Still Here

Magic Monkey

Callum stuffed the last of his things in his bag. "Rayla! Time to go!" But there was no response. "Rayla?" He rushed to the room she was supposed to be packing in. She wasn't there. Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! Where'd she go?  He frantically searched the room. "Damn it!" he muttered. "Where are you?!"

Nearby, Rayla walked through the forest. They'll be okay. They're powerful. Strong, fierce warriors. They wouldn't fall to Viren's schemes. Comfort was found in those thoughts, but Rayla still had her doubts.  I hope Callum isn't too worried. She sighed. Of course he's worried. I left without warning. He is probably frantically searching for me now. Trying to find me. Like I have to find them. He is going to want to come with me. And he won't take no for an answer. I suppose I could let him tag along.

Callum dashed out of the house without telling Ethari where he was going. "Wait! Don't you want cupcakes?" But Callum didn't turn around to face him. He only focused on finding Rayla. He ran as fast as his legs could take him. "Rayla!" he called, hoping she would answer. But she didn't. The only sound was his feet hitting the grass. "Rayla!" he cried. Callum slowed his pace. "Rayla..." He couldn't see clearly through the dense forest. He looked around. In every direction. Literally. Up, right, left. Even behind him. He knew she was fully capable of climbing these tall trees. They towered over him, seemingly mocking him.

Where is she? He breathed heavily. He smelled the fresh forest air. To replace the smell of pine and oak you could find in the human kingdoms, there was a whole mix of scents. Callum couldn't exactly make out any individual smells, but he knew it overall smelled... magical. It was calming. Finally, he saw movement in the trees. As fast as his awkward human legs would run, he dashed to this figure. But it wasn't her. "Terry?"

The elf turned to face Callum. "Hi!" "What are you doing here? Where's Claudia?" Terry thought for a moment. "At home. She's not well. I thought I might be able to find something here."
Callum was taken aback. He and Rayla had only been gone in Xadia for- Well, they had been gone for a little while. "Well, I would love to help, but I have bigger concerns. Have you seen Rayla?" Terry cocked an eyebrow. "Rayla. Silvery white hair. Purple eyes. Maybe 5'9"? She's tall. Have you seen her?"

"Ohhhh, Rayla!" Callum felt a flicker of hope. "No. But I'll help you look!" Callum sighed. "Sure."

Rayla heard a faint chittering sound in the trees. She looked around, trying to find the source of the strange sound. Something hopped down. It was a rather odd creature. Mainly purple, several arms. Finally, she recognized it as a cuddlemonkey. "Oh, hey. Wee cutie. Where..." She looked around. "Where's your family?" The cuddlemonkey cooed in response. Okay, that doesn't help. If only Ez were here. The creature climbed up her arm and rested on her shoulder.
She chided herself for not having the heart to move it. "Okay. We'll see what we can do."