The End of the Tunnel: Strangers and Stranger Things

Kal allowed Greylyn to weakly lead him out into what had been a path the night before. Only now it didn't look remotely like a path, Kal turned his head in every direction, but a mindless sprawl of trees that all looked exactly the same to him stretched in every direction. Good thing Greylyn knew the way.

"It's....this way. Isn't it?" Greylyn spoke with no semblance of certainty. Kal swore under his breath in Merash, smacking his forehead with the palm of his right hand and rubbing his bangs there in aggrivation.

"We are so lost," He said with a sigh, pulling his hair off his forehead and looking around. "Woah, um...I guess we just." Kal turned around. "Um...." He turned the other way. "Call for...help?"

He tried to laugh, but failed. This was really not good. They were starving here. Greylyn, he could tell, much more literally than himself. When was the last time she'd eaten? He silently wished that they had taken Jaiden's pointed out path, but didn't dare say it aloud.

"It's okay, we just need to think for a second. Didn't we pass that tree on our left? From...that root thing? I think I remember tripping over it, maybe," Kal said, looking around at the unmarked gray forest floor. He lapsed into silence, trying to think of something to get them out of this jam, but his mind buzzed blankly.

Then...he heard something. A thwang seemed to reverbrate through the air, he could hear a whisp and a thud, as though arrows, shot from short range bows, were striking trees. Kal stepped toward the sound. Was that voices? He squinted off into a part of the forest that seemed especially gnarled and dark. A shaft of gray light pushed its way through the branches, lighting on a tree that bore a sharp, ebony black arrow entruding deeply from a small, specific knot in the trees gray flesh.

Kal immediatly held his breath, crounching down with Greylyn. His eyes sought out hers as his mind raced. There were people, or...things, in these woods. But would they help them? Or was attempting to approach them their death warrant?

Kal had just decided the best thing to do was remain abosolutely silent, when Greylyn put her hand over his mouth. Obviously making the decision for him. He glanced at her sideways out of the corner of his blue eyes, remaining absolutely still.

"Hail! We've no weapons against you!" Kal winced sharply, literally making a jerk away from Greylyn as if to avoid an onslaught of arrows. His chest moved up and down silently like a frightened rabbit, though in absolute silence as he shot Greylyn an incredulous glance, and quickly switched his knife from his side to his satchel, gripping it's strap nervously, prepared to bolt at any moment.

Suddenly a childish voice called back through the underbrush.

"We’ll… Er, /I’ll/ come forward just as soon as you do! And you’d better /not/ have any weapons on you, or you’re a nasty liar!"

Kal had nearly jumped again, and now let a swift exhalation from his chest. Children, at least mentally and physically. He chuckled lightly to himself and turned his relieved face to Greylyn, forgiving what he had considered an ill-thought out move.

"You first? It’s only a couple Lost Boys, I think." Greylyn said with a small smile, that cheered Kal, they were obviously in no present danger. In fact, they were probably saved. “I’ll be right behind you,”

"Alright," He whispered amiably, standing up to reveal a tall bared giant, tan against the grays. He eased through the brush, his large hands raised to show he was carrying no weapons. Scrabbly gray green brush rubbed abrasively against his skin as he eased around a large circular tree.

There stood two young boys, dressed in what had probably been proper clothes at one point in time, but were now so obscured by cuts, dirt and various animal skins that they looked more wild than English. Kal was easily over twice there height, so he immediatly stooped down. He didn't want to frighten them, especially since they were holding potentially deadly weapons. As Kal examined their mud smeared, freckled faces, he suddenly felt a jolt as he realized that he was looking at two, young human faces. Two of his kind. A lump welled up in his throat as he took in the two, looking at their brown eyes and scabby knees, their ears, just like his. They had somehow crossed over from the real world into this one. Kal wondered if they ever dreamed about going home to there families. Then he realized that, after so long, they probably didn't have families anymore.

"Hey!" He croaked stiffly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm..I'm Kal. I'm from the mercolonies." His stomach twisted as he said it. He wasn't from the mercolonies. Not really. But...what else would he say? "My friend back there is Greylyn, she's an elf. We're lost...it's actually kind of a funny story..." Kal's stomach suddenly twisted, wondering if the boys had heard of their 'treason' against Everblossom. He hoped not, he doubted news would travel fast through the dense woods to these wild, runaways.

"Anyway, do you guys know the way out of here?"

Oliver stumbled around in the scraggly bushes, desperately trying to stabilize himself. He was, to be completely honest, very lost, which was not something he'd care to admit, seeing as he was in his own country. But for some reason, it still didn't feel like home to him. Something about the desolate nights and bitter mornings sent chills up his spine. He could barely make out voices in a nearby clearing, and, not wishing detection, scrambled up the ancient oak tree he had previously been grasping onto. As he agilely neared the peak of the oak, Oliver grasped the sheath of his blade, expecting a confrontation.

“You just keep goin’, and you’ll come out in a clearing. The Never-wood’s after that.” He heard the scraggly brunette boy say, using quite animated hand gestures. Oliver moaned, and slapped himself. Was he really that close to the border? Had he been wandering in a circle all night? What a sorry excuse for a leader he was. He'd hoped that he was at LEAST relatively close to the Capital. Direction had never been his forte.

Suddenly, his foot slipped on a patch of nevermoss, and he fell back onto the lower branches of the tree, snapping some of the limbs and busting his head on others. He held his breath, hoping that he had not been heard.

“…And criminals! We’re hunting criminals, too!” The young boys continued to blabble. Kal's body tensed, a forced grin upon his face, hoping to high that they didn't recognize him. He now recognized their harmlessness, but he didn't want to give the people looking for him another lead. It had been far to close for comfort last time. He wished he could just disappear, melt away in the shadows so no one could find him for a while. Then he realized with a slightly disgusted shiver that that was exactly what Jaiden had done the last time he saw her. The back of his neck prickled, as though he almost believed Jaiden would know if he thought of her.

“Ah-yeah! There was a party out looking for someone yesterday, but we plan to catch whoever they were tryin’ to find… first. But, we can’t tell you…” The boy added. Kal exhaled silently through his nose, unaware he had been holding his breath. Good, his notierity had not spread to full around acknowledgement in the last two days. Greylyn suddenly stepped out of a bush to his left, straightening up, a look of relief passing over her harsh features, softening them for a moment.

A boy stared agog at Greylyn, quite forgetting to close his mouth. Kal chuckled inwardly as Greylyn offered a rare, uncertain smile at the small boy, nonetheless stepping closer to Kal, her shoulder brushing his forearm. Kal finally noticed the silence that pervaded in the clearing and coughed awkwardly.

Suddenly the brown haired boy spoke tentatively. “Hullo...Anyhow, we can’t tell you the way out of here.”

Kal's shoulders shrugged up and down, and he scratched behind his ear irrately. Just their luck wasn't it? He was about to attempt to convince them to perhaps give some semblence of the way out, when an annoyed Greylyn rolled her eyes and shot out a steely comment.

“Because it’s secret,” The young boy told her, furrowing his brows. Kal felt the weird urge to noogie his messy hair with his hand. It was a very older-brother type feeling. “You’ll have to find out for yourselves, you know.”

“Say, you wouldn’t happen to be… Magical or anything, would you?” he said in a tone of hesitant reverance. Kal contained a laugh. Then suddenly realized he had never really asked Greylyn that himself. Well she's not, of course, Kal thought to himself, any powers she had she would have used by now, and they would have come in darn handy.

Then he realized, with a very slight eyeroll that Greylyn was playing into it. She stood dramatically, and her voice seemed to drop an octave and become more smooth. “I could turn you both in to toads, if I wanted. Though, I think you’d look better as slugs…”

The boy's started, and...Kal gave a small chuckle of relief that lit up his immediate area as they pointed in the direction. They were almost out! Hah, and he had been worried they would be stuck here forever!

"Thanks boys," He said cheerfully, holding out his hand for them to shake. It was a pity they'd never grow up to be men. He could see fledgling personalities trapped beneath the general "adventurer" persona that inflicts all young boys. "Good luck with the shadows and the criminals. Be careful out here."

A crash of underbrush and subliminal twang of snapping twigs seemed to echo over to Kal's right. He glanced in that direction, tense. He looked at Greylyn.

"Come on, lets get going." He said, looking down at Greylyn, then glancing back and squinting through the trees.

----------------------

Jaiden was part of the air, part of the darkness. Ah, the thrill that ran through her very essence that draped over the ground. Then there was anger, and then, there was control. She formed into a full being, her beautiful silk ash hair landing against her back as she stood poised on a branch, her, hands lightly at her sides. Her eyes shining red against the gray green of the dying forest. They darted down like an arrow, straight to their destination.

Oliver.

Her lip curled in disdain. She despised Oliver. He was a human, made shadow by an experiment by the Shadow King to reverse the shadow to being relationship. He intended to, flip, if you will, their positions. The light of the being thrown to the floor and the shadow rising to one more dimension. Well, their plan had failed in a way.

When they refracted nightmares and attempted to trade lifeforces and conform the two body's to new states, instead they opened the shadow's lifeforce. A tremulous, uncertain thing, in fact it had been uncertain up to that point if shadows even had lifeforces. But apparently it did. The life force of the shadow had risen and mixed, congealed with the being spirit, turning the being into a living shadow.

Into this utter mess. Jaiden snarled softly, then lept down, landing lightly in front of him.

"Hello Oliver," She intoned sleekily. "Having a nice nap are we? You know what happens to Army members who sleep on duty..."

She reached down, placing a hard, strong finger beneath his chin and sharply lifting his handsome face to look her in the eye. She stared at him out of the corner of her eye, her lips pouting and head turning.

"But, well, you're lucky arn't you Oliver? You're the exeption. Everyone has a purpose. It's the reason I don't kill for sport. You've always admired that about me yes?"

She laughed.

"I was in the area, Oliver. Doing some surveillance. Not that it’s any business of yours,” Her tongue pressed against her teeth with a thoughtful smirk.

“Actually…” She said, pausing and putting a taunt pale arm around his broad shoulders, whispering into his lions mane hair.

“Actually, I could use your help. There are many things that I have to do, and when one is busy with such intelligent matters, one must delegate the lesser to the lesser, no?” She said with a quiet, silky laugh, her bangs fluttering. “There is a being in that clearing, the tall, human male. I need him in Twisted Oak City for… a process.” Jaiden tilted her head to the side, watching him carefully, x-raying him with her blood red eyes.

“Don’t bother trying to convince him. He’s already desperate for my help,” She said. “But if you could…distract the elf he travels with. Take her in, help her, persuade her. Befriend her or get her to distrust him. Or love him. Most of all leave him. Honestly, all I need is for her influence over his decision to cease and desist. They will stick together as fugitives, and I can’t have that. He’ll never come to Twisted Oak with her haranguing him.”

Jaiden stood, her feet light in the spongy moss.

“Don’t worry, you can’t mess this up.” She said with a cruel laugh. “No matter what you do, it’s all about me waiting for the right time and opportunity to strike. And, I can wait a long time, Oliver.”

“So, as an order of the Shadow King, I decree you to mix it up a little bit, join their group and report back to me regularly on their state of mind, on each other and my proposition. Do what you like, it won’t bother me. Just…if you do the undesirable, I will kill you. Have I made myself clear, Oliver dear?” She said, her voice high and hard, with a strange, cute lilt at the end that accented her crazy yet superiorly intelligent smile.

Oliver coughed, his ears ringing. He could feel the back of his head getting sticky. And, of course, there was Jaiden, standing beautiful and menacing above him. Oliver was confused and intrigued by her. Yes, he would go along with her request, at least for now. He was wise enough to learn more of the situation before acting foolishly. Silently, he nodded to her. It pained him to speak, and his eyes glazed over as he opened his mouth to reply, though only a pathetic squeak came out. He could feel sleep threatening to take him, but he shook himself awake.

He stood to face Jaiden, and, holding the back of his skull, composed himself.

"What purpose does the boy have?" He asked her, trying to sound as innocent and nonchalant as possible.

Kal's stomach gurgled as the conversation turned to food. Man, he was so hungry he could eat a tuna right now. Kal imagined the huge, silvery scoals darting in the deeper salt water currents. Man, if he could cut one of those up right now, massage it with some coastal spices and wrap it in seaweed... Saliva rushed to his mouth, and he had to lick his lips disappointedly as the boys stubbornly refused to hand over any morsels. Suddenly he felt Greylyn grab his arm, and let her half-drag him half be dragged by him into the clearing, her small body rather hanging off his long arm. He almost laughed wearily. It had been a long two days.

He pushed a section of brush away from their path as they broke into an open clearing, about forty feet in diameter, the ground coated with silvery green grass that was soft and drenched with dew. Greylyn plopped down on the ground, looking ever so tired, and Kal felt his heart go out to her. As hungry as he felt, Greylyn was probably hungrier, and lacked his extended stamina that resulted from adapting a what would normally be a weak human body to the dangerous element of water.

“Mister Kal, I have the feeling that someone – aside from those two urchins – is watching us.” She spoke.

"Kal," He interjected absentmindedly. "Yeah, I heard something back there too." He paused.

"You don't think...it could be Jaiden?" He dared voice, struggling to conceal the perverse echo of hope at the edges of his voice. The dream like, tremulous hope that Jaiden would suddenly appear and grant him away off Neverland. She seemed so powerful...Kal felt his heart angrily clench. If only she would just show him, but no, he was sure she wanted something in return. Only what? If only he knew! There was hardly anything in Neverland he valued. What could he possibly mean to her?

-------------------------------------------

Jaiden watched Oliver stand, a disdainful frown twitching on the corner of her lips, almost mixed with a disdainful smile, as if she couldn't decide which was more appropriate in the prescence of the obscene hybrid rubbing his skull and standing uncertainly on the moss that Jaiden was at once part of and seperate from, her beautifully formed toes kneading into the spongy wet gray.

"Once again Oliver, you demonstrate the insolence and incompitence that deserves nothing less than a short and merciful end. It's lucky for you I'm in a good mood. Maybe it's your utter lack of charm, or your horrid stupidity, but something about you always puts a smile on my face," She grinned widely, her eyes glinting as she lightly tapped his shoulder with her slender forefinger.

"All in jest, of course, Oliver dear. I need you. Why, succeed in this and you may actually rise to become someone important after all! And, like I said, I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you in on an itsy bitsy secret," She laughed terribly, the air shivering with her essence. She leaned into him again, her lips tickling his ear.

"That boy's shadow has every possibility of being as powerful as me," She said slowly, her voice the echo of a whisper in his ear. "Which leads me to my other point, he does not die until I kill him, or else you will rot in the swirling dark flames of whatever world lurks beyond this one."

"So keep him alive, for me, Oliver, my pet." She stood back from him, blinking her long lashes at him. "Now go," Then suddenly her matter scattered to the ground like many black hankercheifs, reassembling into a wraith of a shadow on the ground which flew back into the trees, her beautiful laugh echoing as some sort of pseudo-silence through the woods.

Oliver furrowed his brow. Jaiden was so...difficult to read. More importantly, she had left him with a very inconvenient problem. He was supposed to blend in with these people? He smirked at the thought...blending in was supposed to be what he was best at, after all, but he doubted that this would be easy. He sniffed, and descended down the tree, flowing down like water from a jar-he impressed himself with this. Wasn't he usually the clumsy shadow? Maybe the shadow within was finally engulfing his soul. Oliver didn't know if that was a good thing or not, and the thought made him shudder.

Down the rocks he went, sliding elegantly through the rugged hill, towards his new friends. He rolled his eyes, irritated with his new duty, and walked openly towards them. He didn't want to seem suspicious or anything.

Soon, he was only feet away from the boy and his elfin companion. He offered them a smile, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Good morning, strangers! I'm Oliver, and it seems I've lost my way. Could you point me in the direction of the Neverwood?" He said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Would they buy in?

Kal was staring blithly around the clearing, his cheeks coloring rather angrily at Greylyn's biting comment. Perhaps she didn't want him to leave Neverland at all, Kal thought bitterly, kicking the head off a wilting dandylion with his bare foot. Part of the stalk got caught between his big toe. Kal blew air hard out of his mouth and rubbed the back of his head, ready to rise above and suggest they move on into the Neverwood. Suddenly a voice came from merely feet behind him.

In an instant Kal's feet were spread and his knife was pointed sharply forward as he turned to face the unknown. His eyes took in their delayed reaction, running across the boy that stood openly in front of him, grinning. Kal blinked, his voice suddenly disappearing. The boy looked about his age, only an inch and a half shorter perhaps. He wore dark, plain clothing. His hair was a rather bold and mangy yellow that fell in strange curls and spikes to his smooth, muscular shoulders. Kal noticed though, noticed that the edges of his light skin, the shadows on his cheekbones and even in the air surrounding his hair, their seemed to be a darkish, grayish tinge. Even more recognizable was the eyes, which seemed to flicker between yellow and red in a hot orange swirl. They wern't quite as peircing as Jaiden's blood red ones, but did evoke an otherworldliness to them. Kal's body was prepared to fight, but his mind instantly wished to speak and be heard. Deep down he was painfully begininng to associate shadows with forbidden knowledge that he longed to eat.

Kal noticed Greylyn step into him, instantly rebutting his seemingly honest request. He glanced down at her with raised eyebrows, then returned his gaze to the boy, Oliver had he said?

"Hey Oliver," He said with a hesitant, returning smile. He stuck out his other dustpan sized hands to shake. "Of course we can, we're going their ourselves. It's just beyond this clearing I believe." He gestured over his shoulder with the point of his shark tooth knife.

"But...be in insensitive to ask," He said, more cautiously. "Arn't you a shadow? You're not exactly welcome to the Court of Neverland. Neither to us if you have evil in your heart." He ran his blue eyes over him, searching for weapons. He wondered if this shadow knew Jaiden. What if Jaiden had even sent this shadow to retrieve him? Kal shook his head. He was getting awfully paranoid, and still didn't understand if he should accept or attack these shadows. But until he knew for certain, he would treat them with the common courtesy one owes every living being.

But were they even "beings"?

Oliver gulped. So they weren't as stupid as they looked. They knew him, knew what he was. They knew of the darkness in his heart. Why hadn't he thought this through? These people would surely distrust him...unless...he had to fabricate something quickly, as the silence was growing uncomfortable. He took a step forward, limping visibly.

"You have nothing to fear from me. Though my appearance is disconcerting, do not be troubled. I am not in league with the Shadows. I turned from my people long ago, after discovering the true horror of absolute midnight. I walk my own path. I am an idealist...and wish not to become involved with cruel deeds."

"In fact..." He continued, "I am searching for a beautiful woman, one who holds the power to turn the tides in this silent war. Please, let me travel with you. I need to find her."

Oliver took a sip of water from his canteen, awaiting their response. He'd felt awful using the Princess like this, but it wasn't a total lie...Antonella was missing, after all, and she definitely held the ability to rally and inspire her people when needed. But he knew very well where she was.

Kal listened to Oliver in rapt interest, confused yes, but at the same time completely intrigued. He felt Greylyn sink to the ground at his side and offer back a scathing comment. Kal shook his head as if bothered by flys, then caught Olivers eyes and held them in the grip of his strong blue ones.

"So are the shadows really ammassing something big? Big and terrible?" He asked, tilting his head as if to let in some secret whisper. He paused, "But you say you've abandoned them. Are you the only one? All are shadows enfulged by dark deeds?"

He was painfully and slowly trying to peice together a spiky and messy puzzle that scattered across his conciousness. Bits of peices of what Jaiden had told him, what Oliver had just revealed, everything he had ever thought about darkness and heard about shadows. He felt like he was being tested. Like a man blindfolded in a huge black room, searching for a single candle when he couldn't tell light from dark.

Kal bit his lip. "You don't know...Jaiden, perhaps?" He said, slowly, his grip tightening inperceptibly on his knife hilt. "Do you know if she is good or bad? Is she with you or against you? Exactly what are the shadows doing?"

He could feel the tangent of curiousity that tipped his tongue like a sweet honey gush from his lips. His eyes had lost any semblence of sternness or warrior quality and were now wide, wide blue and hoepful.

"Do you know a way off Neverland?" He whispered. "Do...do the shadows I mean?"

He winced perceptibly, trying to shake off his own ballooning hope. He took a deep breath, forcing himself back to the question at hand.

"Maybe...maybe if you answered some questions...so we would know you enough to extend our trust...you could travel with us for a while?" He directed his question almost to Greylyn, glancing down through her surly black bangs to the cool celery eyes that flashed back at them. His own ashamed, but sliently pleading.

If there was one thing Oliver hated, it was withheld information. The human already knew Jaiden? What was he supposed to do without vital information like that? Oliver smiled his cocky smile and resumed spinning his web of blind lies.

"So you aren't going to persecute me? I'm so relieved! No, we aren't all bad...not at all. I don't know what you've heard, but right now the Shadows are a bit at a crossroads. They are afraid to act, but I don't know why. You see, I haven't been free for very long, so I don't know this Jaiden person either. Is she a friend of yours, perhaps?" He asked. Oliver was growing tired of this.

Kal frowned slightly at Olivers response, but shrug it off. So this shadow didn't know Jaiden, well, he didn't really know who she was either. By now he assumed there were many shadows free. Jaiden was probably just one of many.

"Oh she's quite close with Kal, actually," Greylyn mumbled. Kal bristled, shooting her a strange glance. What was that about? He rolled his eyes and almost looked away, but he caught a feverish glint in Greylyn's eyes. A warning. Kal suddenly felt his stomach twist. They were on the verge of the Neverwoods, he realized, and once they stepped through it, well, they didn't really need each other anymore, did they? Kal knew Greylyn could take care of herself once she found some rations. He looked on saying goodbye to her with a curling, strange disappointment. She was certainly not the most congenial person he had ever met, but she was the first to start out blindly on their short but crazy journey with him.

Now, well, she would leave him anyway wouldn't she? She had made several points quite clear to that effect in the last day. Somehow, he felt that if he could get this shadow to somehow...maybe use his powers to contact Jaiden? He could prepare to fight for someway off Neverland. Apology glinted in his eyes, realizing that he was about to make a choice between two companionships, one a stranger, one... a friend? Perhaps? An ironic smile twitched at the corners of his tan lips.

Finally he took a breath, exhaling quietly into the light morning air.

"Well...first lets enter the Neverwood," He started out warily. "We need some food," He motioned between himself and Greylyn. "Then I'll...we'll decide. We still don't know if you... if any of us..." He glanced down at Greylyn. "Will be traveling the same direction after a good meal and some decision making."