Umeko turned her head sharply, bothered by Reta's remark as her words wounded her pride. Felix and Janette closed in behind Reta with their eyes staring ahead, only KuliKuli was switching her head back and forth from Umeko to Reta.
"Wolfy, you two are from the same place? I don't see much in common. Her face looks mean." She said.
Reta was bothered by this, turning to respond. "You would be wise to keep those thoughts to yourself. Even under restrains, Umeko is a formidable fighter whom you do not wish to see you as an enemy."
"Bind that pet's mouth shut or I will be delighted to do it for you." Umeko added under a demanding tone, leaving Felix bothered by how KuliKuli seemed hurt.
"Never mind, I can see it now." KuliKuli said, retreating several paces while fumbling with her sleeves.
Umeko turned her attention back to Reta, the two stepping as close to each other as the glass could allow. She placed her hands on her waist and stuck out her chest, raising her chin as if demanding respect. Reta, much to everyone's surprise, complied. She lowered her head and bowed before sinking to her knees with her hands on her thighs.
"This freak show carries three mages under their tent, they stumbled across our village under the guise of traveling to perform elsewhere. They requested if we would permit them to look around and were given the terms to walk away or fertilize our gardens while six feet under. Our terms were deemed acceptable and they took their leave, but I was later ambushed during my meditation. Those three mages crafted a strange spell that seems to allow the caster to trap a spacious presence of land as a souvenir to be sold. One moment I heard them cast a strange enchantment, and now I find myself as a new product for them to display. It was over before I could react, trapped in their belongings as if I were nothing but a trinket to them."
"And now your guys are coming in to help you, right?" Asked Felix, turning to Reta. "Isn't this good news?"
"Tff! They were unaware of my kidnapping, but were I to be fortunate then they would believe that the cause of my absence would be at the hands of a worthy prey." Umeka muttered back, crossing her arms.
"What?" Felix turned to Reta as she sighed and began to explain.
"Our culture fixates on the importance of survivability through our fighting prowess. Because Genki is-"
"Mizuki!" They were disrupted by Umeko slamming her palm against the glass as it rippled on impact. "We do not share with Gaijin!"
Reta snapped back in retaliation, raising to face her and speaking in their native tongue. This left the others feeling excluded yet somewhat involved, it left an intrusive sense of tension between the three as they glanced at each other wondering what to do. KuliKuli kept quiet but remained several paces away, with Felix standing closest to Reta and yet unable to comfort her in this situation. Janette felt she could do nothing but analyze and assess the situation, and at best she found it obvious that this was a situation that they were ill prepared for which belonged to a culture she herself knew little about. Though it would be an interesting find to learn more about their ways, now was not the time for her to ask.
Once the two woman had settled down, Reta stood up and pulled Felix aside until they reached the far back of the room. They were careful where they walked as someone had left a mess of peanuts scattered on the ground and didn't bother to clean it up. She gestured for the two to follow, waiting until they huddled together with their backs presented to Umeko. Nobody had anything to ask or say, leaving the space open for Reta to explain.
"Our history does not reflect fondly on the alliances we have had with outsiders, they have been temporary and quick in duration. Needless to say, we are taught not to interact with people who are not in our tribe."
"Is that what Gaijin means?" Janette asked.
Reta nodded back. "I will try to convince her otherwise, she refuses to speak with you three present."
"But we're your friends?" KuliKuli countered, looking upset. "I'm not going to just wait outside like some child!"
Reta closed her eyes and breathed in before responding. "Just wait for me here then while I talk to her."
"What are you going to say?" Felix asked.
"I don't know."
"Are you thinking about breaking her free? It doesn't sound like your tribe is the nicest group of people." Janette added.
Reta kept quiet, agitated by her question when she looked her in the eyes. "Just do this for me."
"... okay." KuliKuli agreed reluctantly. glancing at the others before letting go.
Reta gradually walked back to the front while she and the others stayed behind, with Janette leaning against the wall and Felix looking uneasy about the situation. KuliKuli herself didn't like staying quiet, finding the silence to be uncomfortable as if she were being punished. But it was not the time for her to be jumping around pretending things were happy either, as she herself had mixed feelings about this encounter. Several thoughts came to mind, some worrying about what the future could hold.
"If we help her free her friend, does that mean we would be taking her back too? Is Reta going to be leaving with her?"
"Wait wait wait, how can we even help free her? It's not like we can scheme up some elaborate escape plan, I certainly couldn't. Besides, what if she's like a criminal or a killer?" Janette countered back, sneaking in a glance at Umeko. "She doesn't look like the nicest person to strike up a conversation with."
Felix had nothing to say, but the look on his face was telling. His partner could tell there was much he was thinking about, she was hoping it would be some plans or words of encouragement. But her stomach turned when she saw that guilty look on his eyes, something troubling him inside to an extent that he hadn't the courage to share. Janette had failed to notice this, pacing back and forth in a frantic state while turning to peak outside the entrance in case anyone else approached the biome.
Reta approached the display and kept her hands to her side in a sign of respect, speaking to her in a controlled tone of voice. "Umeko, how long has it been since you were captured?"
Umeko sat down and crossed her legs, hunched over and hiding half of her face in her arms with only her eyes being present. "I don't know, that light never goes away. It has felt like a year since I find myself able to welcome the night's embrace or even gaze upon the stars."
"I see. Do they feed you?"
"Hmph! Mostly when a crowd is present and that freak wants me to put up some sort of show." She closed her eyes and felt her chest, her fingers gliding along the ridges of her ribs. "It has left me lacking the physique I once had. Now I hide myself to cover the shame of my appearance."
"What do you mean by putting on a show?"
To that, Umeko growled under her breath, revealing her teeth. "They throw in rabbits and chickens, waiting for me to pretend to hunt so that the outsiders may be awed by my act. They call me a savage, me! I should be a proud warrior! My body use to be something to behold, my abs, arms and legs were once something for me to be proud of and to intimidate. The maidens would shy away while warriors would bow or compliment me. Very few would challenge me, and those that did would seek my hand for marriage. Only one had been victorious before, someone I would gladly share my life with as his wife and future vessel to our children."
"You had married? I didn't think anyone would ever best you in combat."
"Not while you were around, it took hold some time after you were banished."
"Anyone I know?" Reta asked.
Umeko lowered her head in an attempt to hide her bashful smile as she reminisced over the memory of her husband. "Perhaps. Do you remember Hachirō?"
"Hachirō!" Reta exclaimed with a chuckle. "The youngest son of the Yoshida name? I knew he was training under a new mentor, but I didn't know he was a good fighter."
"He is vibrant and full of energy, that one." Umeko mentioned, finding his memory uplifting as she raised her head up to face her. "He showed persistence and would always return, promising to defeat me one day. When that day came, he set aside his weapon and requested for my hand as his wife. That arrogant child had claimed my heart some time before and I had not realized it until then."
She gradually helped herself up on her feet, gazing at Reta like a mother would look at her child after catching them in a mischievous act.
"Mizuki, I never thought we would cross paths since the day you had gone. I am reluctant to admit that it is welcoming to see a familiar face in so long, but seeing you traveling with Gaijin?"
Reta scowled back. "What was I to do? I can not hide my cursed form forever, was I expected to crawl into a cave and let nature rid me of this fate? You all turned your backs to me that night."
"We did what was best to ensure the safety of our people. You became a threat to us after you were bitten."
"I did what I was asked to do, I did what they ordered me to do. I accepted my fate but did not believe that you would leave me for dead."
"Mizuki, you are Norowa Reta now. We did not banish you first, we gave you an alternative option. One where you would be honored and remembered amongst our best warriors. I even volunteered to be your kaishakunin. You chose to reject that, do you remember?"
"I recall that all as if it took place the other night." Reta closed her eyes, taking in a moment to calm down. "These Gaijin did what you could not. They offered me a home to stay, a shelter. For months, I have taken residence among them, volunteering to help reconstruct the damages their property suffered after a storm had passed. They are... something you can adjust to over the given time."
"You have truly fallen under desperate means, Mizuki. Be thankful that your father could not see the disgrace you have become."
Reta flinched, feeling her brow twitch and her hands shake. "Yes, well... how was he when you last saw him?"
"Your father? He was broken that night, fractured by what had become. He had lost too much in too short of time for him to recover, so much that he sought out relief fulfilling your final order. He had recovered some semblance of honor to his name that night, his name irrevocably tainted after what had become of his family. You are the last one now, Mizuki. I wish I could bring you good news, but that is as good of any news that could have come from him. You know this."
Reta had nothing left to say, paralyzed by the news she had just received. Her body was shaken by an unbearable chill crawling up her legs, preventing her from moving even a muscle. Her heart stopped momentarily and the world around her went still as a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead and dropped to the ground. Learning that her family had come to this was overwhelming for her to process, it was too much to react to at that moment. Even her hearing had grown deaf with nothing but a ringing growing louder in her ears, not once noticing the shaking feeling she was receiving or the sound of someone calling her name next to her.
"Reta!"
Reta blinked, finding herself in KuliKuli's hold with a worried Felix and Janette over the cat girl's shoulders.
"Reta, what happened?" She asked.
"You went stiff for a few minutes." Janette explained, looking back to Umeko. "What did she say?"
What did she say? Those words repeated back in her mind, like a siren that could not be silenced. What did she say, what could she say to that? No, she thought to herself, this was not the time to react to that. She shook her head and forced those feelings to wash under, wiping the sweat from her forehead and ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach.
She will deal with this perhaps later, or perhaps never. Handling pain was a threshold that all warriors had to master early in their training, this was just another wound she would need to disregard.
Ignoring her friend, Reta gazed back at Umeko and shook off from KuliKuli's paws. "Have you attempted to escape before?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I have! One would think this glass would break after impact, but I lack the resources to do so. Being starved has sapped my strength over time, and the tools I could make to hunt was this." She reached into her waist and revealed a sharpened stone knife, the handle was fabricated from impaling the sharpened stone into a piece of wood to serve as a grip for her bruised and blistered hands. "The bamboo is strong, but not enough to break through glass. This was all I managed to make after several days of being here."
"Then it is decided, I will help you escape." Reta declared, much to her friends surprise.
KuliKuli looked Umeko up and down before crossing her arms. "Okay, but only because you are her friend. See? Being Gaijin is not so bad."
Felix pulled Reta in close, giving her a look of uncertainty. "Why would you say that, we don't even know her."
"But I do." She countered back.
"Reta, we don't know what we are doing. This is insane."
"You don't need to do anything. I said I would help her, you needn't concern yourself if you would choose not to." She stated back with a look of defiance, startling him.
"It's not that I don't want to, but we can't just-"
"Master, she's her friend!" KuliKuli mentioned.
Umeko huffed. "A Norowa Reta is no friend of mine."
The Nekomata turned around, crossed by how she responded. "I would be nicer to the person trying to help rescue you, you big meanie. Quit being such a pompous bitch and shut up or help us help you!"
Felix was stunned, his mouth open and his eyes were twice as wide. Umeko narrowed her eyes and kept quiet, turning her back to them instead. KuliKuli jumped back in with her two friends, leaning in with a determined look in her eyes.
"I am so ready to get her out of there."
"Hey guys." Janette called out from the curtain entrance.
"We don't know what we're getting into. This is getting out of hand." Felix whispered to them.
Reta disregarded his concern. "You can help me or leave me be, I won't be forcing your hand."
"Guys?" Janette asked once more.
"This isn't why we came here."
"What do you mean? The snake girl said her friend was kept here." KuliKuli mentioned.
Felix huffed and rolled his eyes. "Not that, I meant this place as a whole. This entire night was meant as a trip to get out for entertainment."
"This could be entertaining." The cat girl smiled back, wagging her ears under her veil.
"Guys!" Janette shouted as they turned to her. "Everyone is gone."
"What?" Felix raised his head as Janette pulled the curtain open.
"I think we're the last one's left, everyone else is gone."
"No they're not, I can hear them." KuliKuli said, confused as she approached the entrance and leaned in. True to what her friend said, the circus was now deserted. "What?"
Felix sniffed and rubbed his nose, catching an odd smell before listening to someone breathing nearby. Turning his head to the right, he was spooked when he was no one was there. "Janette?"
"Yea?"
"When you fall at the winter biome, what was it you ran into?"
"I don't know, I think the wall maybe? It was dark for me." She answered in a stammer.
Felix reached out with his hand into the direction of that breathing sound. "It wasn't dark for me."
KuliKuli looked at him when they heard a crunching sound. Looking down, she saw that someone stepped on a peanut and left a boot imprinted on the mess, with no one around.
Felix felt his body turn cold when he saw that whatever made that noise was in the direction he was now facing. "KuliKuli, you couldn't tell that you were invisible back in the show, right?"
Janette gasped as the realization had dawned on her.
"We should run." He muttered back when he felt something grab his wrist before responding in a hoarse voice.
"No, stay."
Umeko turned her head sharply, bothered by Reta's remark as her words wounded her pride. Felix and Janette closed in behind Reta with their eyes staring ahead, only KuliKuli was switching her head back and forth from Umeko to Reta.
"Wolfy, you two are from the same place? I don't see much in common. Her face looks mean." She said.
Reta was bothered by this, turning to respond. "You would be wise to keep those thoughts to yourself. Even under restrains, Umeko is a formidable fighter whom you do not wish to see you as an enemy."
"Bind that pet's mouth shut or I will be delighted to do it for you." Umeko added under a demanding tone, leaving Felix bothered by how KuliKuli seemed hurt.
"Never mind, I can see it now." KuliKuli said, retreating several paces while fumbling with her sleeves.
Umeko turned her attention back to Reta, the two stepping as close to each other as the glass could allow. She placed her hands on her waist and stuck out her chest, raising her chin as if demanding respect. Reta, much to everyone's surprise, complied. She lowered her head and bowed before sinking to her knees with her hands on her thighs.
"This freak show carries three mages under their tent, they stumbled across our village under the guise of traveling to perform elsewhere. They requested if we would permit them to look around and were given the terms to walk away or fertilize our gardens while six feet under. Our terms were deemed acceptable and they took their leave, but I was later ambushed during my meditation. Those three mages crafted a strange spell that seems to allow the caster to trap a spacious presence of land as a souvenir to be sold. One moment I heard them cast a strange enchantment, and now I find myself as a new product for them to display. It was over before I could react, trapped in their belongings as if I were nothing but a trinket to them."
"And now your guys are coming in to help you, right?" Asked Felix, turning to Reta. "Isn't this good news?"
"Tff! They were unaware of my kidnapping, but were I to be fortunate then they would believe that the cause of my absence would be at the hands of a worthy prey." Umeka muttered back, crossing her arms.
"What?" Felix turned to Reta as she sighed and began to explain.
"Our culture fixates on the importance of survivability through our fighting prowess. Because Genki is-"
"Mizuki!" They were disrupted by Umeko slamming her palm against the glass as it rippled on impact. "We do not share with Gaijin!"
Reta snapped back in retaliation, raising to face her and speaking in their native tongue. This left the others feeling excluded yet somewhat involved, it left an intrusive sense of tension between the three as they glanced at each other wondering what to do. KuliKuli kept quiet but remained several paces away, with Felix standing closest to Reta and yet unable to comfort her in this situation. Janette felt she could do nothing but analyze and assess the situation, and at best she found it obvious that this was a situation that they were ill prepared for which belonged to a culture she herself knew little about. Though it would be an interesting find to learn more about their ways, now was not the time for her to ask.
Once the two woman had settled down, Reta stood up and pulled Felix aside until they reached the far back of the room. They were careful where they walked as someone had left a mess of peanuts scattered on the ground and didn't bother to clean it up. She gestured for the two to follow, waiting until they huddled together with their backs presented to Umeko. Nobody had anything to ask or say, leaving the space open for Reta to explain.
"Our history does not reflect fondly on the alliances we have had with outsiders, they have been temporary and quick in duration. Needless to say, we are taught not to interact with people who are not in our tribe."
"Is that what Gaijin means?" Janette asked.
Reta nodded back. "I will try to convince her otherwise, she refuses to speak with you three present."
"But we're your friends?" KuliKuli countered, looking upset. "I'm not going to just wait outside like some child!"
Reta closed her eyes and breathed in before responding. "Just wait for me here then while I talk to her."
"What are you going to say?" Felix asked.
"I don't know."
"Are you thinking about breaking her free? It doesn't sound like your tribe is the nicest group of people." Janette added.
Reta kept quiet, agitated by her question when she looked her in the eyes. "Just do this for me."
"... okay." KuliKuli agreed reluctantly. glancing at the others before letting go.
Reta gradually walked back to the front while she and the others stayed behind, with Janette leaning against the wall and Felix looking uneasy about the situation. KuliKuli herself didn't like staying quiet, finding the silence to be uncomfortable as if she were being punished. But it was not the time for her to be jumping around pretending things were happy either, as she herself had mixed feelings about this encounter. Several thoughts came to mind, some worrying about what the future could hold.
"If we help her free her friend, does that mean we would be taking her back too? Is Reta going to be leaving with her?"
"Wait wait wait, how can we even help free her? It's not like we can scheme up some elaborate escape plan, I certainly couldn't. Besides, what if she's like a criminal or a killer?" Janette countered back, sneaking in a glance at Umeko. "She doesn't look like the nicest person to strike up a conversation with."
Felix had nothing to say, but the look on his face was telling. His partner could tell there was much he was thinking about, she was hoping it would be some plans or words of encouragement. But her stomach turned when she saw that guilty look on his eyes, something troubling him inside to an extent that he hadn't the courage to share. Janette had failed to notice this, pacing back and forth in a frantic state while turning to peak outside the entrance in case anyone else approached the biome.
Reta approached the display and kept her hands to her side in a sign of respect, speaking to her in a controlled tone of voice. "Umeko, how long has it been since you were captured?"
Umeko sat down and crossed her legs, hunched over and hiding half of her face in her arms with only her eyes being present. "I don't know, that light never goes away. It has felt like a year since I find myself able to welcome the night's embrace or even gaze upon the stars."
"I see. Do they feed you?"
"Hmph! Mostly when a crowd is present and that freak wants me to put up some sort of show." She closed her eyes and felt her chest, her fingers gliding along the ridges of her ribs. "It has left me lacking the physique I once had. Now I hide myself to cover the shame of my appearance."
"What do you mean by putting on a show?"
To that, Umeko growled under her breath, revealing her teeth. "They throw in rabbits and chickens, waiting for me to pretend to hunt so that the outsiders may be awed by my act. They call me a savage, me! I should be a proud warrior! My body use to be something to behold, my abs, arms and legs were once something for me to be proud of and to intimidate. The maidens would shy away while warriors would bow or compliment me. Very few would challenge me, and those that did would seek my hand for marriage. Only one had been victorious before, someone I would gladly share my life with as his wife and future vessel to our children."
"You had married? I didn't think anyone would ever best you in combat."
"Not while you were around, it took hold some time after you were banished."
"Anyone I know?" Reta asked.
Umeko lowered her head in an attempt to hide her bashful smile as she reminisced over the memory of her husband. "Perhaps. Do you remember Hachirō?"
"Hachirō!" Reta exclaimed with a chuckle. "The youngest son of the Yoshida name? I knew he was training under a new mentor, but I didn't know he was a good fighter."
"He is vibrant and full of energy, that one." Umeko mentioned, finding his memory uplifting as she raised her head up to face her. "He showed persistence and would always return, promising to defeat me one day. When that day came, he set aside his weapon and requested for my hand as his wife. That arrogant child had claimed my heart some time before and I had not realized it until then."
She gradually helped herself up on her feet, gazing at Reta like a mother would look at her child after catching them in a mischievous act.
"Mizuki, I never thought we would cross paths since the day you had gone. I am reluctant to admit that it is welcoming to see a familiar face in so long, but seeing you traveling with Gaijin?"
Reta scowled back. "What was I to do? I can not hide my cursed form forever, was I expected to crawl into a cave and let nature rid me of this fate? You all turned your backs to me that night."
"We did what was best to ensure the safety of our people. You became a threat to us after you were bitten."
"I did what I was asked to do, I did what they ordered me to do. I accepted my fate but did not believe that you would leave me for dead."
"Mizuki, you are Norowa Reta now. We did not banish you first, we gave you an alternative option. One where you would be honored and remembered amongst our best warriors. I even volunteered to be your kaishakunin. You chose to reject that, do you remember?"
"I recall that all as if it took place the other night." Reta closed her eyes, taking in a moment to calm down. "These Gaijin did what you could not. They offered me a home to stay, a shelter. For months, I have taken residence among them, volunteering to help reconstruct the damages their property suffered after a storm had passed. They are... something you can adjust to over the given time."
"You have truly fallen under desperate means, Mizuki. Be thankful that your father could not see the disgrace you have become."
Reta flinched, feeling her brow twitch and her hands shake. "Yes, well... how was he when you last saw him?"
"Your father? He was broken that night, fractured by what had become. He had lost too much in too short of time for him to recover, so much that he sought out relief fulfilling your final order. He had recovered some semblance of honor to his name that night, his name irrevocably tainted after what had become of his family. You are the last one now, Mizuki. I wish I could bring you good news, but that is as good of any news that could have come from him. You know this."
Reta had nothing left to say, paralyzed by the news she had just received. Her body was shaken by an unbearable chill crawling up her legs, preventing her from moving even a muscle. Her heart stopped momentarily and the world around her went still as a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead and dropped to the ground. Learning that her family had come to this was overwhelming for her to process, it was too much to react to at that moment. Even her hearing had grown deaf with nothing but a ringing growing louder in her ears, not once noticing the shaking feeling she was receiving or the sound of someone calling her name next to her.
"Reta!"
Reta blinked, finding herself in KuliKuli's hold with a worried Felix and Janette over the cat girl's shoulders.
"Reta, what happened?" She asked.
"You went stiff for a few minutes." Janette explained, looking back to Umeko. "What did she say?"
What did she say? Those words repeated back in her mind, like a siren that could not be silenced. What did she say, what could she say to that? No, she thought to herself, this was not the time to react to that. She shook her head and forced those feelings to wash under, wiping the sweat from her forehead and ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach.
She will deal with this perhaps later, or perhaps never. Handling pain was a threshold that all warriors had to master early in their training, this was just another wound she would need to disregard.
Ignoring her friend, Reta gazed back at Umeko and shook off from KuliKuli's paws. "Have you attempted to escape before?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I have! One would think this glass would break after impact, but I lack the resources to do so. Being starved has sapped my strength over time, and the tools I could make to hunt was this." She reached into her waist and revealed a sharpened stone knife, the handle was fabricated from impaling the sharpened stone into a piece of wood to serve as a grip for her bruised and blistered hands. "The bamboo is strong, but not enough to break through glass. This was all I managed to make after several days of being here."
"Then it is decided, I will help you escape." Reta declared, much to her friends surprise.
KuliKuli looked Umeko up and down before crossing her arms. "Okay, but only because you are her friend. See? Being Gaijin is not so bad."
Felix pulled Reta in close, giving her a look of uncertainty. "Why would you say that, we don't even know her."
"But I do." She countered back.
"Reta, we don't know what we are doing. This is insane."
"You don't need to do anything. I said I would help her, you needn't concern yourself if you would choose not to." She stated back with a look of defiance, startling him.
"It's not that I don't want to, but we can't just-"
"Master, she's her friend!" KuliKuli mentioned.
Umeko huffed. "A Norowa Reta is no friend of mine."
The Nekomata turned around, crossed by how she responded. "I would be nicer to the person trying to help rescue you, you big meanie. Quit being such a pompous bitch and shut up or help us help you!"
Felix was stunned, his mouth open and his eyes were twice as wide. Umeko narrowed her eyes and kept quiet, turning her back to them instead. KuliKuli jumped back in with her two friends, leaning in with a determined look in her eyes.
"I am so ready to get her out of there."
"Hey guys." Janette called out from the curtain entrance.
"We don't know what we're getting into. This is getting out of hand." Felix whispered to them.
Reta disregarded his concern. "You can help me or leave me be, I won't be forcing your hand."
"Guys?" Janette asked once more.
"This isn't why we came here."
"What do you mean? The snake girl said her friend was kept here." KuliKuli mentioned.
Felix huffed and rolled his eyes. "Not that, I meant this place as a whole. This entire night was meant as a trip to get out for entertainment."
"This could be entertaining." The cat girl smiled back, wagging her ears under her veil.
"Guys!" Janette shouted as they turned to her. "Everyone is gone."
"What?" Felix raised his head as Janette pulled the curtain open.
"I think we're the last one's left, everyone else is gone."
"No they're not, I can hear them." KuliKuli said, confused as she approached the entrance and leaned in. True to what her friend said, the circus was now deserted. "What?"
Felix sniffed and rubbed his nose, catching an odd smell before listening to someone breathing nearby. Turning his head to the right, he was spooked when he was no one was there. "Janette?"
"Yea?"
"When you fall at the winter biome, what was it you ran into?"
"I don't know, I think the wall maybe? It was dark for me." She answered in a stammer.
Felix reached out with his hand into the direction of that breathing sound. "It wasn't dark for me."
KuliKuli looked at him when they heard a crunching sound. Looking down, she saw that someone stepped on a peanut and left a boot imprinted on the mess, with no one around.
Felix felt his body turn cold when he saw that whatever made that noise was in the direction he was now facing. "KuliKuli, you couldn't tell that you were invisible back in the show, right?"
Janette gasped as the realization had dawned on her.
"We should run." He muttered back when he felt something grab his wrist before responding in a hoarse voice.
"No, stay."
