Chapter 1: Hope's P.O.V. (two years earlier)
I woke up to the sound of small footsteps coming my way. I prepare myself with my knife at hand incase I have to fight something. "Mom,look, a river!" I heard a younger boy yell. I'm inside my hollow tree where I store my things such as my extra clothes, supplies, weapons, drinking water, and so on. I looked out the peephole and saw the boy who the voice belonged to. He looked younger than me, about 9 I think., with brown hair, grayish green eyes, wearing a blue t-shirt and blue jeans, basicly clothes from civilization.
I swear it’s like humans want to get killed, eaten, and their souls sucked out or trapped inside a tree or any other plant in this woods! We may not get many humans here but that is actually what makes this place even worse than it already is. Haven’t these humans heard about happens in these woods? It’s filled with supernatural creatures and monsters, that’s including myself, in every single corner. Of all the humans that ever entered few have actually come out alive. Four in the time I’ve been here. I’m not sure if they lived after they left but I just know that they left alive. I can’t tell you that they actually left with their sanity, not many do.
Two of them barely made it and they only reason they did was because they helped me. The least I could do was help them leave.It was a couple that chrashed into a tree and saw the old cabin then thought they could stay there until the rain stopped. Of course it was a trap and they, the pray, fell for it. They were attacked by creatures. After everything they asked me to come with them, I turned them down. I don’t belong out there and they didn’t understand that.
I understand that those two weren’t at fault for not knowing that it was a trap, unlike the other two. The other humans were a man and his son. The boy was just a little older than me, about 13 I think. I tried to make it so they wouldn’t notice the creatures. Although the boy noticed me. Well, he found me at the river, washing some skins and adjusting my clothes.
*Three months earlier*
I was finishing washing skins and adjusting the only top I own at the river. “Hey!” A boy called me. I started to panic. I’m not wearing my shirt… I quickly sewed up my top and put it on. Before the boy got here I took my things and started running, fast and far. “Wait! Don’t go! Please, I just wanted to talk to you!" He yelled as he ran after me. I didn't know what to do, so I ran. "Please I just want to talk! … Or at least get some directions!” He yelled again. Directions ... He's lost. I know these wood inside out. Should I help him? I slowed down slightly to keep myself in his sight. If he thinks that he can catch me, he'll keep following me and I can lead him back to his camping site.
I kept him running until we reached his camping site. The person he came with wasn't there, I couldn't sense him around. "Huh... This is my tent..." He stopped and looked around. I then took the opportunity to take a good look at him. He was a little taller than me, had black hair to his shoulders, and soft blue eyes. Not bad, for a human at least. He seemed like an interesting human boy. Although, his eyes seemed quite sad to me He was about to turn to me again so, I turned into my cat form and jumped on to a tree branch and watched him. He looked around for me and couldn't find me. "Where did you go..?" I heard him whisper. The boy sighed to himself then sat under a tree and read a comic book. I simply observed him silently.
A man walked into the camping site with dry branches, twigs, and sticks after about 15 minutes of the boy reading a comic book. The man put them down and started a fire. "Hey, son. Had a good walk in the woods?" "Yeah, I saw a lake. I think we should go there later." The boy responded. Damn it... He wants to find me again. They have to leave. At night the monsters and demons come out if there's any suitable pray in the woods. Normally all the creatures run around causing chaos. But when there's pray, these woods becomes the most peaceful woods there is, until night falls... What do I do to get them to leave? I can't just walk up to them and be like "Hey, I'm a neko-akuma and this woods is filled with supernatural creatures that want to kill you and most likely will kill you if you don't leave while the sun's still up." Yeah... Like that'll work..
"Where are you?" I hear the boy whisper after his father left to get more firewood. I knew that he was talking to me. I sighed. What do I do? I'll have to get them to leave. I change back into my human form hide behind the tree, looking at him. Maybe I should think about this a little… Yeah, there really is no other way. It's either I try to get them out or let them die. If they get attacked, they'll die if I don't help.
I decided I'll help. I stepped on a branch to get his attention and it worked. He looked toward the tree that I was behind and then I stepped out. Instantly he bright blue eye's met my human form's sky blue ones and he smiled at me. "You came out" He said. "How did you know I was still here?" “I just felt like someone was watching me” he answered back. “I’ll have to work on that…” “Um... My name’s Chase, and yours? I hesitated a second. ”Hope..“ He smiled at me. Maybe this was a bad idea…
Chase looked at my clothes. “Why are you wearing that?" I looked at him annoyed. “Why are you wearing that?” I said while raising an eyebrow. He looked down at his clothes. ”What’s so bad about my clothes?” He asked confused. His clothes were city clothes, black, red, and white plaid button-up shirt with sleeves rolled up, blue light washed jeans, and some brown boots. “Well for starters, you’re dressed too nicely for a day in the woods; second of all your pants are too loose." He then started to examine his clothes after I said that. “Well, your clothes are tiny and looks like a halloween costume" He tried to make a comeback. “I’ve been in these woods since the beginning of my memories; with one or two months exception. This is all I have to wear. As my body grows and changes, I adjust it to my body. Also it's made with real animal skins and it's not a stupid costume." I told him. Chase then looked at me. "Oh.. I'm sorry." He apologized quitely. "It's alright, I know how to take care of myself."
I then started to walk away. There's no point in making conversation, but of course, he stopped me. "Wait, don't leave. I just met you..." I sighed and turned around back to him. Maybe I should have just left him earlier and knocked them out to get them out of here. "Look, Chase, You're a nice kid and all, and I don't want you to take this the wrong way but, you need to take your dad and leave this place, never come back, and never look back. Hell, forget everything about this place and me. Pretend that you never came here. Leave before sundown." I said to him directly. He stared at me wordlessly and shook his head. “No..” He whispered. I looked into his eyes and I found sadness, though it wasn’t what I said that hurt him… I used my 6th sense. He was feeling sad, hurt, lonely, and so much pain.. Also something else that I couldn’t identify. I suddenly found myself hugging him and him hugging me back.
“I’m so sorry… I didn’t sense it before…” I whispered to him as I hugged him. “It’s alright…” He whispered back. I then took his hand and smiled. “as much as I need to get you and your dad out of here before sundown, I guess I can show you something..” I told him as I started to take him deeper into the woods.
