Chapter 6: Enter Player the Third
We walked for most of the day, not saying anything to each other. We were in our own little worlds, and I had to admit that that was fine with me. I didn't really feel like talking at the moment. We had cut through the woods to find the road, and were intending to stay on it as we made our way to the town. That is, until something in the bushes moved.
Lena stopped short, and a banged into her. "Ow!" I yelped, rubbing my nose. "Why'd you do th-mmph!"
"Ssshhh." She said, gesturing to the bushes. "Can't you see that there's something there?" She pulled a dagger out of her belt, preparing to stab whatever it might be. The rustling grew more and more anxious, and Lena was about to stab when something rolled out of the shrubs. It was a girl, probably 15 years old, with stunning red hair that came down to her waist, a lavender shirt with black trim, and a blue skirt that came halfway down her thighs. On her feet, she wore socks that almost came up to her knees, and a pair of very well mad, black and white shoes. She looked up at us, as if we had just sprouted tails or something. Standing up, she sized us up.
"Well, who're you?" She asked in an Irish accent, hands on her hips. I looked at Lena, not sure if it was wise to tell anything to this mystery girl. She apparently had no such qualms however, and replied,
"I'm Lena, and this is Melody. We're travelers, hoping to get to a village not too far from here. Is there something I can do for you?" The girl winked impudently, nodding.
"Oh, there's something you can do for me, sure enough. Let me come with you!" Lena looked at her for a moment, not quite sure she had heard correctly. The girl grabbed my arm, pulling me into her embrace.
"Oh, c'mon, can't you see me and the little one get on wonderfully? Say I can stay marm, if yea please." Lena looked at her unsurely, then gave loose a chuckle.
"Oh, all right, I guess you can come with us, at least to the town." The girl yipped, and gave me a squeeze. As we continued to walk, she introduced herself as Skae, and told us a bit of what it was like growing up in the Disenchanted Forest. She said that she didn't have any parents, and relied on the forest for sustenance. She told of great exploits and daring deeds, most of which I believed to be a pack of lies. The whole time we were walking, she never let go of me, no matter how many times I tried to wriggle away. I sighed, and decided to enjoy the extra warmth she was providing.
After a few hours of walking, Skae suddenly stopped, her ears perking up, which was unusual in itself. She looked down the road behind us, and a chill visibly ran up her spine.
"What is it?" Lena inquired, not sure what Skae was doing. Skae turned to her, an unsure look in her eyes. "We're being followed. There's someone coming, and fast. We need to get off the road!" The urgency in her voice was apparently enough to convince Lena of her sincerity. Grabbing us both by the arms, she towed us onto the western side of the path, dragging us deeper into the woods. Somehow, this gave me a bad feeling…