Narrator: Adrian "Arrow" DeFlèche

The town limits are at the edge of school property. We walk towards them, after having watched Skyla catch her bus.

Luna's fingers tangle around mine.

Our hands catch Jake's eyes.

Blaze nudges him possessively.

Oliver walks in silence.

Soon, the woods loom toward us in a panoply of crisp shadows. The wind is calmer. The air seems cleaner. And I reach out for the bark of a nearby tree and run my fingers along it. The texture of it brings me into the right mood.

"Gentle forest," I speak to it, "let us grace your true quality, and know the nature that disillusions reality itself."

Luna lets out a ponderous, muted gasp in apprehension of what she knows I'm calling out. It will be her first time, as far as I reckon, with the exception of when the orb drew time to a temporary halt in the nurse's room. 

The energy envelopes us. It is a sudden riptide of tranquility that wakes something inside me.

Oliver puts his hand on a willow tree on the other side of the path. He, too, speaks to the woods, "We are here to appreciate, and to seek passage into the arcane."

"No harm will come, for we travel with caution and respect," puts in Jake.

And then the feeling intensifies, washing over us. Suddenly, we are shifted into a higher plane of reality. The colours seem brighter. The plants are healthier. The path is less noticeable.

Luna, with her free hand drawn to her gaping mouth, looks over her shoulder. Seeing no school, and no cleared fields, she smiles.

The five of us begin to walk further into the forest.

A moment passes, occupied only by squirrel berrating us posessively for being in the forest.

I know that squirrel. I know these trees. This is where we usually go after school. Our weapons, my bow, are in a hollow trunk half a mile in. So is our treefort.

Oliver sniffs the air, and then stops in his tracks.

We turn to look at him.

Even the ferns seem tense.

Has the wind stopped?

"What is it?" asks Blaze.

He closes his eyes. His brow falls in concentration.

I can't smell anything out of the ordinary. A rich, moist forest. I begin to suspect that his sense of smell is far greater than normal. Oliver looks worried, as if we are in mortal danger. I begin to wonder if he even suspects how very few creatures in this forest pose a threat to Blaze, Jake, myself or the orb; let alone all of us together.

Jake sighs.

Nostrils flare.

Oliver leans forward.

Luna grips my hand tighter.

The wind stirs once more, for just a moment.

"Blood," Oliver finally tells us, looking down at the scarce semblance of a trail in front of us. "Fresh human blood... and a woman's perfume."

RATE THIS CHAPTER!

Author guidance for This story

This is a collab only for me (CrystalRose) and Dysphemism. Do not add!

Characters

Luna - She touched the Orb which fell to earth as a meteor. Hip lenght, thin, straight, midnight black hair, Greyish Blue Eyes, Not very tall, Strong senses, very Fast. Slightly stubborn, fast pacing, quiet but not shy, defensive, lively and sort of more of a tom boy.

Arrow - A mysterious boy, who is the Protector. Took Luna home after they found her in a field after touching the Orb. Dark Red Hair, Dark Muddy Brown Eyes, Tall, muscular.

Blaze- A Unknown character who was with Arrow when they found Luna.

Jake - A Unknown character who was also with Arrow when they found Luna. A bit Sarcastic at times.

Oliver - A Greenhood. Knew Luna in her past but left suddenly one day. He is quite powerful but not as powerful as most of his family.

Skyla - Luna's best friend. Doesn't know anything about the hidden magic in the world.

Information

The magical and human realm co-exist together. The central realm is where normal everyday life goes on.
There are Alcoves where the world of Magic is hidden and creatures and magic exist strongly there.
There are also unaltered realms and if they are affected by human life this creates a seperate phase but does ot affect the original it tugs off into a new realm close to it.

updated Mar 28 '10 by CrystalRose