"We have to drop you off here," the pilot said. "Team Maple will meet you on the ground. You'll go from there and rendezvous with us in a week with the families. Are you ready?"
"We are, Jazpeer nodded, receiving confirmation from his teammates.
"Good," the pilot answered. "When the door opens, jump out."
Sakura bounced on her toes waiting eagerly by the door. Would her parents, aunt, and uncle know she was coming? There hadn't been time to contact them surely, so it would be a surprise. She suddenly got nervous about introducing her teammates. How silly of her. She loved her team and so would team Maple. She didn't have to worry one bit.
Jazpeer smirked as Cally fully prepared to do a backflip out the door. Moegi stood languidly beside her, shaking her head in disagreement. Suddenly, the grinding of gears sounded and the glass doors slid open. Cally backflipped out, followed by Moegi's graceful leap. Sakura followed after, an excited bounce in her steps and Jazpeer took up the rear, simply stepping out. The aerocraft whirled as they all jumped out, whizzing into the sky. Team Jasper was on the ground.
"Told you it would work!" Cally cheered.
Moegi rolled her eyes and gripped her scythe lovingly, pretending to ignore Cally. Sakura looked around eagerly. Her eyes landed on Team Maple as they walked up.
"Dad! Mom!" she called, running up. "Aunt Pecan, Uncle Leafy!"
"Sakura!" Midori Doruido shouted happily. "My baby girl!"
"What are you doing here?" Ao Doruido, her father bellowed.
"We are here to help you on your mission," Sakura beamed, enjoying the familiar hugs.
"Hey there girl," Pecan Almondjoy twanged, tipping her hat. "How's school life?"
"Wonderful!" Sakura ran into a hug with her aunt and uncle.
"Sakura," Leafy Silverback rumbled pleasantly.
Jazpeer, Cally, and Moegi held back, letting Sakura have this moment with her family. According to his research during the ride over, Jazpeer guessed that the short, extremely buff man was her father and the small woman with the two green braids was her mother. The woman who looked like a cowgirl was the famed Almondjoy and the slightly intimidating grasping Sakura in a bear hug was her partner, Silverback. Team Maple.
"Come meet my team," Sakura urged, pulling her mother over. "Mom, Dad, Aunt Pecan, Uncle Leafy, this is Cally, Moegi, and our team leader Jazpeer!"
"Hi there, we've heard so much about you," Midori ran forward, giving the entire team hugs.
"We've heard a lot about you too!" Cally returned the hug eagerly, in contrast to Jazpeer's slight stiffening and Moegi's 'not sure what to do, didn't expect this' look. "Its cool to meet the team that began our precious little Sakura."
Sakura flushed, muttering something about Cally's endearment. Her dad and uncle stood beside each other behind her mom and aunt hugged everyone. She didn't fail to notice Moegi and Jazpeer's overwhelmed looks and she bit her nails nervously.
"Ya'll are a great team," Pecan laughed wrapping an arm around Moegi and Jazpeer's shoulders. "This mission will be a success, don't you think, Leafy?"
He nodded silently, his shaggy beard brushing his chest. Ao glanced up at the sun shining down brightly through the clearing.
"We should go," Ao noted, quietly. "We can make it to the village in three days and escort the families back in four. When you are escorting big groups like these families, always assume that the return journey will take longer. Much longer."
"Well, I guess we are off!" Pecan slapped everyone on the back. "Let's go."
Sakura smiled, walking with her family and catching up on the latest events, including one Ghara Mizuchi. The day was spent pleasantly, no Grimm disturbing their journey so far. That night, Moegi and Jazpeer were gathering firewood close to their camp.
"You looked as awkward as I felt when we met Team Maple," Moegi noted, a yawn in her voice.
"Yeah," Jazpeer picked up a dry stick. "I guess it's been awhile since there was a mother figure in my life."
"Yeah, Sakura's got it good," Moegi said wistfully. "I never knew my mother. My father always told me the nicest stories about her."
"That's nice," Jazpeer nodded.
"Yeah," Moegi shuffled a foot in the loose leaves at the base of a tree.
"Jazpeer! Moegi!" Cally's normal voice echoed through the trees. "Come on! We need to start supper!"
Jazpeer and Moegi shared an awkward glance, the former speaking first, "Well, let's use this experience for the best. Think of this, a first hand experience with a normal family."
The second day was almost uneventful, a stray Beowulf was quickly dealt with by a single blow from Pecan's club, Nutcracker. Everyone was wary the rest of that afternoon, but its pack never showed, leaving Ao to assume it was a young alpha looking to start its own pack. They reached the village of Heather Dell at sunset. There they feasted on huge bowls of Udon noodle soup, courtesy of the village as well as one of the town's famous plum pies. After a cozy night in beds at the village's inn, they set out with the three families and their wagons full of their worldly goods. The real work began then. Ao divided team Jasper up with his team. Two walking ahead of the wagons, two on each side, and two bringing up the rear. These would be rotated every hour to avoid any carelessness. Everyone was to be on their guard, ready for an attack. The families were to be protected from any Grimm, who would most likely be drawn to the fearful people huddled in the wagons and the skittish animals who smelled the darkness of the creatures. Jazpeer walked at the side with Midori up ahead. In the wagon beside him, a toddler stared at the forest with wide eyes.
"You tink monster der?" he babbled to his mother, ignoring her commands to lay down and nap.
"Yes, the Aswang with come and eat you up if you don't go to sleep," the mother chided.
The child slipped into the blankets in the back of the wagon with the others and quickly did as his mother instructed. Jazpeer frowned, he had never heard of the Aswang before and threatening a child with death if they didn't obey seemed over the edge. Night fell and the wagons circled together protectively, Ao keeping one huntsman and one student on watch on two hour intervals. The families made campfires and cooked steaming bowls of chicken soup, sharing with their protectors. Sakura sat down with her mother, watching the children run and play after being cooped up all day.
"So, how do you like your teammates?" Midori asked, before taking a bite.
"I love them," Sakura smiled. "Cally is always enthusiastic about anything, and if someone is really down or sad she cheers them up quickly. She reminds me of you and Aunt Pecan."
"Aw," Midori smiled back.
"Moegi is always kinda of sleepy looking, but if you stick around long enough you'll know that she is always alert and picks up on the tiniest details," Sakura continued.
"And what of your partner?" Midori asked. "He seems like a brooding type."
"Maybe at first," Sakura snorted a laugh. "He was kinda broody, but he's opened up a lot to us. He's a good guy, I wouldn't ask for anyone else to lead our team."
"I'm so glad you got a good team," Midori kissed her daughter's forehead.
"I hope it's like team Maple," Sakura beamed.
"Aw," Midori pinched her cheek lightly. "Now tell me more about Ghara."
Late into the night a wild scream reverberated through the woods. Everyone jumped up, the huntsmen and huntresses and the trainees grasping their weapons, men clutching a farm tool, and women holding their sleeping children. Another high-pitched scream ripped through the trees, though far away it was still nerve wracking. Jazpeer glanced at Ao.
"It's too far away," the huntsman noted. "Still, we keep close watch tonight."
"It's the Aswang," one of the farmers said, his voice shaking.
"Come on, you don't believe in those stories," another answered, though he sounded just as shaken. "They are women's stories for their naughty children."
Ao listened carefully, his face troubled. The night was long indeed, and many of them spent it sleeplessly, the horrid screams sounding at random intervals leaving one waiting for the next with fearful attention. By dawn the screams ceased and the journey began again. Everyone seemed to be moving faster, as if they could reach the safety of Vale before night set in. High strung nerves lead to a few quarrels, which Team Maple easily handled. Another night spent in fear as the screams, closer and louder, kept everyone awake. The next day a fight broke out between two of the men, this time team Maple couldn't break it up.
"Can't you get your beasts to move faster!"
"I would but they are worn out from the past two nights!"
"I think they are worn out by all your crap!"
"You don't know anything about animals!"
Ao was holding back the two while Pecan and Midori were trying to talk sense into the bull-headed fighters. Sakura watched the woods uneasily while Moegi and Cally did the same. Jazpeer was busy helping Leafy untangle the almost wrecked carts.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Everyone jumped, Team Maple and Jasper grabbing their weapons. Out of the gloom of the woods, into the pale light seeping in-between the leaves of the overstretching canopies of branches, the shrill scream pierced the daylight. Darkness seemed to creep up, swallowing up the patches of sun.
"Circle!" Ao yelled. "Circle the wagons!"
He drew his sword, walking towards the sound, placing himself between the wagons and the scream. Midori joined him at his side as did Pecan and Leafy.
"Jazpeer," Ao instructed. "I want you to guard the flanks. Stay close to the wagons."
Jazpeer nodded, walking towards him team, his own sword drawn and glowing with dust ready to be shot.
They waited, seconds seemingly hours, staring at the dark woods. The clouds parted briefly and the sun filtered through the leaves above throwing light into the shadows. A white face with two black holes for eyes and a gaping red mouth, which dragged on the forest floor. Strong arms reached forward and grasping fingers clawed the dirt, pulling itself forward. Behind the pale white body melted into the belly of a spider, eight white legs clicking on the leaves. Venom dripped from a stinger which nearly dragged on the ground, pointed and sharp. It opened its mouth wide, screaming, black, dripping, razor-sharp teeth snapping at the air. There, in that brief second, they saw face to face the Aswang.
I hope you guys like this chapter! I'm a bit freaked out and I hope this isn't too much like the Nuckelavee :D The Aswang is a real mythical creature and I've slightly modified it for Grimm purposes. Enjoy!