Alone in the Shadows
by Blue Ten
Summary:
Robin has been alone all his life, even in the presence of his mentor he felt isolated. The Titans take a break from crime fighting to go camping in a beautiful forest and Robin is not too thrilled by the prospect of leaving his city behind. When a bizarre turn of events finds Robin and Starfire lost deep in the woods, can they save themselves from a strange new enemy? RobinxStarfire
Disclaimer:
I do not own Teen Titans.
Chapter 3: Lost
Darkness enveloped the forest, save for the haunting glow of the moon peeking through the treetops and misty clouds. Sharp, cold gusts of wind split their way through the trees, creating strange noises, like the howling voice of the forest, ominous and ever-present. Staying close to Robin--where she felt safest--Starfire charged up a starbolt, holding her hand high in the air, attempting to illuminate as big of an area as possible. They had walked nearly ten feet from the camp, stopping to examine their surroundings, knowing that traversing any further into the forest at night would be a rather foolish thing to do. A sudden flash of light caused both to jump. Startled, Starfire clutched on to Robin's arm.
"What was that?" Robin wondered.
"Perhaps... it is lightning?" Starfire asked shakily, trying to reassure herself.
Robin looked to the sky and waited for a few seconds, listening intently. "No thunderclap... It's not lightning."
Without moving, they searched the area with their eyes for several minutes; finally, Robin let out a sigh. Giving up, he turned to Starfire, "I must be seeing things... Sorry for dragging you out here," he said, apologetically.
"Really, it is all right," she responded kindly, looking tired, "I would not have let you go alone anyway."
"Thanks. Let's head back to camp, you look pretty tired," Robin turned around. As he began walking in the direction of the camp, he noticed something was vaguely different about the forest. Even stranger, the light from the campfire was no longer visible. Robin came to a quick stop. Starfire halted as well, looking to him inquisitively.
"The campfire, I can't see it," he said, sounding a little worried.
"Perhaps the wind has blown it away," Starfire suggested, sounding no less worried than Robin.
"...You're probably right," he replied. Robin and Starfire continued to move toward the camp; knowing they hadn't walked very far from it, they simply decided to keep moving, believing eventually they would arrive at the camp. But with every step they took, every unfamiliar tree passed, it became more and more clear... the camp was nowhere to be seen. Robin turned his eyes to Starfire who looked significantly distressed; he felt guilty for asking her to follow him in the first place. Suddenly, an idea hit him.
"Star, can you fly us above the trees again?" he asked, feeling a little better now that there was some hope.
Immediately cheering up, Starfire smiled in response. "Oh, yes. The camp will be much easier to see from above," she said happily, forgetting why she had gotten so worried. Robin took hold of Starfire's hand and they proceeded to fly to the treetops. The wind blew even faster above the cover of the trees, causing both to shiver as they ascended. Their hopes were instantly shattered when they realized that it was much too dark to see anything... even the mountains. Both sighed heavily as they returned to the forest floor in defeat. On the ground, Robin stood still for a moment until his expression suddenly lit up.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this before," he said, taking out his communicator. As he attempted to contact and locate the other Titans, an error message appeared on the screen, reading: 'OUT OF RANGE.' Robin couldn't believe what he was seeing. The communicator was supposed to be able to find the others... from anywhere on the planet. Robin felt like throwing it to the ground, but decided against it, reattaching it to his belt. "There must be something wrong with it," he said, finally feeling utterly defeated. "I guess our only choice is to wait until morning to find the camp."
The wind howled and grew colder, causing both Robin and Starfire to shudder. Trying desperately to warm themselves, they huddled closely together, leaning their weight against a tree. Their actions didn't help much, so Robin removed his cape and with what little amount of fabric there was, wrapped it around the both of them. The cape actually worked well to block the wind, but their legs were still exposed. To Robin's surprise, Starfire reached her arms around him and held on tight, allowing the cape to cover more surface area. Shielded from the wind, and warmed by one another's body heat, they finally stopped shivering.
Starfire rested her head on Robin's chest, feeling that his heart was beating fast, "Robin, we are lost," she said.
"For now... In the morning we'll find the others. Don't worry," he said, trying to comfort her, as she seemed genuinely afraid. Robin didn't want to admit it, but he was left shaken by this experience as well. He felt guilt hit him hard, realizing that this whole situation was undoubtedly his fault.
- - - - - -
The silver haired girl watched from afar as two figures huddled next to a tree, seeming unaffected by the blisteringly cold wind, standing completely still. She turned her head slightly to the side as someone approached her, expression remaining unchanged, blank and emotionless. The approaching figure was incredibly tall, his features hidden in the shadows. He made no sounds as he stepped beside the girl.
"Who is that other child?" he asked darkly, his imposing voice sounding far more clear than before.
"She followed him here. She must have passed through at the same moment he did," the girl responded. "...Is she a problem?"
"She is of no consequence. Simply a distraction. Separate them and let the forest take care of her," he said. "Then, Cross, you will lead the boy to the center."
Cross turned her attention back to Robin and Starfire. "As you wish."
- - - - - -
Noticing the still burning campfire, Cyborg poked his head out of his tent into the night, looking around. "Hey, you guys still out here?" he asked quietly. No answer. Cyborg looked closely at the fire; a blanket had been left on the ground, placed dangerously close to the flames. Rushing over to the partly burning blanket, he snatched it away, quickly stepping on the embers. He stared at the blanket, part of which had been singed black by the fire. Stomping over to Robin's tent, Cyborg decided to confront his apparently irresponsible leader. "Hey Robin! What are you trying to do, burn down the--Robin?" Cyborg cut himself off, seeing that the tent was empty as he pulled open the entryway. Instinctively he walked over to Starfire's tent; finding that it was also empty, he raised an eyebrow. Beast Boy and Raven emerged from their tents, looking grumpy, tired, and annoyed.
"Jeez Cy, wake up the whole forest why don't ya?" Beast Boy said, massaging a temple with his hand.
Stepping out from her tent into the open, Raven simply crossed her arms in front of her, glaring at Cyborg. "Got a good explanation for this?" she asked.
"Robin and Starfire are gone!" Cyborg yelled, looking worried. Hearing this, Raven and Beast Boy's expressions quickly changed. Cyborg sensed something was wrong... Where would they go in the middle of the night?
"Are you sure they're not asleep--" Beast Boy's question became cut off.
"I already checked their tents. Hold on, I know how to find them." Cyborg lifted up a panel on his arm. Searching for Robin and Starfire's communicators with his computer, an error screen showed up. "Out of range? What the..." he said, looking in disbelief at his arm. "This doesn't make any sense! There's nowhere on the face of the planet outside our sensor range."
"What? Are you saying... they're in outer space?" Beast Boy asked, looking baffled.
"Or their communicators have been shut off," Raven added, shaking her head at Beast Boy's crazy statement.
"We've gotta find 'em. They could be in trouble," Cyborg said, turning to look at the forest. "Let's move!"
"Where do you suppose we start looking?" Raven asked.
Cyborg looked around, noticing some grass next to the campfire had been pressed down recently. "How 'bout there?" he pointed to the pressed blades. "Beast Boy, see if you can pick up their scent."
Saluting as if to say 'yes, sir,' Beast Boy morphed into a bloodhound, sniffing around in the grass. Picking up their scent, he barked, pointing to the forest with his nose. Cyborg and Raven followed Beast Boy until about ten feet into the woods where he stopped. Reverting back into a human, Beast Boy stood up and scratched his head, looking puzzled. "It just stops here," he said, pointing a finger to the exact spot on the ground.
"Huh, are you sure?" Cyborg questioned, skeptically.
"Positive." Beast Boy assured him.
Raven walked over to where Beast Boy had been standing. Slowly looking around, her focus suddenly shifted to the ground. Kneeling down, Raven placed a hand on the soil. "I'm sensing a large amount of metaphysical energy here," she said, standing up to look at the others with a serious expression.
"What is it?" Beast Boy queried.
"Not good."
- - - - - -
The wind had finally died down, now merely a whisper in the forest. The morning sun struggled to break through a light fog which was rolling amidst the trees in the distance. It was nearing the end of Spring, but the morning held with it the chill of winter. Frost had settled on the grass that surrounded the tree Robin and Starfire rested against, slowly melting into dewdrops as the beams of sunlight evaporated the fog. Suddenly the sun's corona hit Robin's face, stinging his eyes and waking him entirely. Squinting, Robin looked at Starfire who remained asleep, breathing calmly with a peaceful look on her face. She still had her arms wrapped around him. Robin blushed when he realized he had embraced her as well. He was quite relieved to see the sun, knowing with its presence they could find the camp with ease.
Starfire shifted, opening her eyes. "Good morning," she yawned. Robin looked at her for a moment; her eyes shimmered in the light and the sun shone brilliantly on her skin and hair, giving her a kind of radiance. She took his breath away. Speechless, he tried to find something to say.
"...Good morning," he repeated her words.
Suddenly, Starfire's eyes widened in delight. "The sun! Now we may locate our friends!" she exclaimed, quickly standing from her position. Robin stayed still and blinked a couple times, disappointed about being pulled away from her like that but glad to see her happy again. He stood up, putting his cape back on and patting the dirt off of his clothes.
Starfire extended her hand out to him, "shall we?" she asked, smiling widely.
Starfire began floating up with Robin holding on tightly to her hand. The two couldn't help but smile, knowing that in a few minutes they could joke and laugh with the others about how they had gotten themselves lost in the forest. They knew they would see the camp in some obvious place they had happened to overlook; perhaps they ran right past it in the night. The leaves of the tall trees came into view. Soon they would reach the height of their ascent. As they rose above the trees, their hearts dropped and their eyes widened. The forest seemed to stretch on forever in all directions under a bleached blue sky. There were no mountains, no hills, even the ocean was out of sight. It was a terrifying sight to behold.
"W-What?" Robin stared, unable to believe what his eyes were showing him.
"I do not understand... What is this?" Starfire asked, frightened by what seemed to be infinity displayed before her.
- - - - - -
Robin hadn't stopped pacing since he and Starfire landed back on the ground, his retraced footsteps leaving a trail in the dirt. He still couldn't believe what he had seen, but he didn't want to go back up to make sure it was real. What had happened since the night before? Where were they? These were the questions that coursed through both of their minds as they remained in states of shock. Starfire watched as Robin paced back and forth. She wanted so much to help him, but she felt the same way: anxious and confused.
"Robin... Perhaps we should start moving. Maybe there is a way to leave this place," Starfire suggested, breaking the silence.
Robin stopped and breathed in deeply. "You're right. We're not getting anywhere just standing here," he said. Starfire was relieved to see Robin calm down a bit. Seeing him steady gave her a sense of security. "How about we go west? I guess that's as good a place to start as any," he proposed, pointing away from the rising sun. Starfire nodded and the two began walking side by side into what they could only describe as an infinite forest.
"He does not need you anymore," Starfire heard a girl's voice whisper softly in her ear. Gasping, she stopped in her tracks before seeing a sudden flash, like lightning.
Robin halted, "Star, did you see that?" he asked. No answer came. "Starfire?" Robin turned around to see an empty stretch of forest. feeling his heart drop into his stomach, he frantically searched around himself, looking in every direction. The sheer vastness of the forest became more apparent with every second that passed. He was alone.
"Starfire!"
Author's Note: I love it when someone puts a lot of effort into their reviews. Thank you so much, Star+Robin and Tracy! Not that I don't appreciate everyone else who reviews. Thank you all:)
(Edited on 5/23/06)
Wow... I had a lot of redundancy issues back then. I had a tough time removing all those useless commas as well, so please excuse me if I left a few unchecked XD.
Just as before, there were several dialogue edits, scene extensions, and grammar corrections. Nothing major, so no need to explain them in detail. Once something like that happens, I'll be sure to type it up in the edit note.
Next Chapter Preview: The Titans try to figure out what happened to Robin and Starfire in the forest, coming upon some strange conclusions. Robin finds himself alone and lost. When a girl shows up, claiming to know the way out--and Starfire's whereabouts-Robin has no choice but to follow her in Chapter 4: Separated.