Shadows in the Forest 'Open'

[Jezbel]

Mika was glad that Leaf could pull her out. She followed him back to the camp and sat down. She held her arm close for a minute and then let Leaf look at it. She couldn't herself look at the swelling mess so she watched Leaf. His face was serious but also worried. Almost regret it looked like. Did- Does he blame himself? She questioned. "Um you could look in my pack for some cloth, maybe to sticks with some twine? I really don't know..." Her eyebrows where pulled together questionly but her mouth was tilted up in a half smile. "You're....funny." She said quietly reaching back for her pack with her good hand and pulled it around. "One minute you're laughing and telling tales, the next saying you’re insane and now fixing up a clumsy crazy girl." She smiled at him and looked down at her arm. It was swollen, red, and hurt like well nothing she had every felt before.

Mika look over to the fire and away from her arm. She guessed Leaf would what to know why she wasn't here she said, "The fire was getting low." She glance to him and back to the fire, "That’s why I was gone, to go find some wood. And I kept in sight of the fire, so I wouldn't get lost like before but I saw this perfect piece and well I had to get it. And then the hole..." She trailed off figuring he could put the rest together. "It's my fault you know," She said looking at him, "I would have gone off with or without you here. Don't want to freeze while sleeping." She shook her head. Though she did want her arm to freeze at the moment, "So how do you know how to take care of a broken arm?" Mika asked with a confused look crossing her face.

[Leaf]

Leaf scooted over to Mika's pack and opened it up. The contents inside it varied greatly and Leaf didn't know where to start looking first. He moved some things around and fished through it before retrieving some cloth and twine. Setting those aside, Leaf then crawled into the woods and scavenged the ground before finding two suitable and sturdy sticks. "Funny, huh." Leaf responded as he gathered the objects to Mika's side. "Well," he said, placing the two sticks on opposite sides of the girl's arm. "I guess you could call me a man of many faces." Leaf wrapped the twine around the sticks, making sure that it would hold in place. Grabbing two ends of the twine, he looked at Mika and said, "Be ready, because this is gonna hurt." He then yanked on the twine, tightening it so that it wouldn't budge. It was painful, but it would help keep the arm in place and that was important before they could get her proper treatment.

Leaf listened to Mika talk about the fire. He could tell that she was trying to keep him from blaming himself, but Leaf still thought that he would've been able to prevent it somehow. What made him most concerned, though, was the hole. Why was a hole all the way out in the middle of the forest. Hopefully it was just a trap of a normal hunter. Or poacher even. As long as it wasn't anyone more dangerous. "You could've waited for me…" Leaf muttered as he took the cloth and folded it into a sling. "I could've—here, move your head a bit—gone and got it for you." He wrapped it behind Mika's neck so that the cloth caressed her broken arm. This way it wouldn't move as easily. He fastened the cloth behind her and moved back to observe his work. It was primitive with limited supplies, but it worked.

"How do I know?" he asked. "Well I stay in the woods often and if I ever break one of my limbs, I had better know how to take care of it." There had been instances where Leaf had gotten himself badly hurt and it was a really good thing to know how to patch oneself up without many tools until being able to see a doctor. Leaf smiled at Mika gently while he fed some twigs to the fire. "Stay like that for now and we'll go to town and get you properly fixed up in the morning, okay?"

[Jezbel]

Man of many faces? Mika absently wondered how many faces he did have. Is that why he wasn't going to the town? She looked to the fire wonder visible on her face. What would it be like? To always be on the run, to travel the lands? Only thinking about now and not before. She wasn't paying any mind when Leaf said to be ready. "Owww!!!" She cried, yet held her arm still. It took all she had not to move it, it was just reflexes. She whimpered a bit, but it started to get a bit better... Though not by much.

She was listened to Leaf's reasoning and nodded slightly. "I may look like a little girl who can't do anything but I'm not. I can do things myself..." Though this wasn't a good example. "I've been on my own for a while and this is the first time I've really really gotten hurt. Even with my burns..." Even to Mika it sounded lame and false. It felt better now, the sling gave her some relief. She looked at the sling and wondered mindlessly how she was going to sleep. Mika usually slept on her stomach for some weird reason, this would be so bothersome. She sighed frustrated, Really? How stupid can i get?

She looked over to Leaf and listened, "So you really spend that much time in woods? Aren't you ever afraid of getting lost or hurt? Even if or when Shadow was there?" She asked very interested how her could spend so much time in the woods, "I would go mad being by myself..." She added quietly. When Leaf was talking about going into town Mika grew wide eyed and said, "But you can't! You might get caught! You said it yourself you were on wanted posters, I cant- wont get you thrown in jail because I'm stupid enough to fall ina ditch!" She hadn't noticed her voice raise slightly as she spoke and when she did her face took on a sorta, "Oops" look. "Sorry... I didn't mean to yell."

[Leaf]

Leaf nodded with a smile on his face and tousled Mika's hair gently. "Of course you can. You're a tough girl." he said playfully yet sincerely. "But you really worried me when I came back and couldn't find you. I thought that I had lost a friend again…" Leaf's tone became more solemn as he trailed off. He remembered the heart-wrenching feeling of despair when he returned to an empty campsite, with no one to answer his calls. The pessimistic thoughts all pointed toward the worst and it pained him to think that any horrible event could have occurred in the few minutes in which he was absent. It was almost like life was playing a game with him; spinning him around and pushing him over when his back was turned.

Leaf looked at Mika as she asked her question. "Well I do spend a lot of my time out here now that I can survive on my own. When I was young, however, I kept inside the city walls. After all, the beasts inside the forest seemed a lot more dangerous than the people although I can beg to differ now." Leaf chuckled at the last part, remembering his childhood. It wasn't a very good one, but still worthy of reminiscing. "I do get hurt. Often, too. But I can patch myself up and normally I don't get hurt so bad that I might die. As for getting lost, well you never have to worry about that if you have nowhere to go," he said, trying to recount any situations that were exceptions. He usually just wandered aimlessly unless he had a target. And when he did, his trusty nose and other senses, coupled with his ability to coax information out of people, kept him on track most of the time.

Leaf gently patted Mika on the back, careful not to move her arm. "Well you aren't alone now, so I hope your sanity isn't in peril," he joked, but there was a twinkle in his eye that had a comforting sense. He was glad to have her here, even if he was used to being alone. Having another person around, especially someone one could call a friend, made an occasion much more special than otherwise.

It shocked Leaf to hear Mika's sudden protest. He hadn't even thought of the possibility of being caught. He had just wanted to insure the girl's safety. "It's no big deal," he said, waving his hand casually. "It's not like we're going to Yamanash or something. We can find a different town. One that hasn't felt my presence in a long time. Or maybe not at all." He smiled, trying to ease the girl's concerns. He really didn't have any worries about visiting a town. Even if he was recognized, the smaller towns usually didn't have enough security to keep him in. He was going to be fine. "Really. Don't worry about me."

[Jezbel]

Mika stuck her tongue out at Leaf when she messed with her hair. "Aw Leaf..." She said and pushed him slightly with her good arm, "I wouldn't just get up and leave ya. And if something did happen to me you would know. 'Cause I would be screaming bloody murder." She nodded trying to make a joke out of it. Mika hadn't realized how much it had worried Leaf when she was gone, she hadn't meant to at all. She looked up and smiled at him, he really was a good friend even if Leaf didn't know it. "I just made a great friend tonight, so why would I leave 'em? I mean come on Leaf think a little." She laughed and smiled.

She listened and stayed quiet. "So you really like the woods? Do you ever like spend a long amount of time in the city anymore? And people aren't all bad, you just gotta look in the right places. They may be a little dirty or hidden to the world. All you have to do it dig." She said gently looking into the woods. "But then again animals are...Well I like to think of them as people who can't always talk. They have their own personality and life. Families and homes. I guess humans aren't that different after all... “She said. Wolves, humans, birds we all a have a past, a present, a future. So what truly does separate us? Our looks, how we walk, how we sound? "It all seems kinda funny to me... Why can't we all just get along?"

She looked over to him and laughed, "I think it's more fun to be slightly insane. Just makes life interesting." But it was nice to have someone, she had only come across a few people that she had a full on conversation or more for a while. Mika thought about it if everyone was the same, boring and dull. It just makes life entertaining if you add a little spark to it.

"Let me guess, you have a back-up plan in case things do go wrong?" She asked raising an eyebrow. Even though he said he would be fine Mika had a knot in the middle of her stomach. She couldn't shake off a bad feeling. She looked at her arms and lay back slowly. She didn't go to sleep, it wasn't what one would call comfortable. At least with a broken arm, she sighed and closed her eyes enjoying the cool night air.

[Leaf]

Leaf chuckled softly when Mika teased him about how she wouldn't disappear. Despite her light tone, the words meant a lot to Leaf and he could feel warmth gradually seep into his heart. It was just so hard to resist matching her smile, so he didn't.

"Well," he said after listening to Mika's question. "I do stay in cities for a majority of my time, just not too long in the same city. You see, I'm always on the move. And of course people aren't all bad. Your very existence proves that to me." Leaf turned to look into the woods with Mika. They were dark and mysterious, but they still sent a homely feeling to the very roots of the werewolf's blood. "Yes… Animals have personalities, too. Sentience just happens to give people too much of a sense of dominance and superiority. It's what makes the world unbalanced." Leaf stared into the dark abyss between the silhouettes of the trees, remembering the times where his paws pummeled the ground as he skirted the maze of vegetation. It was truly wonderful to be within the realm of being and beast.

From Mika's question about his backup plan, Leaf knew that she still had reservations about him going into town. "It won't be too hard to outrun normal folks. Plus, if I do get thrown into a prison, I'll have you know that I am a master lock-picker." As he said this, Leaf pull his pick from behind his ears and twirled it with his fingers. "As long as there's no magic involved, there hasn't been a lock I couldn't pick yet," he grinned somewhat smugly.

[Jezbel]

Mika smiled softly as Leaf complemented her. She was glad that he thought highly of her, but also thought that he thought to highly of her. "It's not like I've never done bad things before..." She said softly eyes still closed. Memories washed behind her eyes, images of people she's fooled, some small things she's stole, and an image of a boy. But as so as the face appeared her eyes fluttered open and she refused to think about it much more. She listened to Leaf talk about the unbalance and nodded. It was true, humans held too much power. And power made people corrupt. It was rather simple if you thought about it. "You know I've often wanted to change into an animal and just stay that way. Sometime it just seems easier," She said.

Even though Leaf did reassure Mika she couldn't shake the feeling. So she just wouldn't think of it. When Leaf showed her his tools she said, "Right, thief... You just don't seem like a thief to me, I guess that’s a good thing though..." The more she thought of it the more it made sense. If you don't seem like a criminal people would be more open to trust you, and then you could get a lay out of the home or steal something right there. She looked at the tool and smiled, "Well aren’t you special?" She rolled her eyes, "Big ego much?" She laughed and closed her eyes. Jokingly she said, "Should I be worried about my bag as I sleep Leaf?" Mika knew well hoped that he wasn't playing her this whole time and wouldn't steal anything. But besides that point there wasn't much to steal in the first place. Rags, a few tools of her trade, and the few coins left from her last show, the only thing of value was around her wrist.

She listened to the leaves dance. And thought of the greens all around her, light and dark with a hint of brown showing through. The rough dark bark of the mighty timber. She thought of how when you gaze of the brown, you find green again. But this green branches out and whispers in the wind. And that whispering is almost putting me to sleep... Mika thought idly as she yawned.

[Leaf]

"That only proves that you're mortal," Leaf muttered softly as he let his eyes rest on the girl. Mika seemed to be submerged in her memories and while it made Leaf a little curious, he just sat and watched her float into her past before wading back into the present. It was a calming sight to just watch someone without saying anything. The flicker of the flames printed dancing shadows on Mika's face, which made her seem so content and peaceful. It made Leaf feel warm, too.

Leaf listened to Mika as she spoke of wanting to change into an animal. Truly, it would be a nice way to escape all the politics in the world. To be free and live by one's own means without anything else to interfere. Leaf stared at Mika and decided that he would reveal his origin. After all, there wasn't anything more that she could know that would making her untrusting. "Mika," he said, tugging at a small piece of grass with his fingers. "You know, I'm actually a werewolf. I can change into a wolf at will. It's cool and really, sometimes it proves to be an oasis in my normally chaotic life." Leaf grinned at Mika. He was really going all out tonight, telling someone about almost everything there was to know about himself. But it didn't matter. Something about the girl made Leaf feel like he could just trust her.

Leaf smiled as he played with his tool and listened to Mika. "If I looked like a thief, I wouldn't be sitting here with you regardless of whether I was one or not. People are just so keen on looks nowadays and it's so easy to fool them," he said in reply. It was true, too. Many a time had he gotten out of getting caught simply because there was a more suspicious looking guy nearby. Before he had thought of it as luck, but now the thief saw how unfair the mechanics of society was.

Leaf looked back in the flames as Mika began joking about his confidence. He chuckled with her, knowing that he had come off with a pompous air. "Well the world has been revolving around me for about seventeen years, hm?" he joked as he playfully brought his finger up next to his chin as if he were pondering the question. "Your bag? Man, well if I didn't do anything to it while you were in that ditch, I think you should worry more about your pretty little self before your bag," Leaf grinned widely as he crossed his arms and leaned over toward Mika before poking her playfully in the nose.

He then leaned back and looked up at night sky. The stars still glinted like diamonds and the moon beamed a serene ray down onto the treetops, where the silver met with the licking touches of red and orange. It was a really nice scene to watch. Leaf heard Mika yawn and found himself yawning along with her. It had been a long day. So long that Leaf could feel weights pulling at his eyelids. It was getting harder to stay awake.

[Jezbel]

The small girl’s eyes slid open as Leaf called her name. She watched him pick at a blade of grass. As he told her what he was truly Mika smiled, "You act like I’m going to judge you based on what you are." The girl said, "And I'm not, I think it's pretty darn cool that I'm sitting in the middle of the woods with a wolf- err werewolf." Thinking about it Mika could see Leaf as a wolf, "What do you look like?" She asked quietly. She was picturing a common grey wolf, different shades infused together. Is he like a grey wolf? A red wolf? Or something completely different? Mika wondered and her gaze fell to Leaf's face imaging it.

When Leaf spoke about fooling people Mika nodded, "I've conned a few people 'cause I look so helpless. And I've gotten more money that way. I haven't really thought that it would be that easy for other people too." It does seem rather easy to trick somebody now a day. Give a sad story, or a pathetic look and you could easily have someone eating out of the palms of your hands. Thought it's a bit wrong and Mika usually feels bad after doing it. Except when it’s a big fat rich person who doesn't give a thought to anyone in the world. That's when Mika tries to get every little thing she can out of them.

"Oh well then," Mika said sarcastically, "I wasn't aware that I was in the presence of royalty. Even if it's in your own little world" Watching Leaf put a finger on his chin Mika frowned slightly, she knew that was the one sign that meant 'What could I do?' Whether it was now or to something. When he started to lean over she raise an eyebrow, and nearly smacked his hand when he poked her nose. But instead Mika settled on sticking her tongue out and said matter-of-factly, "I don't think you would hurt me what so ever." She closed her eyes slightly.

But they soon closed fully and she was almost asleep, when an owl hooted in the distance, "Stupid owls...I hate owls. Don't ... know...why...". She said slowly, slightly groggy. Her eyes fluttered open for a second then closed, she didn't even bother to move the strand of hair that fell across her face. She wasn't asleep, but she just didn’t have enough energy to move. She may not have the energy to move but she could hear and feel what was going on around her. A completely new sensation to Mika. She could feel a cool breeze brush against her skin, making her shiver slightly. She could hear the rustle of the leaves over head. But she couldn’t lift a finger not even if she wanted to, and she didn’t really at the moment… How odd…

[Leaf]

While Leaf knew that Mika wouldn't judge him, he was still glad to hear that she thought him being a werewolf was cool. She asked about his appearance, so Leaf said, "I'm kind of smaller than the normal wolf, though not by much, and my fur is pure white. It's almost shiny and it's sleek and soft. Of course, I've still got the normal teeth and claws and such, but you don't see a white wolf everyday." Leaf smiled. He enjoyed being a wolf when he was alone in the woods. The enhanced senses allowed new windows to be opened in every direction and it made him feel as free as the wind. Additionally, it was convenient and served well when he was searching for something or running away.

Leaf listened to Mika talk about how she had conned people. So he wasn't the only one that took advantage of their looks. Well, of course he wasn't, but it was kind of heartwarming to know that someone else understood how he felt, even if it was something as trivial as this. Leaf looked at the fire that danced lightly on the twigs. Sparks jumped off of the blaze and died when they hit the ground. It was nice to sit outside around a warm fire.

"That's your majesty to you," Leaf poked back with a grin. "You're speaking to the prince of thieves here." He then leaned back and laughed. His bright voice rang in the air and sailed up into the sky where it echoed and faded. When Mika stuck out her tongue at him, Leaf smiled mischievously and said, "Oh ho! And how would you know that, my friend?" He raised his eyebrows in a quizzical manner, but inside he knew that he wouldn't lay a hand on the girl. He wasn't about to do something that would make her hate him. Not after they had just become friends.

Feeling the fire warm his body, Leaf shut his eyes as he curled up on the ground next to Mika. The air was smooth and clear, bur the flames were so warm. It was the perfect condition to sleep in. Leaf chuckled softly when he heard Mika grumble about the owls and listened for them. Their calls soared through the branches of the trees and reached the corners of the forest. The repeated calls made Leaf wonder whether it was an echo or there were just many owls. The slight rustling of the leaves gave a small tint of action in the settling night, but the minuscule movement only emphasized the calmness of the night. The same calmness that lulled Leaf to sleep.

[Jezbel]

"A white wolf..." Mika said softly. That was so usual and unique. She couldn't even begin to think what it must be like to change from human to wolf and back again. What an amazing thing to do and to be a white wolf. That's so cool... Mika thought. If I could be any animal I think it would be a wolf. Mika fallowed Leaf's gaze to the fire and smiled. It was the longest lasting fire she had built. The fire popped and crackled, she smiled. She watched as the wood was slowly burning little piece suddenly flaring. She heard a huge crack as a log snapped open. It made her jump but she settled in quickly and without much hassle.

"Well Princey you best expect that you get some uprising from your subjects." Mika said smiling. She found herself giggling with Leaf, why was laughing so addicting. As his started to fade Mika was able to quite laughing. She listened as Leaf challenged her, "That’s why." She said poking him in the chest, "I'm your friends and friends look out for each other, not hurt each other." She smiled softly and then added with a fake hurt,"Unless I'm not your friend." She put her hand on her chest and made her mouth form an 'o'. But Mika knew that they were friends and laughed slightly.

Mika found just enough energy to move to her side and inch slightly closer to Leaf. She didn't know if she would say it out loud but she's felt safer with Leaf than she had in a long time. She felt the edges of a smiled tug on her lips as her mind became foggy. Slowly slipping into a deeper and deeper sleep.

Running, that’s what Mika was doing. Running through a field filled with snow two feet high. The small girl than tumbled down into the freezing ice crystals . She couldn't get up, it was too cold. She could feel her fingers begin to numb and eye long lashes fill with snowflakes. She heard the crunch of snow and a loud laugh echoing through the trees but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. She felt scared, more scared then she ever had before. The crunching got louder, the laugher crazier. She looked up through snow covered lashes and saw a man, a man with a knife. Mika shoot up, breathing heavy. The moon was now far over head, taking a guess it would be around 1 A.M. She shivered, even with the low yet warm burning fire. She slowly got up making sure not to disturb Leaf and her arm and throw another log on the fire. Shifting some embers around with a long thin stick she thought, Who is he? It wasn't the first time she had the dream and she guessed it wouldn't be the last. She sighed and walked back over to where she had been sleeping. She lay down carefully and moving into a somewhat comfortable position on her good side, Mika moved closer to Leaf. Not touching but enough to feel his presence. She sighed and looked out into the forest, slowly, very slowly falling into a fearful and restless sleep.

[Leaf]

"Of course you're my friend!" Leaf said sharply, as if he was offended with the very thought, but he then smiled and patted Mika on her good shoulder. "You'll never have to worry about that." It was so much fun to just sit and talk to someone that could be trusted. This made Leaf wonder how he made it through the majority of his life without someone to call a friend. He had acquaintances and sometimes companions or allies, but never someone who would call him a friend. Now, at least he could say that he had two friends and to him, they felt like the entire world.

As Leaf lay on the ground, he felt his eyes shut heavily and his mind wander. The warmth of the fire washed over his body like a blanket, making his mind more and more drowsy. Leaf cracked an eyelid open and saw Mika in front of him. She had already fallen into a deep slumber. Leaf smiled and closed his eyes again. Soon, he also drifted to sleep.

The woods by the White Ribbon River was clear in front of Leaf's eyes as he stood, tugging on something. The boy looked down and saw the black wolf, still and impaled with a dagger. Looking back up, Leaf saw the mangled man lying on the ground, head bloodied from a vicious pummeling. Panicking, Leaf pulled the black wolf into the river and felt the cold wash over. But he didn't have time to shiver. Struggling, the boy pulled himself and the large beast down the stream.

After what seemed like an enormous effort, Leaf pulled himself and the wolf out of the water and onto the shore near a small town. He felt himself screaming something. Something so familiar, yet it escaped his ears. Then the wolf was no longer a wolf, but a man. What didn't change was that he was still grievously injured. Leaf seemed to know what to do as he stood up and began to drag the man toward a certain building, but the man wouldn't budge. It was almost like he was packed with cement. Fear crept into Leaf's heart as he felt ominous presences crawling up from behind. They were people with death glazed over their eyes, walking slowly, hissing and flailing. Leaf reached for his pouch of pebbles, but found that they were gone. He felt one of the townspeople grab onto his arm and tried to shake it off, but was quickly overwhelmed by more.

"Help," he tried to say, but a hand closed around his neck. He was going to die. Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in the air.

"Invincible."

Leaf blanked, and the scene flashed. He looked around and found that he was still where he was. However, the townspeople were littered around him, dead and mounted in piles. His hands were covered in blood. Leaf hurried to the river to wash his hands, but saw in the water's reflection, he saw that even his face and clothes were bloodstained. Backing away from the water, Leaf turned back around to see the townspeople's eyes all set on him, each full his grudging hatred and fear, as if it was all his fault that they lay still without breath. Leaf spun around, looking for the man he was going to help earlier. The black wolf. The man stepped out from behind the corpses, covering his left eye with a hand. Blood was dripping from between the fingers. The man smiled slyly before opening his lips.

"I hate you."

Leaf shuddered in his sleep.

[Jezbel]

Mika didn't sleep well that night waking up over and over. Though never do the dream again. Odd sounds, unfamiliar animals, and cool breezes. She hardly noticed as the early morning rays started to rise above the horizon. Not the birds as they started to chirp and animals chatter at one another, the squirrels scurrying around looking for a meal. The bright sun began to rise higher and higher. The only reason Mika woke was due to a thin stream of sunshine poking through the leaves high over head and lying on her dirt covered face. She grumbled and turned over on her other arm, her left. Faster than a humming bird’s wing Mika shot up and clutched her arms eyes brimming with tears. She had to distract herself. She walked over to the fire and saw it was nearly out. They would have to find a stream or something to pull it out fully.

She walked to the edge of the site and found a stick. Then walking back to Leaf she knelt down and scribbled in the ground, Leaf, went to go find water. Gotta put the fire out safely. Don't worry I'll be back in a few and won't go far. -Mika She dug around in her back until she found was she was looking for a deer skin pouch. She then sighed and got up walking away, glancing back ever so slightly. She hadn't put the stick down; no instead she marked the trees she passed for a clear path in the way she was leaving the campsite. She walked along and smiled. The trees weren't as creepy as they had been yesterday, whether it was due to the sunlight or to Leaf's appearance Mika did not know. It had been nice talking with him all last night, just thinking of it made a smiled show up on Mika's face. But at the same time she hoped he wasn't worried about her.

Mika found a small stream and knelt down near it. Dipping the deer skin pouch in it and holding it, filling the pouch with cold blue liquid. When it was done Mika put it down and pushed up her sleeves. She didn't want to take too long but she would at least rinse out her hair and wash her face. She took a deep breath and slipped her head under water. The cold spring water rushed over every inch of her face, making her shiver. She started the same habit. Messing with her hair first and then scrubbing her face with her now somewhat clean hands. Mika had forgotten the soap that was in her bag and didn't really bother with it now. She came up periodically for air and then went under once more.

Once Mika was done she stood up, rung out her hair, dried her face with her shirt and brushed off her knees. She walked back to camp hair damp and clinging to her head, shoulders, and back and water pouch in her hands. The markings made it easy for Mika to get back to camp where she went to the flames and poured the water over it. Steam billowed up and a sizzling sound filled the air. "Maybe I should have waited till breakfast..." She said to herself shaking out the rest of the water, "But then again I don't think we have anything..." Mika shrugged it off, concentrating on her task.

[Leaf]

Leaf had several dreams that night, but none stuck to his mind besides the one about Shadow. The one about a haunted memory. The morning sun hit Leaf's face as he cracked open his eyes, squinting into the light. It was a warm and bright morning. Leaf sat up and yawned, stretching his limbs. Sleeping on the ground really made one's back sore, but Leaf did it so often that he didn't mind anymore. He looked around and saw the flames still flickering on the wood, although their light had been mostly drowned out by that of the sun. Leaf then turned his head, hoping to find Mika, but couldn't see her anywhere. 'Really. As soon as I take my eyes off her, she pulls the disappearing act again. And where does she think she's going with that broken arm?' Leaf thought furiously. As he started to panic, he was the scribbled message in the dirt and let out a relieved sigh. At least he knew that she was nearby.

Leaf stood up and paced around, wondering when Mika would be back. His query was wiped away, though, when the girl emerged from the side of the wood, carrying a full water pouch. Leaf watched as she poured the liquid over the fire, dousing the flames effectively. "Good morning." he yawned, scratching his head lazily. "Is there a stream down there?" Leaf pointed in the direction Mika came from. He noted the girl's damp hair and decided that getting a drink and washing his face would be rather refreshing. Additionally, water sources usually led to civilization, and that was a good thing, considering that they needed to find a doctor to look at Mika's arm. "Don't forget, we're going to town today." he said.

[Jezbel]

"Morning! And yeah there's a stream, just follow the markings and it'll lead you right to it." Mika said walking over to Leaf. She noticed the passing before hand and smiled, "Miss me?" She asked. It was fun messing with Leaf, though she most likely gave him quite a scare. She nodded when he mentioned the town. "So we gonna leave when you get back?" Mika throw the water skin in her pack and shifted around something finding a clean shirt and placing it on top. Maybe she would change when Leaf went to the stream. Wow I really should have taken this with me... But that would have freaked out Leaf even more, Mika guessed.

Mika stretched and cracked her back then sat down. Leaning back on one hand letting the broken one rest in her lap. She had never really like doctors her Dad use to have to bribe her to get Mika to go. She just didn't like the fact that someone knew more about what was supposed to be going on with her body then she did. She sighed and looked up at the sky seeing that most of the different colors had faded away and now was replaced with a light blue and some fluffy looking clouds. One in fact looked like a bunny that thought made her stomach growl.