09-03-2017, 11:45 PM
Retreating from the forest at breakneck speed, Belle staggered into the small clearing that abutted the beach, last refuge from the dark creatures that continued to flood the island second by second. She slipped as her sandaled feet scraped through slimy black fluid, the rampaging elephant's discharge mere minutes before still coating the grass.
Belle came down hard, sliding, trailing a wake of kicked up grass blades. Skin burned, elbow erupting with a sharp pang of pain as her movement slowed, her angled arm striking a half-rooted stone about the size of a pumpkin.
She only had time to indulge in the luxury of suffering for a moment. Overhead, she heard the by-now telltale screaming that signaled another barrage was incoming. Belle pulled her arms overhead and gritted her teeth.
The explosion darkened the sky, a fireball of red blossoming into existence with a deafening thunderclap at the treeline. The ground shuddered beneath her, jumping at the impact. Her ears rang, singing that singular tone of impending death as ripples of air buffeted her prone form and churned the waves beyond. Belle shadowed her face with her injured arm, daring to squint open one bright blue eye. There had to be … At least one …
There was. It was small, barely more than a personal sailboat, but it was real. As the explosion subsided, Belle rose – more like lurched – to her feet. The damage to her ear might have been worse than she thought, a dull throb of pain inside making her queasy as she took another step, staggered, then one more. Feet slid in the sand, threatening to turn as she made for the dock, cacophony of sounds behind her making her turn her head.
From beyond the edge of the forest they came, a multitude of shapes, tall and short, long and blunted. Their howls gibbering as they sloughed from the branches and underbrush. The remnants of the island's zoo had followed their previous friend's trail, and were now intent on claiming their prey.
Belle's sandals slapped on the worn, warped wood of the dock as they careened across the distance. She shook, reaching inside for the energy she knew was there -... and grasped at wisps. Again, she sought, stumbling onto hands and knees. There were faces on the boat, peering out over the railing. Some shouting at one another, others at her. A small hand reached out, its owner staring back at her, eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination.
The same eyes as she'd had back then.
Clenching teeth, Belle reached out, not for her power, but for the other. Small fingers reached for her as the animals hit the sand, stampeding forward.
Someone screamed. “We'll never make it in time!”
“Oh baby, it'll be okay, it'll be okay baby,” the mother of the child whispered as she wrapped herself around them.
Clatter of hooves and heavy paws on the wood. Belle felt her heart sink in her breast. And then – steeled. “Get out of here,” she shouted as she turned, wincing. Her vision swam. “Go!”
The sludge-infested creatures bayed as they jockeyed for position on the narrow dock, swarming towards her like a twisting, living flood.
Belle closed her eyes. Took a breath. She wouldn't let them reach the boat. Even if it cost her -...well. Even if it cost her a lot. What was the point of having this power otherwise...? What did she get it for?
Energy surged through her chest, through her arms and legs, boiling over like a current of molten electricity.
What she wanted more than anything.
As the animals reached for her with teeth and claw, Belle lifted her fists. The horde moved as if in slow motion, yawning maws gaping, shining with the same ghostly light as their eyes. Crouching, Belle gathered her will, and punched down.
The aged wood underneath the dock shredded with the impact. Her other fist came, chasing the wisps of the first, striking another plank, then the first whipped forward again... Churning into a maelstrom of destruction as she ripped the dock beneath them to pieces. Ripples of power rocked forward, crushing what remained of the supports. The creaking weight of the charging animals was more than the rest could bear, and the rest collapsed into the waters below in a cascading failure.
Wood cracked, snapping away under Belle's feet. She reached out, but fingers came just short, and she fell into the waves. Splash of warm, tropical water, the muffled noise of the thrashing and howling creatures dulled in her water-filled ears. A thin smile stretched across her lips as she lay back, her previously injured elbow exploding with pain. She could imagine Yuki's disapproving glare.
'Overdid it again?
Sorry, old woman, she thought as the sounds of the animals rose. Most of them weren't made for the sea; even if they got her, they wouldn't be able to catch the boat, much less mount it. Belle tried to move her arm, then blanched, immediately regretting it. No getting away.
Belle closed her eyes, swallowing, a whimper of fear slipping free from her as the waves kicked up. They were close...
Something wrapped around her, tightening hard. With sudden horror, Belle realized that just because she had only seen land animals infected, didn't mean that the infestation was limited to them. Rough hold around her squeezed; but instead of pulling her down, she felt herself being lifted up out of the water.
A thick length of rope was wrapped underneath her arms, and she stared dully at it as her legs were pulled free from the sea. She gasped as a dozen hands grabbed her, pulling her into the waiting sailboat. The sails unfurled, pulling taut as a small hand reached out to find her own, and squeezed.
~+~+~+~
The Tangled Green stretched before her, an endless mass of mingling forests. It didn't look like any nature brochure she had ever seen, that was for sure.
Arm in a sling, elbow wrapped stiffly to keep it from moving too much, Belle turned to look back at the gate leading to the Nexus. The remaining evacuees lay behind, it, being relocated to relief shelters in the Empire. She had bid the little girl and her mother a tearful farewell – obviously mostly on the girl's part, and Belle would maintain that, even if something had gotten in her eye back then – and parted ways just before.
Her home lay in Coruscant, a few more gates over, but rather than return, Belle had decided that she would take a little detour. She still had time in her vacation, after all, and would have been spending it on the beach - before it had been so rudely cut short, of course.
And now?
Belle turned back to the forest, squinting into the distance. Yuki had once mentioned in passing that there were several martial arts schools throughout the Omniverse – with several located right in the Tangled Green. The old woman had mused aloud, then, about taking her to visit them “one day.”
That day was today. Adjusting her sling, Belle gathered herself and her dignity – what dignity one could have in a bikini in the forest – and stepped onto a half-beaten path leading into the forest. Belle's resort had been, unfortunately, one of the first areas assaulted by the infection, and she had had to leave her luggage behind.
Oh well, she thought, sighing. At least I didn't lose Lily's gift-
The rustle of leaves overhead was the only warning Belle got before the canopy above exploded. She glanced up just in time to see a shadow before something large slammed into her, knocking her to the ground in an instant and taking the breath out of her. Head struck the dirt road, reawakening the nausea she had only put behind her shortly before, and she gagged for breath. Eyes rolled, swinging groggily to the shape that had landed on top of her.
To her dual relief and confusion, it was a girl. By some cosmic happenstance, the creature's face had buried itself into Belle's cleavage. After a moment of shifting, the blonde-haired other dislodged herself, coming up for breath. “Sorry!” the girl squeaked.
Belle stared.
“I was jumping!” the girl said, as if this explained everything.
“Uhm,” Belle muttered, her head still stinging. “Okay.”
“I couldn't see, you see?” The girl continued. She then put a finger to her cheek, looking off in throught. “Well, I could see, but not you. I could see around, though.”
“Please get off me.”
The girl was sitting on her stomach. The other blinked, then laughed. “Sorry!” she said, then at last, stood. Her amber eyes landed on Belle's arm as the redhead sat up. “Are you okay?!”
Belle grunted, brushing herself with her good hand, then checked her head. Miraculously, although there would be a bruise, it didn't feel like anything was cut. “Oh yeah, I'm good,” she grumbled. “I love it when strangers bodyslam me...”
Belle stood, testing her legs. Everything else seemed to be in working order. She turned to the blonde again, and gave the girl a proper once over. She … did not look like she belonged in a forest. Not that Belle herself have any right to say anything on that score.
“Heidi!” the girl offered. “What's your name?”
“Belle,” Belle answered, brow furrowed. Something about this girl seemed a little … off. “Where did you come from? Were you at Sabaody?”
"Sab what now?” the pigtailed girl squeaked, then shook her head. She pointed back in the direction Belle came from. “I came from there. Just a little while ago!”
The Nexus. That meant...
“Prime,” Belle breathed. She felt her lip twist.
“What's what?” Heidi asked, tilting her head.
Belle took another breath. Let it out slow. If the girl – Heidi – wasn't lying, then she was probably a new arrival. The least dangerous kind of Prime – at least if you were dealing with someone who wasn't an asshole by default. “Nothing,” she said. “Anyway. See you.”
Belle started to walk. To her chagrin, the blonde fell in right beside her.
“Sooo. Where are ya going?” Heidi asked.
“Somewhere. Meet someone. Or some people. I-... guess I'm really not sure,” Belle mused aloud. “'Mokugakure'. That's what the soldiers told me, anyway.
“What about you?” Belle turned the question around, hoping that the sooner the Prime got bored, the sooner it would go away.
Belle came down hard, sliding, trailing a wake of kicked up grass blades. Skin burned, elbow erupting with a sharp pang of pain as her movement slowed, her angled arm striking a half-rooted stone about the size of a pumpkin.
She only had time to indulge in the luxury of suffering for a moment. Overhead, she heard the by-now telltale screaming that signaled another barrage was incoming. Belle pulled her arms overhead and gritted her teeth.
The explosion darkened the sky, a fireball of red blossoming into existence with a deafening thunderclap at the treeline. The ground shuddered beneath her, jumping at the impact. Her ears rang, singing that singular tone of impending death as ripples of air buffeted her prone form and churned the waves beyond. Belle shadowed her face with her injured arm, daring to squint open one bright blue eye. There had to be … At least one …
There was. It was small, barely more than a personal sailboat, but it was real. As the explosion subsided, Belle rose – more like lurched – to her feet. The damage to her ear might have been worse than she thought, a dull throb of pain inside making her queasy as she took another step, staggered, then one more. Feet slid in the sand, threatening to turn as she made for the dock, cacophony of sounds behind her making her turn her head.
From beyond the edge of the forest they came, a multitude of shapes, tall and short, long and blunted. Their howls gibbering as they sloughed from the branches and underbrush. The remnants of the island's zoo had followed their previous friend's trail, and were now intent on claiming their prey.
Belle's sandals slapped on the worn, warped wood of the dock as they careened across the distance. She shook, reaching inside for the energy she knew was there -... and grasped at wisps. Again, she sought, stumbling onto hands and knees. There were faces on the boat, peering out over the railing. Some shouting at one another, others at her. A small hand reached out, its owner staring back at her, eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination.
The same eyes as she'd had back then.
Clenching teeth, Belle reached out, not for her power, but for the other. Small fingers reached for her as the animals hit the sand, stampeding forward.
Someone screamed. “We'll never make it in time!”
“Oh baby, it'll be okay, it'll be okay baby,” the mother of the child whispered as she wrapped herself around them.
Clatter of hooves and heavy paws on the wood. Belle felt her heart sink in her breast. And then – steeled. “Get out of here,” she shouted as she turned, wincing. Her vision swam. “Go!”
The sludge-infested creatures bayed as they jockeyed for position on the narrow dock, swarming towards her like a twisting, living flood.
Belle closed her eyes. Took a breath. She wouldn't let them reach the boat. Even if it cost her -...well. Even if it cost her a lot. What was the point of having this power otherwise...? What did she get it for?
Energy surged through her chest, through her arms and legs, boiling over like a current of molten electricity.
What she wanted more than anything.
As the animals reached for her with teeth and claw, Belle lifted her fists. The horde moved as if in slow motion, yawning maws gaping, shining with the same ghostly light as their eyes. Crouching, Belle gathered her will, and punched down.
The aged wood underneath the dock shredded with the impact. Her other fist came, chasing the wisps of the first, striking another plank, then the first whipped forward again... Churning into a maelstrom of destruction as she ripped the dock beneath them to pieces. Ripples of power rocked forward, crushing what remained of the supports. The creaking weight of the charging animals was more than the rest could bear, and the rest collapsed into the waters below in a cascading failure.
Wood cracked, snapping away under Belle's feet. She reached out, but fingers came just short, and she fell into the waves. Splash of warm, tropical water, the muffled noise of the thrashing and howling creatures dulled in her water-filled ears. A thin smile stretched across her lips as she lay back, her previously injured elbow exploding with pain. She could imagine Yuki's disapproving glare.
'Overdid it again?
Sorry, old woman, she thought as the sounds of the animals rose. Most of them weren't made for the sea; even if they got her, they wouldn't be able to catch the boat, much less mount it. Belle tried to move her arm, then blanched, immediately regretting it. No getting away.
Belle closed her eyes, swallowing, a whimper of fear slipping free from her as the waves kicked up. They were close...
Something wrapped around her, tightening hard. With sudden horror, Belle realized that just because she had only seen land animals infected, didn't mean that the infestation was limited to them. Rough hold around her squeezed; but instead of pulling her down, she felt herself being lifted up out of the water.
A thick length of rope was wrapped underneath her arms, and she stared dully at it as her legs were pulled free from the sea. She gasped as a dozen hands grabbed her, pulling her into the waiting sailboat. The sails unfurled, pulling taut as a small hand reached out to find her own, and squeezed.
~+~+~+~
The Tangled Green stretched before her, an endless mass of mingling forests. It didn't look like any nature brochure she had ever seen, that was for sure.
Arm in a sling, elbow wrapped stiffly to keep it from moving too much, Belle turned to look back at the gate leading to the Nexus. The remaining evacuees lay behind, it, being relocated to relief shelters in the Empire. She had bid the little girl and her mother a tearful farewell – obviously mostly on the girl's part, and Belle would maintain that, even if something had gotten in her eye back then – and parted ways just before.
Her home lay in Coruscant, a few more gates over, but rather than return, Belle had decided that she would take a little detour. She still had time in her vacation, after all, and would have been spending it on the beach - before it had been so rudely cut short, of course.
And now?
Belle turned back to the forest, squinting into the distance. Yuki had once mentioned in passing that there were several martial arts schools throughout the Omniverse – with several located right in the Tangled Green. The old woman had mused aloud, then, about taking her to visit them “one day.”
That day was today. Adjusting her sling, Belle gathered herself and her dignity – what dignity one could have in a bikini in the forest – and stepped onto a half-beaten path leading into the forest. Belle's resort had been, unfortunately, one of the first areas assaulted by the infection, and she had had to leave her luggage behind.
Oh well, she thought, sighing. At least I didn't lose Lily's gift-
The rustle of leaves overhead was the only warning Belle got before the canopy above exploded. She glanced up just in time to see a shadow before something large slammed into her, knocking her to the ground in an instant and taking the breath out of her. Head struck the dirt road, reawakening the nausea she had only put behind her shortly before, and she gagged for breath. Eyes rolled, swinging groggily to the shape that had landed on top of her.
To her dual relief and confusion, it was a girl. By some cosmic happenstance, the creature's face had buried itself into Belle's cleavage. After a moment of shifting, the blonde-haired other dislodged herself, coming up for breath. “Sorry!” the girl squeaked.
Belle stared.
“I was jumping!” the girl said, as if this explained everything.
“Uhm,” Belle muttered, her head still stinging. “Okay.”
“I couldn't see, you see?” The girl continued. She then put a finger to her cheek, looking off in throught. “Well, I could see, but not you. I could see around, though.”
“Please get off me.”
The girl was sitting on her stomach. The other blinked, then laughed. “Sorry!” she said, then at last, stood. Her amber eyes landed on Belle's arm as the redhead sat up. “Are you okay?!”
Belle grunted, brushing herself with her good hand, then checked her head. Miraculously, although there would be a bruise, it didn't feel like anything was cut. “Oh yeah, I'm good,” she grumbled. “I love it when strangers bodyslam me...”
Belle stood, testing her legs. Everything else seemed to be in working order. She turned to the blonde again, and gave the girl a proper once over. She … did not look like she belonged in a forest. Not that Belle herself have any right to say anything on that score.
“Heidi!” the girl offered. “What's your name?”
“Belle,” Belle answered, brow furrowed. Something about this girl seemed a little … off. “Where did you come from? Were you at Sabaody?”
"Sab what now?” the pigtailed girl squeaked, then shook her head. She pointed back in the direction Belle came from. “I came from there. Just a little while ago!”
The Nexus. That meant...
“Prime,” Belle breathed. She felt her lip twist.
“What's what?” Heidi asked, tilting her head.
Belle took another breath. Let it out slow. If the girl – Heidi – wasn't lying, then she was probably a new arrival. The least dangerous kind of Prime – at least if you were dealing with someone who wasn't an asshole by default. “Nothing,” she said. “Anyway. See you.”
Belle started to walk. To her chagrin, the blonde fell in right beside her.
“Sooo. Where are ya going?” Heidi asked.
“Somewhere. Meet someone. Or some people. I-... guess I'm really not sure,” Belle mused aloud. “'Mokugakure'. That's what the soldiers told me, anyway.
“What about you?” Belle turned the question around, hoping that the sooner the Prime got bored, the sooner it would go away.
Uh oh. Those boys got me all tingly...
![[Image: ezgif-1-a370e630e1.gif]](https://s7.postimg.cc/elmiaogd7/ezgif-1-a370e630e1.gif)
I must calm it.
I must calm it.