Forever Forest

Chapter 12

Reuel slowly helped Terra up, her breaths fast and fearful against his hand still covering her untrustworthy mouth. He slowly walked them both backwards, tugging her frozen form away from where the beast had just faded into the forest until gradually he took his hand off her mouth and slid it down her arm to her hand.

He turned, hand grasped around hers now, eyes focused on the dark forest surrounding them. She tried to take her hand away from his but he angled his head toward her with a daring look. Terra gave up and allowed him to hold her hand and guide her as they traversed the darkness, candle light flickering softly.

She knew they were out of danger not only as light began to flicker through the trees once again, but also when Reuel paused to spear their candle light into the forest floor and spoke to her for the first time in quite a while.

"Fool, what were you doing in those woods?" He smiled and spoke softly though his eyes flickered with worry.

"I was looking for you."

"I know that."

"Then why did you ask?" The corners of her mouth lifted.

"You were supposed to wait by the sign. I told you to never go past it."

"Why."

"If what just occurred isn't any indication of why-"

"No Reuel you idiot." She growled and yanked her hand away from his comfort. "Why were you in those woods, how did you know I would look for you? What the hell are these two pointed beasts upon my head, and when will they disappear!" She cried out pulling her hood down her hair back for him to see.

He grinned and slowly circled her to study the pointed ears.

"And a wonderful addition they are, aren't they."

"Reuel you will give me the cure to this wretched prank, give me my pill or whatever to fix this mess and I will return home."

He chuckled. "Pill? Cure? My, my Terra especially after meeting a Shadow Adult during your marvelous little adventure through the Darkest Woods I'd think you'd realize that things here are not quite that simple."

"I don't know what hypnotic drug you fed me, but clearly it's made you go mad as well. Just give me the cure and we can be on our separate ways." 

He stared at her dumbfoundedly. 

"Unless you'd like to do this the hard way..." She reached behind her head, grabbed an arrow from its quiver and swiftly pulled it tight against her bow now aimed directly at his chest.

His eyes darted to the point of the arrow, his mouth formed a frown. "How boring of you. And yet you came all this way through the mighty scary woods just to find me, to turn back now would be such a waste." He lowered her bow and arrow with a single sharp fingertip. "Why don't you stay a while instead."

"Reuel I only came looking for you so you could fix my damn ears." She snarled as he carelessly paced around her.

"Possibly, unless there's something more to it that you're not telling me" His knuckles lightly trailed up her arm sending shivers with its path. "They do say humans are wicked liars." She noticed for the first time a strange thin long vine clenched in his grasp. She flinched away from him.

"If you won't give me the solution to fixing my ears then I'm going home."

She gripped her bow and arrow tightly in one hand and marched away from him back towards the candle sticking up from the ground. She would take it and navigate the so-called Darkest Woods on her own. Hopefully she'd be back at the cabin before dinner. Terra was in a bad mood, pointed ears and a pointless dangerous trip to find Reuel who refused to even help her.

"I don't think so."

"Excuse me?" She growled, turning around. And just as she did, the thin strand of vine that was originally clenched in Reuel's hand slingshotted across the clearing. It slammed against her left arm. 

Her bow and arrow flung from her hand. 

The vine came alive as soon as it touched her, immediately wrapping around her wrist and reaching for the other. She screamed and quickly pulled her right wrist away though she wasn't fast enough. 

The vine latched to her other wrist and wove around the both of them, pulling tight and unmoving no matter how much she struggled to rip free.

"What the hell is this!" She howled dropping to the floor with effort to get herself free of the vine cuffed around her wrists.

"Reuel you BI-" before she could finish another vine swung around her head and tightened itself around her mouth, layering and growing over itself until she couldn't say a word without grumbling and spitting.

Reuel strode over to her, crouched and lifted her chin up from her struggle to free herself, "You came all this way just to find me, no use turning back now. After all, you owe me one for saving your life back in the Darkest woods. You should be thankful."

He smiled and grabbed onto the space between her vine wrapped wrists. They stood and he pulled her along by her vine cuffed hands, her heart thudding with rage as her feet obeyed and followed him. Opposite of home, opposite of the calm normalcy she tried so hard to achieve all these years. 

She survived the beast in the darkest woods, though it seemed she could not escape the one leading her deep into the forest. 

The blue haired boy. 

Her imaginary friend.