Inkpoison

Chapter Nine

Jade crashed through the forest, her hair ablaze in the setting sun as it blew behind her. She was heading east, as Nettle had proposed, but she had no clue how she was going to get there – she didn't even know where she was going!

Nettle had described the untamed East as rolling hills and thick, growing vegetation that never seemed to die. But it couldn't be that perfect or else people would have settled there; there was sure to be monsters, and other living creatures such as wolves, or bears.

Her heart pounded at the notion, and she slowed as she thought she heard a rustling coming from somewhere ahead of her, to the right. As she took two steps forward, she came to the edge of the forest and reached a road heading north-west. And someone was coming towards her, following this path.

She cowered behind a thorn bush, fear reflected in her green eyes. Maybe storming from the house – alone, nonetheless – wasn't such a clever idea . . . The young girl crouched down, waiting for whoever it was to come into sight.

Jade let out an excited gasp as she spotted two forms coming closer – and she recognized them as friends! Cloud-Dancer and Jake! Well, okay, she wasn't too pleased to see Jake, but at least they weren't Nightmares. That was good, right?

She stepped out from behind the bush, her hair falling in curtains around her. Her backpack slid from her shoulders, and she let it slump against her legs. Puffs of dust rose around her but she didn't notice.

"Jade!" Cloud-Dancer called, in slight surprise as he limped forward. "What are you doing here?" he questioned, his clear blue eyes shining kindly.

She dipped her head. "I'm traveling east. Roxane is sick and the cure is somewhere out . . . there." She waved her hand, gesturing towards the far-distant mountains visible far to the east. A darkening blanket was beginning to cover the hills, as dusk rolled forth. But behind her – to the west – the sun was evident on the horizon, casting warm shades of pink and red upon the sky above.

"But what happened? You're limping!" Jade spoke once more, shattering the small silence that had settled upon the small group. She cast a quick glance at Jake, as if blaming him for whatever had happened to Cloud-Dancer.

"Oh, I just fell off of a rope." He shook his head, as if it was no big deal, and waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. "So, you say Roxane is ill? And you're heading off into the unknown alone . . ." Cloud-Dancer trailed off. "But shouldn't someone go with you?"

Jade shrugged, grimacing. "Well, Brianna . . . is staying at home," she muttered, her forehead wrinkling in a slight frown. "I'm going alone, yes."

Jake coughed, and Jade caught a softly spoken sentence, though it was clear it wasn't meant for her by his expression. "Cloud-Dancer, we should be continuing," he muttered, his tanned skin darkening in the approaching evening.

Cloud-Dancer ignored his apprentice and continued studying Jade. Finally, he glanced at Jake, and his face brightened. "Jake, you're apprenticeship is going well . . . You are a master at tightrope-walking. You no longer need me to help you; so could you escort Jade into the wilderness to find this cure?" He blinked down at Jake, a hopeful expression taking over his weathered features.

Jade recoiled at Cloud-Dancer's words, and she stared from him to Jake in horror. Jake – coming with her? No! That'd be worse that going alone! She was about to protest when Jake spoke, seeming to read her mind.

"No! Not with her – I mean, urmm . . ." Jake trailed off, his face flushed at his outcry. He tried to think of a good excuse as Cloud-Dancer frowned at him. Jade could tell Cloud-Dancer was disappointed in his apprentice, but Jade took no offense in Jake's words. In fact, she totally agreed with him, and for once, decided to help him out. Nobody needed to know of her small 'good-deed'.

"Jake means, don't you need help to get to . . . wherever you're going?" Jade piped up, hoping Cloud-Dancer would reconsider. But it didn't seem as if Cloud-Dancer was going to fall for it.

"No," began Cloud-Dancer, "I will be fine by myself. And you can't go by yourself, where nobody has been before. You two need to settle your differences, for you are both going, and that's that." A fierce look – complete with scowl – overcame him. He was obviously deeply infuriated at his apprentice's behavior. "I don't care if you hate each other's guts; get over it. That's final," he interrupted as both Jake and Jade began to object.

Sighing, Jade turned to Jake. She narrowed her eyes but nodded slightly. "Fine," she muttered darkly.

But Jake made no move towards Jade. He folded his arms across his chest and turned away, staring off into the distance. After what seemed like hours but was in fact only a couple minutes, he sighed in defeat and his arms fell to hang limply at his sides. He merely nodded, but it was good enough for Cloud-Dancer.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "Now, you two get a move on, while I'm going to continue to Ombra. Make sure you don't kill each other once I'm gone – I'm depending on you, Jake, to behave. Well, until you find the cure and return it to Roxane. Afterwards, you can do as you please." He chuckled, a smile forming from the now-departed scowl.

"Goodbye and good luck!" He waved in a gesture of warm farewell, before turning and continuing on his way.

Jade watched him leave, a smile etched on her face. Cloud-Dancer could never stay mad for too long, it was in his nature to be happy. Giggling absent-mindedly, she turned to Jake.

She jumped, her green eyes wide as she saw him. He was glaring at her, a scowl etched equally deep on his face. "Thanks a lot!" he spat, glowering. His anger seemed to reverberate off him in waves, and she stepped back as if she had been slapped.

"What did I do?" She asked, innocently bemused. She cocked her head as she blinked at him, taking on the appearance of a guiltless four-year-old.

"I was about to gain my true name; but no!" He growled. "You had to ruin it, didn't you?"

Jade blinked, confused. "You mean, like Cloud-Dancer's name?" she asked quietly. Jake nodded solemnly, his face downcast. His anger seemed to have worn away to be replaced by sadness. "I'm sorry," she replied, truly apologetic. "But, couldn't you wait for it?" she added after a moment, shying away as if afraid of another explosion from the older boy.

But he made no sound, no angry outburst met Jade's ears. After another moment of silence, Jade once again apologized.

"Ah, forget about it. Let's just get a move on." He exhaled, and crossed to the other side of the path, where the forest sprouted up once more. Jade gazed after him, an unfamiliar twinge of pity uncurling in her stomach. She furled her brow in confusion at the foreign emotion, before heaving her backpack onto her shoulders and following after.

-x-

Chapter nine is done!! XP Hmm, well I guess I'll head off to write more songfics now, lol…

-Mysticstar