Peirce and Vanilla reached were Sniffia stood, slightly panting and huffing,
"Sniffia… " Peirce called looking at Sniffia, he let out a harsh breath, "At least you should have... " He turned his head back,
"Vanilla... ?"
To Peirce's amazement Vanilla was right behind him heavily breathing while leaning on a tree.
"Sorry... I thought... " Vanilla answered slowly shoving her hair from her face as she stared at Sniffia standing still while gazing up to a huge tree in front of them then Vanilla examined the whole area, noticed Sniffia was right at the center of a plain ground, surrounded by huge trees.
"Why did you run?" Vanilla asked walking towards Sniffia as she tried maintaining her breaths with each steps she took, Peirce sighed about walking to Sniffia also, he stopped and noticed a strange figure up, standing and shaded with two blazing blue eyes on one of the branches of the huge tree in front of them.
"Vanilla? Sniffia? There is someone above, I think that someone is staring at us." He gasped, Vanilla inspected what Peirce was talking about, she immediately held her breath looking at the figure clothed in dark linen as the ray of light partially shined on one of the shoulder of the strange figure through the tiny spaces between the leaves.
"Sniffia?" Vanilla called,
Sniffia ignored them, sniffed then she smirked,
"... Lord Jared." She whispered, walking closer with her eyes fixedly staring at the figure above, Peirce widened his eyes, looked at Vanilla then at Sniffia.
Suddenly, Lord Jared jumped down, landing on his feet, Sniffia flitted to him with a hug as she buried her face to his body.
Vanilla shakily took some steps back.
"Sniffia?" reaching were Peirce stood, "Peirce, what is going on?" she asked, slowly, still staring at the confusing scene before her.
Jared broke the hug knelt down and held Sniffia's muscled shoulders,
"Is good to see you too, Sniffia," he said, Sniffia hugged him tightly again, Jared smiled.
"He saved me," Sniffia said in an amiable way, Jared looked at Peirce and nodded,
Peirce swallowed.
"Who is he?" Vanilla asked, she was totally lost and much more afraid as she stared at the scar on Jared's face.
Suddenly, Sniffia scented something then Jared perceived after. He swiftly pushed Sniffia to Peirce.
She fell on Peirce, that same moment something hit Jared with a great force that launched him far away from where he stood breaking a few trees along the way. Leaving another figure right in front of them showing an evil smile with an evil look,
"Hello children!" the malevolent figure said in a grating tone.
In a sudden combustion, Jared flew back and push the person's face which he shoved away, destroying many trees in the zone causing leaves from huge trees around twirling down on them as more rays of light shined to the ground.
-
Node and the others heard the creaking and crackling of trees falling miles away, he raised his hand up to stop, looked back scanning everywhere for Sniffia, Peirce and Vanilla,
"Where did they run off to?" then he signaled everyone to move slowly and gently towards the direction they heard the trees falling as they tightly held their weapons closely.
-
Sniffia and Peirce stood up,
"Lord Jared!" she cried as she moved closer to him.
Lord Jared? Vanilla thought.
Sniffia scanned everywhere, sniffing, she trembled.
"We are surrounded and I can't still fully scent them all." Sniffia gasped.
Jared also scanned the whole area, he clenched his fist.
"If you can't sniff them out easily then it means we are dealing with beings from beyond. Beings from the Beast kingdom." He said.
Sniffia, Peirce and Vanilla looked at Jared as they were horror struck by what he uttered.
Beings from beyond?!
None of the teenagers really knew what that statement meant but one thing to be sure of at least both Vanilla and Peirce heard stories about beings that behave more like creatures in the forest but lived many miles away from their village right after the snowing mountains, some called them ruffians, some called them cursed beings while some called them the 'Beast' from the Beast kingdom.
Then Vanilla moved a step backwards, putting her hand on her chest, shivering.
"Mother, Father was right," she fretted, Peirce looked at her, "They warned me about you, everything you touch or near are bound to be unlucky. I don't want to believe them but seeing it now. I… " She fretted, Peirce rushed to her, held her hands as tears rolled down her cheeks, Sniffia and Jared looked at them.
Peirce shook is head.
"No, No. Not you again. I-I. They are all lies!" Peirce yelled, they can tell from his tone that he was about to cry.
"Yes. This is never about the boy or anybody from your small village. They are all here for one existence among us and that's... Sniffia," Jared said almost regretting,
Vanilla looked at Jared, confused.
"Sir?!" She looked at Sniffia who was as shock as her, "Sniffia?" she whispered, "who are you guys?"
Peirce shook his head, "I don't even know." Peirce said in a disdainful way.
Suddenly, many figures jumped on the huge trees one by one surrounding them, including the one that Jared shoved away. He held his face, staring at Jared with an evil eyes. Peirce stood up facing the figures on the huge trees, while clenching his teeth.
Vanilla knees buckled as Sniffia rushed to her.
"Stand up. We also need your strength to get away from here," Sniffia said,
"My strength?" Vanilla asked, staring at the ground, "my strength? Seriously, what are you saying, we should fight beings from the Beast Kingdom...? We only came for the Tamarins not these." she fretted.
Sniffia stared at the weapon on her hand,
"If you can't fight, you are as good as dead, I'm sorry to say." she clenched her fist. "Who gave you the idea to yield this weapon?" Sniffia asked, extending her hand, Vanilla sniffled, looked at Peirce who was staring at the figures on the trees in shock. She nodded held Sniffia hand and stood up. "that was easy."
Vanilla dipped her hand in her bag behind her, took four materials that look like a pebble but harder than a stone as it look, gently placed one on the elastic band.
"It was my choice to follow him." Vanilla reminded her self looking at Peirce, Jared glanced at him,
"Kid, what ever you do don't wait here, I fight." he looked at Sniffia and Vanilla, "you take them and run." then Jared scowled at the figures as the air around him got stronger.
"Why are your kinds here?!" immediately, he said it, Azra jumped down from one of the huge trees to his front, who look more taller and bulkier than Jared's, Azra stared into Jared's downturned blue eyes.
"You know why." Azra answered as their eyes continued to bored into each other, suddenly, Vanilla shot her slingshot at him, but it didn't went far before Aghogho caught it right in front of her, before anyone could react, Aghogho immediately thrusted his arm into Vanilla stomach which came out from her back.
Peirce and Sniffia eyes gleamed, instantly, Vanilla coughed out blood as she was lifted up from the ground with shades of blood.
Azra looked at Aghogho, with a widened eyes.
"Aghogho. Why?! she is just a kid!" he yelled, Jared titled his head, also shocked, before thinking he dashed to Aghogho with a kick, Aghogho avoided his kick as he removed his hand from Vanilla's body then jumped back to a tree far from them, Peirce and Sniffia raced to Vanilla as she fell on her back.
Meanwhile at the Humane Kingdom. Wren was training with Beth at the courtyard, she stopped suddenly, held her chest as her heart beats strangely faster and bitterly, without warning tears began to flow from her eyes down uncontrollably, Luna took noticed of the sudden change on Wren's face, rushed to her.
"My princess what happened, are you hurt anywhere?!" she asked looking worried, Beth rushed to her also.
"Wren?!" she called, Wren took in a deep breath then cleaned her eyes with the cloth wrapped around her hand, looked at them with a smile,
"Nothing." Then she walked away from the courtyard, both Beth and Luna looked at her in confusion.
Back in the woods, Vanilla was on Peirce's arms as he couldn't stopped the flow of blood dripping out from her body while Sniffia stood at the front guarding them from whosoever attacked earlier, tightly holding her dagger, using her side to look at Vanilla on Peirce's arms then she looked at Jared fighting Azra and his kind, singlehandedly.
Jared kicked one away then punched another right on the chin, turned to his right and flung a gush of air from his hand pushing six Beast away, uprooting the huge trees behind them then flew to where the teenagers were, waved his hands, the air around them became visible and compelling as it twisted together until it covered them completely, forming a wind barrier like a big ball of visible air.
Peirce looked at the visible strong wind over their heads then Vanilla slowly touched his hand, he clinched a little, looked at Vanilla as he pressed hard against her wound, she coughed with blood flowing down from her mouth, Sniffia turned with a wet eyes, went to them gasping as she kneeled on the floor,
"Am sorry. Am so sorry… " Sniffia wailed.