The Wrong Neck of The Woods [Karlos]

@"Karlos_Baron"

"I want to go home...."

Darkness colored the woods black. How could anyone tell time of day in this place? The sky itself was blocked off by the gnarled trees that towered over the lost soul. Cautious footsteps crushed twigs and dead leaves as the rest of the forest remained dead quiet. The silence suffocated the already-dark atmosphere with utter dread. Her cute brown eyes were filled with tears as she nervously glanced back and forth. Every time a tree caressed her bare thighs, she jumped with fright. Her colorful tank top and pink gym shorts stood out from the dark. Her pink and white sneakers were filthy at this point.

Mochi got lost in the wrong part of the woods, and it was messing with her mind and psyche. Her hair wrapped around her protectively as she kept going. A chill ran through her body. The tears bubbled over as one drop slid gently down her cheek. Even Jouka expressed outward concern as she stumbled about in the forest all alone.

"Momo, maybe we should turn around?"

"Turn around where?! I don't know where I'm going!"

"Look kid, just relax. There's nothing here but stupid big trees trying to scare you. You'll get out of here, okay? I repeat, there's nothing but tree--"

A roar sounded from an indiscernible distance. Its timing was impeccable.

"DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A TREE TO YOU?!"

"Momo, calm do--"

Another roar sounded. This time she could tell where it came from.

It was behind her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

The futakuchi-onna took off while wailing her heart out.

Panic filled her mind as she mindlessly ran. She didn't even know where she was running; she was that hopelessly lost. This was far worse than getting lost looking for a mere library or art classroom; this was deadly. She wasn't ready to die; she had just crawled out of her isolation. She was just now opening herself up to people. She was allowing herself to live life and not be held back by her changes. She was on her way to a normal life with an abnormal feature. How could she die so soon and to something that she didn't even get a good look at?

Her heart raced as memories flooded her brain. The image of her father's death tormented her conscious as she bolted through the woods. Watching her father be ripped to shreds by her own hair and devoured bit by bit. She could taste his flesh that day. Was this karma for killing her father? Was this retribution for her sins? She could barely see with all the tears flooding her vision. The waterworks clouded her line of sight to the point where even less light could enter through her pupils. The darkness was too much; she could feel her pace faltering bit by bit. That beast behind her was going to murder her.

Then he rescued her from the ferocious claws of death.

A large, furry hand grabbed hers and pulled her forward. A strand of hair wiped some of the tears away as her eyes opened once more. It was a strange wolfman saving her life. The werewolf was taking her to safety. His three words were enough to pull her out of her rut. Her mind shifted to full survival mode as she remained close to him. Her speed picked back up as her cut up legs kept pushing onward. That's right; she had to live. She had to keep going. Now she had a better chance with this man beside her. Mochi wanted to thank him from the bottom of her heart, but her voice was lost in that moment.

"Holy fuck, you saved our hides man!"

Jouka spoke for her. Her mouth remained shut as her eyes focused on her hero. The youkai was in a complete daze while her body functioned on auto-pilot.

@"Karlos_Baron"

Jouka just had to open his hairy mouth. Just as they thought they managed to outpace the creature, it appeared right in front of the wolfman. Mochi could feel a scream coming on, but she clapped her hand over her mouth to prevent it from happening. Her hair stood up on its end as fear coursed through her veins. This was nothing like what she had seen before. Such an aggressive creature...it was tall and shadowy. It kind of reminded her of a bear, but bears didn't seem this nasty. Her body shivered uncontrollably as her joints began to lock up. No, don't go numb here! Not now!

The small girl was easily shoved forward by the werewolf. She would've kept going, but a combination of factors caused her to simply stumble onward as she attempted to regain her footing. She should've known how to run; after all, she was a sprinter in track. Then again, there was a difference between sprinting for a race and sprinting for one's life. They were entirely separate scenarios since the latter involved a simple mechanic known as the fight-or-flight response. Right now she was in full flight mode; there was no way she was going to fight that thing head on. If she had better control of her powers that might have been plausible, but that was most certainly not the case.

The chase continued into a rest point as the werewolf's howl caused the beast to stop in its tracks. This second was enough time for them to resume their escape as they ran further away from the creature. All the trees looked the same to Mochi as her eyes scanned the environment up ahead. Her tears were starting to dry up now; her vision wasn't as cloudy anymore. She then noticed that the hand she was holding was entirely human. It was the sturdy hand of a young man. She clung onto it for dear life as she followed him. The young woman tried desperately to keep up with his pace. At least she was an athlete.

His arm then grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. With this, she could see a front view of her hero. It was very dark, but she could see his glowing eyes and distinct blonde hair. Her eyes got lost in his as she clung close to his body. She could feel the clear cut six-pack on his chest. His hand moved up to his lips. His index finger extended over his lips as a clear sign for her to hush. She nodded quietly as one of her hands covered Jouka's mouth instinctively even though he was not stupid enough to talk at a dangerous time like this. A mild silence ensued as they tensely waited for the beast to show its hideous face.

After a while, it was clear that they were okay. It took Mochi this long to notice how her hair was clinging around his body for dear life. She slowly moved the hand away from the second mouth. He turned around to check if the coast was clear before turning back to her. He brought good news: they could rest for a while. The breath that she was holding for so long released via a quiet sigh of relief. Now it was time for her to be scolded as the hero called her out on her actions. He was justified in doing so; it was clear that this wasn't a place for clueless students like her. Her mind processed the situation once more and the emotional floodgates reopened as her eyes watered once more.

"I....In Japan, I used to go running in the woods in the more rural parts. I was looking for somewhere to exercise, and I jogged into the forest because it reminded me of home..."

Mochi's words were spoken in a soft, gentle whisper.

"...B-B-But then I got lost.....I couldn't find my way back to the path I was on, and so I ended up here...."

Anxiety took over the frightened youkai as tears bubbled out of her oculars again.

"Go....Gomen...Gomenasai!!"

She restrained herself to a whisper, but the Japanese term was more audible than her explanation. The girl leaned onto his body and sobbed quietly. She was whispering more words under her breath, but they were difficult to hear and it was all in Japanese. Part of her hair moved to rub the girl's back comfortingly as she whimpered.

@"Karlos_Baron"

His touch was comforting. Normally she'd be embarrassed by being this up close to a guy, especially one that she didn't know, but she needed comfort. He was her protector now. The way he shielded her from harm made her fall for him. She couldn't help but see him through rose-colored lenses; this attractive hunk of a werewolf was saving her behind. Her cheeks burned red as she cried on his shoulder. She nuzzled up close to him as the tears lessened. Despite having told her off, he was still there to calm her nerves. This situation was straight out of a romance novel.

Her ears picked up his name, and he confirmed his race for her. He was indeed a werewolf, and his name was Sebastian. Sebastian seemed like a suitable name for him. She slightly tilted her head up a bit to glance at him directly.

"Mochi...My name is Mochi."

She was so focused on relaxing and remaining within his embrace that she forgot to warn him about her own race. Yes, the youkai had a certain trait that was sure to weird anyone out should they be caught unaware. His question reminded her as she then realized she didn't return the favor of giving her race.

"I'm a futakuchi-onna.....and the voice you heard--"

"--Was me kid. Name's Jouka."

Turns out that there was a second mouth on the back of her head, and it had a gruff, manly voice. Jouka decided to cut the girl off so he could introduce himself.

"Futakuchi-onna are a type of youkai......they are women cursed with a second mouth and living hair after fulfilling certain conditions."

Mochi was one of them. The elephant in the room revealed what it was hiding under its mask.

@"Karlos_Baron"

Sebastian expressed surprise over her abnormality. This was no shock to her; after all, there didn't seem to be anyone like her at school. She hadn't found another futakuchi-onna yet. His compliment caused her to blush as he smiled at her. He was such a good guy; she was so fortunate to have someone so loyal and strong by her side. To think that he was so insistent on saving her behind was nothing short of admirable. Jouka approved of his actions as well.

"Thank you..."

Mochi noticed the glowing yellow eyes and knew it was a sign for them to move. She already regained her breath and was ready to move on his count.

"Yes, I can keep running."

In that moment, he made a promise to her: that he would protect her. It was such a simple but strong promise that pulled her heart strings quite a bit. She had almost never heard someone say that to her. The closest situation was Eros, and it wasn't as bad of a situation as now. While she respected Eros as a friend and was happy to have met him, it seemed to be Sebastian whom was attracting her. The girl move right when the werewolf did. She ran quickly, but she noticed that the monster was gaining speed on them. Her nerves rolled in as she clung tight to her savior's hairy hand as they bolted through the forest.

@"Karlos_Baron"