The Princess and The Dragon

A beautiful blonde in a small pink kimono dress stepped into the woods. Her wings were out in full display. She was like an angel with specially colored wings. She flew here with her feathery harpy wings to check out the area. Where she was entering was dangerous, but she did not enter the location unequipped. She had her razor sharp fans with her and ready to pull out whenever she needed them. The wings disappeared as she kept moving. The fallen leaves crunched under her heeled boots. Her aqua eyes scanned the area before her.

Her mission was to acquire as much information as possible on Manta Carlos. It was a personal mission she assigned to herself. Her curiosity needed to be sated. When she heard rumors about magical and dangerous creatures lurking within the woods and deeper into a forest that was forbidden, she just had to investigate. Things from faun to werewolves to even some odd creature known as Slenderman were said to be here. She was so excited that she flew over to check it out.

Perhaps a bit too excited. Why? Because she failed to inform her boyfriend of her whereabouts.

They lived together after all, so it would be alarming if she just suddenly up and vanished on him. That was what she just did. She didn't mean to do this; she was just too caught up in her curiosity to think this through. As she kept stepping further into the woods, she began to hear various noises. At first it was simple leaf crunching and tree rustlings, but then growls echoed through the area. She bit her lip as she tried to assess where the growls were coming from.

Thinking about it, maybe she should have told Alex.

@"Maximum_Fatalis"

Cecete drew her fans. Another growl sounded. She refused to let hostile creatures get the jump on her. She shifted into an aggressive stance as her eyes scanned the premises. Thus far, she could not spot any creatures yet. She doubt that they would be much trouble; it's not like she went that deep into the woods. The young lady was no dainty princess; she was a fine warrior that spent her whole life training to survive and prepare for any battles to come. This was one of the reasons why she was able to go to Manta Carlos without bodyguards.

Then the bushes rustled. This signaled something or someone stepping out into the clearing. She rapidly turned and swung her fan only to freeze. It was Alex! Her boyfriend woke up from his temporary slumber. It relieved her to see him. She lowered her fans and dashed over to kiss the man. He was a welcome sight. Thinking about it, she failed to inform him of her trip. What she also forgot was that they were going to explore the woods together. A light frown crossed her face.

"My apologies. Boredom struck me, and so I chose to wander on a nice exploratory trip. It is wonderful to see you awake though."

Her alert level raised when she saw the dire wolf. Then he noted that he had made a friend. This must have been the friend. She relaxed once more, but not for long. More dire wolves leaped out of the bushes. After all, the creatures traveled in packs; they were rarely alone. The woman turned to see them prowl. They growled while circling the couple. Cecete took a quick glance at one of her fans.

"These wolves do not appear to be friendly."

And if they chose to fight, then they would be in for a bad time.

@"Maximum_Fatalis"

Alex was certainly a pleasant sight and presence. She didn't even have to say it; it shined through her actions. Her face cracked a smile. However, there were these other wolves that needed to be dealt with. She was prepared to employ violence, but she noticed the single wolf stepping up. She folded up her fans and lowered them. Waving a weapon around at them would only agitate the aggressive beasts. It seemed that her boyfriend agreed with this assessment.

With that said, the dire wolf's words fell on deaf ears. She couldn't translate the language, but she could see that their stance did not alter. They weren't leaving either. Perhaps they would have to fight after all? A finger tapped her closed fan as she gave the pack a judgmental glare. However, before she could perform any action, the dragon stepped up to settle the score. Her green eyes flickered to him as his draconic aura blazed. The intimidation tactic worked; the wolves quickly fled the scene.

Seeing that the situation was resolved for the time being, she put the fans away and stepped forward. Her eyes scanned the trees.

"It is said that there is a sign which marks the forbidden forest. We cannot miss it."

Her intentions were to explore the forest. Now that they made a trio, she felt confident. No harm would come to anyone here.

"I believe it has to do with the creatures that dwell inside. It is not forbidden so much as dangerous."

Danger didn't faze Cecete; her training taught her to face danger head on. There was no need to be afraid. It was preferred for one to fight to the best of his or her ability and honorable to die in combat. Not like she would though; Alex wouldn't allow it. Her Gemini status protected her with the power of immortality, but she did have to be careful; someone could theoretically kill her for her title. After all, she won hers by winning a deadly challenge against her grandmother.

An eerie breeze blew through the group. Her orange blonde hair moved slightly. She did not shiver, but she could feel the chill against her body. It was time to proceed with caution. The princess walked further down the path. The forbidden forest greeted them with silence. At least the safe portion had the benefit of the occasional rustle or tweet. There was nothing, and that bothered the woman. She frowned a bit as she followed the path. The path suddenly went from straight to twisted.

While she felt compelled to get off of the path, the path would provide more safety. She debated taking a risk as she strolled down the path. Suddenly a thought came to her mind to check the ground. She didn't know why, it's not like there was anything — wait, where was the path? It completely disappeared on them. She stopped in her tracks and glanced past Alex and the dire wolf. No signs of a path. She gave Alex a look of bewilderment. How could this have happened? They had never walked off the path....

The dire wolf and Cecete were in agreement. It took Alex's leadership skills to calm down the two. She mentally cursed herself for even thinking of going in alone. While she could probably take on any threat, such illusions and trickery would baffle her. She'd be scared out of her wits; improvising did not come easy for her. She had the skills to do it but sometimes needed to be calmed down. She was a more mellow version of her mother really. The princess gently grasped the dragon's hand. She smiled brightly at him as she copied his steps.

"Forward it is then."

The trio stepped forward into the forbidden forest. She didn't know about the one stalking them from a distance; her sense of smell was not that good. Her hearing and eye sight were her main senses, but it was silent and nothing was in clear view. In fact, what was in clear view might have been a trap. She could not trust anything within the forest; she especially didn't trust the tree. There was a tree off in the distance that seemed just a tad bit off. They were walking closer to it. She stared at it suspiciously before turning to her boyfriend.

"That tree is no good. I do not trust it..."

Was it even a tree at all? She pointed in its direction, but if he glanced over he would see nothing. It disappeared completely. That was odd; trees definitely didn't move. What was that "tree"?

@Maximum_Fatalis