Young Writers Society

Shiruba:

Shiruba was conflicted. On one hand, he would be more than happy to refuse and leave as quickly as possible. He wanted to find Enide, wherever she was, though he suspected she was somewhere in the castle. He couldn't say the same about Jackie, who he suspected had most likely fled into the woods. And sure, he felt some pity about the situation she'd probably gotten herself, but his priorities placed Enide above anyone else, first and foremost. Well, that was disputable; more of a tie between her and himself. Regardless, he couldn't help but feel slightly jealous that she even had a father, even if he was an insane murderer. But, of course, it wouldn't be wise of him to say that out loud.

On the other hand, he'd most likely ran through every single corridor in the castle. If she was here, she would have had to have heard him, and she would've shown up by now. And she hadn't, not even to come to his aid. That wasn't like her at all, and he was plagued by the doubt that she wasn't here. Perhaps, he thought, in looking for this Jackie person, he might find her too? As much as he didn't agree with the decision, he didn't have a better option.

"Fine," he grumbled, half to himself, walking towards the exit. "I'm coming."

Sakura

I walked over to the woman, grabbing her by the wrist and attempting to find a pulse. I let a relieved sigh escape when I found that she had one. I heard footsteps coming from the castle, they were probably coming for the girl. I sniffed the air, one of them was the scent I'd been tracking, and next to none of them were human. A group of non-humans was coming for her. Who is she? I thought. In any case, if those people were hostile, neither my pride nor my conscience would allow me to leave her unprotected.

I placed myself between the girl and the door, pulling a dagger out of my boot, I prepared for the worst.

Schadel:

They burst from the castle, and a sight that Schadel hadn't been expecting greets them.
Jackie is unconscious. That part was a given, based on the fact that her father would stop at nothing to have her captive. The unexpected part is the little girl standing before her, holding a knife.
Schadel knows that the girl hasn't stabbed Jackie from the lack of fresh blood on the blade (there is some dried blood, but he decides not to worry about it at the moment). A weird feeling passes through Schadel as he stares at the girl wielding the knife. She's no amateur. She knows how to hold that knife properly. She's not a Grim Reaper - though he lacks sufficient magic in several departments, he can sense how many Grim Reapers are near by. There's only one, and that Grim Reaper is Blanx.
He takes a step towards both the motionless Jackie and the seemingly innocent little girl. The knife is raised, and a threatening glare is plastered onto the girl's face. "She's my friend," he reassures the girl. The girl still doesn't look convinced. "Her name is Jackie. She's running away from her father, who is the guy that gave her those scars around her mouth." He places his hand on his chest slowly, trying to prevent any threatening movements. "My name is Schadel."

Sakura

"I-I'm Sakura." I stated, wary of the creature, which didn't smell human. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you?" The stutter was getting bothersome, and besides, if Schadel was going to attack me he would have already.

"You're not human, forgive me if I'm blowing a disguise, but I've never met anyone that smelled like you before."

I didn't drop the knife, which I usually used for potion making, but I knew how to use it. I wasn't altogether convinced that I was out of the woods yet. I held my disguise, to some people nothing's scarier than a shape-shifter.

Schadel:

Schadel realizes that this girl most likely isn't human. Most humans can't smell what species a person is. Actually, none of the ones he's met can.
"I'm a Grim Reaper. Blanx," He quickly gestures at his long time friend. "is one too." Before the girl can scream out in terror - Blanx has told him that's usually what happens, and when he first met Claret she had a similar reaction - he quickly adds, "But Blanx is the owner of a store, and I'm the owner of Schadel's Necromancy Agency, so neither of us are going to reap your soul!"
I'm a human," Nendros pipes up. "I was cursed to become like this."
"I-I-I-I th-think I'm hu-human," Aska stutters, ducking behind Nendros. Schadel wonders if he's sensing something about the girl that the rest of them aren't. Why else would he be so terrified. Is he more sensitive to magic then the rest of them?
"I doubt you can see me," Claret scoffs, crossing her arms, "but I'm a human. A dead one, but still human."

Sakura

My eyes widened. "That makes sense. That would explain the temperature distortions." I lowered my dagger. "And I'm not afraid that you're going to reap my soul, because quite honestly I believe that if I was going to die I'd have done it already."

I walked away from the unconscious lady, to take a look at the castle.

"Looks old enough..." I picked up a brick off of the ground, it wasn't made of any stone that I recognized. It smelled like it wasn't any natural stone, but extremely old nonetheless. I licked the brick.

"Not as old as the cherry tree. It still might work though. What do you think?" I asked the wind.

"We'll find out if it's old enough soon enough."

"True enough." I paused. "Forgive me but I would like to politely ask you to refrain from using magic here. At least until the next blood-moon eclipse which occurs in two weeks."

Shiruba:

He was fortunate that everyone had been distracted enough to allow him to slip unnoticed into the forest.

Shiruba felt that he had no other choice if he wanted to find Enide. When his group had found Jackie, who had been unconscious and lying on the ground, possibly by the mysterious girl holding a knife next to her, he hadn't seen Enide anywhere, which had all but dashed his hopes. And this had made him all the more desperate to find her, especially as it had become evident that Enide was mostly likely somewhere in the forest.

Besides, it hadn't looked like Jackie was harmed; the mysterious girl hadn't seemed to have stabbed her, as the knife didn't have fresh blood on it. The girl almost hadn't seemed to have any intention to hurt anybody, but had seemed more defensive and protective. Shiruba had though that diplomacy would be most likely to resolve this confrontation, but there had been yet another reason for his willing and motivation to leave quickly; she unnerved him. She might have been defensive, but seemed to project this aura of energy. And a lot of it. Given that he himself was gifted at magic and had a lot of power, this had intimidated him, and had made him want to leave to search for Enide all the more.

Which, of course, he was doing now.

He cursed to himself as he tripped over an exposed root, slashing at it with his sword. The forest was, needless to say, eerie. Though he could still barely hear the conversation between Schadel and the mysterious girl, meaning he was not too far away from them, the bare and white trees seemed to envelop him, trying to drown out all other sounds and sights under their huge weight and dreadful silence. It was like they were intentionally blocking him from the any form of civilization or otherwise anyone else in the area. He felt insignificant as he stared up at their unbending, towering forms. His heartbeat increased, goosebumps forming on his skin as all of his instincts warned him against going any further. With every time, he seemed to grow an inch smaller, the trees an inch taller.

But he had to keep going. He had to find her.

And that was when he heard an instrument beginning to play in the distance.

A pan flute, he recognized dreamily, as, in spite of his instincts, he traveled in the general direction of the entrancing music.

Nendros:

A sudden shiver raced up Nendros's spine. "I just got the weirdest feeling that something bad is about to happen." He tried to remember if he got this feeling before. And when he thought back on it, he had. When Aska got stuck underneath a bookshelf. When one of the deer that often visited the grounds got hurt by a hunger. When he had gotten that terrible case of the flu. It must happen because of how sensitive I am to things now, after the transformation.
Schadel glanced around the group. "Shiruba is gone," he commented, a worried tone to his voice.
"Well, it's not like he was all gungho about helping us in the first place," Claret replied. Schadel quickly relayed her message to the members of the group who couldn't see ghosts.
"Maybe he's looking for her."
They all stared at Aska. Being terrified of being the center of attention, a second later Nendros found his best friend using him as a shield.
"Her?" Margaret asked.
"H-her," Aska confirmed. He stared down at the ground. "Wh-When he first met us, he asked, 'Where is she?'. So someone else should be with him, right? And h-he's worried about her."
Schadel blinked. "I didn't think of that! Aska, you're a genius!"
In response, Aska muttered a quiet, "Thank you."
Suddenly, Nendros began to hear an instrument playing. He faintly recongized it from somewhere - maybe a performance for the royal court? But whatever it was, he felt strangely drawn to it.
He began to move in its direction, Aska's desperate cries for him to stop failing to register. If he had glanced behind him, he would have seen Claret tugging on Schadel's cloak in an attempt to stop him from leaving. But even her attempt proved fruitless, and all that Aska and Claret could do was chase after Schadel, Nendros, Blanx, Margaret, and the recently revived Jackie.

Shiruba:

The figure weaved his way in between the trees, the lure of the music gradually dragging him farther and farther away from the castle. It had all but numbed his mind, crushing his free will and ability to turn and flee. Which the insignificant part of his mind that was still conscious wanted to do. It begged and pleaded, but Shiruba disregarded it. In the entrancing nature of the music, he couldn't pay attention to his own thoughts. He felt that he had to find the source behind the beautiful sound, even though he felt eerily aware that he knew what he would find.

His ears and tail twitched. Given his abilities with magic, he could sense others who happened to have it, and those parts of his anatomy told him, in a voice loud enough to be perceived in his hazy mind, that this music had a magical edge to it. It wasn't strong, not at all, but most attracting magic wasn't. It was subversive, secretive, hard to master. Only those with immense experience - or those gifted and yet with no experience at all - with magic were capable of using it, as those groups of people were most capable of using only a small amount of magic to produce a unique effect. His instincts recoiled when they learned about this, doubling their fear and anxiety as they were concerned that Shiruba was desperately outmatched.

But the lure was, yet again, stronger.

The music grew louder and more powerful, reaching a crescendo as it grew more elaborate; Shiruba knew he was getting closer. Slicing dead tree branches out of his way, jumping over exposed roots, he slowly inched towards the source of the sound. Meanwhile, from the undergrowth behind him, Shiruba could hear others crashing through the trees and bushes. Though he could hardly focus on them, so distracting was the music, he had the feeling that it had caught their attention as well. His hopes increased ever so slightly; given how far away they had originally been, he surmised that the music was traveling a great distance through the forest. Perhaps far enough for Enide to hear. Perhaps she was coming. Maybe they would finally meet again. And so, with this in mind, he pushed forward even faster.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, though it was hardly any time at all, Shiruba stepped out into a small clearing as the song neared its conclusion, and found what he was looking for.

Sitting upon the top of a tall rock in front of him, with trees on either side brushing against the stone and earth, was a man of indescribable age. The man wore a tattered, worn outfit that looked eerily like that of a sailor's, but this outfit, as well as he, was covered in sand, which fell onto the ground in droves as he moved. This person was a little thin and scrawny, but had what seemed to be lean, very strong muscles. He was dotted in scars, several of which were on his face and neck. And, of course, he was masterfully playing the pan flute in his hands. Shiruba stood and listened as the man continued to play the melody, which itself was almost over. Within seconds, the figure had completed the rest of the song, playing the last concluding notes before gazing down at the stunned Shiruba.

Placing his pan flute to the side, the figure bore an expression of intense concentration, as though not recognizing Shiruba. However, Shiruba, whose mind had finally been freed from the musical trap and had awakened itself, did. That was why he stared at the figure with such surprise and wonder.

"Huh," said the figure, his face turning grim as he began to speak in a strong accent, "I'd thought I'd up and died and went'o Heaven, but now I see your ugly mug here." He flashed a wry smile as he finished.

"Wha..." began Shiruba, still caught off guard. He was relieved to see the figure recognized him, but surprised to find that the figure was here, and said so. "What...how...are you here?"

"I could ask the same about you," replied the figure in his typical, thick accent. "And where's your girlfriend? Weren't you two, 'inseparable'?" He chuckled to himself at his own joke.

"And who are they? Friends of yours? Happy to see they liked the song; one of my favorites, that one is." The figure gestured to everyone else, who were now stepping out of the trees into the clearing...

Sakura

As I traced the music, I realized that something about it was magical. It seemed like personal magic to me, of the same breed that kept my disguise up without depleting the surrounding area. When I saw the man, I could only say one thing:

"Who are you?"

Shiruba:

"Just a simple sailor," the man replied, with a voice that had slight unease and wariness to it. "If you don't already know 'ere my home is, it's not your problem."

"Have you seen her?" blurted out Shiruba to the sailor, the thought having erupted from his mind when he'd had the chance to think again. "I know she came with me; it was clear she saw what I saw, experienced what I did. Did you see her anywhere in this forest?"

"Nope," replied the man without a moment's consideration. He'd likely assumed this question was going to be asked, Shiruba thought. "I haven't seen much of this place myself; just wandered a little ways, found this big rock, and thought I'd get myself to calm down with some music. Bothered asking your friends yet? You haven't'ried to kill them yet, so ya least know them."

Schadel:

Schadel knows that this man certainly isn't a "simple sailor". Normal, everyday sailors don't play hypnotizing songs on pan flutes. But then what is he? Shiruba knows him from somewhere, and the woman that he was searching for must as well - why else would Shiruba be asking about her?

Jackie


I wake up, and I rush to my feet,

"I'm fine . . ."

I brush off my clothes,

"I'm fine, thank you all for your concern. I probably should get going now . . ."

I rush away from the crowd of people,

Shiruba:

The sailor didn't so much as bat an eye at the girl with the eerie scars as she stood up and ran away from the crowd assembled. "Ay," he said to Shiruba with a neutral expression, "Let 'er'un. She'll come back running when I play another song, for sure."

Shiruba glared at him with an intense expression as he finished, not bothering to say a word. He watched as the sailor returned the gaze with one that grew more uncomfortable in a short period of time. Finally, however, the sailor sighed in exasperation and stood up. Shiruba smiled as the sailor turned his back on him, walked to the back of the rock, and then began to climb down.

"Fine," grumbled the sailor, who brushed some of the sand off of his clothes as he walked over to Shiruba, "I didn't hope to stay much longer when I saw you show up without her. I know you need me, and I'll help you find her."

Shiruba had a momentary urge to respond, but the voice in his head saying he's gotten the message; just focus on finding Enide silenced him. Rather, he let his victorious smile express his feelings.

The sailor made to step into the forest, as did Shiruba, but he was suddenly struck by the realization that there were others in the clearing. Turning around and waving at the crowd, forcing the other man to stop and do the same (much to his frustration and impatience), the sailor called "Hey, blokes, are you coming with us?"

Nendros:

Nendros was feeling conflicted.

He wanted to help Shiruba. He could only imagine how frustrating it would be to not know where someone he held close was. A drop of blood trickled down his chin as he bit his lip. He knew what it was like to lose someone close. Maybe that was the connection - he didn't want Shiruba to experience the guilt that he had to live with every single day.

But at the same time, he wasn't supposed to leave the castle. How would he even tell Tieth when she came upon him in a fiery blaze and flapping wings? That people had entered the castle, and he had gone to help them? Not only would she hunt them down, but she would most likely devise a horrible punishment for him.

"I'm coming!" Schadel suddenly piped up, rushing after the sailor and Shiruba. Claret and Blanx quickly agreed, Margaret soon following suit.

That left just Nendros and Aska. To his surprise, Aska started to make his way towards the group. "I-I'll come," he shakily decided. They started to walk away from Nendros. Aska cast a glance over his shoulder at the prince.

If Aska could muster the courage to defy Tieth's rule, then Nendros could too. "Wait for me!" he exclaimed, tail whipping behind him as he ran to catch up.