Everything Changes (A Sonic Boom Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

"There is a small village just a couple miles inland from this harbor," Etsuko explained to Kay after the ship had gotten settled and its crew was beginning to disperse. She pointed a finger at a thick forest to the northeast. "If you start walking now you should be able to get there by nightfall. The people there are kind, and they fear the rogue clans. They will give you shelter at night whether you can pay for it or not. Though the innkeeper may have you work for him in the morning as payment."

Kay nodded, taking all of this in with rapt attention.

"Once you're there I suggest you start trying to learn more of our language. Some of those who live near the coast can speak yours, but they are few and far between. And in a village that size your chances are even smaller. Try to get connected if you can. Make some friends. After that you can decide whether you want to move on to a bigger place. But for now, shiriai, that's all the advice I have to offer."

"Thank you for allowing me to come with you," Kay said to her, smiling a little. "It means a lot to me to be able to see more of the world beyond Bygone Island."

"You may change your mind about that once you see the effects of the war firsthand," Etsuko replied with a shrug. "But you're welcome, nonetheless. Sayonara, shiriai." That said, she bowed to Kay in the traditional style. Kay recognized the bow and jumped at the opportunity to respond in kind. Once she'd straightened again, she nodded to the captain, turned, and made her way down to the dock, where she followed the narrow path up to the boardwalk, and then beyond, onto the beach and toward the forest.

Before she entered the thick woods, Kay glanced up at the sky. The sun was still fairly high, which meant she should still have enough daylight by the time she was exiting from the other side to be able to find the village. But when she looked through the trees in front of her, Kay was surprised – and a little worried – to see that they were so close together they created a canopy of darkness that blocked out the sun almost entirely. There were only small patches of light here and there.

Images of the rogue clans filled her mind, though she had not yet seen them or what they could do. She recalled the warnings Etsuko had given her about their behavior and swallowed. She stood there for some time, mustering the courage to continue onward. The sooner she went in, the sooner she'd get out. And she was less likely to run into any unfriendly faces if it was still light out.

So, with this in mind, Kay gripped the strap of her bag and walked forward into the trees.

For quite a while she was on edge, her heart racing despite an obvious lack of other people in the forest. She wasn't sure which she was more afraid of – running into a rogue ninja clan, or running into a wild Mobini, if there were any to run into. But after a while of walking and constantly checking over her shoulder without seeing any threat, Kay began to relax. The only thing she could hear were rustling leaves and various insects. And it wasn't completely pitch black in here. She could make out the shape of every tree trunk before her.

At one point Kay came to a small incline which she took a little extra time climbing due to all the loose dirt and invisible rocks and branches that tripped her up. By the time she got to the top she was panting, and she stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

That's when she saw one of the trees ahead of her move slightly.

Kay froze. That hadn't been wind. There was no wind. Her heart began to pound again, harder this time. She saw nothing more and heard nothing more, but she knew – knew – that she'd seen something just now.

Slowly, Kay straightened up, forcing herself to breathe normally. If she was being watched, whoever it was apparently did not have ill intent, or else they would have taken advantage of her weakened state just now, right? Part of her wanted to call out to them, to ask what they wanted, but the more logical part knew she shouldn't. Not yet. If she could show them that she meant no harm and was simply a traveler, perhaps she could make it to the village without a confrontation. She began walking again.

As it turned out, a confrontation was unavoidable. Because the instant she started walking, she saw another tree move to her right. And then, a moment later, to her left.

Kay stopped where she was, beginning to panic. She was all alone out here, and apparently outnumbered. She didn't even have a weapon to defend herself with.

Wait a minute. She was in a forest, full of branches and sticks. Surely there was something around here she could use as a makeshift bo staff.

In the next instant the trees – or rather, people who had been hiding among the trees – began to make themselves known one by one. First one, then three, then seven, and then Kay didn't even know how many. She didn't dare turn around to find out. Each of them was dressed head to toe in black outfits that were sleeveless but covered the faces so that only the eyes were visible. A quick glance at their distinct ears told Kay exactly who these ninjas were.

Yagyu Clan.

One of them – one directly in front of her about ten yards – began speaking in harsh, angry tones. It was a language Kay recognized, but not one she could speak fluently yet. In the back of her mind she scrambled to recall what phrases Etsuko had taught her, though she knew they'd be useless in this scenario. She opened her mouth to tell them she didn't understand, but that's when they decided to move.

Kay screamed before she could stop herself, ducking under the first couple that came at her before instantly being thrust back into the battles she'd learned to fight so well with the Turtles back on Earth. These ninjas were good, but for all their training, they were low-level grunts far beneath the skill level of the Turtles, and of Shadow the Hedgehog.

She dropped her bag as she took down one, two, and then three ninjas in quick succession, but a glance over her shoulder told her there was no way she could last forever. She'd have to run as soon as she had a chance.

Four, five. There! An opening in their offense. Kay grabbed her bag and sprinted, fairly flying over the rocks and twigs that had tripped her up before. As she went she could hear them behind her, and she looked around frantically for a loose branch or something sturdy she could use as a weapon. At last she saw one just up ahead, and she plowed for it at full speed, hoping the force of her impact would rip the smallish branch from its host as she went.

It didn't.

Kay was forced to a sudden halt, yanking at the branch desperately, knowing it was the only thing that would even give her a chance of getting out of this forest, though even then her chances would only go from impossible to slim at best.

At last the branch gave way. Kay held it in her hands like she'd hold a bo as best she could, waving it at the oncoming ninjas wildly, hitting one or two purely out of luck.

Then something slammed into her from behind, propelling her toward the trunk of the tree she'd just gotten the branch from. There was no way she could stop or twist out of the way fast enough. Her whole body slammed into the tree, her head hitting it hardest of all.

Kay saw stars.

And then she saw nothing at all.