(A/n): Chapter 2 is now up! Yeah! Sorry about the long wait, I had to re-write it. Um... enjoy?
In the small castle of Scorch...
A young cheetah sat on his bedside, tightening the string of his bow. He plucked it. "Perfect."
"Yo! Shrimp! Get your tail down here!" Sighing, the cheetah put his bow away. *Now what?* he thought, as he slid down the banister. He ran to the kitchen, where a much older cheetah, his brother, sat, gorging himself with grapes.
"What now Carlos?"
"'Bout time Hunter," Carlos said. "And that's KING Carlos to you."
Hunter was annoyed. "What do you want?"
"I want you to go walk Sir Rodney Porpington for me." Carlos glared. "And I want it done NOW."
Hunter groaned. Sir Rodney Porpington (or the beast, as he called it) was Carlos's pet camel, as rude as they come. When he wasn't bullying the palace guards, he was bullying Hunter, spitting in his face at random and then sniggering about it. "NOW BE GONE!" his brother roared.
The cheetah walked outside. Scorch was steaming at this time of year, and the guards were working overtime. Against their own will, of course, but they were being well paid to do so.
Hunter cautiously approached the Beast's shed. As soon as his paw was on the door, a loud clatter and braying erupted from the inside. Before Hunter could even pull it open, the Beast broke his way out, trampled the poor cheetah, and chased after a sword-wielding guard.
After the shock wore off, Hunter dragged himself out of the dirt. By that time, the stupid Beast had worn himself out and was trudging back to the shed. Of course, this meant that it was time for his bathing, grooming, and feeding. By the time Hunter was finished with all these chores, it was well past lunchtime.
Carlos was attending to some business when Hunter walked in, weary, tired, and trampled on. Making sure that no one had any more chores for him to do, he darted up to his room, shut the door, and locked it. He then pulled a small box out from under his bed and opened it. Sitting there, folded up neatly, were his wings.
Hunter loved to fly. He only had one experience, and that was when he tied a sheet to his wasted and tried to parachute out of his window. It was pretty strange after that, and he hadn't flown since. But after his parents left (retired to Colossus, to achieve inner peace) he began sewing himself some wings. They had yet to be finished, but he was certain they would work as soon as they were.
Life was pretty good before his parents handed the crown over to Carlos. Hunter could travel wherever he wanted, though usually with his parents. He didn't remember much of those travels, but he still had his running shoes, scuba suit, and his bow and quiver.
Now that his older brother was using him as some sort of servant, the cheetah was never allowed to travel. Usually, the travels were saved for Carlos and his stupid camel, whereas Hunter was left to clean the palace.
"Sick of what goin' on?" a voice called suddenly from Hunter's window. He turned around, startled. "Who's there?"
"Us," said the voice again. Two small head peaked in through the windows. The heads were attached to two bodies, which leapt into the room. The first person, a girl, had pigtails; the other person, a boy had a beanie.
"Hewwo," the girl said. "I'm Gweta, and this is my bwother, Handel." The boy, who sounded like he had a bad nasal problem, said, "We came to warn you, Prince Hunter. We are here to get you owt of this palace."
Hunter was confused. "What are you talking about?"
Greta looked exasperated. "Me and Handel are secwet agents. Your bwother Carwos had been wobbing from the Avawar tweasure stowage."
"Also the guards are planning a revolt tonight," Handel added quickly. Evidentially, Carlos wasn't paying the guards enough.
Hunter was still confused. "So you're going to get me out of here?" he asked hopefully.
"If you hurry and pack your stuff, yeah. We are," Handel said.
Hunter quickly grabbed a small sack from his closet. He threw in his scuba suit, running shoes, and the sacred wings of his. He attached the sack to his bow, and put the bow in his quiver. Handel and Greta leapt out the window, and Hunter followed, ignoring the height. He was falling... and landed on something soft. An unconscious guard lay under his feet. Evidently knocked out by the twins.
Hunter climbed to his feet and saw the twins running in the direction in which he definitely didn't want to go in: towards the watchtower. "Hunter, huwwy up!" Greta called. He followed. After several minutes of running, Handel and Greta stopped a large shiny doorway in which Hunter had only seen in the past. The exit.
Of course, at just that moment, the guards decided to show up. "Get them! Kill them!" The leader screamed, as the guards charged towards them. "Quick, this way!" Handel cried, as he and Greta pulled Hunter towards the portal. The cheetah closed his eyes and propelled himself into the shimmering opening. Before the guards could lay a sword on them, the three escapees had jumped through the portal, and disappeared.
Hunter opened his eyes. He was no longer suspended between Scorch and the portal. He was lying face down in the castle of Autumn Plains, the cold stone tiles underneath his cheek. It was night, the crickets were chirping, and not a sheep or frog was bouncing along the fields below. He sat up, and watched as the hems of Greta's skirt disappear down the stairway to his left. "No! Wait!" Hunter got up and ran down the stairway, but there was no trace of either of the twins. However, there was a small booklet lying at his feet. Curious, he picked it up and noticed a note sticking out of the pages. He opened the book and read the note.
"Dear Hunter,
Sorry we had to leave so soon, but we have other plans.
You have to find a place to stay, other than Scorch; cause Carlos (and most likely the guards) will be looking for you.
If you followed us down the stairs and found this guidebook, you'll notice a portal to in front of you.
We suggest you stay there.
Take care!
Handel and Greta.
P.S. This message will self-destruct."
"What does it mean, it will self-destruct?" Suddenly, the letter exploded, blowing ashes into Hunter's face. "Oh. Okay then..." He looked at the page that the note was left on. It was the section on Autumn Plains. He looked through the worlds. "Hmmmmm..." he thought aloud. "Here's Scorch, here's a place called Magma Cone, but this one is..."
The cheetah looked at the large portal in front of him. He read the glittering words hovering above it, "Fracture Hills."
Then, without a moment's hesitation, he leapt through the portal.
In the small castle of Scorch...
A young cheetah sat on his bedside, tightening the string of his bow. He plucked it. "Perfect."
"Yo! Shrimp! Get your tail down here!" Sighing, the cheetah put his bow away. *Now what?* he thought, as he slid down the banister. He ran to the kitchen, where a much older cheetah, his brother, sat, gorging himself with grapes.
"What now Carlos?"
"'Bout time Hunter," Carlos said. "And that's KING Carlos to you."
Hunter was annoyed. "What do you want?"
"I want you to go walk Sir Rodney Porpington for me." Carlos glared. "And I want it done NOW."
Hunter groaned. Sir Rodney Porpington (or the beast, as he called it) was Carlos's pet camel, as rude as they come. When he wasn't bullying the palace guards, he was bullying Hunter, spitting in his face at random and then sniggering about it. "NOW BE GONE!" his brother roared.
The cheetah walked outside. Scorch was steaming at this time of year, and the guards were working overtime. Against their own will, of course, but they were being well paid to do so.
Hunter cautiously approached the Beast's shed. As soon as his paw was on the door, a loud clatter and braying erupted from the inside. Before Hunter could even pull it open, the Beast broke his way out, trampled the poor cheetah, and chased after a sword-wielding guard.
After the shock wore off, Hunter dragged himself out of the dirt. By that time, the stupid Beast had worn himself out and was trudging back to the shed. Of course, this meant that it was time for his bathing, grooming, and feeding. By the time Hunter was finished with all these chores, it was well past lunchtime.
Carlos was attending to some business when Hunter walked in, weary, tired, and trampled on. Making sure that no one had any more chores for him to do, he darted up to his room, shut the door, and locked it. He then pulled a small box out from under his bed and opened it. Sitting there, folded up neatly, were his wings.
Hunter loved to fly. He only had one experience, and that was when he tied a sheet to his wasted and tried to parachute out of his window. It was pretty strange after that, and he hadn't flown since. But after his parents left (retired to Colossus, to achieve inner peace) he began sewing himself some wings. They had yet to be finished, but he was certain they would work as soon as they were.
Life was pretty good before his parents handed the crown over to Carlos. Hunter could travel wherever he wanted, though usually with his parents. He didn't remember much of those travels, but he still had his running shoes, scuba suit, and his bow and quiver.
Now that his older brother was using him as some sort of servant, the cheetah was never allowed to travel. Usually, the travels were saved for Carlos and his stupid camel, whereas Hunter was left to clean the palace.
"Sick of what goin' on?" a voice called suddenly from Hunter's window. He turned around, startled. "Who's there?"
"Us," said the voice again. Two small head peaked in through the windows. The heads were attached to two bodies, which leapt into the room. The first person, a girl, had pigtails; the other person, a boy had a beanie.
"Hewwo," the girl said. "I'm Gweta, and this is my bwother, Handel." The boy, who sounded like he had a bad nasal problem, said, "We came to warn you, Prince Hunter. We are here to get you owt of this palace."
Hunter was confused. "What are you talking about?"
Greta looked exasperated. "Me and Handel are secwet agents. Your bwother Carwos had been wobbing from the Avawar tweasure stowage."
"Also the guards are planning a revolt tonight," Handel added quickly. Evidentially, Carlos wasn't paying the guards enough.
Hunter was still confused. "So you're going to get me out of here?" he asked hopefully.
"If you hurry and pack your stuff, yeah. We are," Handel said.
Hunter quickly grabbed a small sack from his closet. He threw in his scuba suit, running shoes, and the sacred wings of his. He attached the sack to his bow, and put the bow in his quiver. Handel and Greta leapt out the window, and Hunter followed, ignoring the height. He was falling... and landed on something soft. An unconscious guard lay under his feet. Evidently knocked out by the twins.
Hunter climbed to his feet and saw the twins running in the direction in which he definitely didn't want to go in: towards the watchtower. "Hunter, huwwy up!" Greta called. He followed. After several minutes of running, Handel and Greta stopped a large shiny doorway in which Hunter had only seen in the past. The exit.
Of course, at just that moment, the guards decided to show up. "Get them! Kill them!" The leader screamed, as the guards charged towards them. "Quick, this way!" Handel cried, as he and Greta pulled Hunter towards the portal. The cheetah closed his eyes and propelled himself into the shimmering opening. Before the guards could lay a sword on them, the three escapees had jumped through the portal, and disappeared.
Hunter opened his eyes. He was no longer suspended between Scorch and the portal. He was lying face down in the castle of Autumn Plains, the cold stone tiles underneath his cheek. It was night, the crickets were chirping, and not a sheep or frog was bouncing along the fields below. He sat up, and watched as the hems of Greta's skirt disappear down the stairway to his left. "No! Wait!" Hunter got up and ran down the stairway, but there was no trace of either of the twins. However, there was a small booklet lying at his feet. Curious, he picked it up and noticed a note sticking out of the pages. He opened the book and read the note.
"Dear Hunter,
Sorry we had to leave so soon, but we have other plans.
You have to find a place to stay, other than Scorch; cause Carlos (and most likely the guards) will be looking for you.
If you followed us down the stairs and found this guidebook, you'll notice a portal to in front of you.
We suggest you stay there.
Take care!
Handel and Greta.
P.S. This message will self-destruct."
"What does it mean, it will self-destruct?" Suddenly, the letter exploded, blowing ashes into Hunter's face. "Oh. Okay then..." He looked at the page that the note was left on. It was the section on Autumn Plains. He looked through the worlds. "Hmmmmm..." he thought aloud. "Here's Scorch, here's a place called Magma Cone, but this one is..."
The cheetah looked at the large portal in front of him. He read the glittering words hovering above it, "Fracture Hills."
Then, without a moment's hesitation, he leapt through the portal.
