Author's note: Now I've got both "Red and Purple" and "Hedgehog and Bat" in progress. I'll try to give them equal priorities. Onward!
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Segment 2: The Trouble Starts
Chapter 2: Verdant Woods
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(Kim)
The air was crisp, the scenery was beautiful, and Verdant Woods was a masterpiece of nature. The trees were plentiful enough to be pleasant, but not so plentiful as to get in the way. Leo and I strolled along together.
"This place looks like it's hardly been touched," I mentioned. "Hard to believe that the demons have been here."
Leo nodded. "Maybe they're just trying to keep their settlement secret. Let's keep a sharp eye out for anything unexpected."
Before I could respond, the both of us were floored. Evidently we had walked on either side of a tree without realizing it, and our common tail had disagreed with our choice.
"This is going to take a little getting used to," I muttered.
At that moment, we both realized that someone was laughing at us. We were not alone in the forest.
Leo and I both took fighting poses. "Show yourself!" Leo commanded.
The figure showed himself, and as it turned out, he was a green fox figure somewhat older than we were. He was carrying a hunter's bow, and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," he said, ceasing his laughter. "My name's Foxwood. What are a couple of nunchucks like you two doing this deep in the woods?"
"I'm Leo," Leo introduced himself, "and my sister there is Kim."
"Pleased to meet you," I added. "We're looking for some demons. You seen anything of the sort?"
"You mean like those creatures that were here last night?" Foxwood confirmed. "Some demonish creatures cut through the forest on their way to Emerald Town. I just stayed in the trees and picked a few off with my arrows. Haven't seen any since then, though."
I found this a little curious. "Are you sure? You haven't seen anything that might suggest a demon settlement?"
Foxwood just shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, but- Oh, wait a minute! I did see some odd black crystal ball in a cave north of here. I didn't dare touch it, but it reeked of dark energy. I can take you there, if you think you can handle it."
"We can handle it, no problem," Leo responded. I envied his persistent courage.
"You sure?" Foxwood responded. "I wouldn't be reckless if I were you. Why don't you show me just what you can do? I'd rather not give you anything you're not prepared for."
Leo just laughed. "Just bring it on!"
In response, Foxwood drew an arrow from his quiver and aimed it directly at me. I barely had any time to think before he shot it, and I might've been hurt seriously had Leo not yanked me out of the way by our common tail in the nick of time.
I panted. "Thanks, Leo."
"Don't mention it," Leo replied. "Let's take it to the offensive now!"
"All right, but let me be the pivot this time, okay?"
The both of us were hiding behind the same tree we'd gotten snagged on earlier. Leo stood behind me at a sufficient distance for our common tail to be almost taut, and I reached back and grabbed it.
After a short pause, I used a forward motion to whip Leo forward. He grabbed a tree branch and pulled himself up, so that I was hanging down. Foxwood tried to nail me with another arrow, but my erratic swinging motion made it difficult.
Foxwood looked up. "Eh? Now what kind of funny trick is that?"
"There's nothing funny about it," Leo shot back. "Take this!"
As I swung back and forth, Leo suddenly lowered himself back down and let go while I was on a forward swing. We shot forward together, and I was able to lay a flying kick down on Foxwood's head, knocking him to the ground just as he was about to shoot another arrow.
"Good work, Kim," Leo told me once we were done. "You're catching on pretty quickly."
"Like you said, it comes naturally," I reassured my older brother. "It just takes a little longer for me than it does for you."
Around then, Foxwood got to his feet. "Wow, you two, you're pretty good. With that kind of skill, you just might stand a chance. Here, I'll show you where the crystal ball is."
"Please do," I requested. I don't know how that courage built up in me so quickly; maybe I've got more courage than I think I do.
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That's the end of it. See you next chapter!