Seven Tails - A Mystery Dungeon Story

Chapter 2 // It All Begins Here

Oddie Midori and Ruby Camellia made their way into the forest, the rest of the world seemingly being cut off from the rest of them as they continued walking on the beaten path.

"So... where do you think the kid is?" Oddie asked Ruby, trudging along the path.

"I really haven't a clue..." Ruby murmured, observing her surroundings. The forest was lush, blooming with plant life, yet it felt... lonely. The two walked onward, going deeper and deeper into the forest. As the two became more and more distant from the outside, they began to worry. Neither said a word, until the young Vulpix spoke up.

"So, tell me Oddie... How's Osharia?"

"Osharia? It's nice... I have a few friends, they're cool." Oddie stated, scratching the back of his head. "What about you? What was your time like in Osharia?"

"Ah... I remember I used to live up in Plymiota when I was a younger kit."

"Plymiota?" Oddie questioned. "Isn't that place cold all year round?"

"Yup!" Ruby replied. "My family only just moved here about... five years ago?"

"Must be fun out here." As Oddie was about to ask more questions, the two came to a fork in the path. Two pathways split off into different directions, with no clear indication on what lay ahead.

"Where do we go?" Oddie asked.

"Huh? I say we pick the left..." Ruby insisted. "Who knows what could be on the right path, there could be uh, scary things! And... urk... I'm not so sure about that..."

"The right path looks so much safer than the left!" Oddie interjected, raising an eyebrow.

"W- what are you onto?!" Ruby stammered on her words. She looked over to the right path.

"I'm saying this path looks safer." Oddie stated, tapping his foot. Ruby, still not sure of which way to pick, stood in place, tiny sweat droplets rolling down her face.

"If you aren't going to answer, then we're going right. I haven't got all day!" Oddie fussed.

"S- sure! Haha..." Ruby showed a nervous grin on her face, before the two took the rightmost path. It slowly became narrower and narrower, and Ruby became uncertain.

"Come on, that kid's gotta be there somewhere..." Oddie muttered under his breath, before hearing a rustle in the bush. The two stopped in their tracks, worryingly checking their surroundings.

"T- t- that was the kid, right?..." Ruby gulped. Oddie tried to keep going.

"We're only wasting time by sitting around here, Ruby!" Oddie insisted. He was interrupted by a loud growl. His heart skipped a beat, now realizing the weight of the situation. As he kept looking around, the growling only got louder and louder.

"I- I'm not liking the sound of that!" Ruby whimpered, backing into Oddie. He backed up too, as the growling turned to... laughing?

"Mightyenas!" The two screamed together, as a clan of three rogue Mightyenas jumped from the bushes, nearly landing on the two! Oddie and Ruby quickly dashed away, forgetting that they had a job to do. The Mightyenas laughed as they gave chase, but fortunately the Leafeon and Vulpix were quicker on their feet.

"They're not giving up!" Ruby sputtered, as they came to another fork in the path.

"Split up!" Oddie ordered, but when he took the left path, Ruby was following him, and the Mightyenas kept their pursuit. Ruby looked at him, panicked, while Oddie glared back, very clearly annoyed by her decision.

"If we can't outrun them," Ruby suggested. "...then how about we exhaust them!"

"No use!" Oddie gasped. "We have to shake them off of our tails!" Then, just as he said this, Oddie had an idea. He silently gestured Ruby to come to the side, and they dashed off the path and into the forest, hiding behind a fallen log and masking their scents with leaves. The Mightyenas entered the area, surveying it. They laughed loudly, trying to find their next meal.