Pick Your Path: Book 1

57

" I'm... I'm going with Sori and Nan." you respond.

" Your choice." Ellie shrugs.

" Pearl, (Y/n)'s made his/her choice. There's no point in trying to sway him/her." Abby tugged Pearl's arm, " Let's go."
Alright then. Let's go find her." Nan dashed off to the den area. You were in your way to pick up the fourth and last member of the team. Ellie and her team also head in the same direction.

" Who is this last member?" you ask.

" She's, um.. She's a good friend of ours." 

" She's my sister." Sori and Nan both explain.

" You can explain." Sori quickly mutters before walking ahead. After taking a couple of turns and traveling down a hallway, the three of you walk into a large and spacious cavern with an open roof.

" Rose!" Nan calls.

" Hey, Nan." a splash followed the greeting as a light purple fox hauled herself out of the lake. She shook her fur before padding over to you. " What's up?"

" The game's tonight. Are you joining?" Nan asks.

" As long as I'm on my sister's team." Rose answers, " Which, I'm pretty sure I am." 

" Right, now let's get started planing out what or where we want to go." Sori interjects, " If we're going to win, then we have to be prepared for the game. It's starting tonight."

" Sure."

" Fine by me." the four of you sit down by the edge of the lake and begin to discuss.

" So the first thing we need to decide.. Where are we going to stay fro the game? We need to decide a shelter of some sort." Sori started.

" We could go to the lake area." Rose suggested, " Not everyone knows about that place."

" Right, but we have a good chance of being ambushed." Nan shook her head, " There's too much woodland and cover in the forest that surrounds the lake."

" What about the meadow?"

" Again, same situation." Nan and Rose immediately start debating about where the group should stay.

" They'll be talking for a while.." you hear Sori mutter before turning his gaze to the surface of the lake. You look around the lake. There were ledges here and there, jutting out over the lake. There were two entrances from the water and one entrance from land, the one you, Nan and Sori came in through.

" Okay, we'll go to the cliffs then." Rose reluctantly agreed. The sun was just beginning to set, almost time to start the game. A soft landing on the roof caused you to look up. A gryphon sat there, tilting it's head to the side as you looked at it.

" Um.." it frantically shook it's head as you spoke, almost as if it didn't want to be noticed by the rest of the group. " Guys... There's someone watching us.." it was probably someone from one of the other groups.

" Huh?" the others looked.

" Looks like we've already got a group on our tails."

" Evesdropper!" Rose howled before leaping into a ledge. She continued until there were no more ledges to leap to. She took a swipe at the gryphon who took flight with a roar. " Get out if here, Will!!" you leap aside as a brown and black blur charged past you.

" Missed.. Cassie, you coming?" the blur turned out to be a gazelle, Ellie. As she spoke an eagle dove from the sky, talons just missing Nan as she dodged out of the way.

" Everyone, we need to leave.. Now!" Sori howled, changing into a coyote-fox, before shoving Nan to the land tunnel. You yelp as Rose grabs your hand and dives into the lake. She swims towards one of the exits in the water. You cough as the current closed over you head for a second. Rose swam easily beside you as the river continued to toss you against the tunnel walls.

" Get ready!" Rose growls as the tunnel took a steep drop. " Here we go!" The ground abruptly vanished from underneath you as the two of you are swept out if the tunnel.

" Waterfall?!" You yell as you realize what's going on.

" Yep." Rose responded calmly before gravity took over and you plunged to the water below. " Incoming!" Rose warns before you land with a great splash.

" Woah!"

" Watch out!" You hear Nan and Sori as you break the surface of the water. You wipe the water front your eyes to see Nan drenched and Sori standing several feet away from the river's edge.

" Sorry about that, Nan.." Rose surfaced next to you.

" Give a warning, if you're going to just going to pop out nowhere like that!" Nan whines, shaking her her pink and white pelt.

" I did give a warning." Rose responds,  hauling herself out if the water, you follow her. " Where do we go now?" she asked.

" We'll stay here for the night." Sori decided, " It's getting late and dark. We don't want risk any opportunities for ambushes from the other groups."

" And we all need to get dry." Nan added. " We'll take turns watching through the night."

" Works for me." Rose shrugged. " What about you, (Y/n)?"

" I don't see why not." you agree to stay. " Though, what do we do about the wet clothes.. I don't think it's a good idea to sleep in these."

" Which is why we always come prepared, just in case we have to escape by water." Nan responds, tail gesturing the bags next to Sori. " Sori and I stopped by the room to grab blankets, pillows, and whatever else we need for the night."

" Good thinking!" Rise sighed in relief, picking up one if the bags. " We won't have to trug around in wet clothes."

" Let's stay under this tree for tonight." Sori call from a low branch of a large tree nearby. " I'll take the first watch." everyone settled either at the base if the tree or on one of the lower branches.

" Goodnight everyone.." you mutter before turning in for the night.

Continue to page 81

(Y/n) pays close attention to detail and his/her surroundings. It might be useful for later encounters with the other groups. Maybe we might even get a surprise attack on Pearl and get group.. ~So

I hope (Y/n) doesn't mind me bringing my personal rivalries in to the game.. Maybe he/she will even help me take down Pearl's group. I'd love to take it Pearl and  her groups. The more people I can get inboard, the better and more exciting it will be! ~Ro