Life and Death
Chapter 1: The Awakening
"And they were laid to rest on the Earth.
In the once great Wood they slept
Until the trees of time grew and died,
And the First Race was long forgotten...."
******************************
"I don't like the idea of leaving him here, you know?"
"Well, we can't help that Duo. Where else can we keep them without them being seen?" Quatre said, squinting in the sun as he stared up at his Gundam.
"Yeah...I know."
"Hey, are you guys done?"
"Yeah! We're finished."
Trowa made his way over to where Duo and Quatre's gundams were. "You two did a good job. Even from this close I would hardly guess that there are gundams here."
The three young men made their way through the woods to where Heero and Wufei's gundams were. The heat of the noon sun soon took its toll and even with their training, they three were sweating by the time they reached their destination.
"Man, these trees are grown so close together. I walk two feet and I fall." Duo said laughing.
Quatre smiled and used a tree branch to jump over a large root.
"Heero! Wufei! We're finished!"
Heero nodded to them and finished covering his gundam. Wufei walked out of the woods, carrying five bottles of water. He handed one to each of the pilots, throwing Heero's up for him to catch.
Quatre wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned against a tall, thick tree. He drank deeply and sighed, "How old did you say this forest was, Wufei?"
"Hmm? What was that Winner?"
"I'm sorry...it's just that...every time I touch something in this forest, I feel something in my heart...Even this water...it's so...I don't know...It tastes so different."
"If you don't want it I'll take it." Duo said, jumping up and grabbing Quatre's bottle from him and running.
"Hey Duo! Give that back." Quatre yelled, running after Duo. Trowa smiled and Wufei rolled his eyes as Quatre and Duo struggled over the water only to drop it and pour it all over the ground at Heero's feet.
Heero glared at the two and took a deep drink of his water.
Duo scrambled to his feet and danced away, followed by Quatre.
Wufei placed a hand on a tree, "This forest is very old...much older than you'd think. I've heard legends about this place...many people fear to come here."
"Then why are we here." Duo asked, pulling at his braid.
"Because it's a place where no one would look for us." Heero supplied. "We need more water before it gets dark."
Wufei got up to go, grabbing the water bottles.
"Wait! I want to come with you, Wufei." Quatre said, joining him.
"If you can keep up Winner." Wufei said, smirking and took off into the woods, Quatre on his heels.
*******************************************
Quatre dipped the bottle in the clear pool of water. The sun was setting and its colors were reflected in the water like a mirror. He stared at the ripples in the pool, feeling his eyes droop, "What's wrong with me." Quatre asked himself, rubbing at his eyes. He dipped his hand into the water and splashed his face a few times.
"Hey Winner, hurry up!"
Quatre sighed and started to turn around when something dropped into the water.
"Hmm?"
Quatre started at the sound of giggles. "Wufei..."
Wufei walked over to Quatre, carrying a bag of berries, "What's the matter now?"
"Umm....nothing...never mind, lets go, ok?"
Wufei gave him a strange look and started walking; they wound around trees and through bushes as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. 'That's funny...it's seems to be taking longer to get back...'
"Wufei, are you sure you know where your going?"
"Oh course, Winner, don't bother me I' know exactly where I'm goAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Quatre gasped, "WUFAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
*****************************************
"Ohh....my head...." Quatre sat up slowly and looked up through the hole in the ground that they had fallen through. It was completely dark up there...but down here....there were small lamps attached to every tree. It was like they had fallen down to another part of the earth. It was like the entire forest down here had been planted over.
"Uggh...Winner?" Wufei, ran a hand through his hair and quickly tied it back up again. "Where in the world are we?"
"It's like a whole other world down here." Quatre breathed.
The air was soft and damp and the very atmosphere was old and slightly cryptic. Wufei pulled Quatre to his feet, both brushing twigs and grass from their shirts and pants.
"What should we do now, Wufei?"
"How the hell should I know? We can't go back the way we came."
"to go forwards....you must....go back...."
"...Did...did you hear that?" Quatre's eyes widened in fear...he could feel something here...something old...something powerful...."
"to go forwards....you must go back....to get out...you must go forwards....to go forwards .....you must go back...."
Wufei gasped as a tremendous gust of wind tore through the air. Wufei heard Quatre yelling and felt himself being shoved forward....pulled...
"TO GO FORWARDS YOU MUST GO BACK!"
***********************************
"Sleep sleep sleep sleep,
Forwards in the land of dreams.
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,
Nothing is quite as it seems.
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,
Wake not till thy friends return
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,
In the Wood thou soon shalt learn..."
******************************
Wufei struggled...something was holding him down....they had been thrown forward...deep into the lower woods until they had stopped. Something was holding his shirt...it was cutting him. Wufei opened his eyes and saw that a thorn was holding his shirt. He had stumbled into a large thorn bush. So large in fact that it spanned many feet across.
"Quatre?! Quatre?!?!?"
"I'm...I'm over here Wufei..." Quatre stood, staring at the bush...his shirt was tattered and his hair was tousled.
Wufei walked over to him, "What's wrong...what do you see?"
"Can't...can't you feel it. There's something in this thorn bush...deep inside. It's been growing for years." Slowly Quatre reached for the plant. Wufei gasped as the thorn pulled away and receded, moving away and leaving a large opening the size of a small clearing. (AN: That's one big thorn bush.....
Chapter 1: The Awakening
"And they were laid to rest on the Earth.
In the once great Wood they slept
Until the trees of time grew and died,
And the First Race was long forgotten...."
******************************
"I don't like the idea of leaving him here, you know?"
"Well, we can't help that Duo. Where else can we keep them without them being seen?" Quatre said, squinting in the sun as he stared up at his Gundam.
"Yeah...I know."
"Hey, are you guys done?"
"Yeah! We're finished."
Trowa made his way over to where Duo and Quatre's gundams were. "You two did a good job. Even from this close I would hardly guess that there are gundams here."
The three young men made their way through the woods to where Heero and Wufei's gundams were. The heat of the noon sun soon took its toll and even with their training, they three were sweating by the time they reached their destination.
"Man, these trees are grown so close together. I walk two feet and I fall." Duo said laughing.
Quatre smiled and used a tree branch to jump over a large root.
"Heero! Wufei! We're finished!"
Heero nodded to them and finished covering his gundam. Wufei walked out of the woods, carrying five bottles of water. He handed one to each of the pilots, throwing Heero's up for him to catch.
Quatre wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned against a tall, thick tree. He drank deeply and sighed, "How old did you say this forest was, Wufei?"
"Hmm? What was that Winner?"
"I'm sorry...it's just that...every time I touch something in this forest, I feel something in my heart...Even this water...it's so...I don't know...It tastes so different."
"If you don't want it I'll take it." Duo said, jumping up and grabbing Quatre's bottle from him and running.
"Hey Duo! Give that back." Quatre yelled, running after Duo. Trowa smiled and Wufei rolled his eyes as Quatre and Duo struggled over the water only to drop it and pour it all over the ground at Heero's feet.
Heero glared at the two and took a deep drink of his water.
Duo scrambled to his feet and danced away, followed by Quatre.
Wufei placed a hand on a tree, "This forest is very old...much older than you'd think. I've heard legends about this place...many people fear to come here."
"Then why are we here." Duo asked, pulling at his braid.
"Because it's a place where no one would look for us." Heero supplied. "We need more water before it gets dark."
Wufei got up to go, grabbing the water bottles.
"Wait! I want to come with you, Wufei." Quatre said, joining him.
"If you can keep up Winner." Wufei said, smirking and took off into the woods, Quatre on his heels.
*******************************************
Quatre dipped the bottle in the clear pool of water. The sun was setting and its colors were reflected in the water like a mirror. He stared at the ripples in the pool, feeling his eyes droop, "What's wrong with me." Quatre asked himself, rubbing at his eyes. He dipped his hand into the water and splashed his face a few times.
"Hey Winner, hurry up!"
Quatre sighed and started to turn around when something dropped into the water.
"Hmm?"
Quatre started at the sound of giggles. "Wufei..."
Wufei walked over to Quatre, carrying a bag of berries, "What's the matter now?"
"Umm....nothing...never mind, lets go, ok?"
Wufei gave him a strange look and started walking; they wound around trees and through bushes as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. 'That's funny...it's seems to be taking longer to get back...'
"Wufei, are you sure you know where your going?"
"Oh course, Winner, don't bother me I' know exactly where I'm goAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Quatre gasped, "WUFAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
*****************************************
"Ohh....my head...." Quatre sat up slowly and looked up through the hole in the ground that they had fallen through. It was completely dark up there...but down here....there were small lamps attached to every tree. It was like they had fallen down to another part of the earth. It was like the entire forest down here had been planted over.
"Uggh...Winner?" Wufei, ran a hand through his hair and quickly tied it back up again. "Where in the world are we?"
"It's like a whole other world down here." Quatre breathed.
The air was soft and damp and the very atmosphere was old and slightly cryptic. Wufei pulled Quatre to his feet, both brushing twigs and grass from their shirts and pants.
"What should we do now, Wufei?"
"How the hell should I know? We can't go back the way we came."
"to go forwards....you must....go back...."
"...Did...did you hear that?" Quatre's eyes widened in fear...he could feel something here...something old...something powerful...."
"to go forwards....you must go back....to get out...you must go forwards....to go forwards .....you must go back...."
Wufei gasped as a tremendous gust of wind tore through the air. Wufei heard Quatre yelling and felt himself being shoved forward....pulled...
"TO GO FORWARDS YOU MUST GO BACK!"
***********************************
"Sleep sleep sleep sleep,
Forwards in the land of dreams.
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,
Nothing is quite as it seems.
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,
Wake not till thy friends return
Sleep sleep sleep sleep,
In the Wood thou soon shalt learn..."
******************************
Wufei struggled...something was holding him down....they had been thrown forward...deep into the lower woods until they had stopped. Something was holding his shirt...it was cutting him. Wufei opened his eyes and saw that a thorn was holding his shirt. He had stumbled into a large thorn bush. So large in fact that it spanned many feet across.
"Quatre?! Quatre?!?!?"
"I'm...I'm over here Wufei..." Quatre stood, staring at the bush...his shirt was tattered and his hair was tousled.
Wufei walked over to him, "What's wrong...what do you see?"
"Can't...can't you feel it. There's something in this thorn bush...deep inside. It's been growing for years." Slowly Quatre reached for the plant. Wufei gasped as the thorn pulled away and receded, moving away and leaving a large opening the size of a small clearing. (AN: That's one big thorn bush.....
