A Stranger in the Woods (tag Zowie and Misty)

[Archivist Omega]

Misty had been off in another plane, the fate of her comrades was unknown.  The last thing that she remembers was Death Phantom's forces taking over her home planet. She had been pulled away by an unseen force.  She wondered around a wasteland, never to see another soul.  It would feel as if an eternity had passed.  Food, water, and shelter were in short supply.  There would be often weeks that went by in which she had not a bite to eat.  The elements would hound at her at every turn.  She often would be on the run from some unknown force, chased day and night.

She would never know who was chasing her.  Fear was embedded itself into her heart, it was a way of life.  One night, she felt them encircle her little camp as they moved closer than they dared before. She felt as if she was on death's door as she worked on defending herself.  it was once again, she was pulled by a strange force. 

She landed in the woods, a much different setting than the barren wasteland.  She laid on the cool ground.  A soft voice was humming, a tune that was gentle.  The woman had long caramel hair that was twisted into a braided pony tail.  She was knelt down in a clearing near where Misty had emerged.  As she tilts her head this way and that, tiny specks of different colors can be seen peeking through.  Her attention was in front of her.

[Deleted]

In the back of her mind, she could once again feel her connection with her love and at least four of her other friends. Her connection with Ash was the strongest, but she could also feel May as well however she wasn't sure if she was just imagining things. She knew Ash was still alive somewhere, even though she knew that she would not see the male form of her love anymor. However, she didn't care. Ash was still Ash no matter what she looked like.  Of course, that means that she was going to have to start calling her Ashley from now on, or maybe she could still call her Ash, Ash could be short for Ashley.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a soft voice humming. She wasn't sure if she could trust the person this voice belonged to so she readied herself to transform just in case. She got up and followed the sound of the humming, bringing her to a clearing. Her Planetary symbol flickered lightly, not enough for anyone to see. She called out toward the voice, "hello, is anyone here?" She caught sight of the woman in the clearing, her defenses up just in case as she walked toward the voice. "Who are you?"

[Zowie Cosmetatos]

A light breeze tossed Zowie's hair in circles around her back. With someone new, she wanted to make an nice dinner this evening. She had picked a bunch of wild flowers for the center of the new table and now moved on to fresh thyme and other herbs. She hoped that the boys would not break this one too.

The chat with Andraste was pleasant. She hoped that she was not obvious with the tiny crush she had on Andrew. There was something about that man that caused her to be pulled into his orbit. She knew the two of them had gone off into woods together to catch up. There was a change about Andrew that could not be denied with the few hours he had his love back. She will admit to the fact that she will miss flirting with him. She loved how he got under her uncle and Max's skin. She honestly did it to spite them.

The voice behind her made her jump. She turned around as fist full of herbs came up to her chest. She let out a tiny gasp as she scooted away from this strange girl. Her bottom lip trembled slightly as she looked at this woman. It was one of the times she wished she had someone watching her back.

"I didn't see you come around. Who are you? Where did you come from?"

[Deleted]

Mist could see that this young lady was scared of her, she then let her defenses down a bit,but kept them minimally raised just in case as she smiled sincerely and spoke softly enough that only the two of them could hear. "I honestly mean you no harm, one minute I was in a barren wasteland being chased by something or someone, then suddenly I ended up here in this beautiful place hearing a beautiful voice humming." Misty got down closer to her level to be less intimidating, she couldn't blame the young lady for being startled, she would be too if someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started talking to her. Misty ran her right hand along her left hand looking for something and sighed in relief when she saw her ring was still on her finger.

She then continued to speak up gently as not to intimidate the young lady in front of her, "once again, I'm so sorry to startle you, I mean you no harm. My name is Misty, Misty Ketchum. I was just wondering where I was. I found myself suddenly here in this beautiful forest after being stuck in a wasteland of some sort. Last thing I remember was being in some sort of fight and being flung through the sky into a portal of some sort. I woke up in a wasteland, ended up running from something or someone, then I ended up here. Wherever here is." Misty's stomach then growled as she blushed out of embarrassment, "s-sorry about that."

[Zowie Cosmetatos]

Zowie forced her breathing to even out as she back scooted back a little. Her eyes darted around as she wondered if others would be following out of the woods. She gripped the plants tightly to her chest as her cheeks grew warm from the compliment. She sat more on her knees as she watched the woman with great care. Her words seemed strange to her.

"It happens. It is just that there is no one else here for half a days ride. Much less a wasteland. As far as I know, it lush and beautiful all around us."

The name and the growling of Misty's stomach eased the tension from the air slightly. Her uncle always told her to be careful of strangers. She had a hard time getting a sense of this woman. There was a kind aura about her, yet something frightening had happened in the past. It caused the hair on her arms to stand on end. It was not like Andrew. She had never really put her finger on him.

"Zowie is my name. You are close to my home, the Tillerson Farm. And thank you for the compliment about my humming. It is a little tune that I think is from my past....." She trailed off before she picked up again. She did not want to say too much, "Well if you are hungry, I am sure that I can find you something to eat back at the farm. There is not much however it would be better than nothing."

[Deleted]

Misty saw Zowie's eyes dart around as if they were looking for something or someone else to follow her, she then smiles gently at the girl, "you don't have to worry about anything or anyone else following me. I'm the only one here besides you."

Misty contemplated the words that Zowie just told her as she continued on. Misty relaxed a bit more, but she would maintain some of her defenses, "All I know is that I was in a wasteland and then I woke up in this beautiful forest. I've been through a lot. I don't really feel like talking about it at the moment." Tears stung the corner of Misty's eyes as she thought of her children and the friends that she probably lost for good. She didn't want to cry so she continued talking as calmly as possible. "I really have no idea how I got here. I was fighting a great evil with my love and our friends, the next thing I knew I was being chased, then I paused to catch my breath and then found myself here."

"So Zowie-San wuld you like to lead the way?" Misty asked curiously as she slowly rose to her feet not wanting to startle the girl anymore than she already has.

[Max]

Max had been tossing hay into the barn loft as he waited for Zowie to come home from her herbs. He wouldn’t worry to much as he looked up at the black cat that walked the rafters above him. He could feel her at a distance and she was alone. They were insulated here from everything. The only people who came this way were looking for produce or one of Andrew’s wood crafts. He was wary but let Zowie’s uncle handle the business end of things. He threw up another hay bale when he felt the subtle shift near Zowie. His eyes widened for just a moment and then he was gone. The hay forgotten for the moment as he ran. Andrew would have commented on it but he wasn’t around to see this and it wouldn’t take him long to get to Zowie. He was worried yes but mainly because she didn’t sometimes listen to the warnings he gave about creatures in the woods.

The run was swift and he came to a point near Zowie to be able to observe her but act only if warranted. He watched her and she seemed to be conversing with someone. That caused his heart to quicken. He wasn’t going to wait he walked out of the brush to stand to Zowie’s left side.

“Who are you?!?”

He didn’t wait for an answer.

“What do you want?!?”

Again not waiting.

“Why are you trespassing?!?”

[Deleted]

All this sudden dimension hopping was getting to Misty. Then suddenly out of nowhere some stranger appeared and started throwing question after question at her without giving her a chance to answer. She had gotten comfortable talking to the girl with the beautiful voice named Zowie. Suddenly she was being interrogated like she was some sort of criminal? How was that okay? She had just been taken from her home and thrown through a wormhole and into a wasteland running from someone. Then she suddenly found herself in a green forest with a girl around her age humming a lovely tune. She even got a decent conversation going with the girl with the lovely voice. She had no way of knowing that she would be interrogated on a foreign world. She couldn't take it anymore, her journeys with Ash never exposed her to this kind of thing.

She fell to her knees and began to cry, she was in no condition to answer a bunch of intimidating questions. This was the worst thing that she has ever encountered in her long life. Not even her love turning to stone in front of her or almost dying in the frigid waters of Shamouti Island phased her because she knew her Ash would be okay. Not even being separated from her love in her encounter with Molly Hale phased her like this. Her love could very well be captured and torchered,  dead or worse. Although, she couldn't figure out what could be worse than being dead. 

Misty didn't have the energy, endurance or stamina to answer questions as her fatigue, hunger and terror she encountered caused her to faint. Her impromptu interrogator wasn't going to get any answers from her at the moment. If the two were to check her pulse and her breathing, they find her breathing and a faint pulse that was keeping her alive, but she would be unresponsive to questions for a while. At least she was alive.

[Zowie Cosmetatos]

Some how he always knew where she was and if someone was around. At times, it annoyed the farm girl and other times, it was nice to know someone will always be there when she needed help. It did not surprise Zowie when Max appeared at her side. The tension that she had been feeling relaxed away. Nothing would ever harm her as long as he was around.

She gave him a small smile as she stood up. Her hand that held the plants went to her side as she took a step back to half hide herself. She watched the girl closely. Her eyes grew wide as the girl fell to her knees, in tears. It was an effect that Max caused often. Her heart sank a little as she dropped what was in her hand. The energy was still a little chaotic around the girl yet there was something that told her everything would be okay.

She stepped out from behind Max as she looked up at him, making her way to the kneeling girl. She would answer the questions that she knew. "Her name is Misty and I think she might be a little lost."

Her voice was soft as she knelt down. This might be a little overwhelming for Misty. She placed a hand on Misty's back. "It's okay. Max works at the farm. He can be a little over the top however he means well."

[Max]

Max was still tense when she moved out from behind him. Zowie would know that he didn't like it but he didn't stop her. The most she would register was that he was coiled like a snake to strike. The young woman while she may truly be in emotional distress could be using that to draw in Zowie. Max was a very suspicious man who didn't take people at face value. It was what life had taught him and he wouldn't ever forgo those lessons. The scars on his body spoke of those times.

"Zowie be careful..."

[Deleted]

After her brief fainting spell, Misty sat up and looked around. "What's going on here? Last thing I remember was getting asked a bunch of questions. Did I black out?"

Misty sees Zowie and smiles, "Hey Zowie-San, who is that with you? Was I out for long?"

[Zowie Cosmetatos]

Zowie missed the fact that Misty had fainted. Her concern was on the whole situation. She sighed at Max. He was there for her no matter what was happening. He kept her safe. It was something that she would be eternally grateful for. She glanced over at him with a look from her days on her home world. A soft smile with a nod of her head as her attention turned the to girl who was speaking.

She would help the girl sit up if need be. She shook her head, "Not long. It might be all the stress you are under. You might want to answer the questions that Max has. We want to understand why you are here. How about you tell us more about how you got here and where you are from?"

[Deleted]

Sept 28, 2018 20:18:18 GMT -6 Max said:

Max had been tossing hay into the barn loft as he waited for Zowie to come home from her herbs. He wouldn’t worry to much as he looked up at the black cat that walked the rafters above him. He could feel her at a distance and she was alone. They were insulated here from everything. The only people who came this way were looking for produce or one of Andrew’s wood crafts. He was wary but let Zowie’s uncle handle the business end of things. He threw up another hay bale when he felt the subtle shift near Zowie. His eyes widened for just a moment and then he was gone. The hay forgotten for the moment as he ran. Andrew would have commented on it but he wasn’t around to see this and it wouldn’t take him long to get to Zowie. He was worried yes but mainly because she didn’t sometimes listen to the warnings he gave about creatures in the woods.

The run was swift and he came to a point near Zowie to be able to observe her but act only if warranted. He watched her and she seemed to be conversing with someone. That caused his heart to quicken. He wasn’t going to wait he walked out of the brush to stand to Zowie’s left side.

“Who are you?!?”

He didn’t wait for an answer.

“What do you want?!?”

Again not waiting.

“Why are you trespassing?!?”

Misty sighed as she regained her bearings, "My name is Misty Waterflower. I don't want anything. I just suddenly found myself here. I don't even have any idea how I got here.  I didn't know I was trespassing because until Zowie told me where I was, I had no idea that this was private property. I thought it was just a forest." Misty's stomach growled loudly as she once again felt really dizzy. She was trying her best to stay alert in case she had to transform. She had no idea where she was or how she got here, she just knew she was really tired an hungry.  

[Max]

Max didn’t say anything as he listened to her. She didn’t seem in any state to be deceptive but appearances could be deceiving. He thought back to Quantum’s lesson of far’aa beast. It appeared weak to lure prey in and once close enough it struck with a single bite. The prey would leave but the beast would follow. The bite was poisonous and it wasn’t secreted by the body but from the rotted meat and flesh of the many creatures it had eaten before it. He still though didn’t like the fact that strays seemed to appear on their farm. He just nodded at her answers as he lifted her from the ground.

“We should take her to the house. Get her out of this forest and see that she isn’t dehydrated.”

He looked at Zowie as he waited for her to lead the way.

[Zowie Cosmetatos]

Zowie nodded her head in agreement. She stood up as she grabbed her basket full of herbs and flowers. She would be able to finish picking what was needed at a later time. The attention was getting Misty some food and rest.

"It should not take us long to get home. I think there is some leftovers you can have. You can have a nice hot bath. There might be some cloths that will fit you, Misty."

She ran down the list of things that could help revive this girl. She guessed that it must have been an ordeal from where she had come from.

"Where were you born? I am sure your family is looking for you. I want to see if we can contact them."