"Your normal, or our normal, because our normal I guarantee is very different." Felix called, standing up and slipping his knife back into his boot. He glanced over at Cossett and stepped to her, pulling her to the side and whispering fiercely, "Should we trust these two? I mean, we don't even know where we are, let alone who they are."
Cossett just sighed and shrugged, pulling him with her as she went to see if Tempest was right, "I don't think we have a choice, we have to trust them. At least for now while we try to figure out where we are and also how to get back to our world as they said." She didn't want to go back to the competition at all, but their families were back there, and friends, and she didn't want to leave them.
"Like…boring normal" Tempest called back he hummed gently as the brisk winter air felt nice to him.
"Rather it be boring then our normal." Ember responded to her brother "Come on let's find out where are and try to get home." Ember called back to the two competitors as she walked out the door as well. "Weather here is nice at least. You two better act like we belong here cause I have no idea if there are any feral shadows here."
"What are feral shadows?" Felix asked, earning a disapproving look from Cossett most likely from the fact that he was treating them like people that weren't or wouldn't kill them at any time. He did seem very wary as he walked to the door though, checking every corner before stepping outside and wrapping his arms around himself for warmth. It wasn't the best position if someone was going to attack, but he was already cold.
"Our normal is being chased after, attacked, stabbed or generally trying not to be killed, is yours similar?" Cossett asked with honest curiosity, following Ember out the door and standing by her side, though keeping a space between them incase she needed to jump away from the girl.
"More or less." Ember shrugged "We run an organization that protects people from someone back at home that's been trying to wipe out anyone that stands in his way."
Tempest piped up as they walked down the driveway of the home they had exited "The guy's name is Zerack and he thinks all the world's problems would be solved if humans were wiped out. Obviously that's crazy so we've been trying to stop him for about three years now." He picked up a newspaper off the ground at the end of the driveway and unrolled it to at least see what time period they were in
Back in the home though black matter was running out of the sibling's notebook, like the ink was running out of it and onto the floor
"Is this Zerack guy a human too?" Cossett asked, peering over Tempest's shoulder to study the paper he was holding. It looked similar to the ones in their own world, but not quite the same so she was very interested. Wherever they were, it looked pretty similar to where they were from, but the houses were slightly different and off.
Felix waited for an answer, just shrugging when no one answered his question and asking it again, "So, what are feral shadows?" He wandered around as they looked at the paper, just watching for anything or anyone moving or near them.
"Zerack…I don't think he's human…fully cause I know he's part Shadow." Tempest started to explain
"A sub-species of demon where we're from." Ember piped in
"And ferals are the creatures that he can make from real shadows. Like he could steal one of our shadows and make a couple of them. It's weird not having a shadow for an hour I'll tell you what." Tempest muttered "So I don't know about guys but 2020 is my sister and I's correct year but it seems that there isn't much magic here…at least not on the surface."
(I have an idea that what The Author writes can enter the world since his 18th birthday passed, anyone is able to do that too if they have one of his pens he's just touched not long ago. Basically a little like InkHeart what do you think?)
(Oooo yesss that would be fun.)
Cossett shook her head looking around and then back at Felix, "We're from the future then, which is very weird to say. Around year 2930 in our normal home, though I'm sure we're not from the future of this world, it's too nice right now, and I doubt this place would get as bad as our world does." The Zerack guy didn't sound pleasant and she was frankly glad that he didn't appear out here with them, fighting someone who was part shadow was something she could confidently say she had never done.
"Stealing shadows and magic? What is the place you're from like?" Felix asked, both confused and very curious as he walked over to join into the conversation, "It sounds much different than our home, much weirder too."
"Well the first thing that's different is that it sounds like you guys don't have any magic, which where we're from is pretty common." Tempest stated as he rolled the newspaper back and replaced it on the ground.
"But non-humans don't have equal rights to humans…so we're part of an organization that's trying to get that for everyone. It's what they deserve. What we all deserve." Ember added
"No, we don't have magic. That's something that's only talked about in children's stories." Cossett replied, thinking back to their world while she started to look around and walk further from the home, feeling weirdly out of place and vulnerable without her weapons.
Felix listened as they talked, wondering what the non humans were like from their world, as the ones in their own world were just robots or animals. Man, their world sounded so much more exciting to him than his own was, shadow stealers included.
There was a crash in the house they had exited. Ember held out a two blades to Cossett and Felix after they saw a ink black substance started leaking from under the front door "No not here. How the hell are they here?" Tempest muttered
"Is this that feral shadow thing you were talking about?" Felix asked, backing towards the group and taking the blade without hesitation, "Or is that Zerack guy?" He seemed ready to fight though whatever it was, looking to Tempest and Ember while Cossett took the other blade and moved to stand at Felix's side. They both were ready to fight, both very accustomed to things like this.
The substance started to form something as it ran down the porch steps of the home, it looked to be an animal of some sort, defiantly a predator animal looking like the kind of thing that had been described not long ago.
"Feral. Don't let that thing touch you." Ember warned as she slung her bow from over her shoulder, notching a silver tipped arrow
"I don't plan on it." Felix promised, taking a half step back and watching as it came closer and closer. He wasn't going to attack if he didn't have to, but he did tighten his grip on the blade. There was no way for him to know how hard this thing would be to kill, or whatever happened to these creatures, he just knew that if they told him to watch out for this thing, he was going to watch out.
Cossett didn't comment, standing by their sides and watching with a cold look in her eyes. It was like a switched had been flipped when she felt they were going to be fighting this thing, one that turned her attitude cold and tough.
It shifted into the simple shape of a wild dog. It started to make a mad dash to the group. Ember released her arrow and nailed the thing right in it's forehead, causing the thing to stumble for a moment. Tempest had pulled his sword out and aimed the tip at the wounded creature, a pure blue bolt of electricity shot from the sword and turned the thing into a sticky tar like puddle.
Both of the others jumped back at the electricity from the sword, though it didn't do anything other than that and even seemed to put them on edge any more. "Is it taken care of? Or should we still be ready?" Cossett asked, flipping her blade over in her hand and trying subtly to see if she could get it to do the same thing.
"That should be it for spike there." Tempest joked a bit but his head shot back to the door as they heard more noises in the home, inhuman growls and the sound of nails scratching on the hardwood floors inside
"Oh my gods that's too many, at least a dozen by the sound of it and we have zero anti-virals. Run!" Ember for once sounded on edge
Felix traded a glance with Cossett, then nodded, backing up quickly but not taking his eyes off the door. Cossett did the same, though her movements were quicker and she was listening to Ember's advice to run. Who knew what these things would do to her, and she didn't particularly want to find out.
The door burst open and more of those creatures started down the steps, followed by some more human shapes.
"Yeah fuck it we can't handle that right now." Tempest said and started to back up as well "Come on let's go!"
"There you are you troublesome siblings…make sure they don't leave here in one piece." one of the more human shaped ones spoke out in a voice like knives rubbing across steel
"Now…that's gotta be the other guy." Felix muttered, nodding and spinning around as he took off away from the shadowy things. He tapped Cossett's shoulder as he caught up to her, silently saying that she should keep up or at least listen to what Tempest had said.
Cossett spared one glance back at the multitude of creatures and nodded, understanding that there was no way the four of them could take on that many, especially since only two of them knew how to deal with them.
"No no no boss won't be happy GET THEM!" the man shouted sending the animal like things after them. Ember sent out a jet of white-hot flame at the creatures them grabbed one the competitor's hands and started to run in the opposite direction Tempest doing the same to the other as they switched direction and headed into a wooded area
Felix felt someone grab his hand and he soon found that it was connected to Ember as she yanked him along. He took off though, happy to be able to do one thing he knew how to do. Run. That was much easier than trying to figure out how to fight those things.
Cossett felt herself being pulled the opposite direction and she quickly followed, glancing behind them every few seconds to check just how many of the weird animal things were following them.
(sorry busy day) The siblings pulled the pair into the heavily wooded area. A couple of the things had succumbed to the flames, but just as many were tearing through brush to get to them. They got into a small clearing where Tempest sent another bolt of electricity at them. They then pulled them deeper into the woods. "Hide!" Tempest hissed as he ducked behind a large fallen tree, covering up his blond hair with his hood
(It's ok, same for me so no big deal)
Cossett and Felix followed the directions as soon as they were given, with Felix ducking down the fallen tree with Tempest while Cossett took advantage of a nearby tree and scrambled up into the branches. She blended in easily with her dark clothes and hair, and the only giveaway that she was there was the faint rustling of branches as she climbed higher and disappeared even more.
Tempest held his breath as the ferals neared, followed by the man like figure. Ember had had an idea very much like Cossett's. She drew her bow string back and notched an arrow pointed at the male figure. "Find out where they went, master will be here soon and you know what will happen if we don't have them?" he scowled as they trudged through the woods, slowly getting farther and farther away from the young out of place teens or in Ember's case young adult.
Felix didn't move an inch as the creatures came closer, frozen like a statue even as they passed and it was safer to move. His knife stayed tightly clutched in his hand though, the one weapon he had to defend himself from the strange creatures and whatever injuries they could inflict. He wished he had chosen to climb like Cossett, only barely able to see her boots crouched on a branch that seemed way too thin to hold any of them.
Tempest finally let out a breath "Alright they're gone…thank god. You guys alright?" he asked He huffed a bit as he stood and brushed off the dirt and pinestraw from his hoodie and jeans. "Hey you wanna put on my sweatshirt so you bled in better here? You guys kinda look like your cosplaying from The Hunger Games or something."
Ember took her Bass Pro Shop hoodie along with Temp's Stranger things hoodie "It's not gonna fit perfectly but It'll work." Ember added
Felix stood up with Tempest, still on edge as he brushed stray pine needles off his pants and watched Cossett scramble down from the tree. "We're fine, and what's The Hunger Games?" He asked, glancing at their hoodies and then at the clothing he was wearing, "Can I just put it over this?"
Cossett didn't question the decision as much as her partner did, instead just taking one of the sweatshirts and after pulling off her jacket, putting it on. She hung her jacket over her arm and nodded, "Do I blend in better?"
"Oh it's just a battle royal movie between a bunch of teenagers." Ember waved it off
"Yeah you look almost like a normal teen." Tempest smiled "Now we…we got to figure out what the hell's going on. I suggest we get those notebooks but…I don't know if those things are still there."
"That sounds similar to our world." Felix said, taking the other hoodie and copying what Cossett had done, "I highly suggest that if your plan is to go back and get those notebooks, first we might want to get some more weapons? I don't think a knife is going to keep me or Cossett safe in the least from those things." He got a nod in agreement from her at his statement, one knife wasn't going to cut it.
(Cue stupid joke noise lol)
"Alright what do you guys need? I'll see if we have something like it in storage?" Tempest asked
"Temp! You know pulling from there wears us out quickly!" his sister reprimanded him
"So you pull one too so I don't pass out. Problem solved." He fired back, he looked back over and repeated his question
