*sigh* *clatter*
"Boring." Janice sighed as she supported her head and flicked a small rock.
It had been about two hours since the group entered the forest but nothing 'exciting' had happened.
"Yeah. I thought a beast would strike us as soon as we got in. What is it now? Nowhere close to interesting. It even got nice weather." Kaoru followed. *sigh* *crackle*
"It is because we brought food and are not yet hungry. Look, other people had gone hunting a long time ago. What do you say, Terla?" Calliope commented as she tossed a stone into the fire.
They stayed silent for some seconds but the reply they expected didn't come.
They looked up to see the situation but the girl who was supposed to be sitting across the fire from them was nowhere to be found.
"Huh?" they voiced in unison.
# # #
*rustle* *chip-chirp*
'Master, are you running away again.'
"Nah, I am not. I'm just looking about for something that would be of use to us. Having food is good but we should at least have a proper place to sleep, right? No one can predict how this forest will change in the next second."
*rumble*
Just as Terla finished her sentence, the weather started to change and the sky rumbled.
The environment suddenly darkened and the gentle breeze a second ago became harsh wind as if it was devilized. *squeak___* *roar* *flap_flap* *Drip_drop* The birds singing couldn't be heard anymore as they quickly hid their presence and weird sounds started to play.
'Oh, o.'
"Mmm hmm."
'So, what are we gonna do now master?'
*click*
"Shush!"
*creak__* *clomp_click* *keee____* *flip_flop_flutter*
"Something is coming towards us." Terla whispered.
*clomp_clomp*
'Ahh? Shouldn't you be running, Master?'
"No, it will only expose our presence." Terla then remembered and edited, "I mean, my presence."
'Then, what're we gonna do?'
"Mmm…let's hide," Terla whispered again as she slowly lifted her foot. "Wait."
*stomp_stomp_stomp* *scream____*
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" *Bump*
Three girls came screaming as they bumped into Terla and fell over one another.
Fortunately, Terla was quick to respond and she escaped the tragedy of being crushed down by three bodies.
"Ahh!"
"Ouch!"
Terla watched the three girls pressing down on each other, like a fool as she had to bite down her lower lip to hold in the laughter.
However, she stepped forward and offered a hand as she asked with a smile, "Need a hand?"
The girl at the top took her hand and got up but the second refused.
The third also got up holding onto Terla's hand. "Thank you.", the first girl stated.
"No problem."
*clomp__clomp* *crash*
Before they could continue their formalities, more footsteps echoed in the forest.
"Ah..ah.ahh." and three more girls arrived.
Two girls were barely fine but another one was close to collapsing as her skirt was torn and wet in blood.
"Janice? Calliope, Kaoru? You guys."
"Terla?"
"Terla, sob..sob, help me. It hurts..sob..sob." Calliope sobbed and came forward.
Terla swiftly ran towards her as she caught Calliope, "What happened?"
"Nothing serious. The sky suddenly darkened and we heard roars so we ran this way."
"Calliope?"
"I got caught in a vine and it tore my skirt, but I dared not stop running so..sob..so."
"Okay, let me see." Terla inspected her legs and others closed their eyes tight but to her surprise, all she found was a finger-sized scratch on her calf. It looked like nothing throbbing although all the blood seemed to leak from it. Terla, out of curiosity, reached the scratch but 'Don't touch!' she was halted by Ilana.
"What is it?" Terla whispered in a very low voice.
'It's poisoned.'
*drip_drop* *pitter_patter*
"Oh, no." the girls murmured.
Terla didn't have time to think straight as rain poured down drop by drop.
Terla quickly sat up and gave Calliope her back "Girls, let's find a shelter first.", she cried out " Calli, get on me."
She then closed her eyes and mumbled "Wind."
Soon, a gust of wind brushed everyone and a clear energy shield appeared over their head.
"What?"
"Stop the nonsense and follow her!"
"But where's she going?"
"How would I know? But she must have a plan."
The six girls followed Terla unwittingly as a more sinister sky hunted them down.
"Aunt Ilana, do you have a way to find a safe place to shelter?"
'I do. You can ask the wind spirits of this area.'
"Huh?"
' We are the first time here but they must have been to every nook and cranny of this forest.'
'Why didn't you tell me earlier?'
"Terla, who are you talking to?"
"Ahh, nothing."
"Aww." Calliope seemed like fainting as her body became weaker.
"Aunt Ilana. So, how do I ask them?"
'Oh, I will do it.' Usually quiet Zephyr suddenly voiced as his figure came out and flew somewhere.
Some seconds later he came back with two little wind spirits surrounding him.
'Here, this is my master. Can you show her the way, beauties? Hmm.'
'Hmm… as you say, handsome.'
'Hymph!' Eleni sounded.
'This way, Miss.' The two spirits smiled at Terla and led the way.
"Huh? Why did she suddenly change direction?"
"Maybe she found something. Let's just follow."
After running for another five minutes, they reached a gigantic waterfall.
*huff* *huff* *huhh__huff* *gasp*
'Here.' One of the spirits gestured.
*gush* *burble* *gush*
"What? We've come to a dead end."
"Huh. We shouldn't have changed the path."
'We are leaving. Goodbye, handsome.'
'Come to meet us when you are free.'
'Got it, beauties.'
"Zephyr, are you sure this is the place?" Terla whispered,
'Yes, they say there is a canal behind it.'
'What! Even if there is one, it is too dangerous to go through a waterfall!'
'Terla, it is too dangerous. How about we find another ourselves?' Ilana agreed.
'Yes, Master. Zephyr, you've been tricked!'
Terla turned back and looked at the girls and Calliope who had already fainted before declaring, "No." and continued forward.
"Hey, hey where are you going?!"
"Are you seeking death?"
"Hey! Can't you see it's a dead end?!"
Terla didn't listen or speak as she carried on stepping toward the waterfall.
"Huh! She doesn't care about us anymore." The girl in a black hunting suit uttered in disbelief.
"Are we going in?" Kaoru questioned.
"We have no other choice. It is raining heavily and we wouldn't survive long if not for her shield." Janice commented.
"You go in! I won't go either way." The girl asserted again.
Then another girl with silvery shiny hair stepped forward and patted her shoulder gesturing to Terla, "Look over there."
When she reached the plunge pool, Terla stared at the water and murmured something.
Then suddenly, the water stopped running for a while as if they were shocked and the waterfall split apart like a curtain being drawn revealing a pathway.
"What?!!" The scene left everyone except the silver girl gaping at her as she stepped forward and the water froze in fear with her every step. The plunge became motionless that even the ongoing raindrops couldn't waver their stillness as it held her up and supported her steps.
"The heck! She can even float on water?!"
"You say, is she from Morana?"
( Morana: The largest Kingdom after the two Empires where people practice martial arts instead of sorcery.)
"But foreigners can't take part in this event."
"Then she must be from Shilin."
(Shilin: The frozen part of 'Land of Peace' in which the highest mountain ranges are located and is widely known for its people's mastery of manipulation magic.)
Watching Terla enter the canal with light steps, the girls couldn't help themselves but become curious as they too walked to the pool.
The girl with dark ginger hair tapped the still water hesitantly as she asked, "Can either of you swim?"
Janice and Kaoru pointed at themselves before shaking their heads restlessly.
The silver girl and dark ginger girl looked at each other and then at the black suit girl, "Rieka."
"What?! Don't look at me!"
.
.
.
.
.
Rieka hesitated but had to agree because of her friends' coaxing and pleading.
"Break a leg, Rieka!" " Good luck."
She stood at the shore reluctantly and sighed as she stepped onto the still water with tightly closed eyes.
To her concern, the water supported her and everyone shouted in joy.
"Yay!" "Yes!"
"Hey, low your voices down." Terla had to warn them from behind the waterfall.
The girls immediately zipped their mouths and crossed the pool steadily.