Stolen Hearts Chapter Twenty-Six
Trunks ran with the energy and exuberance of youth out into the welcoming world. The frost had just begun to melt so everything looked as though it were made of glittering crystals.
He spun through the forest trying to catch the falling leaves in a case. This was a game played by Fey children, for it was said that if you caught a leaf before it hit the ground you would have a month of good luck.
Trunks had not gone out with that intention, and did not really, even in those distant days, believe the good luck tale, only, as Zephyr the west wind tore the golden rags away they looked fascinating and difficult to catch.
He was there for the mere sport of catching them, of shouting and laughing and feeling giddy as he looked up, and darting about to trap the creatures, which were certainly alive in the cunning with which they slipped away. He pranced about like a young fawn in the ruin of the year.
His game led him farther and farther away from home in widening circles that had no pattern nor design and no purpose other that to continue the wonderful state where thoughts were banished and replaced only by feeling, by peace. For if there was one thing the young prince was, it was peaceful. Peaceful in a way that defied and confounded everything, including his own nature, leaving him shining alone like a beacon in a world of hate.
It was this that allowed him to think of the strange new development in his life with an even head. He was very curious about his father, but he felt no terrible unrest that he had spent his life thus far thinking a different man was his father. It seemed to him he always knew somehow. He did wish to know his true father though, and strangely, perhaps it was passed to him through his mother, he loved the man.
Such was the power of his mother's love. Their bond was something infinitely rare and precious in its openness, they knew how much they needed each other and had no problem showing it. There is some strange bond that exists between every parent and child whether they like it or not, but it is often buried and hardly ever brought to the surface in all its intensity, for that bond is the deepest and hardest to break of all. It is always there, pounding in your blood, that strange power that binds.
Trunks finally tired of his game and looked about him, taking in his surroundings for the first time and realizing he was nowhere near home. But he was a very bright child and he had no fear about not being able to find his way. His senses always were keener then the others, now he was able to assume that too was from his father.
His palpable young mind, inquisitive and expanding, was eager to explore this new area, and even more intriguing was the noise of laughter that suddenly sounded in the distance.
In a few moments Trunks had found the source of the noise to be a strange group of children meandering their way through the trees, conspiring intently about some wonderfully exciting secret.
There was an elvish boy about his age that seemed to be the leader of the group with a slightly younger nymph girl and a creature that looked as if it was half-fox half-child with a plume of a tail and twitching ears.
"Hello!" Trunks called enthusiastically and, perhaps, a tad too loud for the conspirators who were still unaware that they were not alone.
"On guard! We are being attacked!" shouted the elf boy, flinging what looked like a makeshift wooden sword around wildly at this new invisible attacker. This in turn caused the girl to scream, unfortunately high pitched for a nymphs shriek can disorient and sometime deafen their attackers, and the fox child ran around in a confused excitement.
"No, no, I'm not an attacker, don't worry," Trunks said stepping into view, distressed at the uproar her had caused.
"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place, you mad faerie," said the boy, still skeptical and cautious.
"I'm sorry, you hardly gave me a chance, but my name is Trunks and I really mean you no harm. I was thinking mayhap I could tag along with you? My family is visiting this area and I don't really know my way about yet," Trunks replied politely, ignoring the rude remark. He had found the best way to deal with unkindness, is to return with kindness. It is hard to turn your back on that.
The elf boy put his hand to his chin thoughtfully pondering this request with the ultimate gravity, while the fox boy came and introduced himself as Shippo and the girl stared at him with inquisitive eyes.
"Well, I suppose there is no reason why you can't," the elf finally concluded for he was young enough not to have had his mind spoiled with the hate of the world, "And we need a new member anyway because Madania is gonna have to go home and write in her silly journal and do other girly things," he said in a jesting tone indicating to the nymph.
"Yeah right Zetes! If my mother thinks writing in a journal will help me grow less childish and more learned then she will have to write it, for I will do it no longer. And I will not spin. And I will not eat. Less childish indeed. I want to see the monster, and I will."
"Mad, you weren't supposed to say! It was a secret," Zetes said indignantly, bonking her on the head while Shippo looked between the two worriedly.
"Stop it you big butt-head! You just said he could be in our group didn't you?" Madania yelled back, angry at her undeserved punishment.
"Oh yeah, I did huh," Zetes said putting his hand behind his head and letting out a nervous laugh, only to receive a smack on the head from a still raging nymph.
"Come on you guys don't fight!" Shippo whined.
And Trunks couldn't help but laugh at their spectacle, and that of course threw them all off so they forgot their previous wrongdoings to inspect him quizzically.
"A monster, huh? That sounds exciting. And don't worry, you secret's safe with me."
"Alright," Zetes said after eyeing him scrupulously for a moment, But you have to officially swear your allegiance on my sword, that way it's for sure. And know this, if you break this solemn oath, it is my right and duty to kill you immediately," he said with the showy graveness that only children can pull off.
"I swear it," Trunks said willingly complying and feeling the intense emotions of youth.
"Now we all spit in the middle."
This of course brought a new round of laughs and a spitting contest as Trunks was accepted into their gang.
"Ok, let's get on with it; we can't be caught by him at night you know. You better be brave Trunks, this is not child's play."
"I'm brave!" Trunks contested, puffing out his chest and moving forward to walk next to Zetes in the lead.
"Yeah, yeah, but even brave people don't mess with this monster. He only comes out at night so he can sneak up on the villages to pillage them and they say he has fire for eyes and big ole claws that he uses to gut people with. He can do it in one sweep, swoosh, and all your insides are now your outsides. No one who has ever gone to stop him has come back the same. Most don't come back at all, but the ones that do are so scared that they can barely sleep at night," Shippo explained in a hurry.
"Um, remind me why we are doing this?" Madania cried.
"Because we are the badest gang ever. I told you you should have gone home Mad," Zetes said confidentially. Trunks noted how excellent he was at being a leader, at taking charge.
"Yea, ya silly girl!" Shippo said, pushing Madania over the edge, causing her in turn to push him on to the ground.
"I am NOT a silly girl! I bet I'm braver the all of you put together! It's all just show with you," She yelled as she pushed past the other two to take the lead.
Zetes and Trunks looked at each other with raised eye brows then burst into uproarious laughter that only irked Madania further stomping ahead, especially when Shippo joined in.
Amid the breeze, the shouting, and the slanting sunlight on the mountain, was shed that glamour, that strange invisible light of friendship, adventure, and content.
"Maybe this is just too much," Zetes said smiling in his sarcasm.
"Not for all of us," Trunks said grinning back as they, joined in their effort, continued up the mountain.
"Hey you have pointed ears like Zetes," Shippo suddenly noticed, for Trunks in his comradery had forgotten to keep them covered. He felt his gut lurch with the subliminal built in fear at the discovery of his secret, but soon his mind deducted that his new friend posed no threat in knowing this.
"Yah he does! That's weird, is it like, a deformity?" Zetes asked with a jesting giggle.
"No," Trunks demanded at first in defiance, then added proudly, "My father was an Elf."
"Really?" Zetes said slowly as if trying to decide if such a thing was even possible, for it was certainly unheard of.
"I didn't think that ever happened," Madania added.
"I guess I'm just a one of a kind then," Trunks said simply with a smile, but with no vanity. He was simply him, and the idea that that was strange was incomprehensible for him. Why should he be any different from anyone else, elf or faerie? Was there some great line between the two? He had seen none, so it made no sense why he would be different as a mix of two things that were nearly identical inside.
"Cool, I guess we are like kinda related then," Zetes said with a grin and clapping his hand around his new friend shoulder, Trunks' demeanor of nonchalance infectious.
This temporary lack of concentration caused them to ungracefully stumble into Shippo and Madania who had abruptly stopped in front of them.
"We're here," Shippo whispered with fearful severity at the gaping mouth of the dark ominous cave mouth that loomed about 20 feet in front of them.
"Well," Zetes said with his humor and bravado draining fast, "What now?"
"Are we supposed to go in?" Trunks inquired eyeing the cave carefully.
"No way, I'm NOT going in there. I'm not suicidal," Madania said quickly quite comfortable with staying at this distance.
"I think I'm with Mad on this one," Shippo agreed with a worried look about him.
"We came all this way, we have to go in," Zetes said but his worlds held more conviction then his tone.
"Then you go first," Madania demanded, noticing the façade of boldness.
"I'll go," Trunks volunteered deciding there was nothing too deadly about and before anyone could object he marched forward before he changed his mind.
The others slowly followed, almost breathless in their silence, only the chirping rustles of the forest could be heard as they came upon the monstrous threshold.
"Should we?" Zetes whispered under his breath, leaving the question to hang in the air and the minds of his three comrades as they considered it with the ultimate gravity as the tense air enshrouded them with an almost suffocating intensity.
The question was answered for them with a frightening rush of air and a terrible thunderous rumbling as if the world was imploding upon itself.
The beast was upon them in a flood of deadly fury.
And the tension was cut with a snap as the whole group burst into mindless ear piercing screams and they fled as a pure adrenaline reaction in every direction, not really knowing or seeing only moving with a fierce passion to ensure the continuation of their lives not yet long enough lived enough to forfeit.
None of them had time or the level headedness to consider the fact that they hadn't actually seen the beast, for the tales of horror put vivid images of dreadfulness in their heads and that was more then enough to convince them to flee with hands flailing and voices screeching as the shadow rushed at them wildly.
In the frenzied confusion of the retreat Trunks tripped or was knocked to the ground, hindering his escape dearly. Once he fell he lost all ability to move as he was frozen with fear, certain the end was nigh and he would be the dinner of this horrid beast. He winced as he heard a sharp laugh dripping with malice that seemed to promise just that.
AN: Oooo no, what has Trunks gotten himself into? Is this really going to be the end of Bulma's child and her last hold on sanity? What is this beast that has Trunks in his grasp and more importantly, is it hungry? Thanks for reading! Please review