February 12th: Arcadian - 100 words - A break, some down time, a moment of peace.
The air smelt of warm earth, bitter pine and damp grass. A thin scent of acrid smoke lingered beneath these stronger smell. When Chiaotzu finally opened his eyes the first thing he saw was a flower, thin strands of bright pink forming an almost perfect sphere. He frowned and pushed himself upright.
Everything hurt. A quick check of his limbs confirmed that there were no visible injuries, but the ache continued nonetheless. He lifted his eyes, observed his surroundings. He had no idea where he was. He was lying in long grass that had been broken and trampled and nosed into a makeshift nest. A pool of deep blue water was rippling and churning under the force of a waterfall. The mountain range that had broken up the horizon for as long as he could remember was now nowhere to be seen.
He looked up at the sky. Blue and bright and marked by a thin trail of smoke to his left. Good. The Crane School was not far away. He could still get back. He could fix this.
Heavy lumbering footsteps approached. Chiaotzu sank into himself, making himself as small as possible, trying to hide. The hulking shape of the monster appeared from the trees. Yellow eyes gleamed in the shadow. And as Chiaotzu lay frozen with fear the monster bounded into the clearing towards him, fangs bared in a…smile?
Chiaotzu uncertainly raised one hand and the beast nosed his palm, closing its eyes. Bristly purple fur tickled his skin and made a soft involuntary laugh leave his lips.
"You saved me," he said, his voice distant and vague as the creature's broad snout buried into his hand and hot breath snuffled against his skin. "Why?"
A short knowing look and then it moved closer and curled its long side around Chiaotzu. Keeping him warm. Safe. Secure.
What had Shen called it? The name was odd and skirted around the edges of his memory. Inaco? Inashako?
"Ina…she…ka…" His forehead creased as he frowned. "Cho?" It lifted its head, yellow eyes meeting his. "InoShikaCho?"
InoShikaCho snuffled and pressed his snout against Chiaotzu's arm. The telepath ran one small white hand along the broad purple flank. The ridges of scars caught at his fingertips and spelled out a story of pain and fear. InoShikaCho growled softly, a warning noise that rumbled against Chiaotzu's back. Without thinking the boy murmured a soothing word, a gentle reassurance.
"You were trapped too, huh? It's okay, Ino. We're out now. He can't hurt us anymore."
InoShikaCho lay his head back down and huffed a short agreement. Chiaotzu leaned back against the beast's side and looked up at that thin trail of smoke. That odd steely determination was back. It made his eyes cold and the writhing tangle of anxiety within him still. He couldn't go back.
"Don't forget me, Tien," he said softly. "I'm going to come back for you. I'll bust you out of there if it's the last thing I do. I promise."