Kino: Okay, this was supposed to be up yesterday, but I got distracted by food, my bad. The next update might be either Sunday or Monday, depending on what time I get home on on Saturday. I'm helping my school's marching band while they do a field show and their last parade. I will have blankets ready and waiting for when guard gets to the buses. Those poor girls, they have to wear knee-length skirts and ugly unitards!

The Project

By Kino Lady of the Divine

Chapter 3: Dies Duos

"That was one comfortable night on the forest floor." Tahu said, stretching. Pohatu chuckled.

"Yeah, maybe for you." Gali's voice said from outside the tent. She poked her head in, making to two jump. "But with your snoring, Tahu, it was harder for some of us."

"No girls in the guys' tent!" Pohatu said.

"Puh-lease, it's not something I haven't ever seen before."

"Do you want to see it now?"

"You're sick!"

"Leave her alone, Pohatu." Tahu said.

"Guys," Onua's voice called, "up and at 'em! We have to leave soon. We can wait, but the day won't."

"So bored." Lewa said. "Nothing but trees and leaves and roots and rocks and Pohatu with his stupid camera!"

"You have the other camera, so what are you complaining about?" Pohatu asked.

"Hey, did you guys hear about the kid who swallowed the silver dollar?" Tahu asked.

"No." Kopaka said. "Why? Did you kill him?"

"Tahu wouldn't do that, Kopaka." Gali said. "What happened? Is he alright?"

"Last I knew, there wasn't any change!"

"Lame joke." Onua stated.

"Yep!" Lewa agreed.

"Oh, you guys are no fun." Tahu pouted.

"We're the only friends you'll ever have." Gali said, smiling at her long time friend.

"I could make more friends. I could! I'm just… too lazy to try!"

"In your dreams."

"That's where you'll be."

"That doesn't make ant sense!"

"I know you are, but what am I?"

"I'm a pile of shit, you're just smart."

"I know you are, but what am I— damn it all!"

"Hi-ho, hi-ho,

It's off to work we go.

Whistle, whistle, whistle, whistle, whistle!" Pohatu sang, which to everyone else sounded like him bellowing his head off.

One or two clapped at the ending, while some others chuckled and one rolled their eyes. Pohatu never ceased to miss the chance to amuse his friends. It kept him occupied while filming, especially in this desolate forest. Plus, everyone seemed kind of down, they needed some cheering up. Except Kopaka, he decided, he always looks like that.

"Hey, guys, check this out!"

"Holy shit!"

"Wow."

"What the hell…?"

"Fuck!"

They examined what appeared to be a nest of rocks.

"What animal can do that?" Gali asked.

"Squirrels?" Lewa suggested.

"Squirrels don't build rock nests."

"A raccoon?"

"Wouldn't be able to climb this limb of a tree."

"A hawk."

"That's plausible."

"Hey, there's more!" Lewa pointed to five other piles nearby. They were each neatly stacked.

"Okay, so an animal is out of the question. Do you think this is what we're looking for?"

"No," Kopaka said. "this is no graveyard."

"The rocks could mark graves." Tahu pointed out.

"It's highly unlikely, especially with our luck."

"Are you saying that Gali isn't a good navigator?"

"No, not that. It's this forest, there's something… wrong about it."

"How many piles are there?" Pohatu broke in.

"Six." Gali said. "Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight. The rocks in each pile go up as you move along. It starts with three down there and ends with eight in the tree. Weird, isn't it?"

"It's getting dark, we need to pitch camp soon." Tahu stated. "Gali stop fussing about the rocks, they won't ever change. They'll be there tomorrow."

"Burn, my little wiener, burn." Lewa said, watching as he cooked his hotdog, harpooned by a stick, over the burning flames.

"Do you know how wrong that sounds?" Tahu asked, a light chuckle was in the question.

"I don't care."

"Marshmallows…" Gali was hugging the bag. She saw Pohatu focus the camera on her and she put it up to the old thing. "Feel how soft they are, little camera. I love marshmallows. Aren't the marshmallows soft, Pohatu's baby, the camera?"

"Camera agrees with daddy, the marshmallows are soft. But we bet your marshmallows are softer."

"Pervert!" She stood up and started smacking him with the marshmallow bag.

"Help!" Pohatu cried to the others, who were in fits of laughter at their friend's pummel by marshmallows. "I'm being moo-lested by a cow! Ow! Fucking shit! Ow! Gali that actually fucking hurts! Ow! Stop!

"Don't you dare say anything like that again!" She stood up and walked over to her tent. She paused at the zipper and turned back to him. "And for your information, they are softer."

"What the fuck is that?"

"Shh!"

"Are you guys hearing that?"

"Holy shit!"

"What the fuck is that?"

"Open the god damned tent!"

The boys scrambled out of the tent. Pohatu and Lewa turned on the lights to their cameras.

"Kopaka! Turn that damn thing on!" Pohatu said to the boy who was still in the tent.

"You guys heard it too?" Gali asked. "Do you know where it's coming from?" She jumped closer to the boys at the sound of a snap of a twig behind her.

"It sounds like it's all around us." Tahu said.

"A deer?" Lewa suggested.

"From all around us?"

"An army of deer?"

"How the fuck are god damned deer going to be coming at us as an army, when they don't like the god damned noise we make or our scent? And how the fuck are they going to be that smart?"

"I don't know, I'm guessing!"

"Shut the hell up!" Kopaka hissed at them.

"Doesn't it sound like it's getting closer?" Gali asked. They all froze, listening to the cracking and snapping.

Tahu made a move towards the darkness, Pohatu followed.

"Holy shit!" Lewa said. The ones next to him looked at him, surprised. Lewa never swore.

"Hello!" Tahu called out into the darkness. "Kopaka, get out of the fucking tent."

"Fuck no!"

"Get out of the god damned tent. Hello! Kopaka!"

"There is no fucking way I'm getting out of the tent."

"Hello! Fuck! Hello!"

"Guys!" Gali hissed. "What are you doing? Was that footsteps?"

"I want to get whatever it is on camera. Hello!" The two ventured further from camp.

"Guys!"

"Hello!"

Lewa was filming the other side of camp following the snapping and cracking of twigs and branches, the crunching of leaves, and the odd footsteps. Onua watched him, pocketknife in hand.

Gali watched the two out of the corner of her eye, but her main focus was Tahu and Pohatu. She looked over her shoulder at Kopaka, who didn't seem too pleased with their situation. He was getting all the sound, but he didn't like the fact the sounds were getting closer. Too close, in his opinion.

"Gali, don't." Kopaka hissed to her.

Tahu and Pohatu were disappearing from sight and being enveloped in the blackness of the forest.

"Gali, damn it, you go I will tackle you!"

She swiftly ran after the two, worriedly. She moved soundlessly.

"Shit."

Kopaka ran after her, equipment around his neck. Onua called out after them, but his words were swallowed up by the fair haired boy's breathing and his energy surge.

Gali reached her two friends in no time. Kopaka struggled after her, tripping over rocks and roots. Neither had noticed the sounds had stopped, until they were able to catch their breath.

"Weird." Tahu breathed.

"What was that?" Gali asked.

"A practical joke, no doubt." Kopaka stated.

"But who would do that? We're out in the middle of nowhere and no one knows we're here except Tahu's teacher and our parents. This isn't something the town would do, Kopaka. If you hadn't realized, most of the world isn't your enemy."

"Hey, guys, we should head back. We left Onua and Lewa alone, and you know how they are when they're alone together." Pohatu said, shuddering. "Besides, we need our sleep. We have a long trek ahead of us tomorrow."

"But— "

"We'll take turns for watch" Tahu stated. "I have the feeling this isn't the end of this little joke. If it's even that."

Kino: Well, this is much more frightening, if you ask me. It gets much more of a horror fic near the end. I will be replying to reviews here on out, I swear on my oath as… a Bionicle fan (yeah that should do it).

Thank you to Magdalan-Saiyan-Toa, dark raven0, sylla Shadow frost (I based the Vulture's Beak Rock story on the Coffin Rock story, I love Lewa being a virgin it makes him seem much more… him), TheTwilightMoon (I live around a ton of teens around the same age, they kind of help with conversations and such), soryaseroth, and LatayaLuna. I appreciate the reviews, it makes feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like dandelions that get inside my circuits… er, yeah. Thank you again, your reviews are honored and respected by the author (me) and by my family (they like to see me succeed in what I do).