Ashi

Chapter 4

We spend the first half hour searching for appropriate tools. Once we have everything, we settle back at the cherry blossom tree. We create makeshift bags of rubbery twigs threaded together and two long twig straps, one for around the opposite shoulder, another for around the waist, making sure that we won't lose the bag. Once made, we stuff our bark, which we still have enough for at least a week, though I hope we won't spend that long here, and we squish cherry blossoms in between the bark slices.

"Ready to go, Oli? Do we need anything else?" I ask, hooking the straps around me.

He shakes his head. "I think we're good to continue."

As we leave the tree behind us, Oliver takes one last wistful look back. Yet, we encounter more as we walk through the forest.

The grass grows thicker and paler, into a florescent green. The cherry and plum blossom trees get fewer and fewer. Only the unnaturally large bonsai trees stick around. Though, that does create a problem for us. Should one of those demon looking things come around we wouldn't be able to hide. Worse yet, we don't have anything but ourselves to defend us with. Our hands and feet are too weak for its hard and strong skin. We wouldn't stand a chance.

"Donnie?"

I blink of my worried trace. "Yeah, Oli? Is something wrong?"

"I was just thinking, you would had to seen that thing in order to know that it was gone, right? You know, that monster from last night. What did it look like?" Oliver starts kicking an imaginary rock.

I stare up at the sky, still as cloudless as ever. "Well," I begin, unsure of what to say without scaring Oliver, "It looked like one of those horror movie, blood red demons. Now I know that sounds really dangerous, and it probably is..."

I glance over at Oliver. His hands are shaking and his eyes gazing at the ground, wide.

"I mean, oh jeez, that wasn't the right way to phrase it. I'm sorry, Oli. I didn't mean to scare you like that." I rub the back of my neck uselessly. I did it again.

Luckily, he calms down on his own. "How about you try this again?"

"Thanks," I sheepishly mumble. Then I tell him in a better way, explaining the details as I saw them. I do make sure to use my words gently though, and this time I don't scare him nearly as much.

He ponders over the image. "So, if it really is not a friendly creature, which by the way you said it looked I doubt it, then we're going to need something to defend ourselves with."

"In other words, keep an eye out for anything we could use. 'Kay, Oli?"

He nods, kicking the imaginary rock one last time high in the air, then resuming to his usual strut by my side.

I have always known that Oliver is a joy to be around. He makes everyone's day brighter and when he isn't there, the atmosphere feels like it's missing something. I wonder if he feels the same when I'm not around? I'll have to ask him sometime, but not now. But I bet he will think the same as me. I mean, he is my best friend and he's told me that I'm his. I have nothing to worry about.

Then I start to wonder how we're going to get home. We don't even know how or with what to use to get home! We're going to need to approach someone or trick someone to give the information for us. Though, I'll do the tricking, I won't let Oliver get himself hurt. And just in case that things go wrong, he will be there in the shadows to listen in on the after-conversation. I know he won't complain if it's like that.

Sure, he thinks I'm protective of him, a little too much, but there's a good reason for that. And for that sole reason I will risk my life for him. I won't lose him, not on my watch! Then again, this is the first time that I might actually be risking my life. Most of the time I just make sure that he doesn't break anything again from falling out of a tree.

"Um, Donnie?

I turn to look at him. But it's too late. I walk into a tree, still made of rubber, and stumble back. When I begin to tumble behind myself, Oliver grabs my hand to pull me up, but I end up bringing him down with me.

"Well," I chuckle, "Fancy meeting you here again. I never thought I would be under you again."

"Donnie," he groans, rolling his eyes.

My enjoyment gets louder as we get up and continue on our way. "I know, I know. And I stick to staying on the side of you, so that you don't become a teddy bear."

The tip of his ears redden. "W-Well, it's embarrassing to sleep like that. I mean, my bed would be moving and breathing! And lumpy too, I guess. Sure, you keep me warm in the winter when I need it, but I don't think I would be able to sleep like that."

"Agreed."

I peek behind me to what tree I knocked into was. Birch. Huh, there sure are a lot of different type of trees nearby each other. When I turn back the oddest thing happens. The afternoon pours by in a matter of seconds, evening coming and going in the same fashion. The sun sets in a matter of a blink. Luckily, I didn't blink, so I see it flash by. And boom, everything fades to darkness. It stays like that. So, it stopped at nighttime. Why!?

I grab Oliver's hand, making sure he will stay by my side.

"Donnie?" he whispers. "What just happened?"

"You got me." I say back.

Then it gets worse. We hear growling. But that's not it. There's more than one. I don't even know how many of them there are, but I don't want to find out.

There's only one tree near us, not the best covering either, but the grass is short too, though no longer florescent. The next closest tree is too far, at least a hundred feet away. Those monsters are close and getting closer. We don't have time. We're just going to have to hope that they don't look up.

I shove Oliver to the tree and he scampers up it. I follow suit. Immediately, he leans against my chest, grabbing my arms and wrapping them around him, holding the tops of my hands. I can feel him shaking this close. I pull him into a tighter grip, resting my head where his neck meets his shoulder.

"I've got you, Oli," I mumble into his shirt. "I'll never let you go."

He nods his head ever-so-slightly, accidentally letting out a whimper.

I rub his hand tenderly.

I see them out of the corner of my eye. They're so close. There's so many. How am I supposed to save Oliver from seven of those things? I don't think I can. But if I need to, I will.

Their growls change to laughter. One of them speaks, and I can understand it. "Like I'll let that happen," it says. More laughter follows.

Another sniffs. "Wait," it says, cautiously. I tense. "I think I smell something. It smells human."

Oliver scrunches closer into a ball, which I in turn hold him even tighter.

"Humans haven't been here for a few years now. The portal letting them in and out is closed. Idiot." This third one lightly tosses a playful fist into the second's shoulder.

"No, I know what I smelled." The second says, scanning around him. I pray that it doesn't find us. I practically beg. Its eyes trail up. I grip my eyes shut, knowing Oliver has long since done that himself.

Hideous laughter soon sounds. I know which one it's from. The second. Great. I hope its friends will take our back instead of their friend's. It's false hope, I know, but I don't know how I'll be able to protect Oliver through this. It could end up worse than that one time.

But I will protect him. Even at the cost of my life.

I swear I won't lose him. He's everything to me. Now I have to be everything to him. If only I had a weapon.

The demon then speaks. I gnaw at my lower lip. "I even found them. Two human boys. This is going to be fun."

Shoot!