A/N: And chapter four is here! There are a few fight scenes here (my first ever) and I hope they came out well. Enjoy!
A young mage in a red dress holding a cat watched frozen with bright blue eyes the size of saucers as her good friend—and secret crush—Matt fall to the ground with many arrows puncturing his body. She had orange hair pulled back with a red ribbon to keep the strands out of her face. A polished, twisting redwood staff with a blue crystal affixed to the top and a red bow tied below the crystal was strapped to her back.
Natalie slowly and silently slipped backwards further into the thick foliage in a state of horrified disbelief, unaware she was even moving, with an equally stunned NoLegs clutched to her chest. Her pace suddenly sped up to a mad sprint through the woods, her mind unconsciously realizing she was far enough away to no longer have to worry about how noisy she was being. With tears welling up in her eyes to run down her face, Natalie shouldered her way past tree branches and bushes uncaring of how they snagged on her clothes and hair like clutching hands attempting to stop her frenzied dash. As she ran, the verdant greens around her began to be interspersed with orange and brown, her tears causing the colors blurring together.
The distraught girl didn't know how long she had been running for when her body finally forced her to slow to a halt. Her chest heaved in sharp, rasping gasps as her lungs attempted to get air to her body, breaths painful from both physical exertion as well as emotional distress. She staggered to a nearby fallen tree on trembling legs and collapsed to a seat on it still in a state of shock. "Matt was killed right in front of me," the thought caused a new wave of tears to stream down her cheeks. NoLegs squirmed his way out of her arms to huddle next to her, seeking to comfort one another in their grief. Neither were aware that they had wound up the very edge of the protected forests and were very near the much wilder and more dangerous end of Ashwood. They had unwittingly stumbled into the territory of the larger and more aggressive denizens of the forest. One such monster was watching them closely from the shadow of surrounding trees.
Anna and Matt were walking down a narrow game trail more commonly used by Tanuki and Friendly dogs. Anna was leading, as she was the one who knew what to look for in tracking, occasionally letting out an exasperated sigh. The cause for Anna's exasperation trailed a few steps behind, still mumbling about how he had stolen that stuff fair-and-square with a pout on his face.
The monotony of their trek was broken by a sudden rustling noise. Three small furry creatures leapt out of the brush to the side of the path ahead and growled at the two adventures. Two were a soft brown with reddish fur on their tail-tips and forming what looked like masks on their faces. The third monster had cream colored fur with dark brown fur covering its legs. Strangely, all three of the dog-like creatures had what looked like alcohol jugs hanging around their necks. Matt snapped out of his sulk and sprang forward to stand slightly in front of Anna—his sword already in hand—eager for combat. Anna slid back two steps as she swung Sky Feather off her shoulder and nocked an arrow.
Matt twisted his head to glance back at Anna over his shoulder, "You go for the Friend Dog first and I'll go for the Tanuki on the left. Okay?"
"Got it, we don't want that thing healing them. Let's do this," Anna said with firm nod.
With a loud cry of, "You'll make a fine rug, mutt!" Matt sprang for the Tanuki with Heaven's Gate raised over his head ready to slice the monster in two. At the same time, Anna loosed her first arrow at the friend dog. Her arrow found its mark in the monster's left shoulder causing the creature to let out a whimpering yelp and fall to the ground dead. Shortly after, Matt brought his sword down and the Tanuki Dog fell dead with a bloody score across its neck.
The final monster had slipped passed Matt and was charging at Anna, taking a gulp out of the container around its neck on its way. The alcohol had a strange effect on the beast; it became even faster and more riled letting out a feral snarl as it leapt the last few feet towards its target: Anna's throat. With not enough time to nock an arrow and shoot, Anna gripped the shaft of the projectile and swung it with all her strength into the Tanuki Dog's neck. The monster's fangs were inches from her throat, eyes glaring with the wild fury of a predator, before it slumped down, the light fading. Ann released the arrow with a shuddering sigh of relief at the close call and let the monster's body drop to the ground.
Matt came back over and gave Anna a high five. "Nice one! I've never seen an arrow used like that before," he praised.
"Thanks," Anna sheepishly chuckled and started walking again, "I don't normally get in that close to a monster. It was all I could think of but whatever works, I suppose. Now then! Let's get back to finding your friends. How far, and where, do you think they went?"
Matt frowned thoughtfully, falling in step behind the ranger once again. "We didn't really set a place to meet up again; we weren't expecting the shop keeper to open up so early." He narrowed his blue eyes in thought, "Natalie shouldn't be too hard to find. She's a mage so she can't run for very long without getting tired plus she's not all that great at hide-and-seek. Lance could be a problem, though," Matt's frown deepened, "if he doesn't want to be found then we could be searching for a while; he's excellent at hiding."
"His tracks must have been the set that just seemed to vanish when I first started tracking you guys," Anna mused out loud, "I thought the owner of the tracks knew what they were doing. Hopefully we'll find Natalie's trail again soon," She then sighed, "and hopefully we won't have to scour the woods to find Lance."
Silence fell between the two once more as Anna turned her full attention to scanning the ground and foliage around them for any signs of a passerby, Matt juggling a few rocks he had picked off the ground to entertain himself. A few hours passed that way and the sun was at its height. A few red leafed trees began to mingle with the green as they approached Deep Ashwood. Anna was about to suggest they stop to eat soon when an irregularly colored flash of red in a bush caught her eye. She raised her hand to stop Matt as she reached over to pluck it out, revealing it to be a torn piece of fabric. Fingering the scrap of cloth, Anna turned and showed it to Matt.
"Feels like cotton, probably from a sleeve judging by the height it was caught at," Anna told him.
Matt's eyes widened, "This is the exact color of Natalie's dress! She must have come through here!"
Anna grinned, eyes brightening, "Finally, we've got out first clue! I can pick up her trail here and we'll catch up to her in no time!" Her excited expression suddenly faded into slight puzzlement. "I thought you said Natalie wouldn't go very far? We're quite a ways away from the village at this point," She eyed the way the branches of the bush she'd found the scrap of cloth in were broken and the ground around it before continuing, "And it looks like she crossed over the path we're on here which means she's been forcing her way through the overgrowth, and pretty forcefully too, judging by the signs left here. That's really tiring even if you're used to doing it." Anna shook her head causing her green hair to swing back and forth, a look of concern forming on her face, "The only reason I can see there being for her to do that would be if she was being chased by something, but I don't see any evidence of another creature being there. Plus it looks like she was heading into Deep Ashwood. The protection of the guardian of my village doesn't extend for much further in that direction so the monsters are much more aggressive,"
Matt's face also took on a concerned look, "Let's follow her as quickly as possible, then; she might be in trouble. If she runs into monsters alone she'll-"
He broke off with a start, whipping around to stare in the direction Anna had indicated Natalie had gone. Anna had also twisted to face the same direction, her emerald eyes widening in shocked concern. A high scream had echoed through the woods setting any birds nearby into flight.
"That was Natz's voice! She is in trouble, let's go!" Matt cried. Not waiting for an answer, the blond swordsman dashed off the path in the direction the scream had come from.
Anna leaped after him, following closely in his footsteps. Matt forced branches out of his path and let them snap back into place forcing Anna to block them with her arms. One branch whipped the ranger across the cheek, leaving a shallow cut that began to bleed slightly. The green haired girl ignored the sting and did not even notice the slight trickle of blood that beaded up and slid down her cheek. The only compensation she made was to move out from behind Matt to run slightly off to the side, dodging around trunks and small bushes.
Natalie swiped her sleeve across her face to wipe some of the tears away, gave NoLegs a watery smile and a pat, and stood up, determined to find Lance to inform him of Matt's unfortunate demise.
She hadn't taken more than two steps before the sounds of a large creature breaking its way into the clearing caused the mage girl to spin around. Her narrowed eyes darted about, searching for the monster before widening in fear when they landed on it; lumbering towards her at a slow pace that belied its strength, was a massive bear. Thick, shaggy, brown fur covered its whole body, sharp claws left deep gouges in the earth with every step it took, its lips were pulled back in a snarl and saliva was already dripping from its jaws in anticipation of a tasty meal as it stared her down with a gleaming gaze.
Natalie and NoLegs kept their eyes locked on the animal, taking a step back for every step it took forward. This stalemate lasted until Natalie's attention was diverted for a split second when she backed into the trunk of a sapling. That second of distraction was all the bear needed to charge forward at an astonishing speed for a creature of its size. It reached the terrified mage girl and the cat; both dove to opposite sides to dodge, Natalie with a loud echoing shriek. The huge paw that came sweeping down, narrowly missing them and obliterating the sapling they had backed against. Splinters of wood showered the clearing getting caught in the bear's shaggy fur and Natalie's hair.
NoLegs used the brief second before the bear turned to materialize a sword to float in front of him and proceeded to slash at the animal in order to draw its attention away from the mage. Rolling and coming up on her feet out of immediate range of the bear, Natalie unhooked her Crystal Staff from behind her and launched a fireball spell at the beast while its back was turned. The fireball exploded on the bear's back causing its fur and skin to smolder and the clearing to fill with the noxious smell of burning hair and flesh. Natalie hoped the fire would cause damage to something important or to, at the very least, convince the animal that she and NoLegs were too troublesome to continue its attacks.
Far from being a deciding blow or deterrent for the beast, however, the bear simply grew enraged; the burning pain from its back serving to fuel its wrath. Its eyes seemed to glow red as it turned its attention from the cat, whose attacks only served as a nuisance, to the orange haired mage standing behind it. It crossed the short distance to Natalie in one bound causing the girl to stumble back and trip over an errant rock protruding from the ground. The bear reared up to its full height with a mighty roar, towering over the girl who pulled her staff in front of her in a futile attempt to defend herself from the massive blow, squeezing her eyes shut.
A single thwacking sound cut the bear off mid-roar with a choking sound and it toppled over backwards, landing on the ground with a dull thud. Natalie slowly lowered her staff as she cracked one blue eye open both soon flying wide as she stared in uncomprehending shock at the single arrow lodged in the dead beast's throat. Her shock only grew as she heard a familiar voice—one she believed she would never hear again—calling her name repeatedly in a worried tone. She turned in disbelief to stare as Matt ran towards her, skidding to a stop and grabbing her by the shoulders; completely missing the green haired girl who was still back by the tree line, bow in hand.
"Natalie! Natalie, are you okay?!" Matt asked frantically, his worry only growing when the mage didn't move or speak, simply stared. "Natalie, say something, please!"
He was just about to start checking for any head injuries when Natalie finally spoke up in a small voice, her wide blue eyes still staring at him as in complete shock; "…Matt?"
The blond swordsman calmed down slightly when he heard her speak, "Yeah, it's me. You aren't hurt are-"
His words were cut off with a huff as the air rushed out of his lungs when he was tackled by a suddenly hysterical Natalie. He suddenly found his arms full with a sobbing mage, her face pressed into his coat as her shoulders violently shook with each gasping breath. Not sure why she was so upset, Matt awkwardly wrapped his arms around the distraught girl and whispered soothing words into her hair. "Hey, it's okay. Stop crying, you're fine…" Natalie began to calm down and mumbled something unintelligible into his chest. "What was that?" Matt asked.
The mage girl pulled back slightly to look up at him. "You're really here?" she repeated.
Matt tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Well, yeah we were all split up and I heard you scream so of course I came. Why wouldn't I be here?"
Natalie shook her head violently causing her fiery hair to whip back and forth, her breathing getting unsteady again "I th-thought you were d-dead. You were stuck with so many arrows and you weren't moving…" Tears began to roll down her cheeks again as she pictured the horrific scene again.
Matt's eyes widened in realization; she must have seen when Anna had shot him and fled. Expression softening in understanding, he pulled the mage into another hug, reassuring her in a light tone, "Shh, I'm okay. You really think an arrow or twelve would be enough to keep me down? Akron did way worse than that!"
Finally reassured that Matt was indeed alive and well, and realizing just how they had been sitting, Natalie pulled back abruptly with her face burning in a bright blush. "Y-you don't need any healing, do you?" she stammered out in an attempt to cover her embarrassment.
Matt blinked in confusion for a few seconds before giving her his trademark grin. "Nah, I'm fine. Anna healed me perfectly!"
"Anna? Who's that?" Natalie asked in confusion.
"She's the one who shot me!" Matt said in a cheerful tone. Catching the look of worried disbelief in Natalie's eyes, he hurried to explain, "Don't worry, she promised not to do it again! She's actually very nice, you can see for yourself when you talk with her. She needs to ask you—and Lance, if we ever find him—if either of you have picked up a special crystal of some sort."
Still understandably skeptical, Natalie gave a single slow nod and they both stood up, Matt leading the way to introduce her to Anna.
Anna had stayed back, leaning against a tree and awkwardly looking away from the touching moment happening in the clearing. Turning to keep an eye and ear out for any more monsters, she absentmindedly scratched at the cut on her cheek, scraping away the bit of dried blood. NoLegs bounced across the clearing to stare up at her and let out a small meow to gain her attention. The ranger glanced down at the sound and smiled upon seeing the cat, kneeling down to rub him between the ears.
"I'm glad Matt and I got here in time," she murmured to the cat who was purring from both the attention and in agreement. Unwittingly, her mind flashed back to the moment when she and Matt had entered the clearing to see the mage on the ground, seconds away from being killed. She shivered briefly as she imagined several different endings to that tense moment other than her Piercing Shot killing the bear, before she firmly put such thoughts aside with a soft sigh.
Looking up when she heard two sets of footsteps approaching, Anna stood up and brushed a few loose blades of grass off her brown dress and turned slightly nervously to face Matt and Natalie. NoLegs stayed firmly pressed against her leg in silent support.
Matt was grinning brightly, his eyes sparkling with gratitude. "That shot was awesome! And thank you for saving Natz's life." He then turned slightly sideways to address the mage standing behind him, "Natz, this is Anna; a ranger from Greenwood Village. Anna, this is Natalie; a longtime friend of mine and a two times world-saving mage."
Swallowing nervously under the suspicious glare Natalie was giving her, Anna held out her hand a forced a nervous smile onto her face, "Pleased to meet you, Natalie."
Natalie kept her sharp blue gaze locked onto Anna's uncomfortable green one silently appraising the ranger for a few seconds before seeing the same kind of warmth in her eyes that Matt had. Finally, Natalie grasped the offered hand and gave a small smile of her own.
"Likewise, and thank you for healing our meat-shield; I don't know what Lance and I would do if he had gotten himself killed on one of their… excursions." She quipped, causing Anna to let out a giggle.
"Hey, I resent that! If an evil god of death couldn't kill me, a trip to the store would never even come close! Besides, it wasn't until after Anna had caught up to me that there was any real danger," Matt protested loudly.
The ensuing argument about Matt's morals and the likelihood, or lack thereof, of being killed was cut off by Anna's bright laughter.
"Come on, you two. You can continue your debate while we try to find your other friend," Anna chuckled, green eyes sparkling with mirth.
Natalie snorted and half complained, "That's assuming Lance is even anywhere nearby, still. I wouldn't put it past him to just run off."
"Nah, he wouldn't run off. For all of his anti-social tendencies and complaining, we've grown on him too much for him to just ditch us," Matt said with a smile. NoLegs let out a mrrow of agreement.
"He'll probably come out on his own after a while of walking, anyway," Natalie sighed.
Anna led the way into the trees once more the others following behind, "Well then, can we make a quick stop to see the guardian of Greenwood? Lance might come out along the way and if he doesn't the guardian might be able to help us find him," Anna proposed, twisting her head to look back at her companions who nodded their heads in agreement. Next step decided, they set out for their new destination keeping an eye out for Lance or for monsters.
A/N: And there we have it, chapter 4! The party is almost all together and the chapter is once again longer than the last! I have decided that the cats of EBF have latent magical powers and that that is how the wield swords and shields without any limbs. Leave me a review and be sure to let me know if you spot anything that could use improvement!
See ya!