Awakening

Sunlight poured in from the tree overhead, the beams peering right into the sleeping figures eyes. Groaning, Ren blinked his eyes, somewhat annoyed by being stirred. Sitting up slowly, he stretched his arms. Looking at his hands, he noticed he was outside in what looked like an open field.

‘’What the…’’ he exclaimed.

Looking down at his feet, he could see more of what he was wearing, shaking his head in disbelief, he began patting himself, he felt the soft plush of his clothes and could see distinct colorful patterns on his legs and side. Light flickered into his eyes again, though mildly annoyed, he then took a notice of where he was. Rather than the distinct darkness and cramped space of the home he was in a moment ago, Ren suddenly found himself in what looked like an open area underneath one of the trees lying scattered across the grassland. He seems to be not far away from a forest, though it would not be wise to venture there without knowing where he was or why he was there.

‘’What the heck’s going on!’’ He cried out, hoping for an explanation, though he was more hoping for someone to shake into revealing the truth.

After looking for a while, he decided to sit beneath the tree he had awoken under and tried to piece together what he remembered.

‘’Looks like I’m not in the Fushigi house anymore, and I know I wasn’t wearing whatever this was either.’’ He pressed his hand to chin the way he did when he was deep in thought.

‘’Last thing I remember was meeting up with the others in the old house. We were arguing, we found that strange box in the playroom, someone opened it up, there was a weird flash of light, and next thing I know, I’m here. But where is here?’’ Looking over his shoulders.

Ren’s eyes suddenly widened, shooting up from his seat on the ground, he had one thought shooting past all his questions.

‘’The others!’’ He looked with renewed urgency at his newest surroundings. ‘’Are they here? Where are they?’’

As if in answer to his question, he heard a loud booming scream inside the woods. Not a roar from a hiding animal , but a voice that was very familiar to him. Ren sprinted across the field into the border of the forest, his earlier concerns of getting lost outweighed by his desire to confirm if the voice he heard was in fact from someone he knew. He closed the distance to the forest quickly, much faster than should have been possible for him and not as easily, but Ren didn’t even notice, his focus was on the task at hand. Making his way through the trees, he began to wonder how he seemed to know where he needed to be, but he didn’t have to wonder about that for long, stopping cold, he saw a massive creature turning towards him. He tensed, ready to fight off whatever was in front of him, but as the beast turned to look at him, he dropped his guard and let out a sigh of relief. Recognizing this beast before him.

‘’Hanzo?’’

‘’Ren? There you are!.’’

Sure enough, the massive being in front of him was one of his long lasting friends at the Fushigi household. Many of them were outcasts that no one wanted, but even among them, Hanzo stood out. Not just for his darker skin tone, but his hulking size, the man was built like a tank. A genuine gentle giant who would sooner get a cat down from a tree by jumping up to reach it, rather than putting people down.

‘’What is going on around here?!’’ Hanzo asked.

‘’No idea.’’ Ren replied. ‘’Last thing I remember was all of us in the old house, a flash of light, next thing I know, I’m waking up under a tree. I heard a scream and came to check it out. Glad to see you still have your powerful lungs.’’

‘’ Jealous?’’

Ren chuckled. Then he began to look around his surroundings, realizing too late that he had rushed into an unfamiliar forest, without making sure to have a path back outside.

‘’I don’t suppose you know the way back?’’ Hanzo asked.

Ren tried to remember the way he came in, but the forest seemed to be shifting around them, making the path nearly impossible to find. Ren was about to suggest something else but was immediately interrupted with a shift in the trees nearby. Both turned, bracing themselves, a shape flew out from behind the tree at breakneck speed, charging Ren wildly. The second the snarling creature got close; it was met with a swift jumping uppercut. Hitting it so hard that it flew back landing right in a nearby tree.

‘’Looks like those boxing lessons paid off.’’ Hanzo said, astonished.

Ren smirked. Looking at whatever it was that just tried to attack them, slumped down at the trunk. It looked human enough, but it had horns on the top of its head, strange scales that looked more soft than rough, and it’s talons looked flimsy.

Hanzo looked confused. Wondering what kind of creature this was. Taking a step closer, he tried to get a better look at its face, but the creature was slumped, knocked unconscious by his earlier attack. Another shift in the tree caused him to whip his head, ready for another round. But where the first creature lunged, this one approached slowly, cautiously. What emerged was completely different. It walked on two legs, but it had flipper like feet that faced outward, a massive shell for its torso but, its face…

‘’Sora!’’ Hanzo cried.

Sure enough, the turtle looking creature was their own foster sister. While only her face was visible from her attire, there was no mistaking it. Though there were many in the Fushigi foster home, they were once close enough to call each other a family. Her dark hair was always perfectly brushed, her uniform impeccable, a reflection of her goal to reach high standing in the academic and professional world.

‘’Ren. Hanzo.’’ Sora calmly greeted them.

‘’While I am glad to see you both. I must ask that we save the pleasantries for another time. Me and Enji were searching for the origin of a loud scream and he ran ahead. We need to find him before we proceed with our search.’’

‘’Enji?’’ Hanzo asked. Slightly embarrassed at his scream being mentioned again.

Sora nodded, then looked around him at the slumped creature at the base of the tree. Soras eyes widened with surprise and then dropped with a sense of weariness.

‘’Oh for goodness sake!’’