skin was blue and it wore an, oddly familiar, red button up suit top.
Its arms were extremely long and there were manacles attached to its wrists. Two tiny fangs poked out of its blue mouth. It also had no legs and hovered in front of her, reminding her of a familiar floating shadow she was friends with.
Actually, the entire creature seemed oddly similar to Snatcher.
Finally snapped out of her shock at seeing the creature hovering in front of her, Hat Kid screamed. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
And the creature screamed right back. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
They both screamed at each other for a couple seconds before the strange, floating creature spun around and disappeared into the crystalline cave system, flailing its arms as it escaped. The child blinked before scrambling to stand up once again and sprinted after the creature, kicking up dirt as she ran.
"HEY, WAIT!" She called out, hoping it would hear her. Unfortunately either the creature did not notice her shout or did not care as it continued floating away.
Ugh, stupid floating creatures and their stupid floatyness!
She sprinted into the cave system, soggy boots slipping a bit as they landed on cold stones. She tumbled and stumbled, but kept trying to keep up with the mysterious floating figure in front of her that was slowly getting further away.
After too many twists and turns the child lost sight of the strange creature and had to stop, waiting to hear a sign that would tell her which way it went. Of course she had forgotten that the creature had been floating, which meant it made no noise when it moved!
By the time she remembered this, it was too late and any chance of trying to find the creature again had been thrown out the window. Hat Kid huffed, slightly tired from running around and stopped, figuring now would be a good time to plan out her next move.
Actually, getting back to that first chamber she was in was probably the best idea. At least from there she could be lifted out when someone found her.
"Now which way did I come from?" The child muttered to herself, gazing at the multiple other paths that branched off of the one she was in, and then branched off into even more paths.
Oh no...
She was lost.
Hat Kid froze for a moment, then two, and then...
"HEY, CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?! HELP! I'M STUCK IN A BUNCH OF PECKING TUNNELS!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs, praying someone would answer her and save her from getting more lost in the twisting maze.
Heck, she would even follow that creepy old lady to find a way out of here!
But no help came, and all that the child heard was her voice echoing through the tunnels, as if mocking her for her efforts.
She whimpered softly to herself, arms wrapping around her still dripping body as the situation began to set in. She was completely and utterly lost, no one knew where she was, and she could not reach her spaceship when she was underground. No one could save her, and she could not save herself.
She would die down here.
The child broke down. She fell to her knees, ignoring the cold that immediately bit into her flesh, arms were still wrapped around her body. Tears poured out of her eyes as she sobbed to herself. Why, why did she have to go out exploring on her own?! It was stupid decisions like this that made her parents-
No, she would not think of that, not at a time like this! She had to stay focused, she had to stay calm and figure out how to get out of these caves, but she was so scared!
Then something strange happened.
Hat Kid flinched as she felt a thin, soft strand of something brush against her face. With a jolt she looked up and caught sight of what had briefly touched her.
It was a red string.
She had seen this red string before, it had helped her out when she tripped in the forest. Maybe it would help her now? She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could even get a word out the string began to float away. Desperate for some help, no matter from what source, the child stood up and rushed after the red lifeline.
She followed it through the maze-like tunnel system, running as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, the cold was slowly beginning to sap her strength, making it extremely difficult to run as fast as she normally would.
It almost seemed as though the string knew this, as it would occasionally slow down and allow the child to catch up before floating away again. What an oddly considerate piece of fabric!
Then finally, after what felt like hours of running through the same tunnels, it opened up into a new room.
Hat Kid gasped as she entered the new chamber. It was a big larger than the cavern she had originally fallen into, it also appeared to be made out of the same light blue crystal as the tunnels, and there were red strings everywhere! They ran across the floor, were draped on the walls, and hung from the ceiling. Some even trailed off into the other tunnels that the cavern connected to!
But why were they here? Did they belong to that strange creature she had run into before? And who or what was the creature she ran into? Surely Snatcher would know about something like that living in his forest, so did that mean it was safe?
Or did Snatcher not know because the creature was hiding from him, or that it was so dangerous Snatcher had locked it away in the tunnels.
She had so many questions, and nowhere near enough answers.
"Ah, hello there young one! It is a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it were under different circumstances." A voice called out from above her. Hat Kid looked up, and up, and up, and found her eyes meeting the strange red ones of the creature from before.
It had been floating close to the ceiling of the larger cavern they were in. A large crack in said ceiling allowed the moon light to pour down, and it seemed to make the floating being shimmer with a mysterious, ethereal aura. What, or who, was this?
"It is quite alright child, I will not harm you." It, or maybe it was a he since the voice sounded masculine, said as it stopped descending and floated in front of her.
His voice sounded very, regal. It was calm and composed, but did not feel cold. He sounded like someone who cared deeply about those around him. Someone who was compassionate and willing to help those who needed it.
It was this voice that made Hat Kid break down once again.
With a sob the child threw herself at the floating creature in front of her. Ignoring the startled gasp at her swift movement, she quickly latched her arms around his skinny waist and held tight as she cried.
The creature froze for a moment before wrapping his long arms around the child clutching at his waist, gently holding her as she cried. He murmured and cooed softly, trying to comfort the crying child, and ignore the tears that were seeping into his already ruined clothes. "There, there, small one, it is okay."
Eventually the tears finally stopped pouring out of her eyes and she managed to get control of her emotions. With one final shaky sob Hat Kid let go of the creature in front of her and backed up, wiping the few remaining tears that were still in her eyes.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked with a worried look on his face. She nodded and his face quickly lit up with relief. "Thank goodness, I was worried when I realized you had fallen through the ice."
But he had been scared when he had first seen her in the tunnel, right? He had screamed when he first caught sight of her. How could be worried about her and be scared of her, that did not make sense!
"Then why did you scream when you saw me?" Hat Kid asked, tilting her head to the side as she spoke.
"You screamed at me first." He pointed out, a small smile on his face. Gosh, even his smile looked like Snatcher's! What the heck was going on?!
"But I suppose introductions are in order as I know who you are, but you do not know me. You may call me," He paused, lifting a hand up in the air.
"Moonjumper!"
The child blinked and looked up at the newly named Moonjumper. She stayed this way for a moment, then two, and then…
"Well that's a weird name." She said as she continued to look at the now named creature.
"No it's not!" Moonjumper immediately protested, waving his hands around as he spoke and making the chains connected to them clink. "My name is a perfectly wonderful name, thank you very much! Besides, Hat Kid is a far stranger name than Moonjumper!"
"HEY!" The child yelled. What was up with all these floating people making fun of her name?! First it was Snatcher, and now Moonjumper! Wait, how the heck did he know her name anyways?!
"Wait, I don't remember meeting you! How do you know me?"
"I have watched over this forest for quite some time. That includes the habitants, both new and old, and you are the newest inhabitant I have had the joy of watching." Moonjumper said, a soft grin on his face.
"You have brought great joy to Subcon Forest, young one, and I can never thank you enough for that." Hat Kid was intimately aware of the bright red blush present on her face.
"Uh, yeah." She mumbled, looking down at the floor as she dragged her boot across the cold floor, bright red blush still present on her face.
"But I digress, you must leave these caves before you get too cold." That caused her to look up, eyes widening in surprise. Hat Kid immediately opened her mouth to protest, she did not know the way back after all, but Moonjumper kept speaking.
"I will escort you to the surface and from there you will make your way back to safety. I only ask that you forget about this place and meeting me in return." The child blinked in surprise. She opened her mouth to speak but found that no sound would come out. Moonjumper patiently waited for the young girl in front of him to gather her thoughts and start speaking.
"Why?" Hat Kid finally croaked out, completely taken aback at the seemingly random request.
"Because my presence in this forest is unknown to most of the inhabitants." I called it! "Besides, I am certain my arrival would be distressing for..." He trailed off, eyes growing distant.
"Are you talking about Snatcher?" Hat Kid hedged, flinching when Moonjumper's heavy gaze landed on her. Geeze, when did this guy get so serious?!
"I suppose you could say that." The creature muttered.
Before the child could interrupt and ask what the heck he was talking about, Moonjumper quickly scooped her up in his arms and sky-rocketed out of the cavern and into the cool moonlight, Hat Kid screaming the entire time. She was expecting to feel the freezing air immediately bombard her face, and was pleasantly surprised when this did not happen. Maybe Moonjumper was protecting her with magic?
It was a nice gesture, but she was still a bit mad at him scaring the life out of her!
"PEEEEEEEEEEECK!" She shrieked as they continued to soar upward, the crevasse they had emerged from quickly becoming nothing more than a speck on the ground. Huh, she was actually pretty far from Snatcher's tree...
"Language, young one!" Moonjumper called out, and she could hear the smile in his voice as they began to descend.
Luckily enough their descent was much slower than the ascent, allowing the child to relax and take in the scenery around her. I'll never get tired of looking at Subcon when it's covered in snow!
Indeed, the sight was magical. Almost as magical as the forest itself.
They landed in a clearing not too far from where they had emerged. Hat Kid could not help but giggle as Moonjumper carefully lowered her to the ground. He was extremely careful, like he was carry one of those porcelain dolls that would break at the slightest touch. It was oddly refreshing to have an adult hovering over her rather than trying to attack her.
Then again Snatcher was also acting like this too...
She spun around and faced Moonjumper, ready to thank her new friend for his help, when all of a sudden a voice echoed through the clearing.
"What. Are. You. Doing?" A familiar voice asked that promised nothing but a slow, painful death. Hat Kid spun around and found herself facing Snatcher. At first relief flooded her and a smile formed on her face, but then she noticed his furious expression directed at Moonjumper.
Oh no!
Snatcher was mad. His yellow eyes burned with pent up magic as he stared at the floating Moonjumper behind her. The hair around his neck was fluffed up, and reminded her of spikes, while his tail lashed about.
Even if she could not sense auras, she could feel the pure rage the shadow was emitting.
This was so not good!
"Get away from the kid, now." He snarled, magic gathering in his hands. It was purple and yellow, reminding Hat Kid of their fight. Snatcher was going to hurt Moonjumper, she had to do something!
"Snatcher wait! He's not mean! I mean he's a bit of a weirdo, but other than that he's okay!" She shouted, ignoring the huff that came from behind her.
The shadow was growling, but the magical aura surrounding him was beginning to fade. She was encouraged by this sight and continued speaking, hoping she would be able to completely calm him down.
"Snatcher, please trust me! He won't hurt anyone! He saved me from freezing in the caves!" He looked down at the child in front of him, conflicting emotions dancing across his face. A part of him was screaming to chase the newcomer away and check the kid for injuries, not trusting what he was being told, then again the kid could easily beat anyone who tried to attack her, and he highly doubted she would lie about something as serious as someone saving her life.
Dammit...
"Fine kiddo, but we will talk about this, got it?" Snatcher finally said, magic finally dissipating as the fluff around his neck returned to its typical, soft shape. She nodded, happy her new friend was no longer in danger.
With that sorted out, the shadow lifted his gaze from the child to the floating creature behind her. He looked, oddly familiar, and not in a good way.
"Who the heck are you anyways!?" Snatcher asked, curiosity overtaking the anger he had previously felt. He had never seen someone who looked like this, Moonjumper in front of him. Worry flooded the shadow.
What else might be hiding in his forest that he did not know about?
"Why that is a simple question to answer." Moonjumper said. He swiftly moved forward, hovering directly in front of Snatcher. On instinct the shadow quickly picked Hat Kid up and cradled her against his chest, ready to protect her if he needed to.
But he did not need to.
A grin appeared on Moonjumper's face as he stopped moving, hovering in place. He leaned forward, fangs gleaming in the moonlight, and spoke.
"I... am you."
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AN: DON'T WORRY I ALREADY HAVE THE NEXT PART OF THIS SPECIFIC CHAPTER BEING WORKED ON, but for now it will remain a bit of a cliffhanger :3
Just a quick heads up the next couple chapters are going to be pretty heavy, both in content and word count, but the fluff shall prevail!
