Chapter 56: Awakening
When she had woken up, dawn had already passed but it was still pretty early since there was still dew on the grass. She sat up slowly, her back and neck popping in several places. She smiled when she saw a very familiar looking messenger bag.
The only problem was that she had left it back in Storybrooke, having been locked up in a cell up until she jumped into a portal and here it was, sitting next to her. She brought it into her lap and smiled brightly. Someone had done some tweaking with her bag and had so graciously included some food and drinks.
She had a quick breakfast, feeling much better afterwards. She rose to her feet and slung the strap over her head to rest on her left shoulder. She turned toward where the encampment had been. She could feel it.
Her magic was almost done. In fact, it wouldn't be long after her captain had arrived. That was some pretty good timing though she hadn't realized just how far out they had gone. No wonder it took him so long to get there.
She smirked, her eyes sparkling with a smug mischief. If there was one thing that Artz was good at...it was running. Her love of running and subsequently parkouring, was a direct result of her love for a certain two hearted alien that loved the running.
The crimson haired woman took off, practically flying through the landscape. A grin formed on her face as she deftly jumped over a fallen tree without breaking her stride. She used the roots and rocks to her advantage to avoid most of the bushes and more troublesome inclines.
Sweet Menti Celesti…she loved running like this. It gave her such a thrilling sense of freedom, the wind rushing around her. She became aware of a shadow jumping from tree to tree. The only reason why she had noticed was because she had used the trunk of a tree to push off of to change directions.
She sensed no hostility from her shadow so she left him be...how did she know it was a he? Gravity defying black hair with a white patch up front, black cloak and boots, and a white scarf. She hadn't seen his eyes but she sure as hell felt the other one when he sensed her thoughts.
Hiei.
Wow...she actually had that little pyro pixie in her Guard. She heard him stumble slightly and had to stop herself from laughing aloud, but that did not stop her from grinning like the Cheshire cat. Huh… was the Cheshire cat a member of her Guard too?
There was an audible smack that sounded an awful lot like someone face palming. She jumped and flipped forward, using her hands to stabilize her arch and make her land in such a way that allowed for immediate take off. She had spent years practicing movements like that and she had the scars to prove it too.
Time being frozen for twenty eight years certainly did have some advantages. It gave her plenty of time to learn skills and techniques to the point that she barely thought about doing it and just did it. It most definitely paid off and she was glad that she had put in all that effort.
She slid to a stop when her shadow was no longer with her. She felt a nudge in her mind and an image was quickly shoved to the forefront. It was Emma and the others, they had finally returned to the encampment, but why were Phillip and Mulan about two seconds shy of slicing Snow to pieces, Aurora looked like she wanted to rip the dark haired princess to shreds with her bare hands, and then there was the blonde haired savior.
Her friend was rooted in place and if looks could kill then Snow would be in a continuous state of dying because Emma looked extremely pissed...no, furious… pure, unadulterated fury. What the hell did that fucking brat of a school teacher say or do to get her best friend into that state?
Another image was pushed into her mind… Killian! Oh shit! He was about to walk into a fucking war zone! Not good, very not good! She took off again, her feet barely touching the ground. She had to get to him before his mouth got him into trouble!
There was a pulse of magic...her magic. The people started getting up which just made her fly even faster. It gave her a brief delay but not much of one. She was close though. Just keep your mouth shut, Killian! Fuck! Don't you dare, you fucking bitch! She wasn't going to make it! Killian!