Author's note: I'm back again! Hope you guys enjoy! I'll try to do cat and mouse/Lamia life next. I'll also write more of that saiyan x tuffle story as well. It's been on the backburner. If you have any suggestions feel free to let me know.
Jack's eyes twitched open as he looked out at the vastness of the land ahead of him. It was still just as grassy as his mind left them. He was still huddled under the tree with Inma's large stature as a barrier from the sun. His dream was pleasant, sweet, and warmth filled his soul. He looked up at Inma's sunken face and the sunlight reflected off her blonde curls. She looked like something straight out of a fairytale. He still couldn't wrap his head around the existence of giants and other magical creatures existing. It was too bizarre.
"Inma, are you awake?" Jack asked as he looked at her sleeping form. Her breath was shallow, almost non-existent. She looked frozen in time and perfectly still. His dream still had him feeling bubbly. His dream had him in a field of flowers that were painted like stars. Everything glowed and radiated a healing energy that he never felt before in his life. If felt foreign and mystical, but at the same time comforting.
Jack heard Inma mumbling in her sleep as her head turned him with her hair covering her eyes. He heard her soft voice say something.
"Fire.." She mumbled weakly as her blank sleeping expression swapped into discomfort. Was she having a nightmare?
"Inma, Are you ok? Saying something." Jack asked again as worry painted his face. He didn't know what she was talking about.
"Burning…" She said with her face changing into more discomfort. She looked like she was in pain. What was her nightmare about? Drops of sweat rolled down her face in anxiety. Jack crawled out of her bag by grabbing the fabric and stepping over the various other things inside. She pulled himself out and stood on his feet as he looked at the sky above. It looked as peaceful as his dream was, but turning to Inma made all his happiness melt away. He had to wake her up if they wanted to get a move on.
He tugged at her coat, hoping to have her spring to life. It created some life in her as her face twitched. Jack was definitely getting to her. He called out her name again. This scene reminded him of the time where he tried to wake her inside her home.
"Inma, come on! We need to get a move on!" Jack pleaded as he tugged harder on her coat. He glared at her. She was definitely in a panic. Her eyes twitched as she struggled to awake from her deep slumber.
"Fire….Smoke….Burning...Ahhh" Inma's body jolted forward and as a result, Jack was sent tumbling forward into a pile of daisies below. Inma's breath was heavy and unsteady. She didn't know what was going on.
"Fire….fire…." She looked below at Jack down in the dirt. He stood up and brushed bits of dry soil from his suit with a look of disgust.
"Little man?" Inma asked while she reached out towards him, "Are you ok?" Her face flashed concern with an aversion of her eyes.
"I should be asking you that." Jack replied looking back up at her, "What are you talking about with this whole 'fire' thing. Did you have a nightmare?" Inma's head lowered, her hand molded into a fist as it rattled with fear and anger.
"I did have a nightmare, but I'm ok!" She lifted her head and gave Jack her best toothy smile that she could muster in their time of need. She had to be brave! She had to be brave not only for him but for herself. Stormgiants did not show weakness! They were brave beings of the sky and masters of lightning.
"Need a hand?" Inma questioned with an extended palm towards him in trust. She may not have noticed, but Jack was no fool. Her eyes were absolutely bloodshot and visible bags were under them. She looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep at all. Had she stayed up all night? Her arm shook like a leaf and her fingers looked like they'd fall off her hands if not for her joints. There was definitely something going on with her but it wasn't like him to probe into her business. Surely, she would tell him with time in the future.
"Yeah!" With a few steps, Jack was within her grasp once again and soon he returned to her satchel. After a few minutes of Inma waiting to regain her composure, She took a deep breath while also reaching in her satchel for her book. It was one of the few things she had to keep her calm in this time of uncertainty despite the wear and tear that showed its age. She walked the plains of politeness, each step turned her legs more into jelly. If it wasn't for her active lifestyle, she would have collapsed a while ago.
A flip of the pages returned her to the map where she wrote her notes. Luckily for her, Jack was in her satchel, dreaming of peaceful places she'd hope. For a place called "Plains of Politeness", The dream she had was the complete opposite of it. Her nightmare still had her mentally shaken. She had no idea what it was about nor what it foresaw in the future. Inma desperately hoped that it was a one off thing and not a fortune of the future. The only good thing about her morning thus far were the plains. They were still beautiful to look at and gave her comfort just by being near her. As she walked, she picked up a few of the flowers and smelt them, the scent of them filled her with bursting amounts of energy.
Time began to flow like a river to Inma's mind. A stream that was once calm and welcoming was now rampant, wild, and ready to rip apart anything unfortunate enough to get caught by it. There was no way to tell how long she'd been out there besides the movement of the sun. Unfortunately for her, It felt like the sun stayed glued in the same spot until nightmare overtook it. During that time Inma looked at the map which dictated her next spot, "Desert of Desire". The only notes that the last owner of the book had for it was, "Do not lose to the sands". Inma had no idea what that meant. She wished that the previous owner had been more specific in their writing.
With the sun bearing down on her and winds dimming down, Inma was at her wits end. The sun was so bright and blinding that she lost sight of herself. It blinded her like a bright light flashing in her eyes. She covered her eyes from the heat and using her feet; she guarded herself. The soft tickle of the grass on the soles of her feet vanished bit by bit and soon enough she felt the blistering hot pebbles of sand absorbing her toes.
