The Cinders of Dezu

2nd: A Walk in the Night (4)

The trees had changed. These looked more like pines. Cairo was sure he hadn't seen anything like them before on the island. Julian was suddenly trembling and shivering from the cold.

"What just happened?"

Cairo was gazing at the trees, looking at their tops and the black sky above them. He looked down. The gray stone path was gone.

"This isn't... We aren't... where we were."

For a moment he thought maybe he was just confused and had gotten disoriented. Raina still slept in his arms. He looked down at her balled up hand where the stone had been resting. He opened her fingers. It wasn't there. He rubbed her smooth palm. It was warm. Very warm. But there was no trace of the crystal. He looked down around their feet to see if it had dropped. The ground didn't look right either. It wasn't sand and different debris littered the ground, again indicating that these trees were not the same. This place wasn't the same. They had moved, without a doubt. But where?

"Cai," Julian called softly.

"I know," he whispered.

Something behind them scurried. They both whipped around to see nothing but more trees. They were in a small clearing. Cairo set Raina on the ground standing her on her feet and began trying to rouse her.

"Raina, honey, I need you to wake up. Raina. Raina!"

He rubbed her shoulder and shook her just a little. Slowly her eyes blinked but they wouldn't open fully.

"Hmm?" she muttered.

"What did you do? Where's the stone?" he said in his softest voice.

He thought maybe she would remember something.

"Were you dreaming? What were you just dreaming?"

Julian started walking around nervously.

"Man, I don't even think we're on the island anymore, Cai. This is some kinda weird! Did you see that light? The one from her hand!? And then that smoke and then... I mean, I don't know!"

"Do you see it?? Anywhere? The stone?" Cairo asked him.

"She don't have it?"

Cairo was still gently trying to wake Raina.

"No, do you see it? I can't find it!"

Julian started searching the ground, circling them. He looked near them and then searched the edges of the small clearing.

"No, it's not here. There's something here, though."

Raina started to wake up.

"What is it?" Cairo asked him, keeping his eyes on her.

Julian examined what he had found.

"It's like a piece of metal or something. But its kinda buried and stickin' up, like..."

They heard a scurrying sound again. This time from behind the trees on the other side of the clearing. Julian got nervous.

"Let's go, man. I don't know what that was. We should go!"

Raina finally had her eyes open and started to speak.

"What's..." she paused and looked around, "Where are we?"

Cairo stood up and grabbed her by the hand.

"That's what we want to know."

Suddenly a hush fell over the night. This startled Cairo as he hadn't noticed the ambiance of forest sounds that previously surrounded them until there was absence of them. He finally turned his attention to Julian to see his friend frozen in place. He was facing the trees. He knew to say nothing as Julian was never this still nor this quiet. He gripped Raina's hand tight as he slowly leaned his head over to see what it was that captivated his friend so totally.