Deep Jungle
The following week had gone by in a blur. The day-to-day routine was the same. Get up. Go train. Eat, then sleep. If they happened to have some spare time due to one of Maleficent's meetings in the chapel, Raven and Riku would spend that time in the library, reading through various topics. However, on this particular day, they were once again in the tower arena using gargoyles as target practice. They had both become much more proficient at casting Fire, the statues now moving around the space when they stepped into the arena. Raven had managed to decrease the time it took to cast the spell, able to now project the fireballs from either hand, while Riku had learnt how to cast the spell through his sword. Raven was used to training without an instructor present, but she was beginning to feel slightly neglected by her new teacher. She had barely seen Maleficent since she taught them the Fire spell, only notifying them when she had a meeting which Raven dared not interrupt and she was impossible to find elsewhere. She had at least hoped that for the first few weeks the sorceress would be present to ensure she was casting correctly. Raven had no idea if there was a specific technique to magic or if it was purely instinctual, but for lack of anyone to tell her otherwise, she and Riku had been favouring the latter. And Maleficent hadn't made any attempt to explore Raven's unique ability thus far. Wasn't that why she was there? A sharp poke in the head jolted Raven from her thoughts and she looked over to see Riku had prodded her forehead with his finger.
"Huh?"
"I said, do you want to take a break from the magic for a bit?" He repeated. "You're spacing out."
"Oh, sure. I guess I am feeling kinda antsy." She admitted. Practicing on the gargoyles required very little movement and her feet were starting to tingle. The arena presently only had a function to help them with target practice or to spar with each other as neither of them were able to summon Heartless in for practice. Occasionally Pete had stopped by to provide opponents, but he never stayed long. Raven had found that aside from sparring with Riku, the giant thorny vines intertwined with the brickwork made for an excellent agility course. "Fancy a race?" She challenged. Riku's competitive streak was far more prevalent than he tried to let on, but he always loved a friendly challenge and hadn't turned her down yet. The grin that spread across his features continued this trend.
"Three laps?" She nodded to him firmly with a matching grin and the two sprinted for the nearest vine. The course was simple enough in theory, certain vines made a ring-like structure that veered outside of the tower walls briefly and the winner would be the first to complete three laps of this course, the last lap finishing at the portal.
On flat ground, Riku was faster, taking an early lead as he reached the base of the vine first, however just as he was about to start climbing up, and Raven was only feet behind him, the portal flickered and Pete stepped through, right into Raven's path. With no time to stop, she collided with him and the two tumbled, with Raven landing across his overlarge belly.
"Ooow…" The fat cat man groaned and sat up, shaking the stars from his eyes as Raven clambered to her feet. "What did ya do that for!?" He snapped.
"I'm so sorry, Pete, we were racing, I didn't expect anyone to come in." She apologised and helped heave him to standing just as Riku reached them.
"Bah, enough blabberin', you two gotta come with me, Maleficent wants to see ya." He pointed at the portal, signalling them to march. The two apprentices shared a look, Riku shrugged, then they entered the chapel. Maleficent was waiting, illuminated by the stained-glass ceiling and her staff. "Here ya go, Maleficent! As requested."
"Do not expect praise for such a simple task you buffoon. Leave us." She scowled at her servant, and he wasted no time leaving the room. The sorceress turned her attention to her wards. "Your spellcasting is coming along well." She said, smiling. Had she been watching after all? "Both of you have made exceptional progress in moulding the magic to your needs, enough that I feel you are ready for a trial expedition." Raven's eyes went wide. So soon?
"You mean we'll be going off-world?" She confirmed with a beaming smile.
"But of course, child. I intend for the two of you to assist me with my work. Yet I must first be sure you are capable of completing excursions by yourselves. Myself and my council cannot always accompany you, and we will require you to scout locations ahead of us to ensure our time is not wasted. I see no benefit to coddling you."
"Where are we going and what are we doing for this trial?" Riku asked bluntly, his arms in their usual folded position. It visibly irked Maleficent, but she continued to smile patiently.
"A bizarre little world by the name of Wonderland, where a kingdom of cards resides. We seek something on this world, a young girl of purest heart. I shall explain in due course, however I only wish the two of you to find her and investigate the rules of her world, then return to me. Riku." She held her hand out to him and gave him something small that Raven couldn't see. "I name you the leader of this expedition as you are more familiar with how myself and my council operate. Once you have learned all you can, use this to return to me." Raven deflated slightly, but Riku smirked. They had wagered leadership on their first duel and Raven had won that right. But now she had to answer to Riku's smug face because Maleficent ordered it. Perhaps the first real expedition she would be captain? She was brought out of her thoughts when Riku brushed up against her shoulder. She didn't have much time to comprehend what was happening before the green flames engulfed the two of them and the spinning force pulled at her navel. She was unprepared and the sensation was making her dreadfully nauseous. She clenched her eyes shut and willed the contents of her stomach to remain in her stomach, but it was a battle she was losing quickly, and she broke away from the point of contact with Riku, ready to get reacquainted with her breakfast. This however became the furthest thing from her mind almost immediately as the spinning changed directions and became erratic, the invisible floor vanishing, leaving her to freefall until she landed with a thud on mossy dirt.
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Riku felt her shoulder depart from his in the whirlwind of fire but wasn't expecting her to suddenly drop out of view. Unable to stop Maleficent's teleportation spell, he continued in the flaming vortex until the spinning stopped and he opened his eyes to a gigantic forest of grass, each blade and leaf towering over him.
"Raven?" He gasped for air, looking around frantically but Raven was nowhere to be seen. He swore and immediately began his search. Hopefully she had landed only a little way off.
XXXXX
Opening her eyes once her head recovered from the spinning and the impact, Raven saw towering trees all around her and a canopy of leaves so dense, the sunlight was a bright green.
"Where am I?" She looked around from where she sat on the floor. "Riku?" She was alone. Had she left the teleportation spell early? She'd only meant to lean away in case she puked. She felt herself begin to panic as she jumped to her feet and staggered around, still a bit dizzy. She cupped her hands to call out for her friend but thought better of it. She was in unfamiliar territory. Wild territory at that and who knew what beasties she would attract by shouting. She took a breath and examined her surroundings.
The plants here weren't anything like the vegetation she found in the forests of her home world. It was what she believed would be described as tropical, if her limited knowledge of other worlds and biomes was to be trusted. Which meant she was in a jungle, rather than a forest. She could feel the heat and humidity pressing around her, as if she could reach out her hand and catch water straight from the air. A parallel to the alpine woods she was used to. It was already making her sweat.
'This doesn't seem like the place Maleficent described. I wonder if he made it to Wonderland?' She thought to herself as she started to walk. If he was in Wonderland, he at least had the means to get back to Hollow Bastion and tell Maleficent they got separated. She would be so furious. Raven planted her hand to her forehead repeatedly.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She muttered in frustration. Of course, she had to mess up their first mission, even if it was just a trial. All she could do was hope the sorceress was able to pinpoint this world and send someone to get her, she had no way of traversing worlds alone. But would they even be able to find her in this jungle? Her master's voice echoed in her head, telling her to find higher ground, easier to see and be seen. There was no obvious incline in the terrain but plenty of tall trees, one was surely tall enough to gauge an initial direction to head in.
XXXXX
"I found the girl you were looking for; she was at some kind of tea party, but she was taken away by some card guards." Riku explained, having returned to Hollow Bastion. "They mentioned a trial before the Queen."
"Excellent work, Riku. However, I see our young hunter has not returned with you. Where is she?" Maleficent's tone turned from a falsely warm praise to icy cold and her eyes narrowed.
"I don't know. She jumped out of the fire before we landed. All I know is she isn't in Wonderland." He held his gaze with the horned woman as her lips pursed disapprovingly. She waved her staff at the alter in the chapel and a green projection emerged from a magic circle. It was of Raven, wandering through thick foliage.
"It appears our dear Raven has lost her way. Consider this your first true task, Riku. Bring her back." The command sounded more like a threat the way she looked down at him and brandished her staff.
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"Uuurgh..."
Raven groaned as she crawled out of the pond she had just landed in after yet another unsuccessful attempt at swinging across vines in the canopy. Soggy, covered in bug bites, algae, and mud she decided to try and find another way. Although she had no idea where she was and therefore no idea where exactly she was trying to go. She couldn't get high enough to see over the canopy and every time she fell from those damned vines it disoriented her. She flopped on the bank in defeat.
"Hey, you okay? That looked like a bad fall."
Raven lifted her head to look at who was talking, rubbing her eyes in case there was a spec of mud shaped like a person. Above her stood an unfamiliar teenager girl with ruffled-looking short brown hair and green eyes, dressed in a worn yellow and orange Gi, holding out her hand. She was obviously very concerned for the ill-fated tree climber that was sprawled on the ground.
"Another person all the way out here? Did I hit my head?" Raven pushed herself up and sat back onto her knees, picking mud out of her ears. Seeing there was indeed a real person and not a concussion-induced hallucination, she became a little flustered. "Oh! Sorry! Um!" She held her hand out to shake, then hastily wiped it on the grass after seeing how grimy it was and shook the newcomer's hand sheepishly as she fully registered what the other girl had asked. "Hi there, I'm okay, the water was deep enough luckily. Sorry for the smell though." She rubbed her neck then grimaced as she pulled a clump of algae out from the collar of her top. "I didn't expect to run into anyone out here." As Raven went for the handshake, the stranger clutched palms with her for a better grip and pulled her to her feet with surprising strength.
"Neither did I - these are some thick woods. I dunno if there's another human being for miles. Plenty of other life, though." They made a wide, sweeping gesture, before pointing to their bag, lying a few meters away. "You're soaked right through - let's worry about getting you dry before thinking about smells, okay? I needed to get a fire going anyway." Stepping over vines and roots, the stranger rummaged through their bag for a few supplies, having already gathered an assortment of dry sticks. With a quick arrangement of rocks, some persistence, and luck, they got it to catch fire.
"Well, it'll take a while for you to stop dripping. Have a seat - my name's Vita, and I'm a traveller. I guess I'm lost if I'm in a place like this. How about you?" She tended the fire while Raven stripped off her gloves, boots, and the shoulder guard as well as the red top she had on over the black one.
"Thanks, Vita. It's nice to meet you, I'm Raven." She stood away from the fire while she started twisting out her clothes and letting the water pour out of her boots. "Yeah, that makes two of us, I'm lost too. I was supposed to be travelling with someone, but we got separated. I don't even know if I'm in the same place as him. You haven't seen anyone right? Guy about my age, silver hair, about yay high?" She held her hand up just slightly above her own head.
Vita just shook her head sadly. "You're the first person I've seen. So, he might not even be in this jungle?" She looked Raven up and down, a hint of recognition in her eyes. "...Or he might not be on this world? That'd be kinda bad." Raven felt a brief moment of relief that she didn't need to dance around world order etiquette with her new acquaintance, but then quickly realised that if Riku was indeed not in this world, and had to go back to Hollow Bastion, would Maleficent even be able to track her down?
"Oh no!" She groaned as she put her head in her hands. "I'm so screwed. I'm new to this 'world traveller' thing and that guy I was supposed to be with is the only way I can get around that I know of. Oh man, if he's not even on this world I'm so, so screwed."
"W-woah, woah, stay calm!" The older girl put a gentle hand on Raven's shoulder. "We don't know that it's another world yet - where were you trying to go? How'd you get separated?" She looked at the overwhelming green all around. "Normally when you're lost, it's smart to stay in one place and wait to be found, but it might be tough if it's in a place like this. We need to get out of this jungle and find other people, a town, settlement, as long as there's other folks around and it ain't movin'."
Raven took a breath and sighed, pushing her hair out of her face.
"I don't know how we got separated, one minute we were spinning in this weird fiery vortex, I needed to throw up, and the next thing I woke up in a bush here. I've been trying to find a way out or at least up to survey the area, find higher ground, but every time I get into the trees, I fall down, either a branch breaks or I can't reach the next vine. It's exhausting." She flopped backwards, squinting at the green canopy.
"Fiery vortex? Weird. But if you came from another world that way, then yeah, it might take him a while to come find you." Vita leaned over the fire a bit more, feeding it a few more sticks. "If we could at least get somewhere a little easier to search, that'd be something." Gazing up into the endless branches, she giggled. "Swinging and climbing sounds pretty tough, but that's also probably the fastest way to get around. Well, the ground is good enough for me if it's good enough for you." Now that the fire had gone from a mediocre glow to a half-way respectable blaze, the traveller placed a few skewered fish over it. That sack of hers was nowhere near large enough to carry a pole, though.
"Yeah, magic teleportation or something. Still new to it all. But walking sounds good to me. I've had enough of falling for a- Where did you get the fish? I've been falling into these ponds for a while now, I figured they'd all been scared off and... How did you catch the fish? You got a net or something?" The hunter asked, craning her neck to peek at the sack.
"Caught 'em a little while before you dropped in - I was grabbing twigs and stuff when I saw you. I've just been using my hands to catch 'em, though. Wait for the fish to wander a little too close, snatch 'em up before they can get away. Now, if only I could catch some sage... or even just salt would do. I should pick up seasoning next time I meet a trader..."
"Eheh, did I at least fall with style?" Scooching closer to the fire she laid out her now slightly less soaked items of clothing to dry by the flames. "I feel kinda bad eating your hard-won fish. I never got the hang of fishing, but I've never tried using my hands before."
Vita just laughed. "Don't worry about it! I'd rather have company than a couple more fish. I've been wandering for a while now; you figure out how to get food where you can." After a short time, she grabbed two of them, and after a quick inspection, offered one over to Raven before taking a quick bite of her own. "So, where are you from? You're another world-traveller like me, right? Seen any real memorable places yet?"
Having taken a big bite of the fish as the question was asked, she awkwardly looks like a hamster as she replies "Hmmgh, I'm from a place called Whitehollow Vale." She swallowed so she could talk properly. "This is really good fish! Oh, right. Uh, it's a pretty big world but I've only been in the valley I grew up in. I haven't even been out hunting by myself before, so this is a big change. I got scouted by a sorceress, she's teaching me magic, and this is my first time travelling but uh... well y'know." She shrugged. "I hope Riku isn't going to be too upset." She took another bite. "He can be preddy grumphy." Finishing her mouthful again. "What about you, Vita? Where are you from? How long have you travelled? You must've seen loads of places on your travels!"
"Sounds like a nice place; bet it's tough when there's a rainstorm." Vita leaned over to the side, resting on one arm, and thought back to her own home world. "I'm from Twilight Town. It's a sleepy place built on the side of a massive hill. There're definitely worse places to live - the air is really clean, and the sky is always this warm red colour. I've never been any other place like that. Been traveling for... at least a year now. It's been fun to see distant places - there's this city in the middle of a huge desert, tons of caravans going through it. Agra-something. Then there's the arena at the top of Mount Olympus, that's a neat place. I missed the Games that they hold there, but there's a lot of good folks there, really interesting food, too. Of course, you can't forget Traverse Town. It's a haven for people who lost their homes - people just seem to drift there, like they're swept up in a river flow or something." Wolfing down her own fish as if she hadn't eaten anything yet today, she spat a tiny bone out to the side. "So, Riku is the guy you're waiting for? I'm sure he's a reasonable person. I mean, you're still learning this stuff, right? Still learning..." Something in her eyes lit up and she shot forward, leaning in. "Wait, you're learning magic!? That sounds awesome!"
However, Raven's eyes seem to shine in awe as she listened to Vita talk. She wanted to see these places too!
"Oh, it's nothing compared to the sites you've seen! So far I only know the basic fire spell- oh I'm an idiot! I could've saved you that time building a campfire. Sorry, it's taking some getting used to." She rubbed her neck abashedly. How could she be so dumb? She'd been casting that damn spell for a week straight.
"You can light things on fire?! Wow, I guess you don't gotta know how to rub sticks together, then!" Vita shrugged. "Well, don't worry about a little thing like that. I'd have felt bad making you do that after your run of bad luck - let's just be happy we were lucky enough to run into each other." She smiled and readjusted her arm placement.
"So, an apprentice sorceress and a fighter, huh?" She gestured to Raven's claws with the picked-clean fishbone she was left with. "You've probably got self-defence covered for your travels. Good thing, too; there's a nasty air to things lately. Last time I saw Traverse Town, it was almost twice as big as before. And some places should be safe, but they feel as tense as a jungle..." She looked around at the towering trees as a herd of hippos began to move away together. "Oh, how are your clothes? Still water-logged?" The traveller picked up some footwear from behind her - a pair of open-toed sandals. They looked to be machine-stitched, unlike her simpler Gi. Still very visibly trail-worn, though. Putting them on without looking, she tightened the rope belt around her waist. It was a very practiced-looking motion.
Patting down the clothes laid on the ground, she felt they were damp on the underside and almost crunchy on the top where the fire had baked the muck but the clothes she was wearing had dried more evenly.
"Definitely not as bad as before." Feeling the leather boots had become warm, she pulled one on but as her foot fit into place at the bottom, an audible squelch occurred, and she shivered and clenched her teeth and fists. Letting out a breath she picked up the second one and shook it beforehand, a few plops of mud sliding out and splattering the ground. Another squelch as she pushed her heel into place. She put on the red overtop which was crunchy on the front and the damp slowly cooled her back through her black under top. The only things that had fully dried were the shoulder guard and gloves. She looked like a mess but at least a bit dryer than before and she was ready to get moving. "Okay, are you ready to go? We should have a few hours of sunlight to look around for... Anything, and a place to stay the night if we need to."
"Yeah, and I feel eyes on us. Guess our fire got some beasts' attention. Well, if we hang around for too long, we'll have even more trouble. I just ate, I'm not letting myself become lunch." Vita scooped some water from the nearby pond and doused the flame, stamping out the last embers herself. Once this was done, she pinched the remaining ashes and put them into a small pouch. Slinging her bag over her shoulder and fastening it there, she turned to survey the area again. Still in the deep woods with no sign of human life. "Which way did you come from? I came from that direction." The wanderer pointed off to the distance. "I can tell you there's nothing but jungle for miles that way."
"I'm a little turned around but I think it was that direction. Also, only jungle that way. I did see some kind of structure high up when I was climbing but I couldn't get a good look at it." She pointed diagonally up in one direction to indicate where the structure was roughly. "We could try get there on foot and then climb directly below it so no vine swinging necessary?"
"Sounds like fun." Vita did her best not to smile too hard at the idea of swinging through the forest. "If it's above the treeline, we might be able to spot a good place to wait. Or, heck, if there's a town up there, that works, too." She started walking that way at a brisk pace but slowed for a second. "You're coming, aren't you?"
"Yeah, yeah just..." As she stood, the squelch from her boots was loud "psyching myself for that sensation." She shuddered then followed Vita, trying to keep pace in the undergrowth.
Vita first grimaced at the noise, then chuckled. "If it's that bad, tie 'em to your belt or something and walk barefoot for a while. They'll dry faster, too." Glancing at the uneven ground, overrun with the roots of massive trees, and bare stones, however... "Eh, maybe that's not great, either. We'll try and clean 'em off when we reach safety! Promise." Ducking under a low branch, her eyes darted around frequently. Every little rustle in the bushes caught her attention. But after a few minutes of that, she calmed down a bit. "So, let's try to get your mind off of that - you're learning how to travel between worlds and do other cool stuff with magic. Is there any big reason you're doing all that? Or is it all 'cuz you wanna see more worlds?"
"Huh? Oh, well I come from a guild of hunters. We take bounties, mostly on monsters but I heard rumours of criminals being a problem at one point. I'm a junior so I'm not old enough to be part of the ranking or go on hunts by myself but when I do, I want to be one of the best. These people raised me, and I want to make them proud y'know." The hesitation in her voice hinted it's not the full truth, though what she said isn't a lie by any means. "Magic is really rare on my world so anyone who shows some kind of ability either finds a teacher off-world or just ignores it because they can't get off-world. I mean I'd be lying if I said I didn't also wanna see different worlds but it's really just a perk of being an apprentice. Once I've learnt what I can, I'll go back home and start taking part in the ranking." She clambered over a very large fallen tree. The ground seemed to finally be inclining so it was a good sign for their direction.
"A budding hunter, huh? I guess you're more at home in a place like that than I thought." If Vita noticed her hesitation, she didn't comment on it. Either she was just being polite, or just hadn't caught it. "All the experience you get dealing with strange, unknown creatures is gonna come in handy down the line, huh?" Raven blushed.
"So, uh, how come you're travelling by yourself? It might not be my place to say it but, aren't you a little, I dunno, young to be doing this alone?"
"Me?" Vita giggled, almost surprised she was asked. There was a faint hesitation to her own answer. "To be honest, I wanted to see the world. Except, it turns out there's more of 'em out there than just mine. My parents went on a lot of journeys to faraway places when they were younger, and I guess I've always had a little bit of their wanderlust." Her smile faltered for just a moment and Raven wasn't about to press her, before she continued of her own accord. "...Well, that's part of it. What I told myself at the time was that I was looking for a friend of mine who vanished. But in all these worlds, what are the odds I'll actually find him? He's been gone for about two years now, I dunno how far he could've gone in that time." Vita's melancholy seemed almost uncharacteristic, after how chipper she'd been this whole time. Still...
"Of course, it's not all bad; I got to spend some time in a monastery." She flexed her arms triumphantly. The toned muscles dwarfed Raven's. "Not only did I learn a lot from the monks there, I got wicked strong! I had to shave my head, but it was so worth it!"
"Hey, who's to say they're not just a few worlds away? The universe is finite, there's no reason you can't find them. It just might take longer than you expected. Heck, if I can't find a way back to Hollow Bastion, I think I might be in the same boat." She chuckled and rubbed her neck sheepishly. "But there's nothing wrong with a taste for adventure either. And by the looks of it, it's paid off for you. Just keep going and you're bound to find what you've been looking for. And maybe more." She smiled gently holding out a hand to help Vita up a ledge, more out of politeness than any need since Vita was clearly strong enough to pull herself up. "I guess that was kinda corny. Started to sound like my guild master for a sec there."
Happily accepting the aid, Vita clasped Raven's hand and worked herself up to the same level. "Thanks. ...For the help, and the encouragement. Still, I can't help but wonder if he's off somewhere, having already made a new life for himself. One he's happy with. I guess that'd be good news, though, huh? I could stop worrying about him!"
"That's the spirit!"
"So, what kind of person is your guild master? A burly hunter covered in scars? A whip-slinging barbarian? Maybe a powerful mage?"
Raven laughed at Vita's suggestions.
"Pffft, if he was a mage I could've stayed home. He is pretty burly though. He has a few scars but nothing too serious, seems to have managed without being hit too many times. He's deceptively fast for how big he is. And he has this big bushy moustache." She held her hands up to the sides of her face to gauge the size. "He's a kind man. Pretty much raised half the guild, and me. We're a bit of a mashup of people from all over."
"Sounds like a good guy, alright. Maybe I'll even get to meet him someday. Your world sounds like a good place. Think they'd put up with having a drifter around for a while?"
As the incline got steeper, the path began to look a bit more worn; there was life growing, but the ground was noticeably more even. In some of the less-stable areas, there were some regular shapes buried under all the moss. It wasn't the work of nature, that much was obvious.
"Of course! Anyone is welcome just as long as you don't start trouble. Say you're my friend, you'll get a great welcome! Agh!" Raven stubbed her toe on one of the strange shapes and heard the sound of hollow wood. "What the- a barrel out here?" She crouched and examined the rotted structure. Vita stopped to take a quick look at it, as well.
"Huh... well, that's weird. Maybe we're on the right track. It'll be really cool if we find a whole town, suspended from the trees." However, her eyes narrowed a little. "It's really old, though... it seems like people have been through here, but something's not right about it."
"Could just be one that was left behind? Hang on." The black-haired girl walked up to a nearby tree with a sturdy trunk and thick vines and started climbing. She was very quick, scrambling up into the branches until she could see over some of the canopy. "I see it!" Some falling leaves preceded her dropping down, hugging the trunk as she slid the rest of the way back to Vita. "There's a building not far ahead! If we stick to this path, we should make it there. It's pretty big, could house a few people? Maybe some locals are there?" She started leading the way further along the worn path. Indeed, it wasn't long before a large wooden structure came into view. It looked like it had been put together using parts of a ship. "Hello? Is anybody home?" She called out. Her voice echoed through the trees, met with no response, except that of her companion.
"Call me crazy, but I think it might be abandoned. Still, it's worth a closer look, isn't it?"
Up close, it was a rather impressive treehouse - surprisingly large, in both height and floor size, with a rope safety net stretching around the thick tree upon which it perched. A pair of lifeboats hung from pulleys on either side, suspended on wooden structures and connected to the building itself.
"Who had the time to make something like this, all the way up here, in the middle of the wilderness? Gotta hand it to them, this must've been a lot of work."
They soon set foot on the wooden deck - it seemed solid. Of course, it held up its own no-doubt-colossal weight; an extra one-to-two-hundred pounds moving around wasn't going to send it careening into the verdant abyss anyway. Their height also afforded them an excellent view of the surrounding landscape - forest all 'round. It was punctuated by bodies of water and patches of rocky areas, but the order of the day was leaves, vines, and more leaves.
A familiar sound echoing from the far side caught Vita's ears, however, and she leapt over the safety rails to stand on the trunk which held the vast treehouse, looking past it to see the source of the noise. "I thought I smelled salt - the ocean's that-a-way!"
Pausing in her awestruck exploration of the tree house, Raven looked out the window that faced Vita's direction.
"The ocean? Maybe there's a fishing village or something?" Then seeing a way up to a second level and possibly higher, Raven started clambering up some old but sturdy crates. There were old signs of previous life scattered about that stood out from the cargo. A broken mirror, framed paintings. And a portrait of a couple with a baby. "I think a family used to live here."
As she was examining a shelf of books on the loft, she felt the hairs on her neck stand and as she turned, a feral shape descended from the rafters, landing on her and as she saw large teeth coming straight at her, she used the book in her hand to redirect the attack in a panic. The beast was thrown aside by the change in trajectory but stood ready to pounce again. A creature she recognised as a leopard that had seemingly claimed this tree house as its territory and clearly saw Raven as its next meal. Careful not to make any sudden movements, Raven reached for her claws at her hips very slowly. However, the feline saw its chance and pounced again, causing Raven to dive out of the way, over the loft balcony while the leopard crashed into a crate, shattering it with its weight and power. "Vita!" Before it could recover, Raven donned her claws and took up a brawler's stance, calling to her new friend for assistance.
Kicking off of the tree trunk, Vita landed as lightly as she could on the loft balcony where Raven had just jumped from, not far from the beast.
"Sorry, got distracted. ...A tiger?" Dropping into a low stance, putting her weight on the back foot, she focused in on the unruly squatter. If she was even carrying a weapon, she didn't reach for it. "What a nasty opponent. Know any hunting tricks for dealing with felines?"
"Don't turn your back to it! Protect the neck! Ah!" It pounced again, jumping over the balcony to pursue its target, locked on Raven, swiping its paw at her face, luckily she parried, and the predator's claws grated against her own before it reared up to put its weight behind it. She managed to redirect the weight again and roll out of the way, jumping in to swipe at its haunches. It roared and hissed as the blades scratched its hide and swung around to retaliate. It misjudged the location of its foe and instead of being able to bite her, it bashed into her, knocking her over. She recovered by lowering her centre of gravity and crouching, hoping this would also convince the leopard she was no threat. "Nice kitty..." But her words did nothing to soothe the hungry beast and it charged at her. Scrambling out of the way she started running for the outside balcony, ignoring her own first rule.
'If I can just get it out in the open, I can use Fire!'
She could hear it skidding behind her and coming after her. Turning as she ran she saw it coming and held her hands up in a guard position, skidding backwards as it struck but thankfully taking no damage. Now in the entrance way, the sudden sunlight blinded the creature, stopping its assault and leaving it open to attack. She started charging up a Fire spell, but there was still too much dry wood around for Raven to feel safe using magic. She needed it to be fully outside.
While the creature focused in on Raven, Vita used its concentration to quickly sneak up into the rafters and out of sight, following it to the doorway. From her high perch, she leapt down, aiming to plant her foot firmly atop the leopard's midsection, with enough force to crack the wood and pin her quarry. She followed this with a quick blow to the back of the head to rattle the beast while it was trapped, then backed off of it, grabbing it by the hind legs and, with a mighty grunt, swinging the feline at the handrail outside.
"...Shouldn't have turned its back on me."
As the beast was flung past her, screeching, Raven was so shocked, she momentarily forgot the lethality of the situation and stared incredulously at Vita, the embers that had been charged for her fire spell fizzling out at the break in concentration as she stood stock still. Then a grin spread across her features.
"So badass!" Now invigorated, she excitedly bounced between her feet as she turned to face the dazed creature, running outside of the entrance so she could cast her spells without fear. She drew her hands in to her stomach and pivoted her feet, leaning back on one leg as the heat swelled between her fingers and with a pushing motion, she sent a ball of fire at the leopard, causing it to howl and hiss.
"Alright, you've been smacked around, cut, and burned, just cut your losses and run, you dumb cat!" Vita shouted, standing in the doorway, and dropping back into her stance. With Raven on one side, herself blocking the door, and a path to escape behind the leopard.
Seeing the rage in its eyes, she played one more card; taking up a higher stance, she let out a breath, and Raven felt the girl's aura to flare up. An animal would recognize when they're faced with something they can't surmount - perhaps it would convince this one to turn tail, when left with an easy escape?
Not able to do anything similar, Raven puffed out her chest and tried to look big and intimidating while brandishing her claws. The leopard's fur was on end, and it hissed spitefully as it stood up. However, it swayed and stumbled as it backed away, taking a few unsteady steps towards the exit before collapsing on the wood. It was still. Raven waited a moment before tentatively relaxing out of her stance. Then she turned to Vita beaming.
"That was incredible! The way you just launched it! Amazing!"
"Than... thanks, I worked hard on it." She sounded rather out of breath. "Sorry for leaving you alone for so long there. But you're pretty good to come out of a fight with a... not-tiger with just some bruises and scrapes. Hoooo..." Vita's instincts told her that the downed beast was still dangerous as long as it wasn't dead, but the ground seemed to be swaying a bit. "Well, you're a hunter - you know what you gotta do with a wild animal that knows where you live." She leaned on the door frame for a moment to catch her breath.
"Whoa are you okay?" Raven moved to help but knew the creature needed to be finished off. "Sit right here." She ran to the prone creature, slowing down to inspect it. It was barely breathing, shallow pants. She needed to put it out of its misery. Gently kneeling on its neck to keep it steady, she raised her claw. She looked at its face and hesitated then shook her head, smiling nervously as she looked back at Vita. "Y'know I've never killed one this big before. Hey, at least we'll have plenty of food tonight. Agh!"
That split second where she took her eyes off of it, the beast whipped back to life and kicked her with its back leg, scratching the exposed skin of her waist and then used this chance to lunge at her. She managed to jam the guard part of her right claw into its mouth to stop it biting her head off but as she had been between it and the jungle below, the two tumbled into the verdant abyss. She managed to pull herself free of its jaws as they fell but once the canopy met them, she found herself bouncing off of thick branches and burning her arms on vines she snapped through until she eventually tumbled down a leaning tree then into a large ditch.
"Raven!" Vita shouted, dashing over to the edge. Her eyes caught the pair as they tumbled down, but before she could leap the rail and go after them, her vision blurred, and she felt her strength desert her.
'I relax for just a second and all the fatigue catches up with me. I don't have time to rest, gotta go find them...'
Despite her inner determination, her body fell to the deck with a heavy thud. The blue sky was vast and bright as she stared up at it, until something large obscured her vision. Then pain, then silence.
She drifted into unconsciousness with the shattered remains of a wooden crate splintered around her, a welt already forming on her head.
