Chapters -

Part 1 - Valenthia (Page 4, currently being edited since it sucks lol)

Part 2 - Star City (Currently being edited)

Part 3 - Rise to the Throne (Will be here soon)

    Valenthia's                  Past                  

                                  1-3

Chapter: 1

The hard footsteps seemed to be getting louder with each step.

 The crunching of leaves and the snaps of sticks were only feeding Zayari's fear. The trees seemed to claw at Zayari with their long black branches. She frequently had to dodge stray roots and branches to avoid tripping or getting injured.

 The black shadows seemed to be following her as if taunting her.

Zayari didn't know what she was running from;  She had just woken up in the middle of a weird forest, her head hurting.  

  She didn't remember where she was or even who she was.

  Zayari didn't know how long she had been running, but her legs were screaming out in pain. 

 The moon sent its pale light to the forest, but some of it was unfortunately blocked by the barren branches, not helping her sight by much.

  She took a deep breath- Or at least all the air she could manage while running- and gained enough 

courage to turn around, but instantly the courage disappeared. The dark shadow was way closer than before.

 Zayari quickly turned around and tried to run faster despite her screaming legs but immediately regretted it as her head bonked against a large black tree.

Zayari yelped in pain and collapsed to the ground unwillingly. The dark purple sky felt strange to her, and Zayari paused as she saw three moons, each full. The stars almost seemed to be laughing at her, twinkling in their beautiful way. Zayari frowned, seeing some red stars mixing with the white ones.

  Was that normal? She didn't know since she had nothing to compare it to, but she could've sworn they weren't supposed to be red.

 Zayari closed her eyes, steadying the beat of her heart. She rubbed her throbbing head. The footsteps got louder and closer, and Zayari started to accept her death.

 She opened her eyes and almost screamed at the creature that stood above her.

His- Zayari assumed it was he- mouth looked to be curved into a smile, showing sharp, glinting black 

teeth that were around the size of an average human nose. He stood on four large legs that seemed almost bigger than Zayari herself -she briefly wondered what she had thought when she tried to outrun the thing?- muscles ripping through his shaggy dark orange pelt and his black underbelly. His claws were out, looking the same as his teeth, and his ridiculously long tail dragged behind him. He had large pointed ears, and around his mouth was curved into a snout; his eye was cold and black, a glint of a white pupil in the center of the blackness.

 Zayari yelped as a rather drop of drool of great size slipped through his teeth and into her brown hair. She hated the feeling of it dripping down her hair and resisted the urge to touch the spit for a few reasons. One, it's spit. And that's dIsGuStInG. Two, she didn't want to alarm the creature above her, which was still analyzing her.

  "WHO ARE YOU." 

   Zayari, shocked that the creature could speak, looked at the creature; It didn't look scary, said the stupid side of her brain, which controlled more of her brain than the intelligent side. 

    It looked like a werewolf with much more fur and was the shape and height of a gorilla, was the best her mind could imagine.

  Or maybe it was a Gorilla with too much fur. Or Zayari was hallucinating. Yeah, she was going to have to go with hallucinating.

   Zayari tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"

The monster-gorilla-werewolf thingie looked irritated at her answer.

"They decided to punish me more by sending idiots into Valenthia, huh?" he growled, his claws unsheathing as he stood over her. Zayari didn't care. You see, his spit was in her brunette hair, which was already ruined from tree branches clawing at her.

  "I wouldn't say I'm an-" she broke off with a whimper as he opened his mouth.

  Zayari attempted to get up on her feet, but the monster put his paw on her chest, pushing her down hard against the solid ground. Zayari winced as sticks poked at her as the force knocked the breath out of her.

   Zayari breathed in huge amounts of air and opened her mouth, ready to say her name... Only nothing came out beside's the air.

    The creature frowned. He was probably thinking that Zayari was an idiot. But he did release some pressure on Zayari's chest, thinking that she didn't have enough air.

   "I said, who are you?" he said again, narrowing his eyes.

    "M-me?" Zayari squeaked. If he didn't think that she was an idiot before, this would definitely make him think that.

     Anger and annoyance were two emotions clearly visible on his face, straining from his efforts not to crush, eat, or in any way kill her.

    "WHO ELSE WOULD I BE TALKING TO?!?!?" he roared, putting more pressure than before on her chest. 

      Zayari wheezed, trying to get enough air back in her system to keep her heart beating, or to at least tell this creature to get off her.

     She took the largest breath she could, and this time, she told herself, keep it in.

     "M-my name is..." Zayari stopped, taking another breath, ignoring the glare of his black dead eyes.

       "Zayari..." she wheezed, taking in more breaths.

His eyes seemed to soften, realizing he had been too rough with Zayari. He took his paw off of her and seemed to even try a smile.

"Well then, Miss Zayari, how'd you get here?" his rough voice was way softer than usual, making it gentle on her and being kind only because Zayari was acting like a complete idiot. It wasn't her fault. She'll admit; Zayari is scared, now more scared since he was acting kinder.

  She may be an idiot, but she had a solid idea of what passive-aggressive was.

   But as soon as he said that, she was trying to figure it out. How did she get here? In fact, where is here? Valenthia? Wasn't that what he said? When she reached in her brain for those answers, there was nothing. Not even about who she was, her parents, friends -if she had any- just nothing beyond the moment she started running from him and waking up.

   "I don't know..." Zayari whispered, trying to reach deeper within her memories, disappointed when she found nothing, "I don't know who I am or where'd I come from; Where is here? Who am I? Who are you?" 

  He shook his head,  "Figured."

 He lifted his head, narrowing his eyes up into the trees, scanning them. Zayari took this moment to take in her surroundings. The trees were oddly black, with dark red leaves, and the grass beneath her was an indigo blue, and the bushes were a darker blue with yellow dots on them, supposedly berries.

  Zayari, now bored, followed the creature's gaze. It was pointed at a tree, about 22 human feet away from the two. Nothing was there. He was standing there, just staring. Strange. He's a monster, Zayari thought; what did you expect?

 "Um," Zayari said quick, trying to discover more about the creature, "Nice night, huh?" She nearly face-palmed at that.

   He glanced at her for a quick moment, analyzing her as if trying to decide whether or not she was worth his time. He narrowed his eyes again, "We need to-"

Abruptly, a black and white blur flashed by, taking the creature with it with a snarl, cutting off whatever he was going to say.

  Zayari yelped in surprise. She was once again confused and scared. Zayari scrambled up to her feet as fast as she could and found a hyena-like creature, except with no skin on its feet; it was all black, only with two white stripes leading down its back.

As it twisted to attack the creature, Zayari saw that it had no ears, about 3-feet tall, black eyes, with a red pupil, it's back in a hunch, and random skin tears in his back, most likely scars. Zayari shivered involuntarily out of fear.

  The creature sunk its sharp teeth into the monster's back; The creature yelped and futilely attempted to throw the hyena-creature off its back. Zayari backed up and cowered in fear behind the closest tree, letting them fight on, hoping that the one that had interrogated her would win the fight, not wanting to know what the hyena-creature would do to her if it won.

The hyena-creature scratched the creature with its sharp back claws that were as long as three inches at most. 

a tree, in another attempt to kill, or throw off the hyena-creature, except the Hyena-creature jumped off at the last moment, letting the creature's back hit the tree with so much force, it cracked the black tree.

    The hyena-creature pounced at the creature's chest, its claws sinking into him, breaking the tree in half.  Black liquid poured from the claws marks in the creature's chest, purposely blood.

    The creature growled, this time grabbing the hyena-creature of his chest and threw him down to the ground.  The hyena-creature whimpered, getting up to back up.  The creature smiled in triumph, even if he was in pain.

    The hyena-creature whimpered and limped into the shadows.  Zayari stepped out of her hiding place, glad that she and her interrogator were still standing. 

    The creature turned to her and opened his mouth seeming to try to say something, but instead, the black liquid came out, making Zayari go back into her hiding place.  The creature fell to the ground, the hyena-creature standing on his back, its mouth

on the creature's neck.  

   The hyena-creature looked up with a crazed look, and picked his head up, sniffing wildly. And then, his eyes laid upon Zayari and her hiding spot.

   Zayari shrieked in fear, not wanting to die.  The hyena-creature jumped at her, it's mouth opened wide, and it long claws out, forcing Zayari to move out of the way, or die a pretty gruesome death. 

    The hyena-creature stepped closer to her, and Zayari backed up into a tree. Was she really going to die here, now? 

    Now backed up into the tree, having nowhere is go, the creature seemed to smile, and leaped out at her, its claws and teeth ready to kill. She closed her eyes and raised her arms in an attempt to defend herself.

   A sharp yowl made Zayari peek over an arm. The hyena-creature was knocked against the same tree the creature used to be staring at. But now, Zayari thought sadly, staring at the creature's limp unmoving body, he'll never stare again because

  of me... 

   The hyena-creature seemed to be slowly fading, disappearing from existence. Zayari frowned, now realizing that the creature had just leaped at her moments before. What had stopped it? Maybe-

    A sudden voice knocked Zayari out of her thoughts, saying,

   "Hi, are you alright? Those creatures have been getting on my nerves today."

    Zayari put her arms down and looked in the direction the voice was in. It was a girl, about Zayari's age, maybe a year older, with her dark brown hair in a ponytail.  She was wearing a black t-shirt with white faded jeans, with a few rips. She was carrying a huge black branch, Zayari realized, the girl probably wacked the creature with it.

    "I'm," Zayari looked back at the creature and back at the girl, "fine. My name's Zayari.  What's yours?"

     The girl took a breath, looking at the dead creature to Zayari's right, and back at her. She walked forward and stuck her hand forward, probably for Zayari to shake, 

  so Zayari grabbed it and shook. 

  "My name's Azoru."

                                                      Chapter: 2

 "That's a nice name," Zayari offered.  Azoru smiled.

  "Thanks," she said, dropping the branch to the ground.

   "And uh, thank you for saving me back there. I mean, that must've taken a lot of strength to even pick up the branch, and then swing it? Wow."

     Azoru smiled more, meeting Zayari's blue eyes with her own green eyes. Zayari let herself relax a bit. She found another human, who wasn't interrogating her, and who saved her from whatever those creatures are.

      "Um, I arrived here just ten minutes ago, and uh, any chance you know where we are? And what those," Zayari pointed to the hyena-creature her and her interrogator, "are?" Zayari said hopefully.

        Azoru looked at her, and gently shook her head 'no'

        "I arrived just an hour ago. Sorry, but all I know, is that they love meat, and they

kill for it, and that they fade away when they die, like illusions.  That creature," she said pointing to the were-wolf-gorilla creature, "I don't know.  But it seems like he was trying to protect you at the end, and gave his life for it.  He chased me to, only I escaped from his view.  But other than that, I'm sorry, I don't know anything about this place." Azoru muttered looking at the creature that had protected Zayari.

   "Oh." Zayari sighed.  At least she knew more about the two creatures. "Thanks anyway."

    A silence filled the area, until one minute later, Azoru grabbed her stick again and started to leave.  Zayari looked up at the stars.  What in the world had Zayari gotten herself into?

    Zayari followed Azoru and said,

   "I'm just gonna follow you since, you know, I prefer to go with someone then travel alone..." 

     Azoru said nothing and just continued to walk away. Zayari can tell this was

going to be one boring trip.

  Azoru fumbled with the sticks, trying to start the fire, but failing miserably. Zayari sat down beside Azoru, crushing some leaves.

   "Maybe I should try?" Zayari said, wanting desperately to get Azoru away from the sticks before she gets out of control. Azoru glared at her, and then sighed, knowing this was for the best.

    "Yeah maybe you should, I'm gonna find some berries, or fish or just something for us eat," she said, standing up and brushed the leaves off her pants, and she turned to leave the clearing.

     "Wait, don't leave-" Zayari stopped. It was too late, Azoru had left the clearing they had found just minutes ago.

     "And I'm alone." Zayari finished off with a sigh.

    Zayari put two hands on a stick, and rubbed furiously, creating a weird purple

spark.

Zayari tried harder creating a few more purple sparks. It's working! Zayari thought, happy that she wouldn't be useless to Azoru.

   Soon enough there was a purple fire, warm and bright.  Weird.  Who knew fires can be purple? she thought.

    Happy with what she had done, she jumped up to her feet and brushed off all the leaves. 

  "AZORU! I GOT THE FIRE GOING!" Zayari called back.

    Nothing came in response.

   Zayari frowned.  Zayari thought Azoru would actually respond now or at least come running, to see if Zayari was just pulling her leg.  Nothing.  Zayari gulped in fear.  What happens if Azoru was lost, or worse, dead or hurt?

    Zayari watched silently in the direction Azoru went. Was she really going to have to do this? I mean how hard can it be, Zayari thought, Azoru saved her once, didn't

she?

   Zayari took a breath a tore of a black branch from the closest tree and held it close to her as she slowly walked in the directions Azoru went.

Zayari twisted and turned, prepared to wack anything that moved, hoping not to wack her friend by accident.  Zayari was so frightened of the creatures here, she tried to wack her own shadow, not even knowing it was hers.

   As she walked, the air was starting to get warmer, and Zayari could tell it was almost dawn.  

   Zayari strained her ear, thinking that she heard talking, instantly knowing that the voice didn't belong to Azoru, for this voice was way too deep, with fear cracking into the deep voice.

   Zayari held her branch closer, as she walked in the direction of the voice, repeating to herself that everything is going to be just fine.   

You may be stranded in a world you do not know of, with no memory, and meat-

eating creatures, but everything is gonna be just fine.  Zayari frowned at what she at been thinking.  Even her thoughts were sarcastic.

Zayari stood still, afraid of making any noise, for the person might hear her, and listened to the person. If it were a person.

    "He's going to kill me. I mean, I'm stranded on a world, my friends lost, AND FIUREX'S ARE LITERALLY SWARMING SURLAX, TRYING TO EAT ME!" he yelled, seeming to talk to himself. 

    Zayari, hidden in a bush, peeked out, seeing the person talking.  It was human, with blonde hair, and looked maybe 14-15 years-old.  Blues jeans and a black shirt, with a rubber band, with something written on it, but Zayari couldn't tell what it said from here.  He had a sword strapped on his back, probably for protection for the creatures.  Zayari's heart leaped into her throat, looking at his right side, and what it looks like, a knocked out Azoru, tied in rope.  Azoru was alive but captured and knocked out.  Azoru was alive but captured and knocked out.  Suddenly, a huge breath came out of

Zayari's mouth, she didn't know she even had been keeping in this whole time.  And apparently, her breath was too loud, and the boy turned around, looking straight at Zayari's hiding place. Why was she so bad at hiding?

  The boy yanked out a silver sword, that was almost bigger than him! He was taller

than Azoru, who was a few inches taller than Zayari.  So Zayari was the shortest person here.  Her friend was knocked out.  And the boy carried a sword.   Just great.

    The boy started to slowly walk over to Zayari's bush.  Zayari quietly moved from the bush into the bush to her right. 

    The boy jabbed at the bush with his sword Zayari was just in and frowned.

    "I could've sworn I heard something over here..." he muttered, turning back to Azoru.

     Zayari sneaked out of the bush and raised her branch above his head, and struck down with all her might... only to have his sword deflect the attack, and cut off half her branch, the broken piece flying behind her.

     The boy raised an eyebrow, lowered his sword, and frowned, "Zayari?"  And that's when Zayari's stupid side took over and she yelled,

      "RAAHHHH!" and with that, she struck down her broken branch, the branch hitting him straight on the head.  He fell to the ground, limp.  Ouch! That has to leave a mark.  Zayari thought, wincing.

   Zayari frowned at the branch and wondered why she just did that.  Well, it didn't matter now.  It was done. 

   She grabbed his sword and walked over to Azoru.  She had a new bruise on her head, supposedly the boy wacked her on the head with this sword to knock her out.  She carefully separated the rope from her skin, making sure not to cut Azoru by accident, and sliced, the rope cutting clean.  The sword was stronger than she thought. More familiar than it should be too, and how'd that boy know Zayari's name? 

   Zayari shook her head, getting the thoughts out of her head before they gave her

a headache.  Zayari gently shook Azoru until her eyes fluttered open.  She sat up and put her hand to her head.  Before even speaking she looked around, seeing the unconscious boy, the branch on the ground, the cut rope, and Zayari with a sword "I think I know what happened here," she muttered, looking at Zayari. 

  Zayari shook her head, and stood up, offering a hand to Azoru. Azoru took the hand and looked at her sword.

   "You gonna keep that? If so, best you take the scabbard," she muttered, pointing to the leather scabbard on the boy's back.

    Zayari listened to her and grabbed the leather scabbard, careful not to wake him up.

    Azoru walked over to her and said, "It's a shame he attacked me.  We could've all been friends and survive together."

    "Yea..." Zayari muttered, looking at the boy who had somehow known her name.

    Azoru frowned at her.

"You okay? Your mind seems to be on different things," she asked.

    Zayari looked back at her and quickly back to the boy. "I was just wondering how to get out of," Zayari frowned, remembering what the boy and the creature had said, "Surlax.  Oh and I think I know what those carnivorous creatures are."

     "What are they?" Azoru asked, clearly interested.

     "They're, 'Fiurex's' I think," Zayari said, thinking about what the boy had said,

     "Apparently they're swarming Surlax he said."

       Azoru looked alarmed. "Did he say that to you?"

      "No, he was talking to himself," Zayari said, looking up at the sky. The sun had risen, and weird red clouds were around it.  Well, what do you expect when you are in a world with indigo grass and black trees.  Oh, and don't forget the creatures that kill you, and eat you and blue bushes with yellow berries.  Her mind said sarcastically.

      Zayari's mind flashed back to their camp.  The fire!

     Zayari turned to Azoru, excitement on her face.  "I GOT THE FIRE GOING!"

    Azoru looked at her and laugh. "I don't think that's gonna be useful now," Azoru pointed at the sun, still laughing.

   Zayari's face turned red.  How could she have forgotten that the sun was up!? 

    Azoru looked at her, clearly trying to keep in a laugh. She was even straining from her efforts.  "Well, um, at least we know we have someone to make a fire at night," she said.

    "Yeah." Zayari agreed, trying to sound as if she said that on purpose.  The two started walking back to their camp, which thankfully, wasn't that far away.  Zayari didn't know if she can walk or stand any longer, and it didn't help that she was tired and hungry.

     Hungry.  Zayari turned to Azoru, her face still red from what happened with the sun-thing, asked, "Do you have food? I mean you left last night for food, and you know, the whole boy and sword thing happened."

      Azoru looked at her, "Actually, I do! I found some nonpoisonous berries!"

  Despite Zayari's hunger, she raised an eyebrow at Azoru. "How do you know they're not poisonous?" she asked.

    "Well, I was washing them off and then I ate one just to see. And when I was coming back with the berries, that guy wacked me on the head with that sword of his," she said pointing at the sword in the scabbard. "The berries were red and were the shape of a circle, and they can be found near our camp.  I also found a river, and that's where I washed off the berries."

    "Okay," Zayari said.  Zayari was not listening to her the whole time she was talking.  She just wanted to have food, not to learn.

   Azoru dug her hand into her pocket, coming out with red berries that somehow survived in the hot, and being shaken around, and laid on. "They're a bit hard to chew through, or crush."

   Well, that explains it.  Zayari thought, about to reach for one.

   Azoru suddenly closed her hand around the berries, not noticing Zayari's hand

reaching for them.

   "Hey, we're back at the camp, Zayari!" Azoru said, noticing the purple ashes around the fire, and the logs that were also around the fire.

    "Yay!" Zayari said with fake happiness in her voice, "Can we eat now?"

     Azoru eyed her suspiciously as if she'd seen through Zayari's happiness. "Yeah sure..." she said, giving Zayari half of the berries.

      Zayari closed her eyes and raised them all to her mouth ready to eat them.  Suddenly, Zayari crashed to the ground, and the berries were flung from her hand. 

     "ZAYARI!" Azoru screamed.

      Zayari winced in pain.  Her back hurt. Zayari slowly opened an eye, seeing a familiar creature standing over her.

     His cold dead eyes stared at Zayari.  Azoru was leaned against the tree, unconscious as if she was crashed down too after she yelled ZAYARI.  Zayari's sword was a few feet behind the Zayari.  Zayari turned her gaze back to the creature who

   should've been dead. 

  "So, Zayari," her interrogator sneered, "ready to try this again? Without any interruptions this time?"

                                                     Chapter: 3

   "Not... really..." Zayari groaned in pain, trying to get back up, but the creature put his paw on her neck this time.

   The creature frowned, clearly not expecting her to say that. 

    "Well, uh... that's too bad?" he said, making it sound like it was a question.

   "Is it really?" Zayari wheezed. Maybe if she can overwhelm him, or make him take his paw off her, she can grab the sword and-

     "STOP QUESTIONING ME! I AM QUESTIONING YOU!" he yelled, spit flying in her face. His paw pressed harder on her neck, and she could feel his claws ruining her black shirt.  Now she understood why she hated him... Wait, why'd all the humans here have black shirts? She thought out of nowhere. 

      "Are you sure?" Zayari pressed on, ignoring her black shirt thought.

   He suddenly put more pressure on, and Zayari felt blood trickle down her shirt and skin as he roared in annoyance and anger.  Zayari's vision started to blur, feeling like she couldn't breathe.  No.  She couldn't breathe... it wasn't a feeling and the pressure only got harder as he roared on.  There would be no fiurex saving her now.  Maybe she pushed it a little too much. Yeah, a LITTLE. She thought bitterly.

    Her vision was starting to turn completely black now, and suddenly her stupid side took over again. Her arm reached out, searching for the sword through the blackness, her fingers brushing the hilt of the sword.  Zayari's heart was close to stopping.  She needed to hurry, or she'll die.

    Zayari's fingers grasped around the sword, and her stupid side swung the sword straight at the creature.  

    Zayari knew she hit the creature, because she heard a different yowl, just like the one when the fiurex had bit the creature and the pressure released from her neck, giving her a chance to breathe.

  Zayari had to thank her stupid side because the smart side would just let her choke to death.

  Zayari's vision cleared, as she scrambled up.  The creature, who was flat on the ground, breathing heavily, had Zayari's red blood on his paws, and on his neck was where Zayari had thrust the sword into him.  

   The black liquid was pouring out of the spot where he had been stabbed, and the sword was covered in it.  She pointed the sword at his nose. 

   She almost felt sorry for him until he said, "Yo-you're an id-idiot. I ca-cannot DIE!" he shrieked at the last word, as his breathing stopped.  He's... dead. Or at least for the time being.

   "Wow," Zayari turned her gaze to Azoru, "he got some anger issues." Azoru groaned, looking at his dead body.

    Zayari looked in disgust at her sword and decided she better clean it before anything else happens. Well, before any bad things happen.

     "How long were you awake for?" Zayari asked, not meeting Azoru's eyes.

   "When you started questioning him.  At 'is it really?'.  I tried to get up, but my back and leg were killing me. I couldn't even stand on them!  In fact, that's the reason why I'm leaning against this tree.  Nice job though.  Too bad he's immortal though."

   "Yeah..." Zayari said, thinking about the black shirt thought again.  Everyone also had jeans so far, including Zayari

    Zayari looked at her wrist, shocked.  She was wearing the same rubber band the boy had been wearing.  She looked at Azoru's wrist, expecting the same rubber band but nothing was on her wrist. Nothing.

   And the boy had known her name when she didn't even tell him. Something was wrong here.  Terrible wrong.  Maybe she shouldn't have wacked that boy on the head... or stole his sword.

   "Zayari did you hear me?" Azoru said, sounding impatient, which surprised Zayari.

   Azoru was a patient person so this was new. 

   Zayari turned to Azoru, "Ah, no. What did you say?"

   "I said we might have to find somewhere else to set camp up since that creature knows where we are," she said pointing to the creature Zayari had just killed, "and we need to find fresh water and food.  And you might wanna clean your sword if you know, something bad happens... and, you might wanna find something to cover up your wounds.  Maybe some leaves would work."

    "Ok," Zayari said flatly. "works with me."

    And with that, the two set off in search of a new camp. Zayari sent one last glance at their old camp and the dead creature, whispering goodbye to her old home.

   Zayari almost screamed as the water contacted the wound on her neck.  The creature had left four claw marks in her throat, and Zayari was barely making it through the first one.

  Azoru and Zayari separated again, Azoru saying she was going to find things for their camp, while Zayari healed her wounds and clean the blood off her sword.

    Zayari's sword was cleaned off by a nearby stream, and she used her hand to wipe off any hard to get off blood, and placed it back in her scabbard.  Her wounds were going to be cleaned by wet leaves, as Azoru had suggested to Zayari.

    She pulled the leaf off of her neck wincing at the once pink-red leaf, that was now a darker red, dripping down the leaf as if the leaf was bleeding.  She sighed.  Good thing she brought about 7 leaves.

    Zayari carefully dipped the leaf in the freezing stream, flinching as she did so.  She placed it on her wound, wincing in pain.

    Zayari took the leaf off, seeing the same time as last time, only less blood.  Zayari stood up and pulled her sword out, hearing a snarl. 

    "Hel-" Zayari crashed to the ground, tumbling into the freezing water, the breath being knocked out of her.  Zayari struggled within the stream, trying to get out but

the stream was far too wide, for Zayari to reach out and grab land.  She couldn't swim against the current, for the current was too strong.

   Zayari yelped in pain, for whatever jumped on her and gotten them into this mess, had bit her arm to either hold on so it wouldn't go under, or kill her.  She could feel the blood pour down her arm, and into the water, creating a cloud of blood beneath the water, it being pushed again her, and, the creature, which was apparently a fiurex down the current. Zayari's feet could stop them, for Zayari couldn't reach the floor of the stream, and she couldn't even stand still for her feet to touch the ground, since she was struggling fine enough trying to keep her head above water and to get any more wounds. And the fiurex just bit her again on her arm, blood again pouring into the stream, creating more blood clouds in the water.

   Great. More wounds.

  Zayari yelped... Well, tried to at least as her head fell underwater leaving her yelp as gurgles and bubbles. Zayari pushed herself above the water, getting a huge breath

just as she was pulled back underwater.

   She tried to swim above the water as she sunk lower, unable to push against the water's current.  Zayari was straining to keep her eyes open underwater.  Zayari glanced behind her, her eyes widening, as her heart leaped into her throat.  The fiurex and her were headed straight for a waterfall.  And that's when the stupid side took over again

   Zayari grabbed the hilt of her sword harder, jamming the sharp side to the side of the river as hard as she could, trying not to let the current push her away.  She could hear a scream/snarl as the creature went off the waterfall as if it was crying for help.

   Zayari's cheeks were about to burst from not having enough air.  She pulled herself closer to the river's wall, trying to climb out.

   Zayari reached out a hand, grabbing a chunk of rock on the wall, pushing herself up. She grabbed the rock with all her strength, pulling out the sword quickly, trying not to be pushed away from the current, and stabbed it into another soft spot in the river

wall, pulling her self up again, breaking the water's surface, taking a huge breath.  She put her hand on the land, and quickly pulled out her sword, stabbing the ground, pulling herself the rest of the way.

   As soon as Zayari was on the ground, she pulled the sword out and put it back in her scabbard, laying down on the ground, breathing heavily.

   Zayari was happy to be alive and put up her arm, checking out the bites from the fiurex.  Under a weird scar, a bite was near her shoulder, while the other on her wrist, dripping light red dots, probably mixed from the water and blood.

   She carefully placed a hand on her marks on her neck.  They weren't bleeding any more.  Zayari shivered, the wind blowing by and contacting the wet Zayari, making her colder.

    Zayari stood up, looking up at the sky.  The sun was almost completely lowered, a beautiful sunset painted over the sky.  The sunset was blue, purple, and pink, also something strange about this world.

   Zayari smiled, taking a step closer to the edge, watching the sunset reflecting off the lake the waterfall leads to.  It seemed to be a long way down.  

   Maybe this place wasn't as bad as she thoug-

   Zayari, suddenly, was barrelled off of the edge, finding another fiurex on her.  Did they ever stop?

   She kicked the fiurex off of her, it hit the waterfall and disappeared as soon as it did... WAIT... THE WATERFALL!?! Her mind screamed as she plummeted straight to the lake.

    Her body hit the water with a smack, as she went deeper into the water, without any air.  Then, everything went black.

   Zayari slowly opened her eyes to see the sun shining straight at her... Wasn't I just drowning in the lake?  She thought staring at the lake. Zayari turned her gaze at the sun... Wasn't it sunset? She thought again, eyeing the sky and sun.

  She looked to her left, and there was a beach... except with blue sand.  She put her hand to the ground, and pulled a chunk of the blue sand, slowly falling through her fingers.  Another strange thing about this world. 

   Zayari turned to her right to see more of the blue sand, and a female sitting on a log and seemed to be roasting some weird looking fish over a familiar purple fire.

   The girl, of course, was wearing a black shirt, and light blue jeans.  She had straight blonde hair that reached down all the way to half her back, with blue eyes, the flames seeming to dance in them, changing them to purple.

   That was until her gaze turned to Zayari. She smiled. "Hello, Zayari." she stood up and walked over to Zayari.  Her eyes didn't seem to change to blue, her eyes might actually be purple.

  Zayari pulled out her sword, but the girl seemed to ignore it pointing at her. She offered her hand to pull Zayari up and off the blue sand, and said,

   "My name's Star.  And Ryobi's been wanting to explain things to you."

                                   Chapter: 4

The name, 'Ryobi' seemed to be ringing in her ear, as if she heard it before...

   "Ryobi? Who's 'Ryobi'?" Zayari questioned, taking her hand, it pulling her up as Zayari tucked her sword back into her scabbard.

    Star shook her head. "I'd figured you'd lose your memories too, like Azoru."

    "Excuse me?" Zayari's head was thumping.  She rubbed her temples with her fingers, confused.  Yes, I may have lost my memory, but Azoru also did too? What is going on here? 

    Star gestured to the logs, and the two made it over to sit on the surprisingly comfortable wood.

   "You hungry?" Star asked, watching Zayari stare at four cooked fish.

    "Uh, I haven't eaten for a while..." Zayari blushed, "And last time I tried to eat, a

jumped on me..."

  Star raised an eyebrow. "A creature? Do you mean the fiurex's? Do you even know what fiurex's are?" Star asked.

  Zayari shook her head 'yes'. "Yes a creature, and no, I do not mean the fiurex's. I mean this huge creature who WILL not DIE DESPITE HOW MANY TIMES he HAS DIED!" Zayari yelled out of frustration.

   "Well OK, what did the creature look like? And where'd you meet him? What's your story here?" Star asked, alarmed. 

   "I first met him when I woke up in a black forest, and I started running away, but of course, he caught me, but he looked like a gorilla/werewolf.  He was about the size of a gorilla standing on its two legs, and ran as fast as a werewolf, with paws like one too. He was stronger than both of those animals combined, five times that even! Well, when he caught me, he started questioning me, about who I was, how'd I get here, and stuff.

"Then, he was knocked off by a fiurex and killed by one," Zayari said, stating everything that happened in the past three days, "The fiurex tried to kill me too. I dodged him the first time, and then Azoru wacked him off the second time knocking him into a tree, and he... faded away.  

  "Me and she started to do everything together, she said she arrived thirty minutes before me.  Then she went off to find food, while I made the fire. When I was done I searched for her, finding a boy with blonde hair and Az-"

   "That boy is Ryobi. He's the only one who still has his memories.  And I can tell you stole his sword after knocking out, huh?" she said pointing to Ryobi's sword.

   "Yeah... haha..." Zayari laughed nervously, her face red.

    "You can continue," Star said gesturing on.

    "Okay, as I was saying, I found a Ryobi and Azoru, and with Azoru knocked out. I had grabbed a branch before that too, for a weapon.  And that's also how I figured out that this world was called 'Surlax' and that those carnivorous creatures are called

'fiurex's'.  But anyway I guess I made too much noise, and he discovered where I was. I moved to another bush and he checked the bush I was originally in but found nothing.  And when he was leaving, I don't know, I just... tried to knock him out with the branch but he countered it with his sword, slicing it in half, then he said my name and I knocked him out, took his sword, and freed Azoru.

   "When we got back to the camp, the creature came back and jumped on me, knocking Azoru out too.  He was trying to interrogate me but instead, I asked him questions, annoyed him so much, he got out of control, and roared.  His paw was on my neck, and the pressure was unbearable, his claws sinking into my neck, and I couldn't get my sword because it was behind me, and I was... choaking, my vision fading than I just... somehow found my sword through the darkness and stabbed him... which killed him, and since he can't die, I bet he's gonna come back for me.  Well, anyway after that me and Azoru found a new place to set camp up, and she said I should go clean off my sword, and cover my wounds, while she cleaned up the place,

and find food and water.

   "I went to the river, and when I was cleaning my wounds a fiurex jumped on me, taking us both in the river, but I couldn't stop myself since the current was too strong, and I couldn't reach the sides of the river or the bottom.  The river ended into a waterfall, and when I was underwater and saw the waterfall, I stabbed the sword into the side of the river, only making it because the sword is literally about four inches smaller than me.  

   "After climbing the side of the river, I was on land.  And it was sunset when I made it out of the river, and I was captivated by the sunset and it reflecting off the ocean.  I went to the edge to see a better view, then another fiurex attacked me, pushing me off the edge, and I tumbled toward the lake... and well drowned, and you saved me I guess." Zayari finished her eyes on the lake the whole time.

    "Ok, and I guess one of them bit you twice then," Star said, pointing at Zayari's bite marks.

  "Yeah... I wonder what Azor- AZORU. I FORGOT ABOUT HER." Zayari yelped, jumping up to her feet.

   "Oh, no, she's fine. Ryobi is watching over her just fine." Star said, offering Zayari some fish.

    "And fiurex's are attracted to blood, your wounds on your neck might've attracted them."

    Zayari ignored Star, immediately taking her sword out and pointed at Star, who was now alarmed. 

     "Eh, what's wrong? Don't like cooked fish? Are you vegetarian or something?" Star picked up a clay bowl filled with water, "Wants some water then? Ryobi was pretty worried about you when you wacked him on the head.   Oh and, he can explain things to you, about who you are, and why we're here!" Star smiled, despite the sword aimed at her.

      Zayari sighed, knowing threatening won't get her anywhere, and asked, "Take me

to them, Star."  

   She looked at Zayari, "Ok, but when we get there, your gonna have to eat something, drink something, and cover up your wounds.  Also, get some sleep, they're bags under your eyes, Zayari."

    Zayari looked annoyed at how kind this girl was. "Whatever. I just need to talk to this Ryobi guy." Zayari sighed.

    "Of course!" she said, handing her the clay bowl, and jumped up to her feet.  Zayari could've sworn Star rolled her eyes before getting up.  Zayari frowned at the girl as she drank her water, surprised how clean it was and tasted.

      "C'mon, let's get you to the camp."

     Zayari and Star were entering the entrance of the camp, which appeared to be brambles intertwined, and under it was enough room for the humans to walk through, though Zayari didn't understand why'd they need an entrance when

they could walk into the camp in literally any other way, and she could tell Star didn't understand either.

   The same blonde boy was walking around, talking to himself.  

    "HEY, RYOBI!" Star screamed, knowing it wasn't needed, but just probably wanted to.

     "What-" he said, turning around, his eyes on Zayari. Well, he had blue eyes.

     Zayari turned red, "Uh, hi.  Sorry for knocking you in the head with a stick."

    "Eh, it's ok," he said, walking over to the two. "Can I have my sword back?"

    Zayari yanked them off her back, handing them to Ryobi.  Hr strapped them on his back.

     "Do you want to know where Azoru is?"

      "Yep."

      "Alright, follow me," he said, gesturing to a weird cave Zayari had not noticed before.   The camp was in a clearing and apparently, there was a cliff, but they were

below it, and on the cliff's wall, there was the cave, torches seeming to light up the way, but Zayari couldn't see from here. 

   "Thank you, Star.  You can go do... err... whatever you want?" he shrugged, not knowing how to dismiss her.

    She laughed and bowed, walking into the forest, going in the direction they just came from.

   The two walked in silence, Zayari eyeing the scratch on his head where Zayari had hit him there with the branch.

    When they entered the cave, Zayari can make out a silhouette of a body laying on the cave's floor, covered in a fiurex's skin, a fire dancing in her green eyes.  Azoru was clearly awake, her eyes watching them come in, but she could only see the silhouette of them.

    As Zayari and Ryobi walked closer, Azoru's eyes widened as she saw Zayari walking closer.

"Zayari!" Azoru got up immediately a smile spreading on her face.

  "Yeah, hi," Zayari said, smiling back.

   Azoru's smile faded, seeing Ryobi beside her, her eyes darkening.  "You are with them aren't you? Where were you?"

   "With these idiots? Gosh no." Zayari said.

     "S'cuse me Zayari, I-" Ryobi started but Zayari ignored him, "And I was drowning in a waterfall," Zayari pointed to her arm where the bites still were.  "And trying to survive from a fiurex attack.  Star, the girl just happened to save me."

     Azoru was about to say something but stopped and stared behind Zayari's shoulder.  Zayari frowned, "What's wrong?"

   Azoru pointed behind them.

    Zayari turned, and so did Ryobi.  It was him.  Zayari's interrogator.  Without knowing what she was doing because her stupid side took over her again, yanking Ryobi's sword off his back, not even noticing.

"Oh, hey your back! We find Zayari by the way!" Ryobi said, giving Zayari a strange look because the sword was pointed at the creature.

   The creature didn't return his smile. "So, you can finally go now?"

   Ryobi watched Zayari as she started moving slower to him. "Well, uh, not quite now..." Ryobi said nervously.

  The creature roared, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'NOT QUITE'!" 

  "Ah well, we have a delay.  We need to find a way to leave this planet first of all, and if it requires building or not," he said nervously, his gaze now on the creature.

    "You know him?" Zayari sneered, her voice darker, her gaze not leaving his black dead eyes.

     "OF COURSE HE KNOWS ME! I WAS SENT TO FIND YOU!" the creature yelled at Zayari, meeting her blue eyes.

     "And kill me? You tried to kill me the second time!" Zayari yelled back, feeling not even a bit scared as she pointed at her scars on her neck.

"DID I KILL YOU THOUGH!?! YOU KILLED ME!!!" he yelled, his strong arm knocked into Zayari the cave wall as she yelped in surprise. 

   "ZAYARI!" someone yelled.

    Zayari's vision fading again. She heard a crash as she regained her vision slowly, seeing that the creature had jumped on Ryobi, with a paw raised, the claws extended, but everything was black and white and blurry.

   And Zayari snapped again. Course the stupid side did something. Somehow through her horrible vision, she jumped on the creature, hearing the creature yelp in surprise, and backed up, giving Ryobi a chance to move.  Clutching the sword through her hand, and dropped it down with all her might... only to have it fly out of her hand and hit the cave's wall with a clunk.  

   The creature laughed, it's claw seeming to have flicked the sword out of her hand. "Not this time, Zayari!"

    The creature tried to fling her off by shaking side to side and up and down, but

despite how much Zayari almost fell off, she grabbed his fur with all her might, and wrapped her arms around him, practically screaming. 

  Azoru tried to reach out to her but got hit by his side, passing out, just like Ryobi had done. Wow. That's nice. I'm on my own, fighting a creature who wants to kill me without any-

    "Zayari, catch!" said a familiar purple-eyed female, throwing the sword at her.

   Zayari didn't know how she caught it, but her stupid side took over again, catching it easily, the hilt perfectly in her hand.  The creature was distracted by Star, who threw a rock at him, hitting him on his werewolf ear.  Zayari pulled the sword up as far it could go in her position and brought it down, the sword going through his head, and out his throat, black liquid falling to the floor, along with the creature and Zayari.

   Star looked in awe at Zayari, surprised she had caught the sword, and how deep the sword went into.

     Zayari pulled the sword out of his head, her body regaining its control. "We better

move.  He'll be back to life soon, and he'll come looking for us." 

   "Yeah," Star said. "we'll be ready for him though.  And after that, me and Ryobi can tell you everything. Like simple questions like, who are you, or why are we here."

she said, as Zayari picked up Azoru, and leaned her against Zayari, Star doing the same for Ryobi, as they left the cave and went into the forest, seeking shelter from the now raining sky.

    And from the cave, and a black-eyed creature watched them go, a smile playing on his face.  The kids had no idea what they've got themselves into.

                                              Chapter: 5

   The moon shined brightly in the sky, as Star and Ryobi were beginning the story. Azoru and Ryobi were awake, and they were by the lake Zayari had drowned in, each with fish beside them, and a cup of water.

    "Ready?" Star asked. 

    "Ready as we will probably ever be," Azoru said, exchanging a glance to Zayari.

    "Alright." Star took a deep breath, Zayari's eyes watching the fire, absorbing whatever Star had to say.

     "We were normal students on earth.  We went to a school, worked, went home.  But one day, when we were at school, hanging together, a gunshot rang out.  Of course, most kids screamed and started running over each other.  We were all about to leave, Zayari wanted to find out what was happening, so she walked down the hallway, where the gunshot had come from.

  "Azoru and Ryobi tried to stop her, but she wouldn't stop, insisting that she had a feeling she had to go this way.  There was also another girl, my sister, Mizumi, who was with us.  She was standing in fear, watching Zayari go by, and I was comforting her, watching Zayari all the way.  Before any of us can do anything, a guy in a white coat came around the corner and shot Zayari in the shoulder with a new gun Ryobi had ever seen before, and that was saying something.  But anyway, Mizumi screamed at the blood pouring from Zayari's shoulder, and another person walked out wearing the same thing as the first person, except she was female.  They both gave us all a hard look.

   The male smiled, watching Zayari's wincing expression, surprised she didn't scream in pain, and said, 'we'll come back for them...' and the two people left, and Zayari fainted, and so did Mizumi both from the blood.  

    The school docter found us, Azoru trying to make sure Zayari didn't lose any more

blood and I comforting Mizumi who had woken up again.  Ryobi was making sure you were still breathing, and Mizumi was frightened and scared for Zayari. 

  They called the police, the hospital taking you in, and helping you, and the police interrogating us all separately.  You and Ryobi's mom were by your bedside, and if you didn't know, Zayari and Ryobi are siblings," Star said, expecting Zayari to say something, but Zayari was silent, her eyes following every movement of the fire.

  "And after Zayari was treated they asked Zayari questions as they did with all of us, but they claimed, to know nobody by the descriptions we all said, which were all the same, but they swear to us that they'll find whoever did this, and lock them up for good.  For about five years I think. 

   Two weeks later, the school was back to normal, and it was like it never happened.  Until they showed up again.  They didn't show up in their normal white coats but the male in brown jeans, and a black shirt, and female in a flower blouse with a black shirt like the male.  In fact, under their white coats were black shirts.

"They said they were detectives, hired by the police.  They even had fake IDs and nametags.  Of course, the teachers believed them, despite how much Mizumi pleaded not to go with them, or at least confirm it with the police, but the teacher didn't listen. They never do.

  "The people took us to this place, and said they found a new world with oxygen and life on it and needed strong people but young ones to go there, not knowing how the physics work there or the time.  They trained us.  Mizumi and Azoru being medics.  Zayari and Ryobi being fighters.  Me the food and water supplier, also knowing how to tell how to find coordinates by the stars, a messed up joke made by a trainer.  

  "They called the plan of their's Project Surlax, and that's why we call this world Surlax, without knowing the real name of the world, of course, cause who would be there to tell?  We would be after the journey.  My sister... Mizumi... one day refused to do their training saying she was done of being bossed around and told to do something she didn't to do, and since she rebelled, they thought we needed to be

taught a lesson about life.  About disobeying and what happens to those who do disobey, and not listen. They killed her... right in from of our eyes, and laughed at my crying. 

   "After that, we listened.  Did what they told us without hesitating.  No more playing around, no more games.  The people said we would soon be getting on the planet Surlax, and starting Project Surlax.

    "They set up everything for us, gave us a sword, and a Rocket to get there, but since they didn't entirely trust us with the rocket, they made it so we couldn't drive, and they could back at the station. When we were flying through Space something went wrong.  Something had hit our rocket, hitting it, and crashlanding it on a planet.  We were sorta lucky that this was the planet we were supposed to be on but, when we crashed, the rocket disappeared and we were all awake at different times, two of us lost our memory, and we were scattered across the world.  I found Ryobi first, then Zayari second, while Ryobi found Azoru second, and we also found that creature that

betrayed us back in the cave, and can't die. And so here we are now, stranded on this world, with no absolute hope with surviving and with a creature who's hunting us down, and carnivorous fiurexs."

   Ryobi sighed, "Way to be optimistic, Star." But even as he said that Zayari knew that he too doubted their survival chances.

   "Star..." Azoru whispered, apparently trying to find the right words to apologize for her loss.  She clearly was remembering, but Zayari for some reason wasn't remembering anything as she watched the fire, nothing crossing her mind.

    Star nodded her head at Azoru, accepting her apologize silently, and Zayari could feel Star's gaze piercing into Zayari's eyes.  

    Zayari lifted her head, her eyes still fixed on the fire said, "I- I think we should go up to the mountains... the creature shouldn't suspect us up there.."

    "Yeah, he shouldn't," Ryobi said, staring at Zayari, as if he too suspected her to say something, or question her story. But Zayari didn't.  The story was too hard

to wrap her head around it... Why was her life so hard?

   Azoru seemed to understand that Zayari felt so overwhelmed about everything, and said, "Let's journey there now, so we might still have time to eat and set up a camp."

   "And sleep!" Ryobi joined in.

   "Yes, but we will need strength for the journey.  How about we eat now instead of later?" Star gestured to the fish.  

      "That sounds like a good idea," Azoru said, lifting a piece of her cut-up fish, hesitating for a bit before taking a small bite.

     She swallowed the bit and smiled.  The others may believe it, but Zayari knew Azoru for what felt like too long to trust that smile, but still, it would be weird if Zayari wouldn't have eaten the fish, and the others may not eat it because of it.  She was not going to let her friend's trick go to waste.

    The group lifted their piece, even Zayari.  They may be stranded on a stupid island, and with fiurexs and a weird creature chasing after them, but this...

This moment made it all worth it; Her friends' reaction to the disgusting fish.

   They all took a bite except Zayari and Azoru. Zayari and Azoru had quickly taken the fish piece away from their mouth at the last moment, leaving the others to try it alone.

     Ryobi was the first to react, spitting the fish out of his mouth, as someone would do with water, and Zayari had to quickly dodge it before it hit her.

    Star grimaced at the fish, and turned around, spitting it out.  They both grabbed the water and drained it all down, the two both glared at Zayari and Azoru.

   Azoru just looked away, while Zayari smiled innocently, fluttering her eyelashes.  Ryobi laughed while Star looked like she was going to murder them both in their sleep.

     As if to finish it all off, Azoru said, "Wasn't it just excellent? It was probably the best thing I have ever ate!" and finished it off by fluttering her eyelashes as Zayari had done.

    "Y'all. Are. Evil." Star gasped, still trying to get the taste out of her mouth.

"I figured."  Ryobi laughed.

    Azoru stood up, dusting off her clothes, "Should we head toward the mountains then?"

     Star stood up with Ryobi.  "I guess so," she said.

     Zayari stood up and nodded, watching the Surlax's sunset, as the group walked in the direction of the mountains.

     As they headed toward the mountains, Zayari often found herself glancing at the shadows, as if they were going to leap at the group any second now.  

      Azoru walked over to Zayari, her eyes seeming to watch the shadows as well.  "Are the shadows moving? Or is that just me?"  Azoru whispered, her eyes narrowing.

      "I honestly don't know..." Zayari whispered, glancing at the shadows.

       Star shivered, coming over to Zayari and Azoru.  "You see that too?  This forest is creepy.  Like, creepier than anything I've seen here yet, and that's saying something,"

she whispered to the girls.

     Zayari turned to Ryobi, who had his sword out ready to slash any creature that came in their way.  "Are we there yet? Or close?" Zayari asked.  Her head may be turned to Ryobi, but she made sure out of the corner of her eyes, she could watch the shadows.

     Ryobi, looking clearly annoyed by, 'are we there yet', said, "No!  Does it look like it!?" and finished by glaring at Zayari.

     Star pointed to the nearest shadow.  "What's those white circle things? And why are the shadows shaped like... uh... humans?" she whispered.

     Zayari scanned the shadows, trying to find the white things Star was talking about.  It was harder to find since they were moving, but soon, Zayari found the white circles.  Each shadow having two, which could be eyes possibly, based on the human shape and size.

      Yep.  Those are eyes.  Zayari thought, shivering.

    Before Zayari could say anything about the eyes, Azoru beat her to it.  "They look like eyes of some sort," she whispered, shivering.

    "THEY BETTER NOT BE!" Star yelped.

      Ryobi glanced at the three and laughed, "What, you're scared? They're just shadows!"

     Star and Zayari glared at him as Azoru just continued to stare at the shadows.

     Ryobi suddenly pointed to a huge dark outline, the shape of a mountain, "Hey, it's already dark," he said looking up at the silver moon, "maybe we should sleep here for the night?... If you girls aren't too scared." he grinned.

    Zayari would think she knew better rather than to get angry and say stuff like, 'we can stay out here longer than you' and fall for his plan, but that seemed to be the opposite of what was said...  As Azoru rolled her eyes, Star and Zayari glanced at Ryobi with determination in their eyes and hissed, "We aren't scared!"

   Ryobi laughed, "That's what I thought, now we don't have time to build a campsite,

and we can always sleep against trees..."  It seemed more like a question, but the Star and Zayari nodded, the same determination burning in their eyes, while Azoru rolled her eyes.

      The four found a clearing and found their own trees, Zayari and Star silently yelling at themselves for falling for this.

      Zayari leaned up against a tree and stared at the weird bloodstained stars, and thought about the weird shadows, the fiurexs, the creature, and the scientists.  Was this all just a dream? Or a stupid project?

     Zayari closed her eyes, pretending she was safe, and in bed, and definitely not-going-to-get-killed-by-any-creature-or-shadow-in-her-sleep, and laughed silently at her own thought.

    And before she passed out, she could hear laughing.  Maybe what she thought was funny to somebody else too.

                                                   Chapter: 6

    Zayari opened her eyes immediately as the sun rose.  She rubbed her head in pain.  Maybe sleeping on a tree was a horrid idea.  Zayari tried to stand up on her feet, but her legs wobbled a bit, and then she fell.

    She groaned and looked up at the sky, seeing the sun, some clouds, trees, and a mountain... MOUNTAIN!

    Zayari jumped up again, but this time using the tree as support, "Hey guys! The mou-" Zayari stopped.

    There was no one there.  Had they left her behind... No, they wouldn't...  Zayari's heart skipped a beat, realizing there was no one there except the shado-

    'Nice guess... Zayari was it?' croaked a voice in her mind.  And with that, Zayari instantly started to freak out and backed up against the tree. 

     "Who are you?" Zayari asked, a familiar glint of silver catching her eye.

    It was Ryobi's sword!

    'We are lost spirits, who... were... nevermind, Zayari, And no, the boy's sword will have no effect on us.'

    Zayari dove for it anyway, grabbing it in her hand.  "I'm not sure you get the question.  I literally mean, 'what's your name', or why are you a 'lost spirit'" she said, turning the other direction to find a shadow right in front of her,

    "AAAAAHHHH!" Zayari screeched, and slashed the sword out, in a futile attempt to hurt it or at least make it go away.  The sword cut through his arm, leaving thin air between his elbow and hand.

    He laughed as the shadow arm reconnected with each other as if it never happened.  'I cannot be hurt, Zayari.  A lost spirit is one who is not set free...  but how that happened years ago, and it's a long story, Zayari, and you do not get time. 

     Zayari tilted her head in confusion, trying her hardest not to be scared.

"You're confusing me for one.  Where are Star, Azoru, and Ryobi?  Did anything bad happen to them?  Are you working for that werewolf-gorilla creature or the fiurexs? Is this planet really called Surlax, and how do I escape from here?"

   The Wanderer let out a laugh, "Your friends are fine, just getting some food and water to bring back.  You weren't awake when they were, so they decided to let you sleep peacefully, for you have not been sleeping for a while.  I do not work for anyone, and I don't know the name, or how to escape.  I am a spirit, I go places my body cannot,"

     Zayari glanced at the other shadows with white eyes, and glanced up back to his white eyes, "Why aren't any of them talking to me?"

    'You aren't allowing them, Zayari.'

    "And I'm allowing you?"

    'No,'

     Zayari gave the Wanderer a frown. "Can you hurt me, and tell the future?"

    'Yes, Zayari, I can hurt you in ways you possibly cannot imagine, but I know better than to hurt little girls who are Lost.' he said, making lost have a capital L.  

   The Wanderer continued, 'No, I cannot see the future, but I know things you cannot possibly imagine,' he said.  Zayari can possibly imagine him smiling at her.   Why does he use that word so much?

     His white eyes became half circles as if he was bored, or his eyes were narrowed.  'You know, I am talking inside your head, and I can read your thoughts, Zayari.'

    Zayari's eyes widened, immediately trying to make it where he couldn't read her thoughts.

      'It's not working.  I suggest you stop trying before you get a headache, especially based on the capacity of that brain of yours.' he said, his eyes back to normal. 

      Zayari glared at the shadow, trying to find a comeback. "Well... uh... it must be pretty big than?"  she said, making it sound more like a question.  Man, she really was stupid.

    'You can think that again,' the Wanderer laughed.

    She just glared at him again.  Her fear was turning into annoyance and anger real fast.

      'You know, instead of wasting time, you can just think instead of talking... but if you don't want to, I totally understand.  You just wanna hear yourself talk.' he laughed, insulting her again.

     Zayari rolled her eyes, and slashed him with her sword again, knowing it did nothing but it did still make her feel better.

     Well, mister Wanderer guy, Zayari thought, maybe you could tell me if there are any ways to get out of this place.

     'There's about two.  One, where you guys magically come intelligent and build a rocket or a spaceship' he stopped and examined her with his eyes, 'which is very, very unlikely,' he said, laughing, 'and the other way is almost impossible, way more difficult, and that's saying something since the other one is practically-'