Hi, everyone, MarcellusMiro66 here! Previously on "The Hanging Tree"...
(~****~)
"With you guys here, there's a higher possibility of becoming a risk or liability in the crossfire. I was supposed to go alone...so nobody else would die. I would become a sacrificial lamb... A worthless martyr."
. . .
"Harper! Do not call yourself worthless! You're much more than that! You're smart, confident, and determined to stand up to the challenge! L–Look! Look where we are! We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you!...and that's in the best way possible!"
. . .
"Everyone, we need to go! Now!"
. . .
"HARPER!"
The turquoise Troll shot up in fear and initially ignored pain, which should've taken effect considering she had previously taken three spiders head-on with nothing but a dagger. Labored breathing offered a sense of familiarity to her, being the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness. Attempting her best to sit up, she groaned in growing pain and clutched her side...when she really should be clutching her back.
"Hello, dear child..."
Harper tensed up upon realizing that she wasn't alone and scanned around for the source of the voice. Because of the lack of light (save for a few crevices in the canopies above), it was rather difficult for her vision to manifest at the moment. When it did, however, the moment couldn't be any more improper. The figure before her was that of a shadow, a shadow with glowing red eyes...and a female gender.
"What...who are you?"
The shadow merely smiled(?) and floated in circles around Harper, who cautiously eyed her wherever she went. She never did face her directly eye-to-eye, however, out of fear that she would possess the power of hypnosis.
"The person who saved your life. Honestly, you should be thanking me instead of questioning me."
"Uh...thank you?"
"You're quite welcome. You shouldn't have."
'Oh...did I seriously walk right into that?'
"Yes... Yes, you did."
'Oh God, she can read my mind?'
"Yes... Yes, I can."
Harper scowled in frustration and made a mental note to stop thinking out loud.
"So...you saved me? Why? You honestly seem like a bad guy."
"A bad girl, dear. But yes...I actually am. I saved you, however, because you may be of use to me...if you are willing to comply."
"... What do you want?"
"Hmm. Interesting... Normally, the people I make deals with show some slight ounce of hesitation, considering who I am."
"I'm not the first person?"
"No...and you certainly won't be the last."
"... Well, I am concerned. What exactly does this deal of yours involve?"
"Does body possession concern you as much as me?"
"Body possession?"
"It's simple. I take temporary control of your figure for my own purposes."
"Yeah, I know what it means. Are you insane?"
"No, dear. I'm unsane. Besides, the process doesn't necessarily hurt. Think of it as...pulling teeth."
"That's not exactly a favorable comparison."
"Oh, you know what I mean. My point is, dear... I have too many close brushes with death now, and the encounters have become more and more life-threatening every day with my search for a new host. What I'm trying to say is..."
"You want me to be your new host?"
"For the time being. The spell I'm under can't last long."
Harper had been listening attentively to the shadow, and she couldn't but feel sympathy for the devil. Yes indeed, in spite of the fact this...thing was supposed to be a so-called villain, she didn't seem like it. She felt sorry for her; whoever placed the spell that prevented an ability to retain her former figure on her may have had a good reason to do so, but this was just crossing the line.
After thinking the option over, Harper sighed in resignation.
"No one I care about gets hurt or killed. Understand?"
"Cross my heart, dear...and hope to die."
Harper nodded and offered out a hand for the shadow to grasp on to. The shadow herself smiled and gladly took it. Suddenly, a bright white light illuminated the entire darkness as she dissipated into thin air and entered through her mouth. Labored breathing once more consumed the silent atmosphere as Harper processed what had happened. The possession procedural was done...
...and it wasn't a pleasant one.
"Argh!"
A shout of pain left Harper's mouth as her body began to burn. Glancing down at her form, her eyes widened in horror as it began to blacken as well. She could do nothing but scream in complete dread as the darkness consumed her entire frame. Her hands now held clawed fingers, her mouth now detained sharp fangs, and her eyes reverted from pink/green to blood red. On top of that, her hair immediately flattened into a hime/lob cut. The newly-transformed shadow growled and howled into the heavens above, a signal of her newfound nature.
"NYYYaAAAAaaaaaaAAaaaaAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAAaaAAAARGH!"
Harper shot up again. This time, it wasn't a dream.
It was real.
Heavily panting and softly refocusing, she wiped any forming sweating beads on her forehead as she took in her surroundings. She was in a pod...or was she? This particular pod was constructed out of wood, quite atypical for the usual ones; they were usually consisting of gigantic flowers or other plants. However, the furnishings normally associated with Troll pods were present. Her mental gears began to turn as she recalled the events from yesterday night, prompting her to briefly glimpse at her body for any signs of monstrous transformation. Of course, there was nothing: no darkened form, no rebel hairstyle, and no crimson red eyes.
"Miss Harper?"
The turquoise Troll glanced to her left to find an elderly Troll(?) enter the room with an expression of relief crossing her face. She wasn't completely sure whether or not the figure before her was a Troll or not, but rather she assumed as such before her similar size and multicolored nature. In this case, it was dark blue [skin and eyes] with a dash of white [hair]. In terms of additional accessories, she wore a red hat with a white flower pinned to the side and clutched a wooden staff with a blue flower at its crown. So she must be the leader of this village...if there is a village...
"Um, yes?"
"Ah, good. You remember your name."
"Uh...yes, I can. So, I don't mean to rude, but – "
"Who am I and where am I? Yes, I get those questions a lot, so I don't blame you. Anyway, my name is Smurf Willow...and you're in Smurfy Grove. And it was lucky my Smurfs came upon yourself lest you bleed to death."
Harper merely blinked in bewilderment – not just at the woman's straightforward response, but at her usage of a unfamiliar term. "Uh...what?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. My sense of humor is different from yours, I suppose."
"Oh, no. It's not that... What's a "Smurf"?"
Silence followed the question not soon after...followed by a fit of hearty laughter. Harper watched as Smurf Willow was lost amidst her tirade of hysterics before she eventually calmed down. Moving a hand towards her forehead, the elderly faux Troll (or "Smurf", whatever that was and meant) shook her whole as she sighed.
"I forgot: you're not a Smurf."
Harper glanced around and avoided her motherly gaze, despite her best intentions.
"Uh, no. I'm not. Seriously, what's a Smurf? I've never heard of it before until now."
"No, you haven't, and I won't hold it against you. As stated earlier, we usually get these expressions a lot the first time somebody discovers us."
"'We'? 'Us'? 'The first time'?"
"Yes, I know it's very confusing to you. Believe me, this has happened a lot." Smurf Willow stood and gestured towards the door, "Can you walk?"
"A little bit." Harper then proceeded to try and stand up...emphasis on the word "try". It took a moment or so to get herself upright, but those few moments were about as painful as they were gainful. She ambled over to where Smurf Willow stood and placed both hands on both hands.
"Yep. Got it under control."
"Right..."
Smurf Willow pushed the door open to let the moonlight shine into the room. How is it still nighttime? It's –
Harper's train of thought was immediately derailed by the first steps she took. She lost her footing and nearly fell ten stories down below, had Smurf Willow not caught her in time. The Smurf again shot the Troll a sincere smile before they continued down to ground level. When they did, every other Smurf noticed and begin to stare at her in wonder and intrigue. It made her extremely uncomfortable, although this uncomfortableness was neutered by one small thing: They're all girls...
"Yes, they're all girls. Ease into it."
The thought process was not easy, but Harper eventually did just that. The Smurfs approached them and bombarded their leader – namely, "Who's our new visitor?" and "What is our new visitor?"
"All right, everyone! Let's give the poor dear some space!" Smurf Willow proclaimed as she cleared a path.
"Or we can give a makeover!"
Harper and Smurf Willow turned around to find a Smurf hopping towards them. She wore a yellow dress and hat with a pink flower attached, along with a blue/green/orange necklace and bracelet. She seemed particularly eager to get acquainted to her new friend.
"Hello, friend! I'm Smurf Blossom! Nice to finally meet you!"
The first mistake Harper made was taking the hand Smurfblossom took out to shake. When she recovered from the dizziness, the second mistake was introducing herself to her.
"Hello, Smurf Blossom. My name is Harper."
"Hmm..." Smurf Blossom tilted her head ever so slightly, that same goofy-looking smile still plastered on her face. "Harper... Heh, heh. That's funny..."
Harper glanced over at Smurf Willow in confusion; she merely smirked and shook her head. "How so?"
"Harper... Harper... Harper, Harper, Harper, Harper, Harper, Harper, Harper, Harper...!" Smurf Blossom repeated whilst hopping up and down. "Are you named after a harp? If so, can you play it? You know...just out of curiosity?"
The turquoise Troll could only blink in bewilderment, but responded (with a half-hearted lie) anyway. "Not yet...Smurf Blossom? I need more practice."
"Well, you know what they say: practice makes perfect! Maybe I can get Smurf Melody – or, better yet, Smurf Storm – to help you. They're both experts in musical stylings. Right, girls?"
The one Smurf named Smurf Melody nodded and smiled. The other Smurf named Smurf Storm...stood and frowned. And continued training an arrow on her. Until she stopped and huffed before continuing her frowning some more.
"..." Smurf Blossom turned back to Harper and flashed a smile as if it were perfectly normal. "That means yes. No need to worry, Harper. We'll be the best of friends, you and I!"
Harper found her amusement within the spirit of this particular Smurf (Yeah, maybe we will be the best of friends...) before gasping in concern as the terrifying realization hit her.
"Oh no! Smurf Willow, my friends are out there! They may be in danger!"
The one called Smurf Storm clutched her bow by her side as she cautiously approached Harper – one hand reaching for an arrow, the other reaching for her dagger.
"You mean there's more of you?"
Harper could not respond. Are you threatening me?
A/N: So, Harper was close to death and essentially made a deal with the devil in order to survive. From there, she befriends a race of creatures similar to her own known as the "Smurfs" (or the "Smurfettes", in this case), who have no idea who she is and vice versa.
Chapter 5: "Smurf Willow sends Smurf Storm and Smurf Blossom to accompany her on her scout for the rest of her friends. Meanwhile, Mandy herself makes a honest effort to lead the team to safety...with mixed results."