Jo-Jo the Human Adventurer's Story

(Sorry, forgot to change location XP)

Jo-Jo was currently falling out of the sky. He didn't quite remember how he'd gotten there, but thoughts like those could wait. After all, Jo-Jo needed to land; safely at that. However, as he flew, Jo-Jo felt the adrenaline rush through his whole body. He couldn't help but let out a shout. It rang free and clear as a bell over the forest. The shout belied the true freedom, joy, and raw exhilaration that could only be described as flight. As Jo-Jo flew through the air, thoroughly enjoying himself for the time being, he noticed below him was an ancient forest. The trees were old, grey, and gnarled; there was a thick, roiling mist that clung to the ground and the whole place was filled with a general feeling of eeriness. Jo-Jo cringed as he sailed over one of the taller trees, it didn't look like a very nice place to land. However, it was the only option Jo-Jo had, and he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to touch down here. As he plummeted to the ground, Jo-Jo reached out and grabbed a nearby branch. The branch was thick and strong, but Jo-Jo was moving quite fast and had a heavy ruck sack slung over his shoulders. The branch snapped with a loud crack, slowing Jo-Jo ever so slightly. As Jo-Jo tumbled through the treetops, trying to avoid impaling himself, he grabbed as many branches as he could in an attempt to slow his fall and land safely. Luckily, directly beneath him was a small bush. Jo-Jo landed on his belly with a thud and felt the air rush out of his body. "OOF!" Jo-Jo grunted.

Standing slowly, and brushing himself off, Jo-Jo looked around. His initial opinion of the forest stood, it didn't look like a nice place from the air, and it most certainly didn't look any better up close. Jo-Jo was displeased to find that, as he examined the area, he had no idea where he was. Slinging his rucksack off of his shoulders and sitting down with his legs crossed, Jo-Jo placed his pack in his lap and examined its contents. The contents of Jo-Jo's pack always formed remarkably shrewd suggestions of the activities Jo-Jo was currently engaged in. Jo-Jo pulled out his trusty bow, a map of what appeared to be a temple and its surrounding area, a potion marked "True Seeing", miraculously the glass vial was still intact, a metal gauntlet with a runic eyeball on it, a few miscellaneous scraps of paper, including the potion's receipt from a shop in Wizard City, and his guidebook. Jo-Jo stood up, carefully slung his pack back over his shoulders, and took off in a mostly northern direction. He'd deduced his bearings using the position of the sun in the sky. Further, since the temple was north of the forest he was currently in, that was the best option Jo-Jo had. As he walked, he remembered.

Jo-Jo had taken a quest from the local quest board in the Candy Kingdom. Someone was willing to trade a magic quiver for the gem in the center of the Temple should he bring it back. The quiver could alter the properties of the arrows and bolts that were stored in it. Jo-Jo had taken the quest in the hopes that if he stored his bow in the quiver, he could change what type of arrows it fired. When he'd gotten to the Temple, Jo-Jo proceeded through it like normal, checking all the doors, making sure to pick up all the keys he could find, snagging that awesome gauntlet, and finally, activating the booby trap that had sent him flying through the air. Jo-Jo chuckled to himself. "Ha, ha, that booby trap skronked me up real good. Totally wasn't expecting the builders to have designed such a redonk trap."

As he walked through the forest, Jo-Jo heard the sound of twigs snapping and general sounds of movement. He stopped, trying to pinpoint their position. They weren't that far away. Were they coming from some monster, on its way to jack up some poor old goblins? What if it was a little old lady trying to make it top her grand-kids' house to bake them some cookies? Either way, it was headed to the Temple, same as Jo-Jo. Justice demanded that he act. Anything short of an adventurer like himself, or a horrible monster wouldn't stand a chance in that temple. Jo-Jo slunk his way over to the source of the noise, trying to move as stealthily as possible. When he found it, Jo-Jo had to hold in a gasp. The thing that was making the noise... It was a lady peeps, and she was awful pretty. Jo-Jo felt himself blush. He could never quite act right whenever he was talking to ladies. They were so pretty and soft, he couldn't help but blush and stutter. Their beauty was just too much for him. He gulped and quietly stepped out of his hiding spot to greet the lady. "U-um, hello ma'am." Jo-Jo stuttered. "I-I noticed you were headed this way and felt obliged to inform you that the way you're currently going will lead you to a super dangerous, ancient temple." Jo-Jo felt his feet shuffle. Dancing nervously to the rhythm of his wildly out-of-control heartbeat. "I-If you like," Jo-Jo offered, "I could e-e-escort you to the next town over and help you get out of this forest." Jo-Jo wiped the sweat off of his brow and adjusted his goggles, though they needed no adjusting. "I-I'm Jo-Jo by the way. Jo-Jo the human." Jo-Jo said, bowing to the lady dressed in white. "At your service."

If the sun was high in the sky, Chrissy couldn't tell. She could hardly see past the branches that blocked her path, much less the ones that hid the sky from her eyes. 'At least I don't have my wings right now. They'd just get caught in all this junk.' she thought, trying to be opptimistic despite her gloomy surroundings. It wasn't working very well. Creepy sounds seemed to be coming from everywhere all at once. Even the very trees seemed to be reatching for her, their bark twisted into motionless yet terrifying faces. At any moment she expected so five head beast with a poisonous tail to jump out at her.

One of her hands had clasped the arm of a small white bear hidden inside her gown. It wasn't the gown she wore as part of her Guardian Angel uniform but a different one she was allowed to wear because she was in her humanoid form. No wings, hair pulled back into a tight ponytail (though the V shape of her bangs was still intact), dress a little more freeing than her other one... it felt nice being somewhat human, though the blue stripe across her lighter blue skin reminded her of what she was reguardless of who else recognized it. Few had ever heard of, much less seen their Guardian Angel.

Meanwhile her other hand was raised just above her head and a little bit infront of her, a white light shining from the tips of her fingers in the directions she pointed as she tried to illuminate the area directly ahead of her. Despite the light coming from her hand it still did precious little good as the forest seemed to be closing in on her with every brave step. 'It would be stronger if I were in my Angel form,' she thought, but shrugged that thought off with a simple, 'Oh well.' She liked the freedom this form gave her, despite certain limiting factors. Placing another bare foot infront of the other she found herself wandering deeper throught the Evil Forest, a growning feeling of unease twisting in her gut.

Suddenly she hear the sound of rustling coming from the bushes just a few feet away from her, off to the left. Whirling around she tried to sound tough and call out "Who goes there?!" but no sound came from her slightly parted lips. Not so much as a command for the unwelcome guest to do the splits. So much for intimidation... But when a young man, a human man who looked to be about her physical age, walked out of the bushes it was Christina who was scared. After a moment of shock she tried to hide the confusion and embarrassment on her face but likely failed as miserably as he was, his cheeks aflame.

"U-um, hello ma'am." The stranger stuttered. "I-I noticed you were headed this way and felt obliged to inform you that the way you're currently going will lead you to a super dangerous, ancient temple." As he stood there his feet were shuffling in an odd little dance of nervousness which eased Chrissy's mind a little. At least she wasn't the only one who had been caught off guard. "I-If you like," he began, obviously trying to cover for his stunned entrance, "I could e-e-escort you to the next town over and help you get out of this forest." He wiped some beads of sweat off his brow and adjusted his goggles, though they had looked like they had been fine where they were. "I-I'm Jo-Jo by the way. Jo-Jo the human." Jo-Jo said, bowing to the lady dressed in white. "At your service."

'Well, at least he's a gentleman instead of some horrible beast,' Chrissy thought relaxing slightly as she realized she was in little danger. A blessing as, though she could fight, she was quite weak in this humanoid form. Besides the lack of desire to quarrel, her speciality was healing, not hurting. "Hello, Mister Jo-Jo." She said with a curtsy, "My name is Christina. Christina Celeste. But please call me Chrissy." Running a small hand through her long white hair she sighed anxiously, her blue eyes flicking around the dark shadows of the forest before they landed on Jo-Jo again. "I am fortunate to have run into you. I seem to have gotten myself quite lost in this frightening forest here and I have not the slightest idea of how to get out." Clasping her hands together just before her bust line in a praying form, she smiled with a disarming hopefulness. "If you would lead me out I would be much obliged."

"Hello, Mister Jo-Jo." The girl in white said with a curtsy, "My name is Christina. Christina Celeste. But please call me Chrissy." Running a small hand through her long white hair she sighed anxiously, her blue eyes flicking around the dark shadows of the forest before they landed on Jo-Jo again. "I am fortunate to have run into you. I seem to have gotten myself quite lost in this frightening forest here and I have not the slightest idea of how to get out." Clasping her hands together in a praying form, she smiled, causing Jo-Jo to blush again. "If you would lead me out I would be much obliged." Jo-Jo nodded. "Sure, after all, this is a pretty scary place." Jo-Jo managed to say, trying not to fumble over his words, though his voice still quavered. He looked around quickly, then realized he'd completely lost his bearings. "Hold on. I'll be right back." Jo-Jo walked over to a nearby tree and climbed it as quickly as he could.

The overall endeavor took a few seconds. Once he was at the top, he could see the sun again. The only reason he'd been able to use it as a guide in the first place was because he'd been above the tree line before he dropped in anyway. Jo-Jo clambered down a few branches, making it halfway down the tree, before dropping completely out of the tree and doing a somersault before landing. Dusting himself off, Jo-Jo pointed directly south. "If we go that way." Jo-Jo said, more announcing it that directing it at his beautiful companion. If he looked her in the face, he might not have been able to say anything at all. "If we go that way, we'll be lead directly out of this forest. Further, if we head west after that, I believe there's a village nearby. I stopped there before making my way through this forest the first time. I was on a quest before I found you. After I drop you off, I'll be back on my way." Jo-Jo said with a smile.

At that, he started walking south, directly out of the forest. "This way, we'll take it slow. After all, y-you are wearing a d-d-dress." Jo-Jo blushed. He hoped she didn't think he was being condescending, he was merely remarking on the difficulty of hiking while wearing a dress. She looked very good in it too. Jo-Jo slapped his face lightly with both hands. 'Oh my glob Jo-Jo, knock it off.' He thought to himself. 'You're just guiding her out of the forest, there's no reason to be so stinkin' nervous.' "S-so, Ch-Chrissy." Jo-Jo stuttered, attempting small talk. "I told you that I was going through the forest to get to a temple for a quest. What brings someone as p-pretty as you to this super jank place?" Jo-Jo asked, trying not to stutter and failing. He couldn't help himself. He'd always had trouble with pretty ladies like the one he was currently escorting.

"Sure, after all, this is a pretty scary place." Jo-Jo said, then looked around quickly, mild confusion on his face. "Hold on. I'll be right back." Jo-Jo walked over to a nearby tree and shimmied up it as Chrissy watched in fascination. 'Wow, humans are so clever and resourceful. It's truly amazing.' she thought, the corners of her mouth raising into a small amused smile. A moment or two later he was climbing down again. Jo-Jo clambered down a few branches, making it halfway down the tree, before dropping completely out of the tree and doing a somersault before landing. Chrissy clapped lightheartedly as he dusted himself off,

Jo-Jo pointed off to the side firmly and she glanced in that direction.. "If we go that way." Jo-Jo said confidently, his face towards the tip of his finger rather than her face as he spoke, "If we go that way, we'll be lead directly out of this forest. Further, if we head west after that, I believe there's a village nearby. I stopped there before making my way through this forest the first time. I was on a quest before I found you. After I drop you off, I'll be back on my way." Jo-Jo said with a grin and Chrissy returned the smile with one of her own sparkly white ones.

The two began walking in the direction that Jo-Jo had indicated. "This way, we'll take it slow. After all, y-you are wearing a d-d-dress." Jo-Jo said kindly, a fresh blush warming his cheeks. A similar blush formed on hers, giving her cheeks a faint tint of purple. Chrissy hardly noticed as Jo-Jo slapped his face lightly with both hands. She two busy fighting within herself. In her hand, on the other side of Jo-Jo, positioned so he couldn't see, was the white bear clutched within the hand. She was squeezing it so hard her knuckles were turning white, but at least that was the only thing turning. The way Jo-Jo blushed was so similar to the way Samuel had. The memory was trying to pull something dark out from inside her but the soft felt toy in her hand kept her calm.

"S-so, Ch-Chrissy." Jo-Jo stuttered, and Chrissy turned her full attention to him, glad to have a distraction. "I told you that I was going through the forest to get to a temple for a quest. What brings someone as p-pretty as you to this super jank place?" Chrissy's eyes lowered, the blue orbs hidden behind a V shaped veil of white hair. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke, though her eyes didn't leave the ground. "I actually didn't mean to come here. I don't really have anywhere to go, you see. I sort of wander... well, everywhere." Christina shrugged her tense shoulders with false carelessness as if a young lady wandering aimlessly was perfectly normal. "And I... I happened to walk into here and I lost my way. I was just trying to find a way out when I found you. Or, you found me, I suppose."

Chrissy didn't see any point in lying as it would get her nowhere to tell a story besides her own. Besides, she's always been proud of Samuel's honesty- Chrissy tripped over a root, having lost herself to a dark side of her mind again. Sitting up she saw the root had wound around her ankle. "Wha...?" Chrissy tried to pull the root off but it tightened around her foot and she winced. Another shot out and wrapped around her wrist, drawing forth a small gasp of surprise and pain. A bubbling laughter emitted from a nearby tree with a cruel face and it's eyes glowed a soft red getting brighter. Chrissy began to struggle violently, her eyes wide with panic as she realized what was happening. The roots tightened painfully as if sensing her fear and more rose from the dirt to grab her. "Run!" She cried out to Jo-Jo as the roots slowly began creeping towards him. "RUN!"

Chrissy's eyes lowered. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke, though her eyes didn't leave the ground. "I actually didn't mean to come here. I don't really have anywhere to go, you see. I sort of wander... well, everywhere." Christina shrugged her tense shoulders with false carelessness as if a young lady wandering aimlessly was perfectly normal. "And I... I happened to walk into here and I lost my way. I was just trying to find a way out when I found you. Or, you found me, I suppose."

"What?" Jo-Jo exclaimed, almost yelling. "You mean you don't have a place to stay?" Jo-Jo asked. "That's terrible. I mean. I-I like to wander sometimes, but I've still got a place to sleep at." Jo-Jo said, trying to focus on the terrain before him. It was getting rougher, huge gnarled roots were poking out of the ground at odd angles, forcing Jo-Jo to slow down even more, and offer his gloved hand to Chrissy with a huge crimson blush coloring his whole face.. She didn't notice him, and tripped. Sitting up she saw the root had wound around her ankle. "Wha...?" Chrissy tried to pull the root off but it tightened around her foot and she winced. Another shot out and wrapped around her wrist, drawing forth a small gasp of surprise and pain. Jo-Jo gasped. Moving roots? That must mean... a cursed tree? Jo-Jo whipped his head around, a bubbling laughter emitted from a nearby tree with a cruel face and it's eyes glowed a soft red, getting slowly brighter. Chrissy began to struggle violently, her eyes wide with panic as she realized what was happening. More rose from the dirt to grab her, trying to hold her in place so that she couldn't get away. "Run!" She cried out to Jo-Jo as the roots slowly began creeping towards him. "RUN!"

Jo-Jo only smirked. "I dunno who you think I am Chrissy." Jo-Jo said, slowly backing up and drawing his bow out of the corner pocket of his bag. "But I ain't so low as to leave a defenseless lady all by herself to the mercy of a cursed tree." Jo-Jo dropped his goggles to his face and hoisted his bow slowly; taking aim at the root that was about to grab Chrissy around the neck. Without a moment's hesitation, Jo-Jo pulled back the drawstring, an arrow forming on the knock, and loosed. The arrow flew straight and true, skewering the offending root. Jo-Jo jumped back again, the roots trying to grab his ankles. He rapidly fired six more arrows, pinning the roots to the ground. Jo-Jo scanned the tree. There were only a few obvious weak points, the eyes and mouth, he had to get to them somehow. He shot the attacking roots as quickly as the shot out of the ground. Jo-Jo stepped back again, then charged headlong at the tree, jumping once he passed Chrissy, who was struggling on the ground. As roots sprung out of the ground to attack him, he shot them all, never missing a single shot. He landed, feet first on the face of the tree, firing two arrows into its eyes. He jumped off as the tree thrashed about, flipping his back legs over the top of his head, and extending them out to get a fuller leap. However, mid-flip, one of the branches caught Jo-Jo in the stomach, and sent him flying back into another tree. Jo-Jo slumped to the ground, blood from the top of his head dripping down his face. He raised his bow once more, still sitting, and aimed for the back of the tree's throat. He breathed deeply, focusing all his concentration through the single opening that would only come once. He once more exhaled deeply, and fired. The arrow flew straight and true, through all the flailing branches, and struggling roots, right over Chrissy's head and into the maw of the beast. Jo-Jo sighed as the tree stopped trashing. "Woo..." Jo-Jo breathed. "You ok over there?" Jo-Jo asked.

Much to Christina’s horror, Jo-Jo did not run. He didn’t even move. He only stood there and smirked. “What are you doing you fool?” she cried out in a panic, more for his life than hers. If he died, she knew what would happen, and she didn’t want it to. “Get out of here! Go! Before-“ When Jo-Jo’s eyes fell upon her, speech was lost to her. It was clear his intentions were quite opposite from fleeing. "I dunno who you think I am Chrissy." Jo-Jo said, slowly backing up and drawing his bow, his eyes no longer on her but trained on the tree. "But I ain't so low as to leave a defenceless lady all by herself to the mercy of a cursed tree."

Jo-Jo dropped his goggles to his face and pulled out his bow, taking aim at Chrissy. She closed her eyes and raised her arm to ward off the blow but it never came. Instead opening her eyes she found a thick root writhing on the ground. Shocked, Chrissy looked back at Jo-Jo as he let loose another arrow. The tree roared in outrage and the root on her ankle grew thicker, winding up her leg as the on her wrist did the same. Raising her free hand Chistina cried, “Be gone abomination of nature!” and pointed at the tree’s eyes as a bright beam of white light shot from her hand. The tree shrieked, unused to the light, and it’s roots slowed down, pausing momentarily.

Jo-Jo jumped back again, the roots trying to grab his ankles but missing and awkwardly flailing around. He rapidly fired six more arrows, pinning the roots to the ground. Jo-Jo shot the attacking roots as quickly as the shot out of the ground. Christina kept the light trained on the screaming tree’s corrupted face. Suddenly there was a shark pain along her arm and leg and she looked down, seeing thick spikes form on the roots. She felt the spines pierce her skin and enter her flesh along with the unfamiliar feeling of warm liquid spilling out between the thick roots. Screaming in pain Chrissy thrashed but the roots only tore into her further. Drawing a small knife from the folds of her dress, Chrissy hacked at the roots until they fell away from her and stood, ignoring the pain from her bleeding limbs. She turned to Jo-Jo to see how he faired and her heart almost stopped.

She watched in helpless awe as roots sprung out of the ground to attack him but he pinned them to the ground where they belonged. He landed, feet first on the face of the tree, firing two arrows into its eyes. He jumped off as the tree thrashed about, flipping his back legs over the top of his head, and extending them out to get a fuller leap. However, mid-flip, one of the branches caught Jo-Jo in the stomach, and sent him flying back into another tree. Chrissy’s hands flew to her mouth which was slightly open in a soundless scream. Inside her head the scream was louder than her lungs could have produced as Jo-Jo slumped to the ground, blood from the top of his head dripping down his face.

Finally Christina found her voice. “No! NOO!” she screamed, then turned and faced the offensive plant. Both hands raised she clasped them together and pointed her fingertips towards the tree’s face, opening her hands and a light shot from her palms. The roots and leaves of the tree disintegrated and the tree howled in agony, but the cry was cut short. A single arrow shot right over Chrissy's head and into the maw of the beast who suddenly went still, the arrowhead having pierced the ingrown knot which had serve to made the tree animate and evil. Chrissy heard a soft sigh behind her and whirled around. "Woo..." Jo-Jo breathed. "You ok over there?"

Eye’s still slightly aglow from her attack, arm and leg still bleeding and staining her white dress, body stil shaking from inexperience in battle; Chrissy could not form words and her only thought was ’Jo-Jo’s okay; he’s alive.’ After a moment of being dumbfounded Christina ran to his side as he slumped against the tree he’d been knocked into. Her protective instincts taking over, she immediately knelt and looked at him with concern. “Oh my glob, Jo-Jo you’re bleeding!” she whispered, placing a gentle hand on his forehead, feeling the sticky blood underneath her palm. “Close your eyes,” she said softly, her voice taking on a comforting tone. Soothingly she ran her fingers slowly through his hair, feeling the wound. He’d split the skin, but luckily hadn’t cracked his skull open. Already it was swelling though, which could still kill him if not tended to. “Here, let me help you.” Closing her own eyes she focused her energy and his skin knitting back together, the blood flowing back to where it should be inside of him. A careful hand (the one belonging to the uninjured arm) lightly touched his stomach where the tree had hit him was enough to heal the cracked rib and the bruising.

After a moment, Chrissy was sure she’d tended to his immediate injuries. Opening her eyes she was relieved there was no more blood and that the swelling had gone down significantly. “Okay,” she said with a kind note in her harmonious voice as she once again leaned back from Jo-Jo, “You may open your eyes again.”

Christina had surprised Jo-Jo. Here he thought she was just your everyday girl who'd managed to get lost in the woods. He'd never suspected she knew magic. That ray was pretty math. It burned up the cursed tree like fire, but without the smoke. Jo-Jo shook his head and lowered his bow, the arrow having found its mark. After a moment of being dumbfounded, probably at where the arrow came from, Christina ran to Jo-Jo's side and he slumped into the tree he’d been knocked into. She immediately knelt and looked at him with concern. “Oh my glob, Jo-Jo you’re bleeding!” she whispered, placing a gentle hand on his forehead, feeling the sticky blood underneath her palm. "Stop fussing, I'm ok." Jo-Jo said, trying to shrug off his wounds. "Just let me rest a moment..." Jo-Jo said, trailing off, her hand felt nice running though his hair. “Close your eyes,” she said softly, and Jo-Jo complied, her voice soothing and comforting. Soothingly she ran her fingers slowly through his hair, feeling the wound. He’d split the skin, but luckily Jo-Jo hadn't cracked his skull open. “Here, let me help you.” her soft voiced chimed. Jo-Jo felt a gentle warmth flow over his head, and stomach. He felt his bones shift and crackle together, his skin knit back together, and the blood recede up his head.

After a moment, Chrissy spoke. "Okay,” she said with a kind note in her harmonious voice as she once again leaned back from Jo-Jo, “You may open your eyes again.” Jo-Jo's eyes opened slowly. He coughed. "Wow, thanks. I feel like I could climb a mountain." Jo-Jo said. "H-Here I thought you were just a p-p-pretty face." Jo-Jo spluttered, his face slowly turning red. "Thanks." Jo-Jo said. He looked at her. Her blue eyes, her white hair, her... HER BLOOD SPLATTERED DRESS? "Whoa!" Jo-Jo exclaimed. "You're hurt bad. Lemme see what I can do. It's my turn to help you." Jo-Jo said. He slung his bag over his shoulders, and deposited it in his lap. He opened the main pocket. He dug past his guidebook, his gauntlets, his spare bow, and a whole bunch of gold coins and miscellaneous treasures. The potion in his bag was shattered, the liquid soaking into the spare sandwich he always kept in his bag. Jo-Jo chuckled. "A sandwich of true seeing... pfft." Jo-Jo said. "Ummm... I've got this bandage and some painkiller. Unfortunately it's all I've got, or can you heal yourself?" Jo-Jo asked. He was actually quite curious. "Sorry I'm not much help as far as healing goes. I knew I should have bought some extra cure potions from that booth." Jo-Jo said, berating himself for his lack of foresight.

As if wakening from a trance Jo-Jo slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times. "Wow, thanks. I feel like I could climb a mountain." Jo-Jo said, looking at her. A blush crept over his face as their eyes meet. "H-Here I thought you were just a p-p-pretty face... Thanks." Jo-Jo said and Christina didn't respond, only smiled happily. Being able to heal again made her remember a time long before the Curse and it made her feel warm inside. Guardian Angels were to help people, Cursed and Broken or not, and she enjoyed doing her job.

"Whoa!" Jo-Jo exclaimed, catching Chrissy off guard. "What? What is it? What's wrong?" She asked, shocked, afraid perhaps another enemy had stumbled upon them. As much as she loved to help, her powers were limited, even more so since she was without her wings. "You're hurt bad. Lemme see what I can do. It's my turn to help you." Jo-Jo said and Chrissy exhaled a small sigh of relief. She watched as he slung his bag over his shoulders, and into his lap.

As he opened the main pocket and started digging through it,Chrissy looked a her wound,or actually wounds. There were holes where the thorns of the roots had pierced her flesh all the way up to her knee and her elbow of her right arm and leg. A few holes still had the thorns in them which had broken off when she'd thrashed. "Ummm... I've got this bandage and some painkiller. Unfortunately it's all I've got, or can you heal yourself?" Jo-Jo asked and Chrissy managed a small, regretful smile. "I'm afraid not, only others. Thank you though," she said, taking the medical supplies.

Christina checked her wounds carefully. The roots hadn't been poisonous thankfully and she pulled the ones remaining in her arm and leg out. The fresh holes streamed blood and Chrissy bit her lip. She's quite forgotten physical pain and wasn't used to it yet. "Sorry I'm not much help as far as healing goes. I knew I should have bought some extra cure potions from that booth." Jo-Jo said anxiously, obviously bothered by this fact. Chrissy merely smiled as she dressed her wounds and wrapped them. "No no, please don't be bothered by it. I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help in battle. I'm not in a proper state right now to fight." She said vaguely, then looked at him and spoke with earnestly, "If not for you I would have died."

With that she finished wrapping her wounds, a sock and long glove of the medical wrap from her ankle to just before her kneecap and her wrist to her elbow. Small specks of blood could been seen on the white tape where it had already started to bleed through. "Alright, I am ready to travel again." She said bravely, though by the throbbing of her wounds she knew it would be better if she didn't but she was not eager to remain in this cursed forest for very much longer.

"I'm afraid not, only others. Thank you though," Chrissy said, taking the medical supplies. Jo-Jo's face fell ever so slightly. He was really bummed. He felt bad that he let her get hurt even though he was fighting so hard. Jo-Jo sat and rested while Chrissy tended her wounds. They looked really bad, Jo-Jo felt his heart give a painful twinge. A girl like that, lost in a forest like this one, and all she had to bandage those nasty wounds was Jo-Jo's spare roll of medical wrap. Jo-Jo shook his head, he needed to keep a first-aid kit on him from now on.

Christina checked her wounds carefully. The roots hadn't been poisonous thankfully and she pulled the ones remaining in her arm and leg out. The fresh holes streamed blood and Chrissy bit her lip. "Sorry I'm not much help as far as healing goes. I knew I should have bought some extra cure potions from that booth." Jo-Jo said berating himself for his lack of foresight. Chrissy merely smiled as she dressed her wounds and wrapped them. "No no, please don't be bothered by it. I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help in battle. I'm not in a proper state right now to fight." She said. It was strange, she usually looked him in the face when she spoke, even if he couldn't. Either way, she turned back to face him and Jo-Jo let the abnormality slide. He'd only just met her, she must have some quirks he didn't know about. She looked him directly in the eyes and spoke. "If not for you I would have died." Jo-Jo blushed. "W-Well, I was j-just doing wh-wh-what anyone would have d-done. After all, what k-kind of horrible p-person would just l-leave someone as nice as you at the m-mercy of a cursed tree?" Jo-Jo said, changing the subject and looking directly at the ground beneath him. She was so close to him, and she was saying such kind words. It was all too... stimulating for Jo-Jo. He stood, face burning with embarrassment, and walked over to the other side of Chrissy, watching while she tended to her wounds, to make sure no other dangers would befall them. He quietly pulled out his bow, holding it with his left hand. He didn't want to have to use it again, but it was still good to have it out, just in case.

With that she finished wrapping her wounds, Jo-Jo's bandage had formed a sock and long glove over the top of Chrissy's wounds. Small specks of blood could been seen on the white tape where it had already started to bleed through. "Alright, I am ready to travel again." She said bravely, though Jo-Jo saw right through her facade. "I thought I was the adventurer here, Chrissy. Those limbs of yours aren't anywhere near ready for travel. However, I don't expect you'd like to stay here longer than necessary. S-so, umm... l-lean on me." Jo-Jo offered, holding out his right arm and looking slightly away from Chrissy, blushing like crazy. "You c-can lean on m-me while we walk. That way we can get out of here and you won't have to work so hard." Jo-Jo said, nervousness and embarrassment dripping from every word. Jo-Jo didn't know if he would be able to keep himself from blushing, but Jo-Jo's personal sense of Justice demanded that his own personal foibles be laid aside should someone need his help. He would have to get over how pretty she was and help her as best he could, even if that meant spending the rest of the walk whistling like a tea kettle with steam coming out of his ears

Across the small clearing, Chrissy could tell Jo-Jo was skeptical. "I thought I was the adventurer here, Chrissy. Those limbs of yours aren't anywhere near ready for travel." Christina sigh softly, glancing at her feet as she leaned heavily against an inanimate tree. "However, I don't expect you'd like to stay here longer than necessary." Jo-Jo continued on and Chrissy looked up, noticing the color entering his cheeks with mild intrigue. "S-so, umm... l-lean on me." Jo-Jo offered, holding out his right arm and looking slightly away from Chrissy, blushing like crazy. "You c-can lean on m-me while we walk. That way we can get out of here and you won't have to work so hard."

An eyebrow raised as Chrissy looked at the handsome youth. His face was quite crimson and his eyes avoiding Chrissy's own. He was acting oddly, but Chrissy didn't know why. The roots hadn't been poisonous, so it wasn't that. They were both alive, so that was nothing to get flustered over. It seemed nothing was truly wrong, but it was obvious he was bothered by something. Whatever it was she couldn't put her finger on it. Deciding to ignore the particular behavior she made a mental note to revisit the strange behavior. Quickly she put all thoughts of suspicion aside and walked over to him, taking the arm he'd offered to her. "Thank you," she said softly, a faint blush turning her blue cheeks a lavender color.

The pair made their way though the forest quickly, despite Christina's injuries. They had to stop a few times when she needed a rest and to attend to her wounds which were bleeding less freely now. After what felt like an hour or two Chrissy noticed the forest became colder than normal, and darker (if that was possible). "Jo-Jo," she said softly, her concerned blue eyes tilting up to the sky. It was impossible to see through the thick, entangled limbs but it was easy to know what was happening. "Night is falling..." An eerily howl confirmed her statement.

Still leaning heavily on Jo-Jo's strong arm, Chrissy could feel the weariness spreading from her limbs to the rest of her body. "We could camp here for the night or, if we're close to the edge, we may be able to travel through the night to the town you spoke of." She gave his forearm a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. "You know this forest better than I do. Whatever you think is best I will comply."

Jo-Jo stood and waited, his cheeks aflame and his eyes averted. He was going to be taking a stroll, ableit not in the most charming of locales, with a very pretty girl. He was so nervous. Regardless, Chrissy walked over to him; taking the arm he'd offered to her. "Thank you," she said softly, a faint blush turning her blue cheeks a lavender color. Jo-Jo blushed harder. "Of course." Jo-Jo said, finally getting his stutter under control, though his voice quavered dangerously.

The pair made their way though the forest quickly, despite Christina's injuries. They had to stop a few times when she needed a rest and to attend to her wounds which were bleeding less freely now. Jo-Jo couldn't stop himself from wincing as she examined her bandages. They must have hurt very badly; still she carried on. Jo-Jo was impressed. Most girls he'd met weren't the type to put up with hard work, or harsh conditions. To be fair, they were all mostly princesses, so they didn't need to, but still, Jo-Jo couldn'y help but smile. Chrissy was a real trooper. After what felt like an hour or two Chrissy shivered, she looked up at the sky and at the forest around them. "Jo-Jo," she said softly, her concerned blue eyes tilting up to the sky. It was impossible to see through the thick, entangled limbs but it was easy to know what was happening. "Night is falling..." An eerily howl confirmed her statement. "Yeah." Jo-Jo said, looking around. The chill of night was slowly creeping into his thick clothes, the darkness around them crept dangerously closer, and the sounds of rustling could be heard all over the forest. Jo-Jo was sure it wasn't wind.

Still leaning heavily on Jo-Jo's arm, Chrissy slumped ever so slightly against him. She was tired, she had to be, walking several miles with those wounds. She would have to be undead or superhuman to have the will to keep going. She spoke up, tilting her head up to look at him. "We could camp here for the night or, if we're close to the edge, we may be able to travel through the night to the town you spoke of." She gave his forearm a gentle yet reassuring squeeze, sending the slightest of shivers down Jo-Jo's spine. He blamed it on the cold. "You know this forest better than I do. Whatever you think is best I will comply." Jo-Jo nodded. "It's still a few hours walk from here. Our best bet is to take shelter nearby, build a fire, and stay the night as safely as we can. This way," Jo-Jo said, motioning towards a small clearing to their left.

Sure enough, Jo-Jo had led them to a small cave, really more of lean-to formed out of three slabs of rock. The cave was positioned along the side of a small ring of trees which formed a natural clearing with the cave at it's head. "Wait here," Jo-Jo said, setting Chrissy on the ground. "Don't move too much or your wounds won't start getting better. I'm just going to check out that cave, make sure there's nothing in it." Jo-Jo smiled. "I'll be right back, don't you worry." Jo-Jo said reassuringly. He slowly walked over to the cave, his bow held high. As he reached it, he slowly lowered his bow and peeked inside. The place looked like it had been used as a nest, but there were no eggs or young animals anywhere to be found, not even broken eggshells. The cave must have been abandoned a long time ago. "It's safe!" Jo-Jo called to her, though not too loudly. He walked back over to where he had left her and offered his gloved hand. "Here, let's get you situated. Then I'll make a fire." Jo-Jo helped her over to the cave and slowly let her down to settle in. "It looks like an abandoned nest, but I didn't see any signs of recent use, so we'll set camp here for the night." Jo-Jo said with a smile, putting on a strong face, though he wanted that fire up as soon as possible. Fire would provide warmth, light, and an excuse for nasty creatures to stay away from the smell of wounded prey. "Here, take this." Jo-Jo said, handing her his spare gauntlet. "Wear this till I get back. It'll protect you." Jo-Jo said, smiling once again. "I'm going to get firewood, I'll be back in two shakes, alright? We need that fire."

Jo-Jo turned and left, running through the forest, his bow held high. He gathered as many sticks as he could find and a few small stones as quickly as he could and returned to Chrissy. He'd picked the sticks up off of the ground so as not to upset anymore tree monsters, and he did so within a dozen yard radius of the cave; not wanting to be far from Chrissy, should she need him. As soon as he had enough, Jo-Jo ran back to the clearing and the cave. "See, I'm back!" Jo-Jo said with a smile. "You miss me?" he asked, blushing ever so slightly and gazing at the ground. "Never mind, I've got a fire to build." He set the stones down in a ring a few feet away from the cave, and he set to building a tepee out of sticks. He put the smaller sticks in the center and the larger logs on the outside. He dug around in his bag for a moment before finding the receipt for the potion of True Seeing he'd bought earlier, as well as other miscellaneous scraps of paper that he didn't need anymore, and tore them up into little shreds. He placed the shreds inside the tepee and gave them enough room to breathe. Finally, Jo-Jo picked up one of the rocks that formed the ring and slapped his gauntlet covered hand against it, once, twice, and on the third time sending a few sparks into the nest of paper at the center of the tepee. After blowing on the sparks, the paper ignited, the sticks following and setting the logs ablaze. "There! Fire! Now we have light, warmth, and a way to keep anything that wants to eat us away from here." Jo-Jo said, smiling. In his haste to secure their fire and make sure Chrissy was ok, he'd completely forgotten his nervousness. Once the fire was set, however, he saw Chrissy again, and blushed. She looked stunning in the firelight.

"Okay, i thought it wouldn't be as scenic as walking, but i admit it, you were right!"

Only a little while ago, Flake the lamb had proposed the idea that instead of walking to the Ice Kingdom village, they should travel a bit faster. Raleigh was hesitant, since she enjoyed picturesque sights of nature, but as she started to get tired, she reluctantly agreed to his plan. She was now high up in the air with her arms up above her head, full of energy. Flake had transformed into a morrow, a large falcon-like creature with astounding speed, so that the travel to the village would only take about 20 minutes. With the height the two were at, the Cloud Kingdom could be seen just off into the distance.

"We should go there someday, you and I. I hear there's a humongous cloud forest just waiting to be explored."
"Not until you bribe me with some tea or something first. You know I'm scared of heights" the lamb replied.
"But you're fine right now!!"
"Yes, but i have wings..so my phobia is sort of...pacified."
"Yep. You just admitted that you're a bird afraid of heights."
The two shared a chuckle for a brief moment, and then the girl went back to peacefully daydreaming as she looked across the horizon. However, things didn't remain peaceful for long. Suddenly, Raleigh noticed a shiny orange speck sparkling in the sky. She pointed her finger at the object so that Flake could see the pretty light, but as soon as he turned his head, the two figured out what the speck really was:
A fireball.

It was much bigger and brighter and hotter than what it looked like from a distance. Before Flake could barely flap his wings to change direction, the fireball crashed straight into the lamb's wing, as if it had a mind of it's own. The last thing Raleigh remembered before blacking out was Flake's hooves stretching over her shoulders.

"Raleigh...wake up.....Raleigh!"
The teenager shook her head as she woke up to the sound of Flake's voice. Once she felt the soft but gritty ground beneath her, a chill went down her spine. She wasn't in the safety of the sky anymore. In fact, as soon as she saw the shapes of the trees around her, Raleigh immediately knew she was in the Evil Forest, the scariest and most deadly place in Ooo.

She had been in this forest once as a child, and had encountered some of the frightening creatures that lurked in the woods. She was lucky to be alive.
She got up quickly, knowing that if her and Flake were going to get out of the place alive, they would have to move at a steady yet quick pace. Dangers could be lurking almost anywhere.
"Can you transform back into a morrow and get us out of here?" Raleigh asked the lamb.
"I've already tried. For some reason, i'm not able to change into any form at the moment. It's like the impact of that fireball thing caused some sort of glitch or something. And besides, my arm is burnt up badly."
He turned to show her the huge red burn along his arm. Raleigh cringed at the sight.
"Don't worry, i'm fine, it just stings." he said, sitting on a rock nearby. He was starting to nervously shiver as though he knew the place. Raleigh wondered why he knew about all these locations in Ooo, but when she found him unconcious, he couldn't even remember his own name.

"We should camp out for the night. It's already afternoon."
Raleigh immediately opened her mouth to object, but before she could, Flake continued.
"We'll set up in a while. I want you to stay here while i use the lu."
"The what?"
"The lu."
"What's that?"
"It's what my parents used to call the....oh never mind. I'll be right back. DON'T WANDER OFF"

And so Raleigh sat there, bored out of her mind. Clutching her white backpack, she wondered what kind of monsters would be lurking at night. If most of the deadly creatures came out during the day, there was no telling how many would come at night. She removed her fur hat and scarf, storing them away in the large pack, and as she looked up, she noticed something in the darkness around her. There in front of her were two yellow eyes, staring at her. To the girl, the eyes didn't seem threatening, but looked as though they wanted her to come closer. She sprung up off of the ground, like she was under a spell, and held her hand out towards the eyes. As she approached the yellow light, getting closer and closer, her spell of curiousity was broken by a familiar voice.

"HELLLPP!!!!"

Immediately, Raleigh started to blindly run to where she assumed the voice was coming from. "FLAKE!!!" she cried, but no answer called back. She frantically searched all around, hoping that the lamb was just pulling some sort of prank, but as she saw the footprint that lay on the ground before her, her heart plunged into her stomach.

Raleigh recognized that footprint anywhere: it was an imp. Imps lurked in the badlands where Raleigh had lived for a while. Although quite small, imps could be numerous in number. However, those were desert imps. Forest imps could be different.

For about an hour, Raleigh desperately searched the woods, hoping to find something or someone that could give her a clue as to where to find her companion. She knew that he was probably dead by now, but she would push the thought aside before finding out for herself. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a glimmer (or rather a flame) of hope could be seen in the darkness. There was a fire nearby, and fire meant people. People meant help. She ran with all her might to the flame, and without taking a good glance at who she was speaking to, she spoke quickly and frantically.

"Have you seen a short, brown-wooled lamb about two feet tall and big blue eyes? He's lost, and i think he was taken by monsters or something...Have you seen him?"
She breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath after running for what seemed like eternity.

"It's still a few hours walk from here. Our best bet is to take shelter nearby, build a fire, and stay the night as safely as we can. This way," Jo-Jo said, motioning towards a small clearing to their left. Entering the clearing Chrissy could see a small cave, really more of lean-to formed out of three slabs of rock, positioned along the side of a small ring of trees which formed a natural clearing with the cave at it's head.

"Wait here," Jo-Jo said, gently lowering Chrissy to the ground.. "Don't move too much or your wounds won't start getting better. I'm just going to check out that cave, make sure there's nothing in it. I'll be right back, don't you worry." Jo-Jo said reassuringly, then slowly walked over to the cave, his bow held high. As he reached it, he slowly lowered his bow and peeked inside.

Chrissy, who'd eyes had been following him, now turned to the tree line. It was dark and thick with thorn bushes and dead, dried up plants. A few pairs of glowing eyes peeped out from the brush but vanished so fast Chrissy wondered if they d been a trick of her imagination. Regardless of what it was, Chrissy was glad when Jo-Jo called "It's safe!" He walked over to where she sat and she looked up at him with an expression of deep thankfulness. "Here, let's get you situated. Then I'll make a fire." Gratefully Chrissy took the extended gloved hand and used him to standup, her injuries going numb. She hoped that it was because of the cold, though she knew better to believe in dumb luck. But then again, she'd meet Jo-Jo by chance and so far it was the best thing yet to have happened to her.

"It looks like an abandoned nest, but I didn't see any signs of recent use, so we'll set camp here for the night." Jo-Jo said with a smile, carefully lowering Chrissy to the ground. She sat in a semi comfortable position which encouraged blood flow to the injured limbs. They'd seal up enough by now to maintain a continuous flow of blood, which she wanted as soon as possible. She's need to leave the bandages on for the rest of tonight and possibly the next day but she should be fully healed after a week or so.

"Here, take this." Jo-Jo said, holding out his spare gauntlet to Chrissy who, though surprised, took it. "Wear this till I get back. It'll protect you." Jo-Jo said with a large smile which made Christina also smile, the purple shades returning to her cheeks.. "I'm going to get firewood, I'll be back in two shakes, alright?" Jo-Jo said, walking out if the cave, stating to talk to himself as he did. "We need that fire..." Christina watched as he walked out. The moment he was out if the cave she let out a shuttering sigh. Her body was racked with pain as the muscles of her two hurt limbs throbbed in painful, violent protest. Focusing she put as much of her energy as possible into the healing but it did little good. Guardian Angels could not heal themselves.

Jo-Jo walked in a moment later and Chrissy manages a smile. "See, I'm back!" Jo-Jo said with a smile. "You miss me?" he asked, blushing ever so slightly and gazing at the ground. Chissy smiled, nodding her head enthusiastically. "Never mind, I've got a fire to build." He set the stones down in a ring a few feet away from the cave, and he set to building a tepee out of sticks. He put the smaller sticks in the center and the larger logs on the outside. Christina watched intently, making notes of what he was doing so she could hopefully use the knowledge later.

Take some paper from his backpack he tore them up into little pieces. He placed the shreds inside the tepee and gave them enough room to breathe. Finally, Jo-Jo picked up one of the rocks that formed the ring and slapped his gauntlet covered hand against it, once, twice, and on the third time sending a few sparks into the nest of paper at the center of the tepee. After blowing on the sparks, the paper ignited, the sticks following and setting the logs ablaze.

"There! Fire! Now we have light, warmth, and a way to keep anything that wants to eat us away from here." Jo-Jo said proudly and Chrissy applauded with a short span of laughter. Once the fire was set, however, he seemed to remember Chrissy again, and blushed. She wondered what was wrong. As the firelight flickered in her blue eyes she raised her hands to warm them near the fire's blaze. There passed between them a few lax moments of silence before-

Something came crashing through the brush. Chrissy whirled around, quickly regretting it as her wounds protested the sudden movement. Opening one eye she looked at the intruder, a girl, who was panting hard. "Have you seen a short, brown-wooled lamb about two feet tall and big blue eyes? He's lost, and i think he was taken by monsters or something...Have you seen him?" For the second time today, Chrissy was lost for words.

The pair sat next to the fire for a little while, enjoying its warmth and light. There was something magical about a campfire to Jo-Jo. It seemed to always calm you, make your worries insignificant. Jo-Jo felt himself relax, a wide smile played across his face. There passed between them a few lax moments of silence. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. The pair just sat and enjoyed the presence of the fire. They didn't need to say anything. There was nothing except the firelight, the occasional crackle of wood burning, and the ambiance of the forest. While Jo-Jo wished that the forest's ambiance didn't include the occasional howl or, what sounded like, cackling, it was still relatively calming. Jo-Jo propped himself up against the side of the cave, next to the fire and close to the entrance of the cave. He was preparing to take the night shift. Jo-Jo knew Chrissy needed her sleep, especially with her wounds, and he was beginning to psych himself up to go without sleeping. Jo-Jo was just about to ask Chrissy how she was doing when he heard it. Footsteps, fast ones, coming from the side of them. Jo-Jo stood, his bow clutched tight. Were they enemies? Monsters? Jo-Jo hoisted his bow, intent on filling the offending party with arrows like a pincushion when-

A blonde haired girl wearing a green dress came crashing through the brush. She was panting hard, a look of panic on her face. As she made it into the clearing, Jo-Jo lowered his bow. 'Oh good,' Jo-Jo thought. 'I don't have to fight again.' The girl took a short second to catch her breath, then blurted out a question that Jo-Jo almost missed. "Have you seen a short, brown-wooled lamb about two feet tall and big blue eyes? He's lost, and I think he was taken by monsters or something...Have you seen him?" Jo-Jo's mouth hung open. He looked over at Chrissy who was similarly lost for words. "Umm... no?" Jo-Jo offered, more asked than stated. "Calm down. I can see you're upset but that's not helping anyone." Jo-Jo said, walking over to the girl. "What exactly happened? You lost your... sheep?" Jo-Jo asked, trying to get a handle on the situation. That, however, is when Jo-Jo noticed the girl herself and not the situation she presented. She was cute. Her blonde hair was dazzling in the firelight. Jo-Jo felt his eyes avert themselves from her face, and his own heat up. He tried to stare off into the forest, as if he were scanning the area for threats, or as if he was starting to look for her lost sheep.

"Umm... no?"

The words sent an explosion through Raleigh's body, and she became more worried than before.
"OH GLOB OH GLOB OH GLOB OH GLOB OH GLOB...." she kept repeating as she paced around the two people settled by the fire. She was all over the place. Could she find more people in the cave that was before her? Maybe the imps were deeper inside. Before she could take the first step to enter, the same voice spoke to her again, "Calm down. I can see you're upset but that's not helping anyone."

Being a little hot-tempered, Raleigh was a little bit drawn back by the words. Did he have any idea how long she had been searching in the deadliest woods of Ooo? It made her wonder what these people were doing in the woods themselves. Why would anyone just wander into the Evil forest to go camping? It made no sense.


"What exactly happened? You lost your... sheep?"
A dark silhouette of a man approached her as he spoke to her again. She put up a tough front, knowing that she would have to show this creature who was boss if he was going to help her, but as he stood right in front of her, her expression of stability broke apart and was replaced by shock and awe.

This creature looked almost exactly like her. His skin was nearly the same color and it showed no sign of an alien texture. His hair was a light blonde, and he had a frame that was similar to hers. Could he be......no. It was impossible. This guy couldn't possibly be human. Raleigh had been reminded since she was born that she was a mysterious race, known only as a "human", in Ooo. She was one of a kind. It was impossible for this man to be the same species as her, as humans were believed to die out ages ago. They were extinct. She was much more willing to believe that he was a candy-person humainoid than one of her kind. She would make her decision when she was out of the dim light of the fire. She snapped out of her thoughts as Flake crossed her mind.

"Uhhh...yes," she finally replied to his question. "But he's not just any sheep, he has magical powers that can make him transform into anything...so maybe you saw him as something else....but then he just lost his powers a while ago...so....so....OH MOTHER OF GLOB!!!"

She ran up to the warmth of the fire, and collapsed on the ground, her head in her hands. She noticed the other person as she sat in defeat. The woman had extraordinary white hair, bright blue skin, and an astounding white dress with so much detail that Raleigh got lost in it. However, the brightness of the dress looked as though it had been stained in blood. Maybe this couple wasn't camping in the woods after all.
After sighing, Raleigh spoke again. This time, she was more calmed down, "When i searched for him, i found the footprint of an imp. I hate to say it, but i think he got taken by one of those things. I don't know how, but then again, Flake can be a coward when he wants to be..."

After Jo-Jo's initial shock had faded, Jo-Jo looked up towards the girl in front of him. Her face was dotted with freckles, her blonde hair was about waist length, and her complexion was remarkably similar to Jo-Jo's own. Was she... human? Jo-Jo had never seen another human, not in all his years as an adventurer, and he'd started about 5 years ago when he'd turned fifteen. Jo-Jo took a step back and really looked her over. He blushed when he found she was doing the same thing. They would very much have to chat later. However, Jo-Jo suspected that her presently pressing worries would override any familiarity between the two until it had been taken care of. He shelved his thoughts and turned his attention to the present situation.

"Uhhh...yes," she finally replied to Jo-Jo's first question. "But he's not just any sheep, he has magical powers that can make him transform into anything...so maybe you saw him as something else....but then he just lost his powers a while ago...so....so....OH MOTHER OF GLOB!!!" She exclaimed, overcome with emotion.

She ran up to the warmth of the fire, and collapsed on the ground, her head in her hands. Jo-Jo followed her back to the safety of the cave. He sat next to Chrissy while the girl cried. Jo-Jo was dumbfounded. He had no idea what to do. It was very late, and the forest would only get more dangerous as it got darker. However, this girl, this human girl, needed his help. Justice demanded that he act. Common sense, however, argued otherwise. If they rushed off now, they might only be adding to the body count, springing a well laid out trap. They couldn't wait though, that sheep was in danger. Further, what about Chrissy? Jo-Jo couldn't leave her, not with those wounds. The same wounds would make her less desirable in a fight or dungeon situation as well. Jo-Jo shook his head. He was lost for words, unable to comfort her and unable to come up with a plan that would make everyone happy.

After another minute or so, and beginning with a heavy sigh, the girl spoke again. This time, she was much more calm. "When I searched for him, I found the footprint of an imp. I hate to say it, but I think he got taken by one of those things. I don't know how, but then again, Flake can be a coward when he wants to be..."

"Hmm..." Jo-Jo wondered aloud. "Aha!" he exclaimed, experiencing a sudden moment of clarity. He had information about imps in his guidebook! Jo-Jo slung off his pack, depositing it in his lap and dug around for a moment until he found his book. Taking the book out, and closing up his pack, Jo-Jo slung the pack back over his shoulders. "Here." Jo-Jo offered, "Let's consult my guidebook."

Jo-Jo's guidebook was a wealth of information. The sturdy brown leather bindings held every single scrap of knowledge about adventuring, justice, morality, monsters, fighting styles, and even proper etiquette. It was the perfect guidebook for adventurers and heroes. Jo-Jo slid his hand over the cover of the book. In the low light, one could see a pair of crossed swords over a shield and the title, "Adventurer's Guidebook". Jo-Jo opened the book, its well worn bindings held in placed by heavy braces. "Let's see what I've got on Forest Imps." Jo-Jo said, perusing the table of contents until he found the Monster Manual. "Ifrits... Incubi... Ah, here we are, Imps. Imps are nasty, ugly little ankle-biters. They delight in playing practical jokes on anyone and everyone they can find. Their favorite types of pranks include kidnapping pets and getting people lost in jank places. Relatively weak, use strong blunt or sharp weapons and big swinging attacks to send them flying. Challenge rating of 1 out of 10 in a 1 vs. 1 situation. NOTE: They do tend to travel in packs with a large amount of members. Most imps aren't very tall or overly malicious, and really only like to cause mischief, not serious harm. However, their leader, often a Queen, will sometimes direct the entire coven of Imps into coordinated attacks or raids. Imps are notoriously greedy, and will often do most anything for a 'shiny'. NOTE: 'Shiny', being taken to mean small, brightly colored, baubles and treasures. These raids will often target single, traveling merchants in order to minimize casualties while maximizing 'shiny' acquisitions. Overall, not dangerous unless swarming against a single target."

Jo-Jo closed the book, placing it back in his pack. "Will your lamb, will... Flake be able to last the night?" Jo-Jo asked, a cold seriousness in his voice. "Because as much as I hate to say it, unless it's daytime we cannot run off after him. I've got a friend to consider." Jo-Jo said, looking over at Chrissy; her wounds looked so painful. After a moment, he turned back to face the other girl. "Even if I leave her here and she doesn't get attacked, I cannot condone flying off, half-cocked, into the woods after your lamb. We'd just be adding to the body count. The forest is full of worse things than Imps." Jo-Jo said sadly, shaking his head. "I realize that he's very dear to you, however, I can't go chasing after him with you right now, unless..." Jo-Jo hesitated, he knew the risks, but Justice demanded that he act. "Unless I go to do it myself. If you stay here, and protect Chrissy until morning, then I will go, alone, and search for your lamb myself. I'm the only one who isn't emotionally attached to the lamb, I'm the only one in fit condition to fight a coven of Imps, and I'm the only one who can track in the dark." Jo-Jo said confidently, standing and offering his hand to the new girl. "Do we have a deal?" Jo-Jo asked, deadly serious. He was so intent on rescuing the lamb, so focused on making sure Chrissy would be ok that he completely forgot about how cute the new girl was, and how amazing Chrissy looked in the firelight, despite her nasty wounds and bloodstained dress. "I'm Jo-Jo by the way. Jo-Jo the human."

"Wooooahhhh...."

The boy had pulled out an exquisite book with leather binding, a detailed cover, and more pages than Raleigh could ever read in a lifetime. As he flipped through the pages to look up info on forest imps, Raleigh lifted up the cover of the book to see that it was titled the "Adventurer's Guidebook". Raleigh considered herself an adventurer, but with the way this guy made his first impression, she knew she was going to have to raise her standards if she was going to be any good.

Finally, he had reached the pages he was looking for. He read the words aloud.

"Imps are nasty, ugly little ankle-biters. They delight in playing practical jokes on anyone and everyone they can find. Their favorite types of pranks include kidnapping pets and getting people lost in jank places. Relatively weak, use strong blunt or sharp weapons and big swinging attacks to send them flying. Challenge rating of 1 out of 10 in a 1 vs. 1 situation. NOTE: They do tend to travel in packs with a large amount of members. Most imps aren't very tall or overly malicious, and really only like to cause mischief, not serious harm. However, their leader, often a Queen, will sometimes direct the entire coven of Imps into coordinated attacks or raids. Imps are notoriously greedy, and will often do most anything for a 'shiny'. NOTE: 'Shiny', being taken to mean small, brightly colored, baubles and treasures. These raids will often target single, traveling merchants in order to minimize casualties while maximizing 'shiny' acquisitions. Overall, not dangerous unless swarming against a single target."


"Shmowzow," Raleigh exclaimed, shaking her head in amazement, "I need to get me one of those books."
"Will your lamb, will... Flake be able to last the night?" the guy started again, his voice more monotone than before,
"Because as much as I hate to say it, unless it's daytime we cannot run off after him. I've got a friend to consider."
He looked back over at the woman with the bloodstained dress. Raleigh nodded. She completely understood. In fact, she knew all too well....
"Even if I leave her here and she doesn't get attacked, I cannot condone flying off, half-cocked, into the woods after your lamb. We'd just be adding to the body count. The forest is full of worse things than Imps. I realize that he's very dear to you, however, I can't go chasing after him with you right now, unless..."
She could tell that he was hesitating. "Unless what?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Unless I go to do it myself. If you stay here, and protect Chrissy until morning, then I will go, alone, and search for your lamb myself. I'm the only one who isn't emotionally attached to the lamb, I'm the only one in fit condition to fight a coven of Imps, and I'm the only one who can track in the dark."
Raleigh's confused expression still remained as he confidently stood up and extended his hand.
"Do we have a deal?" he said, very much focused and determined, "I'm Jo-Jo by the way. Jo-Jo the human."

So he was human. At least, that's what he called himself. Right now, Raleigh wished that he was anything BUT human, because she knew she was about to burst his big, fat, tunnel-visioned bubble.
"Woah woah woah woah woah woah, wait just a flipping second," she projected. She crossed her arms, leaving his extended hand hanging, "First of all, i didn't even ask for your help. All i asked for was if you'd seen a brown lamb wandering through the woods. Although, i am grateful that you're so eager to find Flake."
She stood up and started to circle around Jo-Jo as she spoke, "Secondly, you say that you're not emotionally attached to Flake like it's a good thing. Let's just say i've been through a lot of stuff today, and now i know that the less you care about Flake, the more susceptible you are to hurt him. How do i know if i can trust you? I'm in the Evil Woods, and I did just meet you like, two minutes ago..."
She stopped pacing around in the circle, and stopped directly in the place where she was sitting before.
"And last but not least, if you go alone, although you're 'in the most fit condition to fight a coven of imps', you're making yourself vulnerable to not only what's lurking in these woods, but possibly A WHOLE TRIBE OF IMPS. Possibly 200 vs. 1. Like what your book said, if they swarm up on you, you're dead meat. It's like suicide, man."
She then put her hands on her hips, and gave a big smirk, "Also, not to brag, but after what i've been through today, I'm pretty sure i'd be more capable of handling all those imps than you. I mean, sure, i don't have any cool swords or maces or anything, but i'm sure i'd be able to kick your butt with my hands tied behind my back."

She sat back on the ground, her legs crossed and her smirk replaced with a cold glare, "If you two don't mind, i'm probably going to have to stay with you for the night. I think Flake will be able to last. In the morning, however, I think it's best if we head our separate ways. I understand that you have your own problems to take care of. Just from my own experiences, I'd say it's best to get her out of here as soon as you can."

She gave a half smile, and then extended her hand out. "So, whaddaya say, Jo-Jo the human? The name's Raleigh by the way."

Raleigh kept out her arm for a while, and then swiftly let it down, knowing it was too awkward to wait for Jo-Jo to shake it. (Then again, he probably never would.) She silently chuckled to herself, and pulled back a messy piece of hair that had been extended in front of her face. She plopped down unto the ground, backing herself away from the fire, and placing her hands behind her head.

"What the nuts? You can't even see the stars in this forest! It's all blocked by trees! Oh whatever..."
With a yawn, the girl rubbed her eyes and rolled over unto her side, facing the boy and the angel. She was starting to get tired from all the running around she had done during the day, but she wasn't quite ready to settle down and fall asleep just yet.

"Sooooo...since you two don't look like monsters that would actually live in this forest and eat people alive, i gotta ask, how did you two end up in here? Did you just plan to go in here and camp out and junk, or did you guys like, have a SICK FREAK ACCIDENT and you got chased by snakes and vampires and zombies and mutated bears until you bumped into each other and then fought for survival until you defeated every snake and vampire and zombie and mutated bear and then camped out?"

She softly chuckled, and then rolled over onto her back again. Steadily she closed her eyes, planning to relax as she told her story, listen to the two other peoples's stories, and then fall into a dreamless sleep.

"My adventure started when me and my friend, Flake, were planning on delivering some cookies to the Ice Prince. I had never met the Ice Prince before, and since Flake and I are planning on moving to the Candy Kingdom, I just wanted to see him before i might not have a chance to again. So I made the cookies, and then we were traveling on a path and stuff, WHEN THESE CREEPY FIRE WOLVES APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE! And then this guy came up, and was all like, "we're gonna take Flake and stuff," and then Flake and I TOTALLY kicked his butt!! We were like, POW!!! Totally took the guy off guard, and then unfortunately he escaped before i got the chance to knock him out.... And he was all like, "I'm gonna tell Riddle about this!!" Me and Flake figured that he was just gonna cry to his mommy, and then we kept moving on and stuff until Flake had an idea that he should transform into a morrow so that we could get to the Ice Palace faster. So we were in the air and we saw the cloud kingdom!!! It was amazing!!! I want to go to the cloud forest someday...Anyway, this mysterious fireball-thing appeared out of nowhere and hit Flake. I don't really remember much of that because I blacked out. When I woke up, Flake was there, and he told me to stay where i was because he had to use the 'Lu' or something...i dunno...ANYWAY, a couple of seconds later I heard a cry for help and i knew, I just KNEW it was Flake..."

Raleigh's voice became more monotone and gloomy as she spoke the next part of the story,
"I was calling his name, and then in the sunset, I could see an imp footprint in the ground. I had a heart attack, and then i just kept running through the forest trying to find him. I'm pretty sure I searched for an hour. It seemed like FOREVER though. And then, I saw a fire blazing in the distance, and i ran up to it, and then I met you guys."

She sighed, transitioning her voice back into its normal sound. She smiled, her eyes still closed.
"Your turn," she said to the two before starting her process of dozing off.

Christina had, to say the least, zoned out from the conversation. The moment she saw the girl, the human girl mind you, step into the clearing her hand had found the teddy bear and she'd closed her eyes, tuning out the two human voices. She needed to focus very badly and she took slow, deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Inhale, exhale. The knuckles of her hand turned a snowy white color as her fingers squeezed the soft, pushie toy.

Two humans. The pressure building behind her blues was expodential and she clentched her jaw. Normally it wasn't this bad when she was reminded, but now there were two humans standing infront of her and she'd never had any experiance with the change since her training. Would it be enough that she could hold on to her sanity? Was she even sane anymore?

A moment passed and finally Christina felt peaceful (or, at least, mostly at peace) and she opened her blue eyes. They held a slight glow, faint but eery. Her heart was stil racing and she dared not let go of the bear but now her body wasn't shaking, so that was a good sign. Also, the two humans were still alive so that was another good sign. Maybe her training was enough. Maybe it would last. Maybe she could control the change!

Or maybe she was totally screwing herself over with happy thoughts.

'Be optimistic,' Chrissy mentally reminded herself, tuning back into the conversation at hand.

"I was calling his name, and then in the sunset, I could see an imp footprint in the ground. I had a heart attack, and then i just kept running through the forest trying to find him." The girl, 'I think Raleigh is her name...', said, her eyes downcast and her voice strained with fear and worry for her little lost lamb. "I'm pretty sure I searched for an hour. It seemed like FOREVER though. And then, I saw a fire blazing in the distance, and i ran up to it, and then I met you guys."

After a moment's paused her eyes looked back up, but Chrissy avoided her gaze. "Your turn,' she said, though Chrissy bit her lip, still struggling to find words, though this time because of axiety and not shock. Instead she nodded with a feinted shyness over to Jo-Jo as if to direct any attention to him instead of herself.

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*Small Side Note : Christina maintains her normal appearance but currently does not have her wings out. Additionally her hair in pulled back and she wears a different dress than in her profile pictures. She is unrecognizable as a Guardian Angel at the moment (I have an epic reviel idea but I'm saving it for later). :)