CRYSTALIS

[Diana]

CRYSTALIS
See the OOC HERE for more information!​

A school Summer Camp has taken a field trip to the beautiful Cave Sites of Indiana. Here, the guides intend to teach everyone about how caves were formed while Counselors provide fun summer activities! But, while a group was exploring one of the many cave sites - an accident happens! Be earthquake or collapse, the cave swallows them up. Suddenly, they find themselves landing in ice cold snow. ...another world! Brael is a land of frost and tundra - The Ice Kingdom. Somehow, the group must find a way home!

 

[Sincerity5]

Liz, one of the tour guide assistance, shivered, her bare legs wishing she'd worn jeans instead of khaki shorts as she held up the latern higher up, the leader of the tour stopping to point out a few stalagmites to the children, ranging from ages 6 to 16. She thought back to her first trip into the cave when she was ten, how much like a new world it was, strange and magical. Now just newly graduated, working part time at the camp till she leaves for college. Pushing her braided hair back over her shoulder, the shrugging motion causing the latern light to shake, flickering the walls with the children's shadows, just before the walls of the cave suddenly begin to shake. Liz shouts, as the floor beneath her feet shifts and pushes her into the crowd of campers.

 

[PhoenixArrande]

"OH MY GOSH! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Kati yelled. This was definitely not what she signed up for. In fact, she hadn't signed up for any of this summer camp crap at all. She was already having a terrible time, and now she's about to die from some freak-earthquake-fallling-cave-whatever. A lot of the tour guides thought of Kati as one the "impossible and annoying" from the teen group. Of course Kati wasn't really impossible or annoying. She was actually a pretty fun and interesting 17-year-old girl. She just didn't really like summer camps at all. As Kati fell along with all her fellow camp mates, she wondered if this was the end. She would never see her family and friends back home again. She would never get to start her senior year in high school. She would never get to go to prom, graduate, and go to college with her best friend Aimee. It was all over. And as she made that final thought she hit the ground hard. But, wait! This wasn't the ground.....It was snow! "Snow?......" she thought. Then, Kati Anderson slipped out of consiousness. Unaware of the new world surrounding her.

 

[Sincerity5]

Liz, feeling the cold sting her bare knees, she makes sure to cover whatever individual is in arm's length, sheltering them as much as possible. The cave roof crumbles, smalll pieces of rock fall, but...there should be more falling around them, instead, as Liz looks up, she sees the falling rock mysteriously dissolving and light, snow crystals falling in its place. Holding one of the younger girls to her side, she looks around at the group, finding many unconscious. Looking up at where the cave roof had been, the snow obscuring her vision, she sees a gray sky heavy with clouds. Shivering she stands, gently reaching around to shake the shoulders of the campers, hoping they'll respond. She can't be left here, where ever here was, by herself, with only one or two six year olds to help her figure out how to get back home. Recognizing Kati, she shakes her a bit harder than necessary, she remembered that the girl had interrupted a great deal of the tour with her sarcastic comments. "Hey, hey you! Wake up!"

The gnome, small and unnoticeable, slid through the banks of snow on his miniature sled, pulled by two squirrels he'd trained from birth. He was coming around the bend, squealing with delight, just enjoying the bite of the weather and the prospect of finding some sucker to scam...idiots were always easy to find in the wilderness. They were the kind that got lost. And naive enough to believe that there were kind people in the world that would help. he laughed at that has he rode through a thick gust of snow, before bumping into the back of an unconscious body. Leaping out in alarm, his faint yelp of surprise, drawing the attention of exactly what he'd been hoping for. Watching his facial expressions as his eyes settled on the alert doe-eyed girl before him, he pushed back his grin, and tried to seem worried over what he'd just discovered. "You all look like you're in a bit of a pickle."

 

[PhoenixArrande]

Uuuuhhhhnnnhh Ahwwhwww"

Kati groaned and moaned. As she started to come back into conciousness, she realized she was alive!
Ohmygosh....am I really still alive? she thought.
And at that very moment, she also realized she was being shaken a little bit too hard by someone....
"Mehhh Ehhh!" Kati yelled as she bolted up in the snow, accidentally butting Liz in the head who had been shaking the life out of her for the past 20 minutes. Kati groaned and then rubbed her eyes and looked around. Where were they? Kati looked over at the little commotion beside her and scoffed. Of course, it was that stupid tour guide woman that had been practically shaking her fillings out. Kati rolled her eyes at the 2 little kids sitting beside Liz, and asking was her forehead "Owkay" , and then got up, shivering from the cold. A tank top, shorts, and sneakers were definitely not winter clothes. As soon as Liz got up as well, Kati made it her job to get on her nerves.
"Okay lady, where are we? I don't remember the North Pole being part of the tour! Hello?! Aren't you listening to me?! Where the hell are we?!"

Liz yelled at her screaming that she didn't know. Kati looked at her in disbelief as more children started to wake up. Unfortunately, they were all little, too. Liz walked aroung helping up the children, and then looked at Kati, and shook her head, asking her to help out with the children. Kati looked at all the little 6, 7, and 8-year-olds in disgust. "I don't even like my little brother, so what makes you think I wanna help you with them? And, by the way, how come you don't know where we are? I , mean, you are the Tour Guide remember? And all of you nutheads over Camp Sunnyside are going to be in some big trouble when all of our parents find out you've got us trapped in freakin Narnia! My parents signed---"
Liz proclaimed firmly cutting Kati off, about the contract that all camp members' parents had to sign stating that the Camp had to take full liability over any accidents or problems that had occured during their stay.

Kati then looked at her with flaming eyes. "Guess what Liz. The Camp Director didn't fall with us! In fact, none of the other groups did! Look around you! THERE'S ONLY US!" Kati watched Liz look around, stunned. She was right, and, of course she was. She was always right. Kati smiled at that thought, but not for long beacause something or someone, really, collided with her.

"KOOF!" Kati landed in the snow with a thud. Someone had struck her from behind, and when she turned around to see what it was, she was speechless.

"You all look like you're in a bit of a pickle." The gnome said.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

When the first thing you remember upon waking up is the freezing feeling of snow pressing against your skin, you know that what you've just been through is no ordinary cave-in.

I come to with my cheek pressing into the snow, and slowly I push myself to my knees and look around. Yup, snow. Definitely snow. Quite where the hell it all came from, I don't rightly know. Rather out-of-season for Indiana, too, but hell, I think it best if I just run with whatever's going on right now.

Still, the cold's becoming something of an issue, and the dark top and skinny jeans I'm currently wearing aren't doing much to shield me from it. Pulling myself to my feet, I reach into my messenger bag and pull out the jumper inside, glad I remembered to pack something reasonably warm for this trip.

I mean, really. Sometimes I'm so awesome I amaze even myself.

Around me, some of the other kids are starting to come to as well. Looks like it's just the group I got assigned to when touring the caves, though; no sign of John and the others. Which is annoying, really, as John was the one packing the smokes for this trip. Nearby, the tour guide lady (Liz, I think her name was?) and Kati are shouting at each other, their voices loud enough to be heard even over the howl of the wind.

Ah, Kati. My rival for most irritating student in our grade, apparently. Though she seems to utilise inarticulate screaming and loud complaining to annoy folks. Like poor old Lizzie, for example, who appears to be getting more and more irritated with little Miss Kati by the second.

And... then there's the matter of the little fella who just collided with Kati, and who appears to be riding on a sled pulled by squirrels.

This day continues to get more and more... odd, I think is the nicest term I can think of. Though at least the little man's arrival stopped Kati mid-rant.

"You all look like you're in a bit of a pickle," the new arrival remarks, grinning in a manner I'm not entirely sure is friendly. I wander over, still a bit wobbly from the fall I seem to have taken.
"Unless it's normal for a bunch of schoolkids to find themselves lost in the middle of nowhere without actually knowing just how they got there, then yeah, I suppose we are," I reply to him, smiling back somewhat warily, "And just out of interest, where exactly is this particular patch of ass-end of nowhere located? Because I don't think Indiana's due for snow for another couple months."

 

[Diana]

(Lets try not to hijack other people's characters, to avoid any accidental out-of-character writing, okay sweets? >:D Lets get this party started!)


So much shouting! It was close enough to echo through the trees and make the icicles hanging from branches give a melodic tinkle. A beautiful sound to be sure, if it didn't come from that strangely forum speaking.

A dark head of hair peeped over a large snow drift, narrowing eyes at the group of people looking very confused in the middle of a forest clearing. They looked so... strange. What sort of clothes were those?

"Weird looking people... Eep!" She said it out loud. Loud enough that there were suddenly several eyes staring in her direction. She stood straight up, stiff and startled. A short girl, barely the same height as they. Her skin was painted in sparkles and flowers and she was dressed head to toe in fine looking silks and furs. In fact, she looked like she just walk out of a fancy party, and if the people weren't confused already they might've realized her presence there in the forest was just as odd as their own.

A small wave of her hand, then she picked up the hem of her coat and took off running! Who knew what the strangers were there for! They could be pirates!

 

[PhoenixArrande]

(Thanks hahaha! I noticed my error, and cleaned up my last post the best I could :D here I go! I'll be more careful this time)


Kati got up from the cold snow shaking. Her atirre was really beginning to become a problem in this weather, now. As soon as she met eyes with the mysterious stranger behind her, she took a couple of steps back, speechless. What the heck was going on? She watched as that guy began to converse with the mysterious creature. Who was he again? Larry? Kerry? Oh, yeah! Harry! She had remembered him back at the Camp, always smoking at the back of the Cafe Cabin with that other guy. She admired him for being the only smart one out here to bring something warm. But, then again, how was anyone supposed to know they were going to end up falling through the caves into a weird snowy place. This was all getting a little too surreal for Kati, and as she turned around to grab her backpack, she saw that the children were all turned around looking to the left in the bushes. A strange looking, sparkly girl was looking at them, and then ran off as quickly as she came. Harry could spend all the time he wanted talking, but Kati was sick and tired of this place, whatever it was. She ran into the forest, after the girl. She wanted out and she wanted it now.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

The small man in front of me looks like he's about to reply when his eyes widen slightly at something behind me. I turn in time to see a dark-haired girl, her skin strangely glistening and covered in silks and furs, staring at us all from the edge of a nearby forest.
"Weird looking people... Eep!" she utters, then turns and bolts back into the forest.
"Oh come on now!" I yell after her with a grin on my face, "That ain't nice! Kati can't help the way she looks and she's lovely when you--"

Suddenly Kati's also up and running after the strangely dressed girl, without a word. "Dammit, I was just kidding! Don't go running off--" my words seem to bounce off the girl, however; either she's not listening or she doesn't care. "Fantastic..." I mutter to myself, as behind me the little man says,
"You will be... going after them, then?"

Sighing, I glance over at Liz and shoot her a quick grin.
"With any luck, I'll be back in a minute. I don't think running off into a weird forest when we've still not got our bearings is terribly conducive to, y'know, staying alive." With that, I charge off through the snow after Kati as fast as my Vans will allow, messenger bag bumping against my side all the way.

This, all in all, is not how I planned on spending today.

And goddammit, my shoes are gonna be soaked after this.

 

[Diana]

Fleeeeee! She was being chased! Behind her voices and heavy footprints fell. Struck by a sudden fear that she had ran in to the wrong sorts of people, she refused to stop! Picking up folds of fabric to free her feet and jump over fallen logs, through bushes, and around mounds of piled up snow.

Chancing a look behind her, they were still in fast pursuit. But her glance was a fatal mistake! Without watching where she was going, she slammed full body in to a tall pine tree. A startled yelp escape her when the force set loose lumps of snow and ice. In seconds she was buried up to her neck.

Blast the Maker! Frantically trying to dig her way out, it seemed her escape was too late. When her pursuers caught up, she ducked down under the snow. If they couldn't see her, surely she was invisible.

"Don't kill me, please!" came her muffled voice. "I am young and not particularly ripe yet!"

 

[PhoenixArrande]

Kati sprinted through the forest like a cheetah after its prey. Yes, her irrational behavior was crazy, but she wanted to go home for Pete's sake! All this crazy mess was getting on her damn nerves and this was the last straw! She knew for sure that that girl was her ticket home, and she wasn't gonna stop til she caught her! As she ran through the tall, snow covered trees, she snapped the latch on the strap around her torso on her backpack so she made sure it wouldn't fall off. She was gonna catch that girl, and once she did, she was gonna have some serious explaining to do! Kati quickly snuck a look behind her. She had heard a twig snap from behind her. Is someone chasing me? She thought. Then, when she looked a bit harder, she could see a tall figure bouncing around behind her. It was Harry. I guess he finally came to his freakin senses. We aren't gonna get outta this crazy place til that chick starts talking! I bet she's the reason we're down here, too! That thought alone made Kati run faster and faster, leaving Harry way behind.

The girl looked back at Kati, and when she saw the crazy look in Kati's eyes, she was even more terrifed than before, making her hit a pine tree nearby. YES! YES! YES! That girl was as good as gone to Kati, and she slid to a stop in front of her; the poor girl shaking and trembling like mad. Kati could almost see tears in her eyes, but that wasn't going to save her now! Kati looked down at the girl in the snow flaming mad, as she pullled a gun out of her pack.
"Don't kill me, please!" she said muffled under the snow, "I am young and not particularly ripe yet!"

Kati scoffed at this remark. This girl was about to get an earful. "I'M NOT GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU FREAK! ALTHOUGH, I SURE DO FEEL LIKE IT!!! I'M TIRED, HUNGRY, AND I'VE BEEN FREEZING MY ASS OFF IN THIS GOD DAMN SNOW!!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DID, BUT YOU BETTER TAKE US BACK TO THE CAVES AND HOME, OR I'LL BUST A CAP IN YOUR ASS!!! AND DON'T THINK I WON'T!!! I DID PACK A COUPLE OF "THINGS" ON THIS TRIP!!! DID YOU HEAR ME?!?! GET THE HELL UP AND SAY SOMETHING, OR YOU'RE DEAD!!!" She screamed, her voice echoing through the forest loud enough for anyone miles away to hear.
This time, the girl really was about to cry, and Kati was through forcing her to talk. She uncovered and then cocked the gun behind her back, then, aiming it at her, said gritting her teeth, "I'm not one to hurt anyone, really, but you know something, and I'm giving you one last chance to spill, NOW TALK!"
All of a sudden, Kati heard loud footsteps thrashing through the snow behind her. Harry had caught up with her, and was yelling at her to stop.

 

[Diana]

"I didn't do anything, banshee!" It must have been a banshee, for what else on great Brael had such a loud and horrible voice?! It would only be a matter of time before she was plucked up and devoured. Or whatever other horrendous things banshee did to poor lost girls. Perhaps if she had payed more attention in lessons she'd know how to defeat her...

Instead the small female was still cowering behind her snow wall underneath the tree and refusing to even peep out. By now she had pulled her hood up to cover her hair and most of her face. If she looked furry, perhaps she wouldn't be as appetizing to the screaming wench.

"If you spare me, I'm sure my parents will give you a big reward! There must be other more edible things in this forest!" she called out again.

 

[PhoenixArrande]

"What the---WHY THE HELL WOULD I WANT TO EAT YOU, YOU IDIOT?!?! UGGGGGH!!!!! YOU'RE WORTHLESS!!!!!" Kati screamed. She had her right where she wanted her, but all she did was drone on and on about eating her. Kati crossed her arms shaking from the cold, the gun still in her hand. "You're lying......I just know it! Why can't you just tell me where we are?!?!?!?!.....Ennnhhh----" Kati plopped down in the snow beside the big pine tree. The weather had finally found a way to bring her down off her pedestal. "This....is so.....stupid! I....just......want to.....go home!........AND ALL YOU DO IS RAMBLE!!!" Kati forced herself forward. She was going to try one last time. She grabbed the strange girl and pulled her out of her hiding place. Grabbing her by her collar, and holding her tight by her wrist so she couldn't wriggle away, she muttered, "Please! I'm begging you! Where are we?!?!?!?!?!"

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Thought for the day; bitches be crazy.

Kati, having produced a handgun from somewhere, is waving it wildly in the direction of the strange girl, who's cowering behind a tree nearby. Can't blame the poor thing; Kati's not exactly acting like the most... rational of human beings.

I consider maybe attempting to get the handgun off her, but that could wind up with me getting shot by an irate schoolgirl, which is not on my list of things to do today. Instead, I go for the 'talk the crazy person down' option, stepping through the snow to stand next to the duo as Kati makes one last demand to know where we are.

"Well," I announce in a cheery tone that's rather out-of-place with current circumstances, "My current theory is that we're in Narnia or some shit. Weather's certainly right for it; all we need now is a streetlight in the middle of this forest and an umbrella-wielding Faun." I step in front of Kati and stare intently in an attempt to get through to the girl. "However, if you'd like to actually figure out where not on Earth we are, could I make the tiny suggestion that you don't threaten the only person who might know with a pistol and howl at her like a maniac? That's not exactly great people skills you're demonstrating there, Kati."

Stepping backwards, I look at the pair of them with a smile. "So how about Kati tries not screaming like a mad woman and the strange girl in furs, that's you by the way," I point to the girl Kati has chased through the forest, "tries telling us where exactly we are? I'm not a monster, and Kati here honestly isn't a banshee, though she possesses many of the characteristics. We're just lost."

 

[Diana]

She was absolutely positive she was going to die at the hands of a banshee.

But then he appeared! Although, he was dressed all weird like the girl and his earmuffs were making weird noises, it was like having a knight come to her rescue!

Despite the sudden blooming of an irrational instant crush, she put a little bit of distance between herself and the pair. She smoothed out her clothes and tried to calm herself down. The Knight would protect her from the screaming banshee.

"Well... if you are both just lost." she started slowly. "This is the kingdom of Brael. It's always this cold here, so you really should have known to bring warmer clothing. I've never heard of a Narnia and the Faun live much farther south. They don't often travel to Brael, it chills their nips."

Eying them for a second, she supposed they did look really confused and lost. There wouldn't be any harm in telling them her name, would there? They'd have no idea who she was! "My name is Amberosa. Amber, if you like."

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Smiling, I turn to Kati.
"And there you have it. We are in fact not in Indiana as we thought, nor are we in Narnia. We're in some place called Brael which, last I checked, isn't on the world map." I grin. "See? All you had to do was ask nicely. Now go and put that goddamn pistol away before you shoot someone. Where the hell did you get that any--"

A crash nearby in the trees makes me cut my sentence short and whirl about to try and find the source of the noise. The forest suddenly seems ominously silent. No birdsong, no sounds of any animals nearby.

I suddenly get the rather worrying impression that something bad is about to happen.

Another thunderous sound echoes through the trees; I'm pretty sure Kati and Amberosa have both heard it by now. I start to back away from the direction the sound is coming in, as the crashes start coming more frequently. And louder, which is the most worrying part. "I think we should maybe start... backing away slowly..." I mutter, my voice sounding almost silent compared to the booming noises echoing through the trees.

Then I see something move through the gloom of the trees. Something huge. It draws closer, the crashes in time with it. Perhaps backing away slowly was a bad call; running away rather fast seems to be more in order right now. The huge form emerges from the gloom of the trees and into the clearing we stand in, and I resist the urge to shit a brick.

It looks vaguely humanoid, but deformed and brutal. Standing at nearly ten feet tall and with patches of makeshift armour that looks like its been relieved from others who've crossed this big fella's path, I get the impression he's not here to chat. And that Kati's pistol won't so much as dent him.

Worth a shot to see if he's here for a gossip, though.

"Amber, this wouldn't happen to be a friend of yours, would it?" I ask, with a pleading quality to my tone of voice. The creature roars, it's stinking breath washing over us and the guttural sound making my ears ring. "That'll be a no, then. RUN LIKE HELL!"

 

[PhoenixArrande]

Kati was pretty much dumbfounded. Two seconds with the wierd chick and Harry actually got her to talk......And apparently......She wasn't the reason they were in this hell-hole in the first place. Embarrased, Kati took a couple steps back, shivering. She knew what she had to do. Of course, she didn't do it often. But, every now and then, like when her little brother burst into tears at her knees, or when she cussed out one of her teachers and wanted to get away from expulsion she would do it. Kati swallowed hard. Apologizing was easy for most people, but not for her. She looked at Harry and then at Amberosa and then back at Harry again. "OHMYGAWD!!!! You two are just going to MAKE me do it, huh?! Quit looking at me like that! I already feel guilty enough!!!" As she stepped up, the words somehow spilled out on their own, "I-I-I'M SORRY!!! There! I said it! I'm really sorry for scaring you, okay??? I just get irrational and bitchy sometimes........" She then noticed everyone looking down at her gun. Smiling, she said, "From my backpack. It's a modified SIG Sauer P250. It shoots 35 rounds instead of 17. I have another one in my back pack along with 2 extra magazines. When I found out my parents were shipping me off to stupid Summer Camp, I stole them out of my dad's gun case. He's the one that modified them. I sure as hell wasn't going to run off into those caves where Who-The-Crap-Knows-What would be hiding! Had to bring something to protect myself, right?"
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Now, Kati felt sadder than ever. Harry was right. She had terrible people skills, and all she could think about was what she had said to her mother before she left for camp......."YOU KNOW WHAT?! I HATE YOU!!! MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW!!!! I HOPE YOU DIE! I'D BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU ANYWAY!!!!"........And, now, Kati was lost in some strange place called Brael, probably never to see her parents or any of her family ever again. They're probably happy I'm gone....Probably so happy, they're throwing a party and laughing about it......If I ever get home....I-I-I'll probably have nobody..... Kati looked down as she fought back the tears. She was guilty, yes, but she had too much pride to cry in front of Harry and Amberosa. But, apparently, her pride wasn't big enough this time, beacause the tears fell down faster than she could stop them. She didn't know what to do. It was like everyone and everything was flying past her, leaving her behind, and the more she tried to catch up, the further everything went away. So she just knelt down on the ground and cried. What else could she do anyway?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something started crashing through the forest. In her arms, she could hear Harry frantically talking about something. As the ground began to shake, the "thing" started getting closer and closer to them, and Kati got up, wiped her eyes, and ran in the other direction while Harry and Amberosa stood there waiting for "it" to come. They didn't see her, of course, and that's how she wanted it. Kati cried as she ran. They don't need me.....In fact....They're WAY better off without me! Then, the forest grew quiet. Whatever it was, it must have already gotten to them beacause Kati could hear Harry shouting in the distance, "RUN LIKE HELL!" Stopping when she heard this, Kati shook her head. Apparently, Captain Hero and Miss Flower were running in her direction, the giant whatever-it-was crashing behind them. Kati, then, looked all around her. Spotting a really tall and bushy pine tree, she sighed and said, "Maybe they do need me after all......" She climed the tree up and up and up until nothing on the ground could spot her. Her hiding spot on the nearby branch was concealed by leaves. Digging in her backpack, Kati began to take out various "items". It was time to kick some monster ass.

 

[Diana]

The Kati Banshee may of well been speaking another language, as Amber had no idea what she meant. Of course, all of that was completely forgotten at the sight of the OGRE charging for them! Even before Harry shouted for them to run.

Perhaps if she had thought her adventure through, she might of had a weapon hidden in her fancy cloak and silken skirts. But no, Amber was fleeing for her life, trying not to squeal as she ran through the snow covered forest! As she passed the giant pine tree, she saw Kati there, digging around in an add sack.

"OGRE! RUN! FLEEEEE!" Amber only paused long enough to shout it at the other girl, before she went sprinting again.

Close on their heels was the odious beast. Having no issue with shoving smaller trees aside, stomping mounds of snow flat, and crossing the distances without even a short of breath.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

I'm starting to regret smoking.

Somehow I'm in the situation where I'm sprinting through a gloomy, snow-covered forest as fast as my legs can carry me, following a strange girl who's skin sparkles and being chased by a ten-foot tall monstrosity known as an 'ogre'. This is what some might call surreal, I suppose.

Personally, I'd just call it fucking terrifying.

"Are all the creatures in Brael this friendly?!" I yell at Amber as we run, my breath rising in ragged patches before me. I can't see Kati anywhere, but since the ogre is right behind me, I think she'll be alright. Ahead, the ground's starting to become rockier, and I can hear the sounds of water running.

Suddenly, the trees give way to a deep gash in the earth with a river running through it. It's far too wide to jump, but a fairly unstable bridge runs across it. It looks like it'd support someone of Amber and I's proportions, but the ogre's gonna have trouble fitting on it, never mind actually crossing it without it collapsing on him. "Make for the bridge! He can't follow us across that!" I turn briefly, to see if our lumbering friend is still following.

Sure enough, the ogre is lumbering through the trees. The smaller pines unfortunate enough to be in his path are smashed aside, and he's making straight for us. "Sorry, buddy! This is a 'No Fatties' bridge I'm afraid!" In response, the ogre roars and speeds up, knocking aside another tree in his attempts to get to me. "Shit, I think he understood that!" I yell, turning and sprinting for the bridge.

Honestly, I think my mouthing-off to everyone's gonna get me killed eventually.

 

[PhoenixArrande]

"What the hell?!?!?!?!" Kati's mouth flew open as she saw Amberosa run past screaming at her, "OGRE! RUN! FLEEEEE!" And then, after Harry ran past unaware of her presence, she saw it. Man, I've seen some ugly things in my life....But not as ugly as that! The ogre's massve body slammed into the trees surrounding him almost knocking Kati down. "GAAAAH! SHIT! That's IT! YOU'RE DEAD TUBBY!" she exclaimed. Kati pulled out that last few pieces she needed out of her back pack, and then quickly got to work. From the height she was at, she could see Amberosa and Harry heading for the bridge, but, as big as that ogre was, it wasn't going to guarantee them safety. She had to save her comrades, and fast. In the back of her mind, she was 6-years-old again, deep in the forests of Indiana with her father hunting down deer, moose, and whatever else they came across. Her dad's advice spun through her head again, and again, and again. As Kati, screwed, latched, and locked piece by piece, she had her eye on the ongoing pursuit ahead of her. "COME ON, YOU IDIOTS! RUUUUUUUN!!!" she yelled, even though she knew they were too far off to hear her, anyway. This went there and that went there, and blah, blah, blah. It seemed to take forever for her to put it all together. "FINALLY!" She pulled three metal objects out of her pack and latched them in place. Holding the finished project in front of her, Kati smiled. The guns can't hurt him. But if this doesn't do the job, then they are gonna be screwed!!! Unfortunately, Harry and Amberosa weren't smiling at all. Kati could hear them screaming in the distance. She had to get to them now.

Thankfully this odd forest's trees were close together, and beacause of the ogre's careless smashing, the branches were intertwined. So, Kati had no problem hopping from tree to tree. As she got closer to the bridge, she pulled out the new weapon, getting ready to fight, but when she actually got there, she was in for a surprise. They had both made it to the bridge and was in the center of it. She watched as Harry stupidly mocked and teased the giant in victory. Of course, that ogre wasn't going to take that without a fight, and began to tear and pull at the bridge, in attempt to knock the 2 off and into the water. And he was doing a pretty good job, too. Kati positioned the crossbow between her arm and leg, just like her father had taught her. She had 3 shots---3 attempts to bring down the beast. And if she missed them all..........she wouldn't know what to do. Her friends screaming down below, Kati aimed, and as she pulled the trigger, she closed her eyes. And an ear-wrenching roar filled the forest.