Chrissy had been lost inside of her mind and snapped back to reality very suddenly at Jo-Jo sat down quietly beside her. "Here." He said gently, holding out an unfamiliar object. a bedroll. "I'm taking the watch tonight so you can sleep in this." He blushed and Chrissy looked at the object before carefully removing it from his hands. She had intended on taking the first watch, but then again, maybe Jo-Jo's plan was better. Sleeping would ease her mind and give her some peace at least until morning.

"Jo-Jo, you don't have to-" "I'm not trying to baby you or anything, it's just that you're wounded and you should get some sleep. It'll help your wounds heal faster." He said quickly and Christina smiled gently, feeling the softness of the fabric beneath her fingers. It wasn't as soft as the bear hidden within the folds of her dress, but it was still nice to the touch and she stroked it slowly. It was very warm on her lap. "Thank you," she said softly.

Jo-Jo turned and looked her directly in the blue, blue eyes and she felt a sensation of both hot an cold course through her body. A sense of tenderness and a sense of heart wretching bloodlust. Chrissy shuttered slightly, wrappinthe blanket around her shoulders are if pretending she was warding off a chill instead of a darkness from within.

"Speaking of which, how are they doing? You were pretty pale earlier, are you ok?" Jo-Jo asked, concern filling his voice as he edged closer to her. Chrissy bit her lip and didn't answer, her face still rather pale. A moment of quite passed between them befre she glanced at him again and found his eyes trailed over the bandages, making their way from her ankles to her knees, her thighs and to the hem of her dress before they suddenly were averted. Jo-Jo's cheeks were noticably red.

"Sorry, I-I was... umm... I was just looking at y-your wounds. They look like they hurt." Jo-Jo stammered, but Chrissy gave a smile, sweet smile. "They're fine, just a little sore." she said, lying through her teeth. They throbbed painfully with every slight moment of her legs but she didn't want to say that and make Jo-Jo feel bad. He'd been so kind to her; it was really no way to repay the one who'd saved your life. "The bleeding has stopped for the most part, which is good. It means we'll be able to search of Flake in the morning."

At Jo-Jo's surprised look Chrissy gave a small laugh that sounded fainting the the chiming of bells. "What, you thought I'd head to a town to nurse my boo-boos and leave some poor little lamb and her friend on their own out here? I don't know who you think I am Jo-Jo the Human," she said with a playful wink, her words like his when she'd been in danger, "But I'm not so low as to leave someone who's in need."

'At least, not again... No, never again.'

A dark chill ran up and down her spine, irritating the place her wings would normally be were she in her Angel form. She tried to brush it off but the memory was so fresh she was having a hard time. 'Now may be a good time to go to sleep,' she thought with a slight sense of urgency. "Thank you for you kindness Jo-Jo," Chrissy said, leaning forward and giving the blushing human a small kiss on his cheek. "Good night."

With that she stood off and walked to the wall furtherst from the entrance, laying out the bedroll and laying herself gently ontop of it, closing her eyes, her back to the other two. She discretely held the bear to her chest where her heart beat was begining to slow in preparation for sleep. By morning she would be rested and better prepared to assist the two humans with who she was acompanied by. Burrying her nose into the off-white bear's fur she breathed in deeply, comforted, and drifted off to a dark andd dreamless sleep.

"They're fine, just a little sore." Chrissy said. Jo-Jo nodded in approval, his cheeks still red. "The bleeding has stopped for the most part, which is good. It means we'll be able to search of Flake in the morning." At that, Jo-Jo raised his hands, attempting to form some sort of argument before Chrissy decided to put her life in danger for no reason. There was a look of pure shock on his face, the blush had entirely dissipated at Chrissy's announcement. There was no way he could let her go looking for trouble all beat up like that. And yet...

At Jo-Jo's surprised look Chrissy gave a small laugh, like the chiming of bells. "What, you thought I'd head to a town to nurse my boo-boos and leave some poor little lamb and her friend on their own out here? I don't know who you think I am Jo-Jo the Human," she said with a playful wink, her words matching his own from earlier that day, "But I'm not so low as to leave someone who's in need." Jo-Jo chuckled. "No fair. I suppose there's nothing I can do to dissuade you? It'll be very dangerous." Chrissy just shook her head. "Thank you for you kindness Jo-Jo," Chrissy said, leaning forward and giving the blushing human a small kiss on his cheek. "Good night." At that, she stood up and walked back into the cave on the other side of Raleigh, leaving Jo-Jo by himself, sitting next to the fire at the front of the cave. His hand floated up to his cheek, his whole face beet red. Jo-Jo felt his mind go blank for a little bit, pleasantly it drifted off into a delirium before coming back to reality. This did nothing to help Jo-Jo stop blushing. He tried to wrap his brain around what had just happened. He hadn't asked her, she hadn't told him she was gonna do it, she just kissed him. For, what appeared to be, no reason whatsoever, other than that Jo-Jo had helped her.

Jo-Jo slapped his face lightly, trying to get the color to drain out of his overly red face. "Oh glob..." Jo-Jo whispered, trailing off, lost in thought. For the rest of the night, Jo-Jo sat, bow in his lap next to the fire, trying to wrap his brain around what had happened. Every so often, he'd get up to grab a few more branches to fuel the fire, once again making sure to take them from the ground so as to not disturb any more trees. When he calculated that there would be just enough wood on the fire to last for a few hours, until the sun had risen, Jo-Jo let himself fall asleep, trying to catch a few quick zzz's. He knew the risk involved, which was was why both his gauntlet and bow remained in his hands while he slept, lest he need them immediately upon waking up.

The waves crashed on Raleigh as she ran out into the pits of the black ocean. She was soaked with on oozy black liquid, but she didn't care. She didn't know what she was running to or for, but she knew she was looking for something. Something important. Finally, she found Flake. Chains stretched across his arms and reached down to the ocean floor. Wind blasted in her face as she tried to approach him, but the faster she ran, the faster he moved away. Could she ever reach him?
"Flake, It's going to be okay..."
"Raleigh," the lamb said, his voice sounding different, "Don't come near me....leave me be."
"No, Flake! I'm coming! I'm not going to..."
"Please. Save yourself, Raleigh."
Just then, the girl gasped as she noticed a monstrous black wave approaching behind her friend. It would hit both of them in a matter of seconds.
"Flake...Flake listen to me! I can get us both out of here. I can make it! I mean," tears started to form in her eyes, "your my friend! We've been through so much Flake! I can't let you go now! You have to trust me. You have to trust me, just give me a CHANCE!"
The lamb shook his head in despair, and his head faced down into the blackness of the ocean. Raleigh's heart stopped beating as the wave grew closer and closer. She tried to run to him, but again, as she approached him, he moved farther away. Just then, the blackness of the waves burst into orange flames. Fire surrounded her everywhere, and before the wave of fire could crash over Flake, his appearance changed into that of a tall boy with shaggy brown hair.
"IAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN!!!!!!"

---

---

Raleigh woke up in a gasp. She breathed deeply as she tried to remember where she was. As soon as she saw the skeleton butterflies wizzing around her head, she remembered the events that had happened the day before. Wiping the sweat off of her brow, she looked around to find Jo-Jo and Chrissy. Fortunately, they were both there, sleeping in peace. Although there was still darkness and heavy silence in the forest, the morning gave off a tranquil feeling. One thing still remained, however. Flake was still gone. There was still a nervous feeling inside Raleigh. She stretched as she thought about her dream. Was it really how she felt? Was she really that hopeless inside? She stared at the injured Chrissy. As thoughts raced in her mind, she realized that if left unattended, Chrissy would be in the exact same spot as someone else she knew. Jo-Jo would be broken. With his knowledge and skills, there was no way Raleigh would let him become shattered, like she did. He was an important asset to Ooo.

Suddenly, Raleigh had a plan.

Quietly, she pulled out a pen and piece of paper from her white backpack. Silently she wrote,

Jo-Jo,

I'm going to go search for Flake. Right now, you should stay with Chrissy. She's important. I don't want to see her getting hurt on my own behalf. It's up to you whether or not you'd like to stay in these woods. If you do though, I'd like to tell you that Flake is an expert in 'western medicine', as he calls it. He'll be able to heal Chrissy's wounds. Once I find Flake, I'm going to come right back to this spot. I promise. Be careful.
-Raleigh

She placed the note next to Jo-Jo, grabbed her backpack, and started to treck back into the darkness of the woods. Before the two faded off into the distance, she looked back at them for a moment. She left as fast as she could.

Walking through the forest, Raleigh started to think about her nightmare. She had never had a nightmare since she was 14 years old. After that, she had controlled them, and they became non-existent. Raleigh's nightmares were no ordinary nightmares. When she was little, an evil witch cursed her to relive the most tragic event of her life over and over again in her dreams. She had always tried to avoid sleep, but eventually found that it was impossible. As the years past, she learned to control her fears, and her nightmares diminished. It was strange how so suddenly they could appear again. In order to stop them, she would need to save Flake first.

Suddenly, Raleigh could hear the sounds of beating drums and blatant-sounding flutes. She ran full-speed ahead, and noticed the light that was showing through the trees. She hid just behind the clearing of the trees to see the events that were unfolding. There, in large numbers, were red devil-like creatures dancing with pleasure. No doubt about it, these were the imps. Raleigh was confused. Were they having a festival or something? From the stacks of precious items and mountains of gems and gold, perhaps they were celebrating their recent raids. She shrugged as her eyes wandered, trying to find where they were hiding Flake. For some reason, she couldn't find them.
"What the......AAAAAAH!"
She felt something hard hit her back, and fell to the ground with a thud. Around her, she heard the squawks of other imps with large metal spears. They dragged her up, and circled around her, leading her to the center of the clearing. Their spears pointed at her, she closed her eyes as she knew it would be the end. She would never find....

"Stop! Have no fear! She's a friend, not a foe!"

The familiar sound of a British accent. As the noises of the camp ceased to a silent halt, Raleigh opened her eyes. There, on a large throne sat a small brown lamb with a crown made of skulls and feathers. His face was splattered with red war-paint, and he wore golden bracelets around his hooves. As he smiled down at Raleigh, she remembered what Jo-Jo's book had said about Imps. She gasped.

Flake was the queen.

Christina sat up slowly, rubbing her bue eyes and yawning with ferocity. Her sleep had been solid and she'd suffered no livid dreams invovling Samuel or death. In fact, she hadn't slept that well in... actually, Christina couldn't really say. Had she ever slept that soundly? Probably not. Broken Angels needed sleep, unlike their former Holy selves did, but most didn't get it because they spent too much time avoiding others and the Curse. The sound of another's soft breathing had always comforted Chrissy. It reminded her of brighter days. Days... long before the war.

Snapping suddenly out of her sleepy stupior, Christina looked around the cave, tense. She relaxed slightly when she saw Jo-Jo sitting against the wall of the cave, head drooping down slightly as he had appereantly nodded off while he was on duty. The fire was still burning, abeit softly, the wood from last night now burned away to only ash and embers. She carefully spread dust over it, extinguishing the last of the fire. But... where was Raleigh? Christina stood up, confused, quickly rolling the bedroll up and tucking it under her arm. "Raleigh?" she asked, outloud, loking at the vacent spot the human girl had been last Chrissy'd seen her, "Raleigh?"

Walking over to Jo-Jo, Chrissy was about to alert him to Raleigh's disapperance when she spotted a piece of paper by his side. Setting the bedrol down, Chrissy picked it up and read the note softly to herself,

Jo-Jo,
I'm going to go search for Flake. Right now, you should stay with Chrissy. She's important. I don't want to see her getting hurt on my own behalf. It's up to you whether or not you'd like to stay in these woods. If you do though, I'd like to tell you that Flake is an expert in 'western medicine', as he calls it. He'll be able to heal Chrissy's wounds. Once I find Flake, I'm going to come right back to this spot. I promise. Be careful.
-Raleigh

'What, me? Important?!' Chrissy shoved the note into her pocket within the folds of her dress, panicked, 'One of potentially last members of the most endangered species left in Ooo is trying to protect ME by going off ALONE to save her friend?!' Though horrified, Chrissy had to admit this was a noble gesture, despite how much danger she was putting herself in. 'This is not good. We need to find her, and fast! If I let anything happen to another human simply beause I am weak then I'll be Damned! The Coucil would- well, forget the Cousil! I'd Damn myself to something far worse than this Curse!'

"Jo-Jo!" Chrissy exclaimed, kneeling beside Jo-Jo and urgently shaking him, "Jo-Jo, wake up! Raleigh went to save Flake all by herself! We need to hurry and help her! Get up!"

Jo-Jo was having a lovely dream, in fact, his dream was so wonderful that as he dreamed, he spoke the words of the dream, meaning anyone near the sleeping Jo-Jo would hear him mumbling in his sleep.

He was skipping through a meadow of flowers whilst eating a massive turkey leg. "Om nom nom!" Jo-Jo said, feasting upon the freshly cooked meat. He was having a wonderful time, and it was about to get better! Suddenly, a unicorn just walked right up to him. Jo-Jo couldn't remember the last time a unicorn had just walked up to anyone! This was a very special occasion. "Well hey there Jo-Jo!" It said, it's voice full of silliness and joy. "Would you like to go for a ride?" It asked. "Would I ever! Gee, thanks Mr. Fluffy Unicorn!" Jo-Jo replied excitedly, hopping onto the unicorn's back and devouring the rest of his meat. "Yay!!" Jo-Jo squealed as he and the unicorn pranced the the field of flowers. However, just as Jo-Jo was getting to the best part, the part with all the candy, Mr. Fluffy Unicorn started bouncing, shaking Jo-Jo who still sat on its back. "Hey there!" Jo-Jo exclaimed as the unicorn started to buck, attempting to unseat poor Jo-Jo. "What's wrong Mr. Fluffy unicorn?" Jo-Jo asked. "You've got to get up now." The unicorn said sadly. Just then, Jo-Jo woke up to Chrissy yelling at him. "Jo-Jo! Jo-Jo, wake up! Raleigh went to save Flake all by herself! We need to hurry and help her! Get up!"

"Wha-?" Jo-Jo asked, half awake and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Wait... Raleigh did what?" Jo-Jo asked in terror, instantly jumping to his feet. "I fall asleep for two minutes and THIS is what happens? Oh striz!" Jo-Jo swore. "We have to go. Douse the fire, roll up the beds, and let's get a move on NOW!" Jo-Jo said. Luckily, Chrissy had already doused the fire so Jo-Jo simply ran over to where she had slept, deftly rolled up his bedroll and the blanket he'd lent Raleigh and placed them in his bag as quickly as he could. Once he was done, he jogged over to Chrissy. "What happened? She left after Flake? How do you know that?" Jo-Jo asked, trying to get a handle on the situation. Chrissy handed him the letter. Jo-Jo skimmed it quickly, reading some of the lines as his eyes tore across the paper.

"Jo-Jo,
I'm going to go search for Flake. Right now, you should stay with Chrissy. She's important. I don't want to see her getting hurt on my own behalf. It's up to you whether or not you'd like to stay in these woods. If you do though, I'd like to tell you that Flake is an expert in 'western medicine', as he calls it. He'll be able to heal Chrissy's wounds. Once I find Flake, I'm going to come right back to this spot. I promise. Be careful.
-Raleigh"

"Oh Glob! That idiot! She's gonna get herself killed..." Jo-Jo trailed off, his eyes finding Raleigh's footprints and follwoing them off into the woods. "This way, follow me!" Jo-Jo said, taking Chrissy by the hand with his own gloved one and jogging down the path created by Raleigh's tracks. He knew Chrissy was hurting, her wounds couldn't be entirely healed, but time was of the essence. Jo-Jo pushed Chrissy just as hard as he figured he'd safely be able to do. As they ran, Jo-Jo's gauntlet covered arm pushed rough debris and branches out of the way, facilitating quick movement. Finally, once they'd gone a good distance, Jo-Jo heard noises, booming drums and high squealing flutes. "Stay here." Jo-Jo whispered to Chrissy. "I'm going to scout ahead. If I need you, I'll call ok, and don't give me any buts!" Jo-Jo said, cutting Chrissy off, looking her directly in the eyes. There was no blushing this time. Jo-Jo was deadly serious. "Raleigh was right you know. You're my important friend. I will NOT be letting you get yourself hurt anymore. If I need you, I'll call. Otherwise, stay hidden and stay safe."

At that, Jo-Jo dropped his goggles down to his eyes and pulled his bow out of his pack. He quickly climbed a tree and scampered across the canopy of branches until he was within range of the Imp's camp. There was Raleigh. "Oh striz..." Jo-Jo swore again, increasing the zoom on his goggles once more, trying to get a better view. Raleigh was surrounded by a group of imps and they had pushed her down, barbed spears in hand. Reacting quickly, Jo-Jo pulled the drawstring of his bow back as far as it would go, a golden arrow appearing, as they always did, ready to fire. Jo-Jo's breathing slowed, he had his sights set on the lead Imp, intent on putting an arrow right in the base of his neck. Just as Jo-Jo was about to fire, suddenly, the Imps dropped their arms and Raleigh stood up, a bewildered grin on her face. Confused, Jo-Jo lowered his bow as well. "What?" He quietly asked himself. They had backed off, but why? Jo-Jo couldn't see, but it looked as if something had given them an order, the queen perhaps. Jo-Jo dropped from the trees and jogged back to Chrissy. "Something's up. I'm not sure what, but it appears Raleigh's... fine? Let's go to where they are, if they aren't attacking her, perhaps they can be reasoned with. Just in case, take my gauntlet again. Here." Jo-Jo said, handing her his spare. "Let's move."

Jo-Jo walked calmly towards the coven of Imps, his hand firmly, but not overly tightly, grasping Chrissy's. Upon getting to where Raleigh was, Jo-Jo was surprised to see the imps had backed off entirely. Jo-Jo stayed towards the back of the group, politely staying away from the queen and keeping Chrissy behind him, in case things turned sour. "What's going on?" Jo-Jo called out to Raleigh inquisitively. "You were about to be attacked, and yet... no one's dead. What's going on?" Jo-Jo asked again, thoroughly confused.

"Flake!? What the heck! Why on earth are you..."
"My fellow people," he announced, getting up off of his wooden throne, and approaching Raleigh with outstretched arms,
"This young lady here is known as Raleigh the human! We welcome her with glad tidings! She is a guest!"
Suddenly, the community of bright red Imps began to bow one by one, causing Raleigh's face to turn red itself. She glared at Flake, her eyebrow sharply raised.
"I'll explain everything later," he whispered into her ear.
"Flake, you do realize that...."
"What's going on?"
Raleigh turned to find Jo-Jo and Chrissy standing behind a group of the small, red creatures. Their faces looked more confused than she was. She looked back at them, her eyes full of electricity. A part of her was relieved that they came, but the other part was disappointed that they hadn't followed the directions of her note.
"Jo-Jo...."
"You were about to be attacked, and yet... no one's dead. What's going on?"

Now Flake was looking back at Raleigh, the sight of these two strangers being a shock to him, as well as some of the imps. With all the confused faces around her, she swore that she could hear all the questions in people's minds. She scratched the back of her head, and approached him. Her head felt extra heavy at the moment.

"I....I have no idea....I know less than you. But....do you remember what your fancy book-guide-thing said about imps and how they had a leader? A queen? I...I think Flake ISthe...."
"Raleigh, are these your friends?" Flake said, standing unexpectedly behind her.
"Errr...Yeah. Yeah, I just met them. That's Jo-Jo, and that's Chrissy."
"Nice to meet you two! My name is Flake. Raleigh and I have been wanting to see the vast corners of Ooo, and make new friends. Please, take a seat! We're about to have the feast!"
"Feast?"

Flake motioned to a long, low, wooden table that was covered with piles of various foods. The foods were contained on mismatched plates of silver and gold, while an assortment of goblets and cups were spread around the table. The chairs placed around the table were also non-specific. There were stools, cushions, rocking chairs, and at the head of the table, a throne where Flake had sat down. Raleigh looked back at Jo-Jo before reluctantly taking a seat next to her friend. The coven of Imps approached, and started to take seats. The red creatures instantly grabbed the foods and gobbled them down without taking breaths. Raleigh sat there awkwardly, her body becoming smaller as she tensed up.
"So, where are you two from?" the lamb asked Jo-Jo and Chrissy as he chewed down a vine of grapes.

Chrissy was well beyond confused by this point, and had yet to come up with words to express be so utterly lost. She's gone with Jo-Jo to save a lamb, weilded a weapon in preperation to fight of hordes of goblins should they refuse to give the sheep up, and now stood in a clearing infested with said creatures who seemed to be treating the not-a-ewe-in-distress like their Queen. Or King. Chrissy wasn't entire sure right now.

And it seemed that both Jo-Jo and Raleigh felt the same way.

"I....I have no idea....I know less than you. But....do you remember what your fancy book-guide-thing said about imps and how they had a leader? A queen? I...I think Flake IS the...."

"Raleigh, are these your friends?" Flake said, standing unexpectedly behind her.

"Errr...Yeah. Yeah, I just met them. That's Jo-Jo, and that's Chrissy."

"Nice to meet you two! My name is Flake. Raleigh and I have been wanting to see the vast corners of Ooo, and make new friends. Please, take a seat! We're about to have the feast!"

"Feast?"

Flake, who in fact did seem to be the Queen, motioned to a long, low, wooden table that was covered with piles of various foods. The foods were contained on mismatched plates of silver and gold, while an assortment of goblets and cups were spread around the table. The chairs placed around the table were also non-specific. There were stools, cushions, rocking chairs, and at the head of the table, a throne where Flake had sat down.

Raleigh looked back uncertainly at Jo-Jo before reluctantly taking a seat next to her friend. The coven of Imps approached, and started to take seats. The red creatures instantly grabbed the foods and gobbled them down without taking breaths. It seemed they were the only ones who felt right at home. Chrissy discretely handed Jo-Jo back his guantlet before she took a seat furthest away from the other chairs and looked down at her plate. Her eyes widened in shock and horror.

"So, where are you two from?" Flake asked, but Chrissy neither heard nor answered. Beneath the table her hand was clamped around the teddy bear, but still chills both hot and cold attacked her spine, running up and down it like cross-country. Her vision was wavering as she stared at this rusted, silvery platter, paralyzed by the two letters that had been sloppily scratched into the plate with a now long lost fork. The initals; S.M. for Samuel Maps.

"I....I have no idea....I know less than you. But....do you remember what your fancy book-guide-thing said about imps and how they had a leader? A queen? I...I think Flake IS the...."

"Raleigh, are these your friends?" The sheep said, it was wearing a crown made of feathers and bones. It stood up behind her. From her reaction, Raleigh hadn't been expecting it.

From there, Jo-Jo drew the obvious conclusion. The Imps had taken Flake and mistaken him for a god-queen. They were actually quite good at doing so. Jo-Jo made a quick mental note to write something about it in his guidebook later. Jo-Jo sighed in relief. The only hard part now was convincing the Imps to let them all go in one piece. Flake was queen only so long as she acted the part, and there was no way a coven of Imps was going to just give up their queen. Jo-Jo thought long and hard, his mind beginning to grasp the beginnings of a plan when suddenly.

"Feast?" Jo-Jo looked up. He was mad hungry and if the Imps were offering, Jo-Jo was eating.

Flake the Queen motioned to a long, low, wooden table that was covered with piles of various foods. The foods were contained on mismatched plates of silver and gold, while an assortment of goblets and cups were spread around the table. The chairs placed around the table were also non-specific. There were stools, cushions, rocking chairs, and at the head of the table, a throne where Flake had sat down. Raleigh looked back at Jo-Jo, who shrugged and motioned for her to step forward, before reluctantly taking a seat next to her lamb. As Jo-Jo and the others walked to the table, Chrissy covertly handed Jo-Jo back his spare gauntlet, which he nonchalantly hid in his pack. Hopefully no one saw it.

The coven of Imps approached the table, and started to take seats. Upon sitting, the little, red creatures instantly grabbed the foods and gobbled them down without taking any breath between bites. If it hadn't been so fast, it would have been a thing of beauty. Luckily, Jo-Jo managed to snag a few morsels for his own before the Imps finished ravenously devouring their food. There was a turkey leg, a roll of some sort, and what appeared to be a whole cabbage. Excellent. Jo-Jo snacked thoughtfully while listening to the conversation, which finally turned to himself.

"So, where are you two from?" Flake asked, directing his question towards the pair. Jo-Jo spoke first. "Well, I dunno. I'm from everywhere I suppose, but I've got a little place in the grasslands, just outside the Candy Kingdom. I'm an adventurer, a professional one I suppose. I've been doing so for quite a while now. I take requests from all the Mission boards in various towns. I don't do it to get paid, I do it to explore and find treasure. It's lots of fun." Jo-Jo finished before turning politely to Chrissy. "Which reminds me, I don't even know where you're from. Where are-" Jo-Jo cut himself off. Chrissy was staring pointedly at her plate, not even having touched her food. Jo-Jo sidled closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Hey." Jo-Jo whispered to her, trying to shake her out of whatever funk she was in. "Are you ok?" Jo-Jo asked, still in a whisper. He tried to get her to look him in the eyes, but she wouldn't budge. She was fixated on her plate. Jo-Jo followed her line of sight to a pair of initials marked on her plate. "S.M.?" Jo-Jo thought. "Who is S.M.?"

Samuel.

Samuel's plate.

His last supper.

Memories flooded Chissy's mind. Watching from the window as he sweet child scratched at his plate, not hungry after the scolding he'd received when he'd been caught wandering towards the forest.

Chrissy hadn't meant any harm; she'd been trying to save him for heaven's sake! Now he carved his initials into his plate in a stoic silence, much like Chrissy who hovered unseen by the locked door, her silver eyes flashing with poorly concealed fear.

The feeling of a warm arm sliding around her shoulders ripped her from the flashbacks, but it could not pull her from reality. Her blue eyes darted to a human boy, but barely recognized him as Jo-Jo. All around her were little creatures, not quite human but similar to the size and shape Samuel was. Had been.

Abruptly the stood, knocking Jo-Jo's arm aside, and whipped around. "D-D-Don't t-touch me!" she cried, blue eyes wide with panic, a fear she could not control, "Please... Don't TOUCH ME!" Then, suddenly, there was a brilliant white light and the sound of tearing flesh. Chrissy screamed in agony and fear as two white wings materialized on her back. Instantly her wounds were healed and he dress changed, her ponytail coming undone and her white hair falling into its proper place.

From her hands fell a white dear as she whipped around, wings spread wide, shimmering as she turned to face an imp standing just apart from the crowd.

Rushing at the unfortunate imp, Christina scooped him up in her arms before shooting high into the air. The imp squeaked but she gently petted its head. All the hostility and pain she'd shown before seemed to have been replaced by a peaceful and serene beauty.

"There there now, don't be afraid," she said in a soothing whispery voice. The imp became quiet and looked up into her blue eyes in awe. "Wh-What are you?" he gasped, settling comfortably into her arms. Chrissy smiled lovingly, still caressing the imp's face like a mother would a child until it's eyes slowly fluttered shut.

"I'm a Guardian Angel..." She whispered, her soft voice becoming harsh and guttural. The imp's eyes now snapped open to a horrible sight.

Christina's features contorted frighteningly, the scars of torture she'd suffered in order to be redeemed. Skin transforming, burned by holy light, melted, blue eyes bulging from her eye sockets, veins throbbing... The only beautiful thing left was her wings, which beat frantically before closing in and encasing the two of them as they dove towards the ground. The imp shrieked as Christina, or what she had become, remained stoic, nails digging into her victim's flesh, cutting the skin and drawing blood which further intoxicated her.

~~~

Back at the feast the imps were in panic as they watched the winged girl and their companion plummet into the forest some distance away. Some were drawing weapons, others ducking for covering, many running for their lives. Left behind at the scene was a small white bear, laying unnoticed on the ground where Chrissy had been standing, looking mournful, bearing marks of compression on it's body from being held a little too tightly. It's black marble eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle as the imp's last cry faded into the sounds of the waking forest.

As Jo-Jo and Flake were talking, Raleigh shifted her eyes across the village, noticing the imps' way of life. For fearsome creatures, their lives seemed fairly normal. She could make out one imp preparing a large cauldron of soup, and another sharpening a wooden spear with a stone. It felt momentous eating lunch in a place that was usually avoided by other creatures, but it was also exciting. The problem was, Raleigh didn't know if she could feel both emotions at once. Whatever she was feeling, she knew that it was all so strange.

After Jo-Jo had introduced himself, Flake had turned to Raleigh and folded his hooves unto the table.
"So what i was about to mention to you earlier; when i was walking back to you yesterday, these imps dragged me off to their camp. Long story short, they sat me in a throne, put a crown on me, and started to bow. I guess I look like some sort of god or something. At first I was scared, but then I realized something. These imps have been living in poverty, resorting to stealing traveler's goods and trinkets. If they only had a system, a government, then maybe, just MAYBE these imps could change from being feared creatures to creatures of intelligence. I was thinking that maybe i could start that. That's not too unrealistic, is it?"

As he grinned at Raleigh, she could barely let out a laugh before his throne was lifted and moved away by a small group of imps.
"Sorry, forgot to mention that after the feast there's this sacrificial ceremony to their gods! That big pile of fruit over in the center of the clearing is going to be 'given to the gods' in some really interesting and sacred way or something...Come on! You'll see what i mean!"

With a smile on her face, Raleigh followed the wooden thrown over to the clearing where the ceremony was being performed. She took a glance back at Jo-Jo, who was still sitting by Chrissy and talking to her. She felt bad for him, he was going to miss out on the action.
Once the throne was positioned in its rightful place, Flake lifted his hooves out, closed his eyes, and started the ceremony.
"We gather hear today for the sacrificial ceremony of raising the fruits to the heavens....I think..."
Raleigh smiled at her companion with joy. However, there was a chill, a twitch in her spine that seemed to tell her that something was wrong.
"Oh gods of above, please accept our humble and delicious offering of the finest fruits we could offer. In return, give us your amazing powers and keep us alive....or something..."
Raleigh watched as a group of imps gathered around the fruits with spears and sneers on their faces. She gasped. The cauldron of soup, the spears, the throne, the crown, THE FEAST....it all made sense now.
"Ready? Oh gods, we give you this sacrifice in THREE,"
The imps raised their spears.
"TWO,"
Raleigh could hear the imps' laughter throughout the camp.
"ONE!!!"

Flake made a loud grunt as Raleigh had jumped, slammed into him, and knocked him to the ground. The lamb got up rather quickly, and shouted at his partner-in-crime.
"WHAT IN THE BUTTS WAS THAT FOR!?!?"
Raleigh in turn got up on her two feet, and pointed at the throne. In the center of the cushion, a sharp wooden spear stood up on its tip. An imp was on the top of the chair, shocked.
"Don't you get it Flake? The fruit wasn't the sacrifice, YOU WERE!"
Flake's eyes had lost their usual sparkle, and his face had turned a pale white.
"But.....why?"
Raleigh turned around, backing up into Flake. Around them, an angry coven of imps started to surround them.
"I'll explain that later, Flake, but right now, I think this feast is over."

Quickly, Raleigh was able to reach one of the many piles of golden trinkets and items. She reached for a baton that she could use for a weapon, but as she pulled it out, she realized that the heavy item was nothing else than a huge, over-sized hammer with the mallet being made of gold as well as the handle.
Raleigh felt energy radiating from this new weapon. It wasn't a sword, but it was the next best thing.
As the imps started to charge at her, she swung the hammer with her man-hands, sending the imps flying. Clearly, she had underestimated its power. As she got used to the weapon, she started to perform aerial attacks by jumping up and flattening the imps into pancakes.

"RALEIGH!" Flake called. She turned to find him out of his daze, and the crown of skulls off of his head, "IM GOING TO TRANSFORM INTO A LARGE CREATURE IN THE CENTER OF THE CAMP THAT WILL HELP TO KEEP THE IMPS AT BAY! I NEED YOU TO COVER ME!! CAN YOU DO THAT?"
She nodded, and replied, "YOU GOT IT, QUEE...I MEAN, KING FLAKE!!!"
As she knocked the tiny imps off their feet, she caught her companion laughing as he ran over to the center of the camp. Raleigh moved as well, luring the little red creatures in. A new wave of them appeared, this time, wielding small daggers and spears. During this battle, she had completely forgotten about Jo-Jo and his archery skills.

"JO-JO!" she called, "A LITTLE HEL-.....WHAT THE NUTS?!?!"

Imps were running all over the place, trying to get away from a white-winged creature that was flying through the air, clawing an unfortunate imp and revealing its monstrous face. Raleigh's eyes widened and she cringed as she realized that this horrifying creature was Chrissy.

As the imps around her paused and trembled in fear, she took a moment from fighting to glance down at Jo-Jo. Had he known about this? There were so many questions running through her head. Was Chrissy cursed? Was she conscious? Was this even like her to be killing an imp? Most importantly, was she evil?

Suddenly, Raleigh felt pressure around her neck as an imp had jumped up onto her back and was attempting to choke her. She knocked the mallet of the hammer unto the ground, and flipped, sending the attacking imp flying off of her back. While it was still in mid-air, she knocked it with a swing of the hammer. With the chaos that had been brewing from Chrissy's dramatic change, Flake had transformed into a large, tentacled monster with multiple heads and spooky yellow eyes. Although it was frightening, it wasn't near as frightening than what Chrissy had become. Flake was grabbing little red creatures with his tentacles, and throwing them off into the distant woodland. With the imps being launched into the horizon, this offered Raleigh a clearing to get to Jo-Jo.

"Alright, I have no idea what's happening..." she said while swinging her weapon and dodging enemy attacks, "but clearly Chrissy isn't her normal self. It's not like her to make that grand of an entrance if you know what I mean...."
She socked the hammer past Jo-Jo's shoulder, knocking out an imp that was right behind him. As she turned around, she spotted a giant, muscular imp with large fangs and a long spiky tail located on the opposite side of the camp. It would be approaching them soon.
"You handle Chrissy. We both know that you can calm her down better than I can. I'll take care of that guy over there..."

She left his side, sprinting and swinging her mallet as fast as she could. She'd never fought this much in the longest of times, and though there was an enormous amount of danger, she was quite frankly enjoying herself.

Chrissy's eyes were wide, almost deadened with what looked like... panic? "Hey..." Jo-Jo whispered to her. "I don't know what's going on, but it's gonna be alright." Suddenly, she seemed to react to his arm around her shoulder, her eyes still wide. Something must have been wrong. Jo-Jo moved to take his arm away from her, but she abruptly stood, knocking Jo-Jo's arm aside. Since Jo-Jo was already moving away from her, she pushed him hard and he fell to the ground. "Whoa..." Jo-Jo said, wincing. He'd scraped his palms. She whipped around, turning to face him. "D-D-Don't t-touch me!" She cried, her blue eyes wide with panic. "Whoa, I'm sorry. I was... are you ok?" Jo-Jo asked. She was scared. There was something wrong. "Please... Don't TOUCH ME!" Then, suddenly, there was a brilliant white light and the sound of tearing flesh. Chrissy screamed in agony and fear as two white wings materialized on her back. Jo-Jo gasped. "Wings?" Jo-Jo thought. "What is she?" Instantly her wounds were healed and her dress changed, her ponytail coming undone and her white hair falling down past her shoulders.

She stood fully, her white wings shimmering, and turned to face a single Imp who was standing away from the crowd of them. "Crowd? Why are they all grouped up and not sitting?" Jo-Jo couldn't afford to figure out what was going on, he needed to focus on Chrissy, who rushed the lone Imp and took to the sky. As they climbed higher and higher, Jo-Jo couldn't see what was going on. Then, suddenly, Jo-Jo heard a small, shrill scream. It wasn't coming from Chrissy. Then Jo-Jo connected the dots. Blue skin, white hair and brilliant wings, the ability to heal and create bright light. Chrissy was a Guardian Angel. Something was wrong though. Something was very, very wrong.

After a brief moment, something dropped onto the table. Jo-Jo scrambled to see what it was. Drops of a deep red liquid had splattered onto the wood. Drops of blood. It all made sense now. Chrissy was cursed. Jo-Jo pulled out his book, despite the chaos swirling around him, Jo-Jo needed to think. His hands flew through the pages, finally landing on the page about Guardian angels. There wasn't much about their society or about their customs and traditions. There wasn't even very much about their biology or abilities. There was, however, plenty about their Curse.

When a Guardian Angel is born, they are assigned to an unborn child. They spend the first part of their lives training to heal, protect, and care for their Bond Child. Should they lose their Bond Child to death, their eyes turn from a silvery grey to blue. The blue eyes are what mark Angels whose Bond Child died in their care. When a Guardian Angel's Bond dies in their care they are Cursed by the High Guardians Court. This Curse turns them into a horrific, demonic creature and forces them to devour the deceased Bond’s body as punishment. When a Broken Guardian Angel comes across something that reminds them of their Broken Bond they have a chance of turning into the demon and devouring the child (living or dead). This is uncontrollable until a new Bond is made and causes the Broken Guardian Angel much anguish and grief.

"JO-JO!" she called, "A LITTLE HEL-.....WHAT THE NUTS?!?!" Jo-Jo heard Raleigh cry out to him, but he was too engrossed to respond. He needed to finish reading.

As he read, Jo-Jo's eyes widened and he gasped with astonishment. Chrissy had lost her Child. It was the single most painful thing that could ever happen to an Angel. However, once he'd finished reading, and placed his book back in his bag, Jo-Jo fully noticed the chaos around him. He witnessed Flake turn into a massive monster and start fighting the little Imps. Though Jo-Jo couldn't remember why, he felt like there was some form of skullduggery there. He didn't have time to read about it. Imps were swarming him. Though he prefered to fight things over long range with his bow, this shouldn't be taken to mean that Jo-Jo was a slouch in personal combat.

Jo-Jo slung on his other gauntlet and punched his knuckles together. His gauntlets seemed to tighten around his hands, as if preparing to sock some Imps. Though he would have preferred a large stick or a sword or a hammer, these would do. He usually liked to keep his gauntlets off. They impaired his accuracy with his bow and made his arms too heavy, but they were perfect for this. Jo-Jo swung his arms in large, circular motions, keeping his elbows bent to maximize the force. Jo-Jo wasn't the strongest of humans, but with the power of rotation adding to his force, Jo-Jo appeared to be smashing his way through Imps like a troll would people. He sent the little creatures flying, fighting his way over to Raleigh. When he finally made it to her they started planning to handle the situation.

"Alright, I have no idea what's happening..." Raleigh said while swinging her weapon and dodging enemy attacks. Jo-Jo fought alongside her as they talked, punching and dodging while listening. He was mostly silent, allowing Raleigh to call the shots. "Clearly Chrissy isn't her normal self. It's not like her to make that grand of an entrance if you know what I mean...."
Jo-Jo stopped swinging, they appeared to be done. He walked over to her so they wouldn't have to yell. However, just as he reached her, she socked the hammer past Jo-Jo's shoulder, knocking out an imp that was right behind him. Jo-Jo smiled. "Thanks." He said, quickly whipping out his bow and shooting an Imp archer to his direct right. He had taken aim at Raleigh during the confusion and was waiting for a good shot. Like when they'd stopped moving. Jo-Jo turned, placing his back against Raleigh's stowing his bow and holding his gauntlets high. The Imps he'd punched earlier were getting back up.

"You handle Chrissy." Jo-Jo heard her say over his shoulder. "We both know that you can calm her down better than I can. I'll take care of that guy over there..." Jo-Jo hazarded a glance over his shoulder. There was a large Imp, apparently half ogre from the look of it. He was taller than normal with a long spiked tail and was very muscular. "You gonna be ok?" Jo-Jo asked, but he wasn't answered, Raleigh had charged off after him, a wicked smile on her face as she smashed her way over to the large creature. Jo-Jo only smiled. "I figured as much." He turned his attention towards the forest and the Imps that stood between him and Chrissy. "Alrighty little ones, if you don't wanna get your hams spanked, I suggest you leave now." Jo-Jo offered. However, it seemed like he didn't even need to have asked as they all scattered. "Ha!" Jo-Jo laughed, dusting his hands off. He looked down to find a huge shadow cast over him and he whipped around. Luckily, it was only the massive monster Flake had turned into. "Whew... Flake, eh? You scared me. Thanks for your help, I'm off after Chrissy now, you know, the white haired one? You watch Raleigh's back while I'm gone, ok? I'm sure you've been doing that for a while, she almost talked our ears off with stories about you last night when you were still lost. Anywho, I gotta bolt after Chrissy. Something's wrong. Thanks Flake." Jo-Jo explained before thanking Flake and then bolting off into the forest.

Before Jo-Jo ran off in the direction he'd seen Chrissy plummet into the forest, he stopped for a moment. There was a little white bear on the ground. It appeared to have been snuggled quite viciously, as it was compressed. Like someone had squeezed it. Jo-Jo picked it up and held it close to him before running off into the forest. "Chrissy! Chrissy! Chrissy!!" Jo-Jo cried, calling out for her and trying to find her. "Where are you? Chrissy! Please! Help me to find you! I know something's wrong, just tell me, please! I want to help you! I know that's not the real you!" Jo-Jo cried. Almost silently, he whispered to himself, "I know it's because of your curse. You can't help it. It's not your fault. You must be in so much pain, you must be so sad." Jo-Jo held the little bear up in front of him. "You must have belonged to her child." Jo-Jo theorized. "She must have loved you so much..." Jo-Jo trailed off. He could hear something rustling and making a commotion. He could hear... the squeal of an Imp! He dashed off towards where the sound was coming from. "Chrissy! It's me, Jo-Jo! Where are you?!"

The imp in Chrissy's arms was dead.

Murder.

Torn apart. Ripped to shreds by the very hands that had rocked it to sleep moments ago.

Betrayal.

Blood covered Chrissy's torso and ran down from her mouth as she hungerly fed on it's small body.

Shame.

In the far back corner of this monster's mind Christina was surpressed, held captive, immobalized by this Curse.

Desperately she screamed and fought for control of her body again but all efforts she made were futile. Her fight was in vain. This punishment, the Curse which she suffered under constantly, was too powerful. It was too strong for her to ever hope to revoke. The High Court themselves had distributed it, and rightfully so. She was a monster and deserved the torment and anguish that she went through because she'd abandoned her Bond child.

Little Samuel.

As her body ravaged it's meal, Christina could feel the warm blood flowing though the heart wasn't beating. She sobbed, unable to look away yet incapable of stopping herself. Samuel. The sweet little child. Had she not been a coward, had she been stronger, had so fought harder to save him perhaps he would have lived. Perhaps she wouldn't be Cursed like this.

Inside she screamed, outside she merely laughed. A monster and it's victim. Her victim. She was a monster.

It was over in a matter of slow, agonizing minutes, as it always was. Standing up from her kneeling position on the ground, the remains of the imp, now unrecognizable as such, tumbling to the ground. Broken bones, mutilated flesh, skull crushed inwards and the blood staining the limbs and clothes of the vile beast who'd done it. The monster's conscience, now finished with it's disgusting work, slowly began to fade and Christina, the real one, slowly regained control.

Tears streamed from her eyes as the Curse backed back into the darkness in her mind where she'd been held hostage moments ago. Looking in horror at her bloodied hands and then at the remains at her feet she suddenly collapsed back to her knees. Still in disbelief she whispered inadiaubly, "Chrissy, you monster, what have you done? What have you done?"

"Chrissy! Chrissy! Chrissy!!"

Christina's head which she'd held in her hands suddenly snapped up.

"Where are you? Chrissy! Please! Help me to find you!"

That voice... it was so familar.

"I know something's wrong, just tell me, please! I want to help you! I know that's not the real you!"

Jo-Jo?

"Chrissy! It's me, Jo-Jo! Where are you?!"

Christina recoiled, but not fast enough. From the forest brush Jo-Jo burst into the clearing, panting from running. Christina froze. Hands covered in blood, dress stained by the red that dripped from her mouth, wings so white and pure they were almost mocking. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks from her blue eyes and her body, now having fully regained control (and former apperance) shook violently. Her mouth opened to try and form words of apology, to explain, anything, but all noises died in her throat and no sound came past her lips.

Broken.

So Very Broken.

"Jo-Jo... I-" Chrissy's words were cut off as she hunched over and vomited. Blood.

Jo-Jo burst through the brush, finally having locked in on Chrissy's location. Christina recoiled at the noise, but not fast enough. Jo-Jo paused for a moment, he was out of breath, when he finally looked up at her, he was shocked by what he saw. Christina stood stock still, her whole body seemingly frozen. Her hands were covered in blood, her dress stained by the red that dripped from her mouth. Her wings so white and pure, almost mockingly so. At the sight of Jo-Jo, tears flowed freely down her cheeks from her blue eyes and her body, now having fully regained control, shook violently. Her wings dissipated into nothing, her dress shrunk and returned to the way it was, though the blood didn't leave with it. Her hair was still down. Her mouth opened to try and form words of apology, to explain, anything, but all noises died in her throat and no sound came past her lips. Jo-Jo only half smiled. "I... umm... I have no words to make you feel better." Jo-Jo offered lamely. "I just know that when I see a cute girl like you in so much pain, there's only one thing I can do." Jo-Jo said, walking towards her. "Jo-Jo... I-" Chrissy's words were cut off as she hunched over and vomited. It was a sickening red. Red like blood. It was super gross, but even though Jo-Jo winced, he stepped forward, taking off and stowing his gauntlets. Slowly, gently, Jo-Jo placed his left arm on her left shoulder and used his right hand to rub her back. "It's ok. I... um... I know. I'm so sorry you had to live through that. From what I've heard it's the single most amount of pain anyone can ever go through. When she was finally finished, Jo-Jo pulled a handkerchief out of his bag and gave it to her to use. "Here. You don't have to give it back. Also, you may want this. I grabbed it when you... took off." Jo-Jo took the bear out of his bag and handed it to her. "He missed you." Jo-Jo said. "I did too." At that, Jo-Jo pulled her close and hugged her, blushing like a madman. "I'm glad you're back Chrissy." Jo-Jo whispered.

After a while, Jo-Jo pulled away. "So, if you're you again, we need to go back. The Imps tried to sacrifice Flake and now he and Raleigh are fighting the Imps. They might need our help, but from the look of it, probably not."

Christina held her stomach in pain as she finished puking, now just coughing up the remenents of her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to look into Jo-Jo's eyes for fear of what she may find there. Instead she stayed on her knees, hanging her head in shame, head falling around her face like a veil. She pushed it back behind her ears, her ponytail holder having broke when she transformed.

"I... umm... I have no words to make you feel better. I just know that when I see a cute girl like you in so much pain, there's only one thing I can do." Jo-Jo said meekly, and Christina shuttered, biting her lip and tasting salty blood in her mouth. Slowly, gently, Jo-Jo placed his left arm on her left shoulder and used his right hand to rub her back. It was comforting and she stopped trembling under his hand, thought the tears still poured down her cheeks, washing away the red from her face.

"It's ok. I... um... I know. I'm so sorry you had to live through that." Jo-Jo said soothingly, still rubbing her back. Christina nodded numbly. Jo-Jo didn't even know the half of it, but she appriciated his sympathy and compassion. "From what I've heard it's the single most amount of pain anyone can ever go through." Chrissy managed a small laugh from her ragged throat. "Yeah... like walking through Hell..." she whispered hoarsely, vividly remembering the flames that had eaten away at her skin when she'd been forced to do penance for her mistake.

"Here." Jo-Jo said, gently placing a handkerchief into Chrissy's hand. The feel of the soft fabric made her lift her hand and she took it carefully, silently thanking him as she wiped off her bloodied hands and face. "You don't have to give it back." he mentioned but Chrissy shook her head, slowly because she was still a little nausiated. "No no, it's the least I can do." she coughed, then crumpled it up in her fist. When she opened her fist again it was clean and she handed it back. 'It's a good thing I don't have to be in Angel form to mend clothes.' "Also, you may want this." Jo-Jo said, reaching into his bag, "I grabbed it when you... took off."

"He missed you." Jo-Jo said, pulling out a little white bear. Christina's eyes filled with tears as Jo-Jo handed her the precious stuffed animal and she cuddled it close to her bosom. She looked up at him, eyes watering with tears of joy, as she opened her mouth to thank him but no words could be made. He smiled sheepishly, a small blush coloring his cheeks. "I did too." Then pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly in a tight hug. "I'm glad you're back Chrissy." he whispered and Christina's heart melted as she hesitantly relaxed in his arms. "Thank you Jo-Jo... thank you..." she whispered, so softly he may not have even heard her.

'Ego gratias ago vos ex profundus intus meus pectus pectoris...' she thought, silently to herself. 'Quod ego mos servo vos per is pectus pectoris, si ego may.'

This was translated in Latin as 'I give thanks to you out of deep within my heart. And I will preserve you with this very heart, if I can.'

With Samuel's bear in her arms and Jo-Jo's hand outstreatched to her, Christina felt... well, better. Much better. She took Jo-Jo's hand and stood up. Her clothes shimmered with a blue-white light which faded a moment later, having removed the blood from her once-again-white dress. "So, if you're you again, we need to go back. The Imps tried to sacrifice Flake and now he and Raleigh are fighting the Imps. They might need our help, but from the look of it, probably not." Jo-Jo said hopefully and despite everything, Chrissy smiled. "Yes... let's go do that." she said, sounding shaken but a little more confident.

The white light flashed again and Christina's skin had a faint white glow to it as she spread her wings. "Come here; let the angel pick you up." she said, her voice no longer scratchy but instead very alluring and melodious. "We can find them faster from the air." Then she pulled him into her arms and launched into the air. It took a matter of seconds for her to located Raleigh. She swooped down with Jo-Jo and landed beside the table (which had manage to be split in half while they were gone), gently setting him down, imps fleeing from her on sight. Others were picking up their weapons and already taking aim at her wings, recognizing her. 'Well, Jo-Jo wasn't kidding,' she thought, standing her ground as a small group of imps charged her, blinding them with a brief flash of white light.

With a burst of energy, it didn't take Raleigh long to get to the other side of the clearing. There were only a few more imps left, so she knew that she'd have a clear shot at taking down this monster. As she approached it, it looked down upon her, its eyes turning a fierce red. It pounded its chest like a gorilla before aiming a fist down at her. She swiftly dodged its attack, and managed to swing at its fist with her hammer. The monster clenched its red hand in pain, and resorted to using its spiky tail to attack. As she dodged its tail attack, the monster managed to entrap her underneath its foot. Although her arms were not stuck underneath the beast's toes, she struggled to get free. From the ground, she could see the monster aiming its pointed tail at her head, and before the spike could plummage through her skull, she quickly turned her head to the right. Furious, the monster started to take aim at her again. This was just enough time for her to grab her hammer and smash the mallet into the giant imp's toe.

The monster raised its foot in pain, allowing for Raleigh to make a quick getaway. It bounced up and down, screaming in a low, burly voice. With her hammer in hand, Raleigh climbed up the monsters back, and wrapped her legs around its neck. With two hands, she raised the hammer above the monster's head, ready to strike a giant magenta crystal that was protruding from its back.
"This is gonna be one wicked headache!" she said before smashing the hammer against the gem. The magenta crystal shattered into pieces, and instead of shrieking or fainting, the monster exploded into a pile of gems and coins. Raleigh fell to the ground, landing on her feet, and a huge smile on her face. She rested the large weapon on her shoulder as she nonchalantly walked back to the other side of the camp. All the imps were gone.

She approached Flake, who had transformed back into his normal form. His smile was as large as hers.
"YEAH!!!" they exclaimed as they gave each other a well-deserved high-five.
"You did amazing out there, Raleigh!"
"Same to you, Mr. tentacled-monster! Seriously, that was the largest thing you've ever transformed into!! You saved my butt for sure!"

Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared, and the last of the imps scattered into the forest. It was Chrissy and Jo-Jo. Before Raleigh could approach them with a gentle smile, she could feel Flake holding her back by the arm.
"NO!" he whispered, "she's....she's a....she can hurt you!"

Raleigh escaped from Flake's grasp, giving a small sigh. She wasn't angry at him or anything. He didn't know. With a look of concern yet joy, she wrapped her arms around the blood-drenched Chrissy.
"I'm so happy you're okay...." she said softly.
"Here..." she said as she slipped off her green parka dress, revealing brown shorts and a green v-neck shirt with sleeves that reached her elbows.
"You can use this to cover you're blood drenched dress"
She gave the parka dress to Chrissy, and then turned to Jo-Jo.
"Thanks a million for helping me out there! You were totally mathematical."

There was silence, and then Raleigh sighed, realizing that it was about time to leave the evil forest.
"Morrow form?" Flake asked.
"Morrow form." Raleigh replied. As Flake took the time to transform, Raleigh asked the duo, "So, do you two need a ride out of this Evil Forest? I know Chrissy has wings now, but if you guys want a ride on Flake, you're both more than welcome to."

Chrissy smiled, her hand resting gently in Jo-Jo's. "Yes... let's go do that." she said, sounding shaken but a little more confident. Jo-Jo smiled back.

The white light flashed again and Christina's skin had a faint white glow to it as she spread her wings. "Come here; let the angel pick you up." She said, her voice no longer scratchy but instead very alluring and melodious. "We can find them faster from the air." Then she pulled him into her arms and launched into the air. Jo-Jo's spirit soared as they took to the sky. Jo-Jo couldn't help it, he whooped in pure joy. It was the second time today, but he couldn't help himself. He couldn't stop himself from feeling the exhilaration of flight. It took a matter of seconds for them to locate Raleigh and FLake back that the Imp's camp. She swooped down with Jo-Jo and landed beside the table (which had manage to be split in half while they were gone), gently setting him down, imps fleeing from her on sight. Others were picking up their weapons and already taking aim at her wings, recognizing her. "Uh-oh." Jo-Jo thought. As they charged, Chrissy extended her hand, blinding them with a brief flash of white light. Jo-Jo kneeled, ducking beneath her outstretched arm. His bow was drawn, five arrows pointing down his sights toward the offending Imps, who scattered at Chrissy's ocular assault. Jo-Jo stood as soon as the Imps were out of sight. The arrows vanished and he stowed his bow.

At that, the battle was over. There was a small mound of treasure and no sign of the huge Imp that had most likely lost its duel with Raleigh. Looking around, Jo-Jo smiled. They'd really done a number on this place. Things were smashed, small fires were everywhere, and from the look of it all the Imps were either gone or dead. Finally, Jo-Jo's eyes came to Raleigh, whom he smiled and waved at. Before Raleigh could approach them, a gentle smile on her face, Flake stopped her. Holding her back by the arm. Jo-Jo raised an eyebrow. What could have been the issue? It didn't matter. Raleigh escaped from Flake's grasp, giving a small sigh. She walked over to them, wrapping her arms around Chrissy.

"I'm so happy you're okay...." she said softly. It was so soft, Jo-Jo almost didn't hear. Raleigh turned to him next. "Thanks a million for helping me out there! You were totally mathematical." Raleigh said. Jo-Jo smiled, offering his hand for a high five. "Not as awesome as you! That Imps was huge, but it looks like that nifty new hammer of yours packs quite the punch." Jo-Jo exclaimed, quickly examining her new weapon. It gave off an aura of strength.

At that, it appeared it was time to leave the forest. "Morrow form?" Flake asked. "Morrow form." Raleigh replied. As Flake took the time to transform, Raleigh asked the duo, "So, do you two need a ride out of this Evil Forest? I know Chrissy has wings now, but if you guys want a ride on Flake, you're both more than welcome to."

Jo-Jo sighed, looking between Chrissy and Raleigh. "Actually, I can't leave yet. I need to stay, finish my quest and all. I was in the middle of it before I ran into you guys. I'd... um... I'd actually prefer to go alone." Jo-Jo said, hoping that his new friends would allow him to just leave on his own. "The Temple I'm headed to is crazy scary and dangerous. I can't ask you to come with me. If you like, I am going to be headed back to my place as soon as I'm done here." At that, Jo-Jo slung his pack off of his shoulders, digging around until he found what he was looking for. Jo-Jo slung his pack back to its rightful place. "Here's the keys to my place. It's just a little cottage on the outskirts of the Candy Kingdom. If you like you can stay there till I'm done."

Jo-Jo was actually pretty sad. As much as he wanted his new friends to come with him, he couldn't risk their safety. Jo-Jo wasn't confident enough in his skills to protect them both from the dangers his quest would entail.

Jo-Jo sighed, looking between Chrissy and Raleigh. "Actually, I can't leave yet. I need to stay, finish my quest and all. I was in the middle of it before I ran into you guys. I'd... um... I'd actually prefer to go alone."
Flake looked back at Raleigh, but Raleigh kept her focus on Jo-Jo and nodded.

"The Temple I'm headed to is crazy scary and dangerous. I can't ask you to come with me. If you like, I am going to be headed back to my place as soon as I'm done here." At that, Jo-Jo slung his pack off of his shoulders, digging around until he found what he was looking for. Jo-Jo slung his pack back to its rightful place. "Here's the keys to my place. It's just a little cottage on the outskirts of the Candy Kingdom. If you like you can stay there till I'm done."

"Actually," Flake started, "Before we got lost in these woods, me and Raleigh were planning on moving to the Candy Kingdom."
"Oh yeah! That's right!"
"We have to go back to the Ice Kingdom to get our stuff, so..."
"So we'll go get our stuff from the Ice Kingdom, get some house hunting done, and then we'll visit you by the time you get back! Isn't this great Flake?" Raleigh said happily, turning back to face the lamb, "We already know someone who can give us a tour around the place!"
Flake gave a small chuckle, and then Raleigh turned back to face Jo-Jo. She approached him and gave him a big bear-hug.
"It was great meeting you!! Good luck on your quest! I'm sure you'll be fine! I'll see you later, okay?"
Before she could let go of him, She whispered something in his ear,
"I think me and you are going to have to have a conversation, Jo-Jo the human"

She gave him a half-smile, leaving the keys in his hand, and then turned to Chrissy.
"Alright Chrissy, you need a ride or are you good on your own?"