Thread: First chapter of my book. I'm not sure what its gonna be called. R&R ppl!

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Chapter 1

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A thick sheet of fog blanketed a rich forest, enshrouding it in darkness. Near the center of the forest, there was a large cave. The interior was emerald green and there were various colors of rocks scattered on the ground. At the entrance, stood a boy apparently in his teens, dressed in a heavy, brown, cloth shroud. It was a chilly night in mid-fall, and the familiar scent of dead leaves filled his nostrils as he inhaled. He had no idea why he was there, nor any recollection of how he got there. However, he wasn't scared or nervous about anything, just dazed and curious. He heard a sound and his body jolted, urging him into the cave. Something inside him wouldn't let him stop himself from moving, so he began into the cave. After a few steps, he froze, feeling nothing beneath his right foot. The walls immediately began to glow several colors, and he looked down to see a drop-off. The sound echoed and became audible enough to be recognized as a voice. The voice sounded as if it belonged to a girl, but carried a note of familiarity as well. The voice echoed again, louder, and with a force that he could feel physically. It sent shockwaves through his body as it got even louder. It became so loud and powerful that he lost his balance, and fell off the edge of the drop-off. Into the void of nothing...

"Lynx, get the hell up!" shouted the voice
Lynx shot up in bed, and looked around, seeing the interior of his room, then looked over and saw a tall feminine figure standing above him. It was a young teenage girl, blonde headed, wearing a loose white shirt and a baggy pair of khaki pants. A pair of daggers with hooked circular handles, and notches in the blades was sheathed on either side of her waist. Her eyes were set firmly on him as she leaned forward slightly.
"Get up!"
"Wha- Milen? What are you doing here? How'd you get in?" he asked in a hastened, dazed tone.
"Your spare key was on the roof, and I'm here because we're going to get something to eat before school. You're buying." she said, impatiently, as she started to pull him out of the bed.
He fell on the floor with a thud and looked up at her with his messy red-orange hair ruffled, and a beaten expression on his face.
"Why can't I just sleep?" he whined
"Because," she started "I'm hungry, and we have to go to school anyway." She looked at him and giggled "Well, it's a bit early in the morning to be getting exited isn't it?"
His face turned red, as he looked down and scrambled to pull the covers over him. "GET OUT!" He shouted, pointing at the door. She laughed and sat up on his bed looking down at him.
"And what if I don't?" She said, grinning
"Then I won't get ready." He said, annoyed
She smiled "Okay, I'll be waiting outside." She said, heading towards the door.

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A tall, lanky boy lay in bed trying to fight the sound of an unusually loud alarm clock. He reached his arm over to try to hit the SNOOZE button, but accidentally knocked the clock off of its stand still blaring.
"..Shit..." he murmured from beneath his pillow.
He lazily glanced over the side of his bed. The alarm clock was on its side and read 6:30 am. He growled and sat up in bed, glaring at the clock. He brought his right foot up and then back down with enough force to shatter it, sending small bits of clock around his room.
"6:30 am..." He thought "Is way too early to get up..."
He sighed and got up out of bed, reaching for his glasses and a shirt. He put on his shirt and glasses, then went to the bathroom located next to his room. He pulled out a comb and ran it through his short black hair, then relieved himself in the toilet. He came out of the bathroom, yawning, and nearly ran into a person standing in front of the door. It was a woman wearing a tan dress and her golden brown hair was tied back in a braid. She held up the wreckage of the alarm clock.
"Wallace, What the hell? This is the third one you've destroyed this month."
"Don't worry about it, I’ll buy another one."
She sighed, shaking her head, and went to throw the remains of the clock in the trash.
"You'd better get ready for school."
"Ok," he said, walking over to a table in his room, "just need to get a few things."
He picked up a satchel along with a sketchpad, a couple of pencils, and a katana blade.
"I'm off," he said heading for the door, "Take care Eiya."
"Ok, be careful on your way to school, there's been more animals out this year than usual."
He nodded and exited the door, heading the opposite direction of the school.

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Lynx and Milen had walked down the street of their rural town and chose to eat at a small diner that was near Lynx's house. It was a homely place, family owned and friendly. They had ordered two large plates of hotcakes and some orange juice. When the waitress set came to the table and set down two plates and two large glasses of orange juice, they thanked her and started eating. Milen ate in small, slow bites and watched as Lynx stuffed one after another into his mouth.
"You're going to choke." Said Milen
"Nuh-uh." Said Lynx with his mouth full, continuing to eat.
She sighed, "Whatever."
They finished up breakfast and Lynx pulled enough money from his wallet to pay the check and tip the waitress. They exited the diner and continued down the road. The songs of the morning birds echoed through the slightly grown over trail and the surrounding forest. A slight breeze played at Milen's blonde hair, and the metallic sound of Lynx's sword shifting in its loose sheath could be heard every step or two. Lynx had decided to wear a sleeveless yellow shirt and loose black denim pants. A thick white fog made the morning gloomy, yet refreshing due to the recent wave of warm weather. Their bags rested securely on their backs weighted with books. In the distance, the faint outline of the school became visible through the haze. Lynx sighed.
"There it is..." He said.
"I'll race you." Said Milen, shooting him a playful smile.
"Let's not rush.." he said with a sarcastic smile.
"You're no fun!" she whined, looking at him with pouty eyes.
He looked at her, meeting her eyes, and sighed, "Fine.. I'll race you.. But don't expect much, I'm still full from breakfast."
"Yay!" she exclaimed as she grinned, kneeling, ready to run.
Lynx shook his head as he kneeled too, feeling the soft soil beneath his hands. They looked at each other then back ahead.
"Ready," Milen started, tensing up.
"Set," Said Lynx, raising his back.
"GO!" They shouted in unison
They both kicked off, sending tufts of earth in the air as their feet dug into the ground. They were the two fastest runners in their school. Milen, however was slightly faster than Lynx, though he had more endurance. Milen began gaining on Lynx, then passed him. She looked back at him and smiled, watching him behind her. Suddenly Milen's foot got caught on a root growing up from the trail, and she fell forward. She gasped and braced for the impact. A feeling in Lynx's mind sent a shock through his body. He sped up dramatically and was in front of her in a split second. He shifted his foot and his weight backwards to stop, and threw his arms outward, catching her. When she opened her eyes, she saw the ground a few inches from her face, then looked up and saw him.
"You ok?" he asked.
"Y.. Yeah.. When did you get so fast?" She asked.
"I.. Don't know.." He said as he looked back and realized that he had cleared at least twenty feet in half a second.
He helped her up and she dusted herself off. They continued down the trail, still a good distance from the school. Lynx looked over at Milen.
"Do you still want to race?" He chuckled.

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"Everybody have a seat." Said the teacher, looking across the class, noting the noticeable absence of Lynx and Milen.
"Late again..." she thought, sighing.
"Miss Abbey, what will today's lesson be about?" Asked a student from the front row of desks.
"Oh yes, the lesson," She said, broken from her thoughts, "Today's lesson will be review of elemental reactions."
Several students groaned, but the teacher hushed them.
"Now will everybody get out your books and turn to page-"
She was interrupted by the sound of two students bursting through the door. They scrambled to their desks and pulled out their books.
"Milen, Lynx," Said the teacher somewhat calmly, looking at them both, "PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY YOU TWO ARE ALWAYS LATE FOR MY CLASS!"
A few students made crude some remarks.
"Well, I'd guess because it's the first class of the day." Said Lynx, shrugging.
"I don't have time for this crap," she said, sighing, and made notes beside their names on a list, "Both of you see me after class. Now, as I was saying, turn in your textbooks to page 274."
Lynx and Milen sighed inwardly and opened their books. The lesson, as usual, was boring, but they managed to stay awake.
"Hey lynx" said Milen in a hushed tone.
Lynx looked over at her, "Hmm?"
"How about we go-"
"Milen!" shouted the teacher, "Do you have something to share with us?"
The class laughed a bit
"No ma'am."
"Then I suppose you're going to be quiet and listen?"
"Yes ma'am."
Lynx smiled and shook his head
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Wallace finished up a few sketches on his pad and looked back up at the forest. He had been hired to draw maps for some man that lived a couple houses down. He seemed kind of peculiar, but the pay was good enough. He walked to a creek, running through the forest, sat his sketchbook down, and took a few drinks.
He heard a rustling in the bushes, and looked over at it. His hand instinctively went for his sword on his side, and he approached the bushes, bracing himself for a fight. Suddenly a blurred form jumped out from the bushes and tackled him, sending him to the ground, and his sword falling several feet away from him.
"Yay! I found you!" Said a familiar voice.
"S-Sa-Sarah!?" He stammered out as he looked up and saw her straddling his waist.
"I make sex to you now?" She said, her German accent audible.
"What!?"
"Just kidding," she said, laughing.
He scrambled out from under her and brushed the dirt off his pants. He walked over, picked up his sword and sheathed it, then picked up his sketchpad. She was athletically built, yet she still held a well shaped feminine figure. She was wearing a red and white shirt and a short blue skirt. She had petite arms, but was several times stronger than she looked. Her shiny brown hair glistened in the sunlight that shot through the trees as she looked at Wallace.
"How- Why are you here?" he asked.
"Well, I missed you, so I traced your scent and found you." She said, smiling pointing to her nose
"Well, I don't feel like playing now, I’m working." He said, lifting one of the maps he'd been drawing.
"Ooooh! Let me see what you drew!" she exclaimed, grabbing the map. "It's a map! Where does it lead? To treasure?"
"No," he said, taking the map back, "It's a map of the area. I'm drawing it for someone.. Aren't you supposed to be at school?"
"I skipped." She said with a grin. "And you? You are too?"
"I am, but I need to work for now so I can get some money."
"Do you get money for that?"
"Yes, in fact I do." he said, drawing some more.
She frowned and whined, "You said you'd take me to get ice cream, Wally."
"I said I would after school."
"That's not fair!" She exclaimed
"It's perfectly fair," He said, calmly, "I told you clearly, after school, no sooner."
"Then I'll stay here with you?"
"Fine, fine.. You can stay here with me until I'm done with today's work, just don't bother me or it'll just make me take longer."
"Ok!" She said, smiling contently.

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Lynx sat outside during the lunch break, chewing on some dried jerky he had made and packed. He was leaning against a tree, appreciating the shade it gave off. He looked over and noticed Milen approaching him. She sat down beside him.
"There you are. I've been looking for you." she said, smiling
"What do you want?" he asked
"Well, I was going to ask you in class, but the teacher stopped me."
"Ok, well what is it?"
"Out in the forest the other day, I found a really cool camping spot."
"You shouldn't be exploring the forest alone this time of the year." He said, taking another bite of jerky.
"That's what I was getting to.."
"You're trying to get me to come camping with you, right?"
She smiled, "Yup."
"Personally I wouldn't recommend going. What about school?" He started.
"We don't HAVE to be at school." She said smiling, "I'll walk with you to your house after school."
He growled, then sighed, giving up. She was too stubborn, and he didn't feel like arguing so he continued eating.

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"It's time! Let's go!" Shouted Sarah as she jumped up and down, immaturely.
"Okay, just let me finish this up..." He said as he put a few more marks on his map, "And... There! We can go now."
"Yay!" She shouted as she grabbed his collar, "You follow me!" She then proceeded in dragging him through the bramble toward the town.
When they finally arrived to the ice cream parlor, Wallace was covered in various cuts, scratches, and bruises, but miraculously, his maps were still intact. He stood up and plucked a few briars out of himself, then they walked in.
"Well, we're here. What kind of ice cream do you want?"
"I want a banana split!" She said jovially.
He turned and faced the person at the counter, "I want a banana split and two strawberry cones, double scoop please."
They watched the girl scoop the vanilla ice cream and put it in the bowl, adding a banana, chocolate sauce, and sprinkles, then taking two cones and filling them with the strawberry. She handed them their frozen snacks and Wallace pulled the money to pay her from his wallet. They took their ice cream to a booth and sat down. Sarah ate her ice cream with a spoon in small bites, savoring the flavor. Wallace however ate both the cones whole.
"Does that not hurt your brain?" She asked.
"Nope." He said
"You're weird." She said smiling
He chuckled, "Am not."

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After lunch, Milen was walking with Lynx to their classroom when they were encountered by a taller, bulky looking student. He bumped into Lynx on purpose, almost making him fall down. Lynx gained his balance quickly and faced the boy.
"What the fuck?!" He growled as he stared him down.
"You just need to watch where you goin', you dirty rebel bastard." He said as he laughed nonchalantly.
"Are you this desparate for a fight?" he said, clenching his fists, and dropping his satchel and sword.
The boy shrugged, "Maybe I am."
"Stop it, both of you!" Said Milen, stepping between them.
The boy pushed her roughly out of the way, making her lose her balance and fall. Fury surged through Lynx as he swung his right arm and fist outward, making contact with the boy's face. The boy staggered back, then retaliated, sending his right fist toward lynx. Lynx threw up his arm and blocked it, but the boy sent out his other fist and made contact with Lynx's gut once, then again. Lynx felt a surge of pain as the boy hit him a third time in the side of the head. Lynx intercepted a fourth strike with his right forearm, then wrenched his arm around the boy's, holding it in place. He hit the boy three times in the stomach, then in the right jaw. He threw the boy on the ground and looked down at him. The boy, who was determined not to lose, quickly stood up, then hesitated slightly before crouching, then tackling Lynx at the waist. Lynx felt himself being lifted off the ground, so he wrapped his arms around the boy's torso, then planted his feet firmly to the ground. Then he lifted the boy off the ground upside down and threw him against the brick wall of the building. The boy hit the wall, back first, then fell hard to the ground on his head. Lynx walked over and stood over the boy, who was now severely dazed and crouched beside him, shaking his head.
"Next time, don't be so rude." Said Lynx, and with a grin he gave a hard right punch to his face, knocking him unconscious.
Lynx looked over to Milen and they smiled, then laughed. He picked up his satchel and sword and they continued down the hall to front office, laughing.

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After Sarah and Wallace finished their ice cream, they went for a walk. Sarah held onto Wallace's arm as she walked, and they walked closely. They walked until they found themselves looking off of a hill at their small town, Shiore. They sat down to rest for a bit and enjoyed the scenery. Sarah leaned on Wallace’s shoulder and smiled. He put his arm around her and hugged her. She hugged him back and they sat like that for a few minutes, enjoying the company of one another.
"It's nice here." said Sarah snuggling against Wallace's arm.
"Yeah, it's nice." He said, smiling.
Wallace heard a set of light steps behind them and turned to look. A stray wolf stood behind them, preparing to attack. Wallace stood and grabbed for his sword then unsheathed it. The wolf growled at him. As Wallace looked into the wolf's eyes, he noticed something strange about it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was definitely something different. He smiled and sheathed the sword.
Sarah stared at him, "What in the hell are you doing?"
He put his finger up to hush her, then turned back to the wolf. He moved forward cautiously and leaned down extending his arm. The wolf hesitantly moved forward and sniffed of it then looked back up at him. The wolf walked over to him and leaned against his leg. He petted the wolf and it licked him on the side of the face. The wolf seemed to be smiling as he scratched its ears. He still couldn't point out what he felt different about this wolf, but he was relieved to still have his hand. Sarah, who had been staring in awe, stood up and walked over to pet the wolf. It looked up at her and backed off, then ran into the forest. They looked at each other and then at the forest.
"That wolf.. It seemed really familiar." He said. "But anyway, we should be getting home."
"Ok." She said
The started back down the trail towards their houses.

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Fights usually didn't get much attention unless they were big, and this one wasn't very big in particular. Milen and Lynx, however, didn't get in as much trouble as they expected. They were told they couldn't come to school for a few days, which in their opinion wasn't a punishment at all, and since they didn't use their weapons in the fight, they didn't get them confiscated. At the end of the school day, they went to Lynx's house.
Lynx entered his door dropping his satchel and his sword on his bed, then lying down beside of them. Milen sat down beside him and sighed.
"It's good to be home." He mumbled from beneath his pillow.
"Well Lynx, you got us suspended from school for a while, so you don't have to worry about getting up early for a few days."
He chuckled and raised his head, "Yeah, but you had just as much a part in it as I did, remember, you threw the first punch."
"Yeah, true," She said, smiling, "So when were we going camping?"
"Dammit... I thought you'd forget about that..." He said, sitting up.
"Aww come on, where's your sense of adventure?" She said, punching him in the shoulder.
"You stole it.. Along with my pride, self esteem, and independence." He joked.
"Sure I did." She responded sarcastically.
"Well, there's no question you're gonna drag me out with you, so I’m gonna go get a few things, I'll be right back." He said, before leaving the room.
"Ok." She replied
Lynx walked to another room and opened a door in the wall. It was a closet with several miscellaneous items. From the closet, he pulled out a small leather bag. In the bag, he put a length of rope, a knife, a flashlight, a lighter, and a small notebook and pencil. He slung it over his shoulder, feeling the soft hide strap. He then looked in the cabinet and grabbed a few pounds of dried meat, some chocolate bars, and some packs of instant ramen. He started back towards his room, and stopped, looking at a cabinet.
"Hmm... Maybe a little.." He thought, smiling.
He pulled out a flask and filled with some white liquor from the cabinet, put it in the bag, then went back to his room. When he entered, he saw Milen sitting on his bed patiently.
"Well, you ready?" He asked.
She smiled, "As I’ll ever be."
"Well then, let's get going." He said, starting out the door.
She smiled and followed him, "I didn't think you'd want to come camping."
He looked at her, "Honestly, I don't, but I know you'd go alone anyway and get yourself in trouble."
"Yup." She said with a wide grin
They walked for a while and Milen pulled out a small hand drawn map from her pocket and opened it up to look at. She led him into the forest and studied their location on the map. She went along a crude trail and then off through a grown over patch of forest. After about a mile of hiking, they came out to a small clearing. Lynx looked around and saw a tree leaning on another tree at an angle. He walked over to the tree and then looked at Milen.
"Well, since you broke my tent last time, this will have to do for our shelter."
She scowled, "Hey, that wasn't my fault!" Her scowl soon broke out into a grin and she laughed, "We need to get a fire going too."
"I'll start on a shelter while you go find us something to burn."
"Ok." She said starting off to find some wood.
Lynx looked at the tree and calculated the tree to be around three meters off the ground where it met the tree it leaned on, and about five meters long. He searched around and found several sticks, then lined them up on one side of the tree. After doing that, he found a few more and lined them up horizontally and tied them off with some of the rope. When he got through doing the same to the other side, he found some leaves and put them on the shelter, carefully layering and weaving them together. Milen Had built a large pile of wood, and stacked it between two trees. She was now helping Lynx add onto the shelter. By the time they had finished the shelter and built the base for their fire, the sun was approaching the horizon.
"We should find a place to get some water." Said Lynx, wiping sweat from his head and looking satisfactorily at their 'tent'.
"I saw a river about a quarter of a mile out that way." She said as she pointed east
"Right. Well come on, I'm thirsty." He said with a laugh.

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Wallace had gone with Sarah back to her house. She was taking a bath and Wallace was fixing himself something to eat in the kitchen. The clock on the wall read 9:34. After he finished his eggs, he sat on the couch and opened a book to read. Sarah had a diverse and interesting selection of books. The one he picked up, titled, The Master, was about a boy who fell in love with a slave owned by his rich parents. He read a few pages before Sarah stepped out of the shower and went into her bedroom to put on some pajamas. She came out and sat beside Wallace.
"What are you doing Wally?" She said playfully, her damp hair hanging in her face.
"I'm reading." He said holding up the book.
"Well," she snuggled up to him and rested her head on his shoulder, "You're not going to give the book all of your attention are you?"
He smiled, "What do you mean?"
She pouted at him.
He set the book on the wooden table in front of the couch then looked at her, "Well you've got my attention."
She smiled and hugged him. A midnight black cat walked into the room Wallace and Sarah are in and silently jumped onto the couch behind them.
"Well, aren't WE getting along." said the cat, teasingly.
Sarah jumped then looked behind them, "Jade! You scared me!" She smacked the cat on the head, "Bad Jade!"
The cat transformed and took on the shape of a human girl with the exception of a black cat's tail and ears. She had bright green eyes and black hair with pale skin. She was wearing black pants and a black leather vest with a belt of shirukens and a small leather pouch at her side. She sat on all fours looking at Sarah.
"I'm sorry master." She said, hanging her head low.
Sarah Leaned forward and petted her, "It's okay. Can you go get me a drink?"
She looked up and smiled, "Yes master!" She ran into the kitchen and back, holding a glass bottle, "It's cherry-orange-cream soda."
"Yeah!" Said Sarah, before downing the drink, "I didn't know there were any of these left."
"There weren't," Said Jade, scratching her ear, "I went out and got some more because I know you like them."
Sarah patted Jade on the head, "Good kitty."

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By the time Lynx and Milen got back from the river, the sun had set and stars were beginning to appear in the sky. Lynx gathered some leaves and twigs and a few branches to start a fire with. He poured some liquor from the flask onto a small pile of leaves and twigs, then pulled out a lighter. Milen charged Lynx and grabbed the lighter from his hand.
"I wanna light it!" she said, kneeling to light it.
"Ok, ok." He said, holding his hands up.
She giggled and struck the lighter. The flame spread through the tinder, snapping and crackling. Lynx laid some pieces of a broken branch on the embers and waited for it to catch fire. He looked at Milen.
"Can I have my lighter back?" He asked
"Well.. Ok." She said with a smile, handing the lighter back to him.

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The sky glowed with an abundance of stars and a waning moon shone brightly above a small camp. Lynx sat in front of a crackling fire, absorbing and appreciating the heat it gave off with Milen leaning on his shoulder. They were both eating a stick of dried meat. The small amount of items they had carried lay beside of the log against a tree, and their fire wood pile was stacked neatly between two other trees.
"Hey lynx,"
"Yeah?"
"Why did you choose me to be your friend?"
"What do you mean?"
"When you first came here to Ohrowen five years ago.. You were alone. You came up to me, while I was sitting alone on a bench during lunch at school, and asked me if I would be your friend. You could've probably made friends with anyone."
He looked at her puzzled, then up at the sky and smiled, "I suppose it's because.." he started, pausing slightly, "because you looked alone too."
Milen just smiled and looked up at him, "That's right. I didn't have any friends.. That is, until you came." She said, "That weekend, we went camping." then, looking at his face, she noticed a saddened look in his eyes, but he was still smiling.
"You're the only person I have to care for right now."