Disclaimer: I still don't own 'em, except for Sabrina.
A/N: Verlorn is German for lost. Internal thoughts are in italics. Thanks for the feedback!!
Dark Places
Chapter 4
Hunter didn't even need to open his eyes to know he wasn't where he was supposed to be. But when he did open his eyes, he knew he was in trouble. He surveyed his surroundings, trying to get a bearing as to his location.
"This is not Kansas," Hunter sighed, pulling himself up so he was sitting.
His first instinct was to try to contact Blake, but when he went to use his morpher, he saw that he wasn't wearing it. He put both wrists together and stared, for the first time in a while, nothing was on them. No familiar shaped morpher that linked him to his brother, the Wind Rangers and Ninja Ops.
OK, the last thing I remember is talking to Blake in our room. I fell asleep…and wake up here? There's definitely something wrong.
Once on his feet, Hunter walked along the path, hoping he had chosen the correct direction. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, he just figured he wasn't looking for anyone else. After about an hour, he sat on the ground, leaning against the trunk of a tree. He was surprisingly not tired, not hot, not thirsty… just extremely frustrated.
"Where am I?" Hunter yelled.
"You are in the Verloren Forest," he heard a soft, female voice say from behind.
Hunter jumped to into a ninja fight stance. But when he saw the figure walk towards him, he relaxed. He knew if this person wanted to fight, she would've attacked already. He studied her as she approached. She was shorter than him by several inches, had a thin face accented by green eyes, and had long, brown hair. She wore a white, flowing dress that ended at her ankles, and on her feet were white, spaghetti sandals. Around her neck was a silver chain with a small, multicolored circular charm.
"Who are you?" he asked, watching her stop about a foot away.
"I am called Sabrina," she answered. "I am here to help you make your way through the forest."
"Do you know how I got here?"
"People arrive here various ways. Unfortunately I cannot tell you how you arrived."
"How do I get back?"
"You are already there," she answered.
"Huh?" Hunter asked, his face slightly scrunched. "But I'm here."
"The Verloren Forest isn't a physical place, so to say. It's a place within the mind."
"I'm lost."
"Precisely."
"Now I'm really lost, as in confused."
"Hunter, as we walk, I will try to explain why you are here. We must go, the longer you stay here the harder it will be for you to find your way out."
She began to walk in the direction that Hunter was heading, so that made him feel a bit better. At least he had been going the right way. He decided to walk a few steps behind her, as he still wasn't sure what was going on. And that was something that wasn't lost on the woman who was helping him.
"Hunter, why do walk behind me? I am not leading you, just helping."
Hunter quickened his pace until he was beside her. "Why am I here?"
"This place was once secret. But no secret can remain so for long. Many races know of the forest's existence now. Most respect its purpose, some don't. And since you now nothing of where you are, the one who sent you here has no respect for anyone or anything."
"Lothor," Hunter muttered, guessing that he was behind the reason he was here.
"I have heard that name before."
"He's an evil space ninja who's seriously bad news. He's trying to destroy me, my brother, and my friends because we're in his way of taking over the planet."
When she stopped short, Hunter did also. He turned to face her, noticing an unhappy expression on her face.
"I'm afraid this predicament is worse than I thought," she said, one hand playing with the charm to her necklace.
"What's wrong?"
"I have heard of this Lothor before. He no doubt knows of your condition, and will use that to his advantage."
"My condition?"
"Until you find your way out of the forest, your physical self remains in a dream state on Earth. Once out of the forest, you will return to normal."
"Again with the confusion."
"The true purpose of this forest is to help people deal with severe trauma."
Hunter opened his mouth to protest, but when he saw her face, he immediately snapped it shut. He realized that if there was no trauma, he wouldn't be here.
Shane was right, I guess I do have some emotional issues. I just wasn't dealing with them.
"Ok, so I'm a little messed up in the head. Blake and I have been through a lot."
"If you tell me about what has happened, I will be better prepared to help you when the challenges occur."
"Challenges?" Hunter squeaked, then muttered, "The hits just keep on coming."
"Yes, challenges," Sabrina repeated. "They come unexpectedly. They challenge how you view events, they also help you come to terms with what has happened."
"So, I'm guessing this is where I start telling you about my past."
"If you'd like. As I said, it will help me help you."
Hunter took a deep breath, said, "This may take a while," and told her about his past while they walked through the forest.
