Chapter 4a: The Hunter
As the Shadow Portals opened to the next world Terrakai saw how different their portals worked. As Marissa walked into the world, he walked out onto a tree branch, one that quickly snapped causing him to plummet to the ground. As he landed next to Marissa, he rubbed his head and asked her, "How did you walk out on solid ground?" She laughed, replying, "Aren't you going to ask how I can open shadow portals?" "Not at all. I've learned not to question weirdoes." With that she slapped him. "I'm not a weirdo, I'm cursed. Get it right." Rubbing his face Terrakai looked at a tree and said, "Ouch. That was a bit excessive... I'm going to climb this tree and try to get an idea on where we are." As he began to climb his muttered to himself, "Being cursed doesn't make you any less of a weirdo." Then quickly lunged up the tree. While he climbed, Marissa got a bearing for her surroundings. Surrounded by pine trees, and next to a rocky cliff, the ocean seemed to be rolling at the bottom of the cliff. Mountains climbed high above the center of what was, she guessed, a northern island. She felt like she was being watched, from the shadows of the forest nearby. Looking up at Terrakai, she saw him finally up the tree. That of course was when he seemed to let go. Falling straight down he landed with another thud and a light flashed on his chest. Looking at Marissa he was able to get out two words before passing out. He simply stated "Dragons, Heartless." and then he was out. Of course he didn't appear to be in pain and looked almost as if he was trying to act asleep. She looked up as some heartless descended from the treetops. Pulling out her Key, Venom's Kiss, they surrounded her. From the shadows, arrows were launched and went through the Heartless, before she could do anything. They fell, and disappeared as they did when she hit them. She looked for the source, and saw a hooded figure. This mystery individual muttered something about the creatures never leaving food and removed his hood. The boy underneath the hood had brown hair and sky blue eyes. Glancing at Marissa he began to smile and grimaced as he saw Terrakai, who had already begun to stir. Looking toward Marissa the boy said, "You've got some bad company, is he keeping you hostage?" Marissa laughed and said, "Nah my dad made him come with me because he owes me money for a broken door. I'm Marissa. Name?" Casually he looked to Terrakai again and said "You can call me Chase." Then as Terrakai began to rise, Chase made a weapon appear in his hands. Notching what appeared to be an key like arrow into a bow that looked like a kingdom key missing half of the hand guard and with two curved keys on each end, he quickly glanced back to Marissa. "Keep him down or I will." Chase told her. She walked over to Terrakai and kicked his head. "He should go back to being unconscious now. Let's talk. I'm not too trusting of him yet either." "Well how about you start by explaining who you are." She sat on a fallen log, "I don't trust you yet, so I'm not going to tell you everything. First, I'm not from here." Cutting off Marissa, Chase commented with "Nobodies from here. I just wound up here, probably the same way you did." She replied, "Nah, you didn't, trust me. I'm from Destiny Islands. I was traveling with two friends, until some unfortunate events occurred, and then I started traveling on my own closing the world's hearts. So now I'm here, because I was traveling and this idiot decided to break down my door so he owes me. You could say... I've been cursed from birth with bad luck and something else. What about you?"
"That's a long story but before I get into the details, I need to know a few more things. First of all you said you were from Destiny Islands?"
"Yea. I live there."
"Well then you think you can be my ride home?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Islands are my home too."
"Wait are you that Chase that disappeared when I was younger? I heard some parents were very worried... At the time I mean. I was like 3 or something and they were still searching"
"That would be me. So you should a little about me then but that information is outdated. I have a lot more to tell you but first..." Finishing his sentence, Chase drew another arrow from his quiver. This time instead of pointing at Terrakai who had begun to rise again, he aimed straight at Marissa and fired. When the arrow hit Marissa, instead of injuring her, she was pushed back and the same light that was on Terrakai's chest appeared on her. When it faded Chase began to bow in front of her. Terrakai spotted this and summoned his own weapons, prepared to fight anyone who tried to knock him out. Looking around Terrakai began to fully see what Chase had done. For a few brief moments if he focused hard enough, he could a bright light wrapping around Marissa and if he looked down he saw pure darkness surrounding his person. She was still blinded a bit, but when it dimmed, she saw Chase bowing and Terrakai with a dark aura around him. She looked down, and saw that she had a glowing light aura, but what they couldn't probably see is a thin layer of darkness around her, probably because of her curse. "Why are you bowing, and why did you shoot me? CHASE ANSWER ME NOW BEFORE I HURT YOU." She pulled out her key, ready to strike if he gave a poor answer, or no answer at all. Chase, with his eyes still shining with awe, stood and turned. "Follow me if you wanna live. There are ten different dragon-like creatures coming to subdue us and those weapons are like beacons for them. I'll explain about why I bowed later." Then Terrakai, deciding to act, lunged up a tree to appear as if he left and Marissa immediately states, "Terrakai get down here and follow me." "Fine" he says glad that he wasn't going to be hit. As soon as Chase noticed that Marissa was following him, he slowly sped up. Looping left and right by the time they reached the location Marissa and Terrakai were incredibly dizzy and exhausted, because of all the running and looping around. It reminded Marissa of a memory:
*There was some rain pounding through the forest they were lost in. What did the people call it? The Lost Woods? Marissa and her friends kept close, and defeated Heartless, while listening for a song- A song by a girl named Saria. At the end of the path was supposed to be a temple, which had the Keyhole. The area was dark and cold and the rain helped the whole feeling. They felt as if they were being watched. Then, they found themselves in a clearing, and it was an easy road from there.*
Most of the area looked quite the same. "How is this any different from the other area?" Terrakai asked, immediately regretting doing so as Marissa smacked him. "Shut up, we are following him. No ifs, ands, or buts. Got it?"
"Whatever I don't see what this has achieved the heartless are now flying to reach us and there are dragons all around the island. Now we're screwed in another location."
"Actually this is the safest place we could possibly be." Chase said interrupting the argument. Walking toward a clearing in the forest, Chase began kicking twigs around. "What are you doing?" Terrakai asked Chase, who was completely ignoring him.
After kicking multiple piles of twigs at Terrakai Chase finally found what he was looking for. Calling Marissa to look at a pure white heart shape in the center of the clearing, Chase notched another key arrow. She slapped him before he could fire. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you fire at ME?" She didn't really care about the white heart, but the fact that he shot at her.
"Just watch." Chase said drawing another arrow and firing it at the heart. As he did it began to expand and transform into a giant heartless symbol. Then in a flash of light the area had changed. In the center of the clearing was a giant fire pit, behind that was a large log cabin, and in the night sky above rested Kingdom Hearts. "What in the Holy Hell is this place?" Marissa asked, stunned.
"This is my home an area given to me by that." Chase replied pointing toward Kingdom Hearts.
"Yea that makes sense" and she whispers to Terrakai, "I think this guy is crazier than you."
"Well he is from Destiny Island apparently everyone there is insane... or cursed." He whispered back clearing picking on Marissa.
She then slapped him in return and as she did Chase summoned his bow and pointed it at Terrakai once more. "If he is doing something wrong... I'll take him out."
"No need he is just being an idiot." Marissa said with a laugh
"Hey I'm a fool not an idiot. Get it straight." Terrakai replied as Chase motioned them to the fire pit. Marissa said, as they sat, "Don't correct me. If you do that again I will slap you."
"You'll do that anyway." Terrakai stated.
"Maybe I'll have Turmeric squeeze you to death and eat you," She replied mockingly.
"Okay just stop you two. There will be no snakes squeezing the life out of anyone." Chase said as Turmeric began to wrap around his feet, "Now since Turmeric is here with me gather round and I'll tell you a story."