Chapter 3: New Friends

The strange man in the lion pelt moved quickly through the forest, and I had to really book it in order to keep up with him! Fortunately, I was able to keep myself hidden, despite not being the stealthiest person around. And besides, even if the guy did hear me step on a stick or move past a bush, he kept moving forward. Apparently, he had other things on his mind then figuring out if somebody was following him or not.

The day turned to afternoon, and afternoon became night. The stranger in the lion pelt kept moving, and I was getting tired from all the running! So, giving up and deciding to sleep, I made sure to remember the direction he was moving in. Then, I found a nice patch of grass underneath a large bush, and I fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning, ate some of the berries I had with me, and began continuing in the direction that the strange man ran. However, I decided to walk, as I didn't want to waste my energy if I got attacked by an animal… or worse.

Even if I did catch up to that strange man again, I couldn't take him on. We're the same age, and I am three inches shorter than he is, but I'm not 'jacked' like him. I'm kind of thick and without muscle, though I'm still pretty good looking, despite being somewhat stout. And I'm sure that I'm strong, but I'm a lover, not a fighter. I tend to write and speak, rather than kick and punch. So, if he does fight me, there's a fair chance that I'm not getting out alive!

So, I continued walking through the forest, having no idea where I was going, and I just thought about all that happened over the past two days. I woke up, attempted to build a house, got attacked by lions, decided to follow the river downstream, found an abandoned house, discovered I wasn't the only one who wasn't stone, and now… here I was, walking through the forest.

To be honest, all this walking around was kind of boring. I kept myself occupied by quoting lines from Star Wars, and various scriptures I remembered from the Bible, but the walk was still long. It's weird, but I never thought I would be getting into something like this. I mean, I just remembered when there used to be streets and buildings, and cars and sidewalks. That felt like only days ago, and now there was nothing but grass and trees for miles. And you wouldn't believe how quiet it was, with no birds, no animals, nothing! It was a dead quiet, which felt really offsetting…

Then I heard what sounded like a gunshot and, from a distance away, I saw smoke rising in the sky! I didn't know how far away it was, but you can bet that I was relieved to see that! Because when there's smoke, there's fire, and when there's fire, there's people! That meant that there were more people, aside from that menacing guy in the lion pelt! Hopefully, these people would be friendly…

I began heading in the direction of the smoke, knowing I would have to move through some pretty deep forest, if I was going to get to those people! But it would be worth it, cause I wasn't going to be alone anymore!

The forest ended after a couple of minutes, and I ended up having to climb up some rocks! Talk about a view, I could see for miles up on this plateau of rock, and let me tell you, it was impressive! There was nothing but trees, forests, and mountains as far as the eye could see, but still, the stunning beauty of the landscape really impressed me, I can tell you that.

I then looked towards one of the mountains, and from there, I saw the smoke! That's where I needed to go! So, I began climbing down the rocks, making my way back down into the forest! As I walked, I noticed that there some cheery trees, and their petals were starting to fall. It was a warm day, with no clouds in the sky, and this atmosphere was actually quite peaceful. Especially with these cheery tree petals falling…

Things are going bad, very bad! It's raining, and I'm now soaked. I don't have any clothes on except for my leaf and vine loincloth, so I'm also cold. Not only that, but the rain made the smoke disappear, so now I don't know where to go. For the time being, I'm going to just sit under this tree here and wait for the storm to stop. Hopefully it'll stop, and I'll be able to remember where the smoke was coming from…

The rain stopped, and I continued in the direction of where the smoke was coming from. After some more walking through the grass, I climbed up some rocks and got another good view of the land. I looked around and, on another mountain, there were three people! They were far away, so I couldn't quite make them out, but two were wearing white clothing, while one was wearing brown clothing.

They didn't seem to notice me, so I began heading towards them. However, they were on an opposite mountain, so I was going to have to climb down the mountain I was on. I was about to do that, when I was that the three people were splitting up. The brown-clothed one, and one wearing white clothing were heading one way, while the other white-clothed one was heading another. I didn't wanna have to take on two people, just in case they were hostile, so I decided to follow the one who was going alone.

I began climbing down the mountain, keeping my eyes on the white-clothed person. Whoever the person was, they were also heading down the mountain, in another direction away from where I was going. Since they were going that direction, I would follow as well. For now, I needed to make my way down the mountain.

I began climbing, watching my footing and making sure I didn't slip. Last thing I would want is to break something in this unforgiving land…

I had made it down the mountain, but now I was walking through the forest. To make things worse, night had fallen, and the fear of lions attacking me resurfaced! I hoped to find that white-clothed person soon, cause I didn't want to spend the night alone, fending off against lions without anyone to watch my back!

Hey… there's a light…

I quickly got down on the ground and began army crawling, slowly approaching the light. As I did, I crawled under some shrubs, pushed some tall grass aside, and looked out. The small light was fire, and there were two people beside it, with one awake and the other sleeping.

The first person, the one who was awake, was a boy, about fifteen years of age. He had white and green hair, pale skin, sharp red eyes, and he was a good looking dude. He also two black lines on his face, just like how I had them on my arms, hands, and face! This guy must've been a statue at some point, like how I was! At the moment, he was in some kind of pre-historic sleeping bag, so I didn't get a good look at his clothing.

The second person was… holy smokes… the second person was a girl, about sixteen years of age, and she was absolutely gorgeous! She had blonde hair that was tied up in a spiky ponytail, a delicate face, and soft white skin. Her clothing was a dark blue dress, with a tan rope belt, and sandals that were made out of stone. She also had a shield on her back, and she clutched a pair of daggers in her hands. Pretty, but deadly, apparently…

I guess it was good thing that I didn't walk out and surprise them; I probably would've gotten stabbed!

"What are you, a new species of hominid that sleeps with a weapon or something?" asked the boy, his tone sounding droll.

"It's because you started talking about relationships." The girl replied, opening her eyes.

Gosh, her eyes were pretty! They were a vibrant blue, and I couldn't stop looking into them! Whoever this girl was, she was probably the prettiest girl I had ever seen!

"Look, I like the way you live, but I don't trust you yet." The girl continued. "I take care of myself, and this habit is a result of that. So don't take it personally…"

"I'm not that much of a hero to attack a lioness like you." said the boy. "So hurry up and get some sleep…"

"Lioness?!" The girl yelled, her tone angered. "I am a person with feelings! You know, you seemed like a gentleman at first, but you're kind of rude! I might end up accidentally killing you!"

"Then go to sleep before you cause any accidents. I'm not too keen on getting killed twice in the same day."

Getting killed twice? Did this boy die, and then was brought back to life in some way? Strange…

I found it kind of funny that the boy called the girl a lioness. She definitely was as pretty as a lioness, and judging from her daggers and shield, probably as strong as one too. I would think of it as a compliment, rather than an insult.

"You're fighting against that long-haired man, aren't you?" The girl asked. "I'll help you. I can't just back down, either."

"Yeah, that's why I'm setting out to build a kingdom of science." said the boy, as he sat up straight. "But first, I'm going to need manpower."

"So you're looking for allies, huh?" The girl asked, standing up. "Well, then why don't you come along with me?"

A determined smile came over the face of the boy, and he said, "So you got some more lion buddies. There a whole pride of you somewhere?"

"That's right. I'm sure they'll be great allies in battle, especially one man who you would get along with. And I'll lead you to them, Senku; you've just got to follow me."

So that was the boy's name: Senku. And apparently, there were more people who weren't stone! That's great news!

I began backing up, but then I brushed against the shrub and made a rustling noise! Great, I'm able to sneak around some long-haired guy with a lion pelt, but now I make one little mistake and I'm going to be caught!

"What was that?" The boy, Senku, asked.

The girl looked in my direction and-

AUGH!

Next thing I knew, she had charged forward and kicked me out of the bushes! I quickly rolled on the ground a couple of times, before coming to a stop and laying on my back! The girl then pounced on top of me, with her dagger pinned to my throat!

"Don't kill me! Please!" I yelped in fear. "I surrender!"

"Who are you?! Why are you spying on us?!" The girl asked, her tone fierce.

"I'm sorry!" I replied, knowing full-well that I probably sounded pitiful. "I was just lonely! I was traveling by myself and I saw you guys, and I needed to be around some people!"

"Well, looks like you caught a small animal." said Senku, coming over to where we were. "Or in this guy's case, an elephant."

Elephant? Was that a crack at my size and weight?!

I looked over at this Senku guy; his clothing consisted of a white robe that looked like a lab coat, white wraps around his arms, and white pre-historic shoes. He had 'E=MC-2' printed on the left side of his robe as well.

"Did Tsukasa revive you?" asked Senku.

"Who?" I asked.

"Tsukasa; Long brown hair, big brawny guy like an ape, wears a lion pelt."

"Oh, that guy! No, but I did encounter him. If you get your lioness friend here off of me, I can explain more."

"I'M NOT A LIONESS!" The girl yelled, pressing the blade closer to my neck.

"Hey wait, I meant that as a compliment!" I replied, my tone panicked. "Where I come from, lions are revered for their strength and beauty! So, by calling you… you know, I'm saying you're pretty, and you're strong! Can you please take that blade from my neck?"

The girl slowly drew the blade from my neck, and said, "You try anything, you die."

"Got it." I replied, getting up and brushing myself off. "Thank you…"

"Where are your clothes?" The girl asked, looking me over.

"I haven't made myself any; I'm not exactly a tailor." I replied, feeling self-conscious about only wearing a leaf and vine loincloth.

"So, Tsukasa didn't revive you, did he?" asked Senku.

"Revive?" I asked. "You mean, un-stone me?"

"To put it simply, yes." Senku replied.

"Then no, he didn't. I told my arms to move and break free, and I ended up waking up on my own."

"Interesting. Are you a foreign exchange student? Because that would explain why an American was in Japan when this all happened."

"Yes, yes I am. David O'Malley, at your service." I said, before reaching my hand out.

Senku shook it and replied, "Senku, nice to meet you."

"Likewise." I said.

I then looked over at the girl, who was watching our interaction, and said, "Begging your pardon, but I didn't get your name."

"Kohaku." The girl replied, her tone somewhat rough sounding.

I was about to shake hands with her, but due to her angry tone, I pulled my hand back worriedly.

"Don't mind her." said Senku. "She gets a little cranky if you sneak up on her."

I then turned to the girl, Kohaku, and said, "I do apologize for sneaking; my intentions were not to harm you two. And I do apologize for calling you a lioness; if you don't want me to do that, I won't do it."

"He's okay, Kohaku." Senku added. "In a way, we're connected."

I guessed what Senku said, plus my genuine apology, worked; Kohaku's expression softened, and she gave a small smile. Gosh, she was so pretty…

"You said that where you come from, lions are revered for their strength and beauty? If you're doing it because of that, I'll allow to you call me a lioness." said Kohaku, her tone surprisingly gentle.

"Really?" I asked, my tone somewhat unsure.

"Sure. You didn't mean to insult me, so I don't mind it coming from you."

"Uh… thank you…"

Senku let out a yawn, and said in a dull tone, "Let's get friendly tomorrow; I need some sleep. David, you can stay with us, but don't try anything."

Senku then began walking back to the campfire, and Kohaku and I followed him.

"Just be glad you're called a lioness; I believe he called me an elephant." I spoke, my tone quiet.

"He's a gentleman, but he can be a jerk sometimes as well." Kohaku replied, her tone quiet as well. "But he's really smart, and he sacrificed himself to save a girl. So, I can overlook his sarcasm."

Interesting, very interesting. We then we went back to fire. I now had two new friends, and I wasn't alone anymore! I could consider this a plus, I tell you that much! Now all I needed was some food, clothes, shelter, and a job, and things would get better for me!

I had finally made progress in this new world…