Wisteria

Chapter 8: Delusions

The fog seemed to thicken even more the deeper the trio got. It was to the point where it was impossible to see an inch in front of you. North jumped slightly as she almost tripped over something. Luckily, Chai was able to stop her from doing so.

"You guys okay back there?" Icarus' voice came from up front.

"Yeah." North regained her balance and smiled at Chai even though she wouldn't be able to see it. "Thanks."

"No prob. Let's keep going."

The three were moving along again. In silence, of course. It had been an hour since they started and now they were taking a break. Icarus had to untie his end so he could go relieve himself somewhere while the girls took their break. A few minutes had passed and Icarus hadn't returned yet.

"Maybe he got lost?" North could hear and feel the quivering in Chai's voice clearly because they were leaning against one another.

"We should find him."

"Yeah." They both got up and went in the direction Icarus said he was going. After another few minutes they found him unscathed but staring off into the fog. They decided it would be best to get out of there as soon as possible because Icarus had explained a feeling that were being watched by something. And with that, they were on their way again.

Another long hour or so had passed and North was starting to see things. She kept seeing shadows dart around in the corners of her eyes that made her jump and turn, confusing the other two. She would reassure them that she was fine and that the delusions were starting to come in. Although she wasn't the only one acting strange. Icarus would stop so frequently that they were basically just standing around. Chai was getting even more nervous and scared since she hadn't been affected yet.

"Icarus?" Chai's voice shook as she poked him. "Hey, are you okay?"

She didn't get an answer which worried both of them. Chai looked back and North and squeezed her hand. North moved closer and lowered her voice. "I think he's stuck in his delusion."

"Can we help him?"

North was silent for a moment before nodding. "If we can get out of here quickly, the effects of the fog should wear off after a bit. But the longer we're in here, the longer it'll take."

"Okay. Let's get going. You lead and I'll tug him along."

"Okay." North took the front and began walking. Chai made sure to hold onto Icarus' hand tightly as she followed North.

North was starting to see more shadows in the corner of her eye which only made her want to get out of there faster. She would check every now and then to make sure Chai still had a hold on Icarus, which she did. The fog seemed to get thinner which meant they were close to getting out. Chai immediately noticed and cheered. As the fog continued to thin out, the sunlight could be seen coming through and soon enough, they were out.

They got a good look at Icarus and laid him down quickly on the soft grass. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head and he had become pale.

"Will.. he be okay..?"

"Yeah. He's strong. He'll wake up soon. We should-" North stopped at the sound of what she assumed was rapid footsteps. Her and Chai both looked towards the cluster of trees across the small clearing and charging toward them at full speed was a Wolvine. North was going to throw herself over Icarus' body to protect him but Chai had moved so fast that she yanked North back due to them forgetting to untie the ropes.

The Wolvine jumped right over them and crashed down behind them with something else writhing around with it. The two turned to see the Wolvine and the other creature wrestle each other, feathers flying. The other creature spread it's fiery colored wings to take off but the Wolvine wasn't having any of it. It wrapped multiple vines around one of the wings of its opponent to keep it from flying away.

"Sunbird!" Chai yelled out and she lifted Icarus' legs. North hooked her arms under his armpits and together they moved away from the fighting beasts.

The Sunbird squawked loudly as it tried to fly away. The Wolvine bit into the ankle of it and lifted it's tail. Its tail bloomed like a flower and a small seed floated out. With a few swift movements from the Wolvine had vines wrapped around the Sunbird's beak to prevent it from breathing its fire before it fired the seed. The seed unraveled, revealing a plant with thorns and a mouth. It landed right on the chest of the Sunbird, the thorny vines quickly wrapping around the body of the feathered carnivore. The flame colored avian shrieked as it tried to take off again only to end up tumbling backwards into the valley and disappearing into the fog.

The Wolvine turned to them and bowed it's head. Then, out of the blue it began to speak. "Young travelers from the Other World, you are safe now. One has fended the Sunbird off successfully."

North and Chai stood there wide eyed and mouths gaped open. North was the first to speak up. "You can talk?"

It nodded. "Yes, One can speak in the same tongue as you."

Chai had come to her senses and nudged North while speaking quietly. "It speaks.. strangely."

"One can still hear you. One has superior hearing."

North chuckled a little nervously. "Sorry. Uh.. you're not going to eat us, right?"

It shook its head as they lowered Icarus down. "One doesn't eat meat. One goes through photosynthesis and cellular respiration and only requires water to live properly."

"Good." Chai marched up to it. "Then why did you chase us earlier?"

"One was simply protecting you again. One meant no harm." It bowed its head. "One apologizes if someone got hurt."

North looked over to them. "Protecting us? From what?"

"A pack of Chickies. They had stalked you out of the Other World and chased after you when they caught you off guard. One simply revealed oneself's presence and took care of them as quickly as possible."

"Wait. So if you can talk. Can all of them talk?"

"Not all. One has only Her to thank."

"Her? Who's that?"

"Her, She, Tranquility itself. She is the one who sent oneself."

North joined them once she made sure Icarus was comfortable. "And who are you?"

"One is known as Venus. A guardian of the Wisterix forest." Venus moved past them and over to Icarus. He leaned down and sniffed him before two vines came forward and flowered at the ends, dazzling some kind of glowing green sparkles. He then backed away and waited for a moment. As soon as the sparkles disappeared Icarus awoke with a cough, his normal light skin tone returning. Before questions could be asked, a group of squawks came from above them somewhere in the distance.

"One will take you to safety. Help your friend onto One's back then climb on." Venus lowered himself down again and Chai and North helped the dazed Icarus onto the back of Venus before climbing onto him themselves. Once they were steady, Venus took off into the trees he had emerged from. The trees were a blur as they whizzed by.

"One will take you to Her. She will heal you. Then guide you further." Although One is curious about the fourth, One will not ask.

North silently looked ahead. We'll be safe soon. Completely safe from the horrible monsters out here. I can't help but wonder why or how this truly happened in the first place. Scarlet... Maybe she truly is a malevolent person.