Chapter 8 & 9-Into the Nevernever

Chapter 8

Robbie let go of my hand.
Had we really arrived already? My feet hadn't left the ground, not even for a second. It was as if I had just walked a few paces forwards, but into a completely different world.
The distant grumbling sound of the motorway had disappeared, and a thick silence hung in the air. Letting go of Robbie's hand I opened my eyes, and almost got blinded by a sudden burst of sunlight. I winced, bringing up my hand in an attempt to shield my eyes. I wasn't used to this, living in the city and all, most of the sunlight was blocked out by the tall buildings and impossibly high skyscrapers. I took this opportunity to take in my surroundings, and couldn't help but gasp in amazement at what I saw.

Undergrowth surrounded us on each side, rustling lazily in the cool breeze. Trees as tall as the eye could see dotted the area, their leaves a strong dark green. We stood amongst what appeared to be a jungle, wild and tangled. Streaks of pale light sliced through the canopies overhead, dappling the forest floor which was strewn with ferns and loose debris. However, besides all this I couldn't pass over the fact that it looked a lot more mysterious, ominous than what firsts meets the eye. The place didn't look anything like the normal everyday forests that you see in the real world.
It was only then that I realized I was gawking at the scenery like a fish. I turned my surprised gaze onto Robbie. My jaw didn't close, if anything it dropped open even more as I saw who stood before me now.
The boy had changed, not only in features but in dress wear too. His hoodie and jeans had been replaced with fine looking handmade garnishes, by the looks of things they appeared to be made completely out of leaves and bits of rope. His once defined cheekbones were sharper, and his emerald eyes brightened, now a piercing poison green. Robbie's hair too, seemed a lot redder now, like a fire was placed atop his head.
He looked absolutely amazing, and I found my cheeks burning with a new heat. "Rob-"I was cut off abruptly when the Fey boy raised his hand.
"Puck, everyone calls me Puck here" He grinned widely, flashing that movie star smile that had all the girls swooning over at school. My eyes widened even more,
"I knew it! I knew you weren't just some ordinary Faerie!" I couldn't believe how fast my words were coming out of my mouth. Robbie- or Puck as he called himself threw back his head and laughed,
"Don't get too ahead of yourself Snowdrop." He opened up his arms, closed his eyes, and turned his face into the direct sun. For a moment the Faerie just stood there as if it had been months since he had last breathed this air. "Oh, and by the way, you look very much like a Bean Sidhe with your mouth hanging open like that."
A what?
Feeling my jaw starting to ache, I closed it with a snap. "So, this is the Nevernever then?" I wanted to get this mission into gear ASAP, there was no time to waste.
"Yes. But you see, the Nevernever is split up into... three main parts. The Seelie court, The Unseelie court, and the Wyldwood."
"Where are we now?"
"This is the Wyldwood. As you can probably tell." Puck explained, coming to stand beside me. He had lowered his voice a couple of octaves, keeping it as quiet as possible.
"And this piece of land doesn't belong to either of the courts?"
"Yes."
"Why are you whispering?"
"I'm not whispering."
I let out a breath of exasperation, "Okay then, why are you speaking like there could be someone listening to our conversation?" The Fey boy glanced sidelong at me, the side of his mouth quirked up in the form of a half-smile.
"Because this is the Wyldwood. Surely you don't expect us to be the only ones here Snowdrop."
Understanding dawned on me and a cold spot formed in the pit of my stomach. I simply nodded once, trying from here on to speak as little as possible.
"Come on, let's get moving" Puck murmured, heading in one direction. I made a move to follow him when suddenly, the back of my skull tingled with the sensation of being watched. Icy claws seemed to scrape down my back, and I froze on the spot. A snapping of a twig echoed through the silence, startling a nearby pigxie which took to the air and disappeared out of sight. I looked at Puck who had also stopped walking, and was now scanning the undergrowth carefully, listening.
A rustle came from behind, followed by another, and another, drawing nearer.
Then Puck grabbed my arm and yanked me in another direction, "Run" He hissed. A little dazed I did as I was told, and together we fled.
A growl sounded behind, and shortly after heavy pawsteps thundered after us, the undergrowth snapping and groaning in their wake. "What the hell is that?" I panted, half to myself, though I was afraid to hear the answer.
"Mngwa." Even though Puck seemed to be running at the same speed as I, he didn't appear tired at all. The scarce undergrowth began to get thicker as we ran deeper into Wyldwood, thorns tugged and tore at my clothes, twigs and other loose debris clung to my hair and my legs were beginning to ache. I was hardly aware of my backpack which was still strapped to my shoulders.
Puck darted back and forth in a zig zag motion, all the while pulling me along beside him so that I didn't fall behind. That was another thing to know about The Fey, when running from them be sure to do it right, this meant zig zagging rather than running in a straight line, like I did in that alley no more than a week ago. You wouldn't want to get caught in direct firing range of an Elf's arrow, or get impaled by a Goblins sharp spear.
Thinking about that dark night only enhanced my knowledge of The Fey's cruel nature, which terrified me even more knowing that we were currently being chased by one. The crimson haired Faerie pulled me in different directions, seeming to know exactly where he was going. I followed at his side, barely being able to think straight about where we were headed. Thanks to Puck, our pursuer was slowly falling behind. My body was growing weaker, and weaker still, and I knew that eventually I wouldn't be able to continue.
"Puck- I...I can't...keep going for much longer" I gasped, aware of the dreadful stitch in my side. My heart was pounding a thousand beats a minute, I was running so fast I could barely feel my legs.
Then, just as I was about to give up the sound from behind dropped into complete silence. I looked at Puck, puzzled.
Did we really just loose it?
Sensing that the danger was over the Faerie slowed his pace, until we finally stopped in the middle of what appeared to be an overgrown clearing, a wall of some sort towering high above us on one side. Immediately I collapsed onto the long grass, and began to work on regaining my breath. I panted heavily, whereas Puck remained unfazed, looking at me intently.
"What?" I rasped, narrowing my eyes at him, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm mortal remember? Not some inhuman Faerie who never seems to tire." I didn't even bother to sustain the edge in my voice as I said the second part.
I could tell he was waiting for something, for his muscles were tense, and his jaw set. "You might want to get up Snowdrop." He said carefully. I blinked at him like he was crazy,
"What? Why? We have just escaped a deadly so-called Mngwa after running about 5,000 miles. What could possibly be so important that I can't even get a moment to breathe? It's over isn't it?" My voice was gruff, I was still recovering.
"Oh no Snowdrop, it's just beginning." He grinned. For some reason or another, I greatly disliked his words.
A sense of foreboding washed over me, and before I could even open my mouth to reply a loud snarl split through the silence. A shadow passed over my head, then a creature landed gracefully before me, my eyes widened in shock as I gazed at the beast.
It was bigger than anything I had ever seen, easily 3-4 or so heads above Puck, and appeared to look like an overgrown tabby cat. The Faerie's razor sharp claws were unsheathed from four, huge grey paws, glinting in the sunlight like deadly daggers. Two beady black eyes glared at me from across the clearing. I didn't dare move for it would only set the Mngwa charging after us.
This isn't good.
I glanced sidelong at Puck to find out if he had any idea on how to get out of this, he however didn't look my way, and had his face set in a determined expression.
What is he thinking? I was getting desperate now, my panic was rising and soon I would be running again.
The gigantic Faerie drew back its lips in a snarl, revealing sharp yellowed teeth. It didn't look friendly at all.
But why hasn't it attacked yet? Could it be waiting for us to make the first move?
I took a hesitant step backwards, and the beast growled in warning, taking a threatening pace forwards, then another, and another still, drawing nearer. Eventually my panic finally bubbled over, and I turned, preparing to flee. But when I swung around, the Mngwa was in front of me again, gaining on me with each painful step, cornering me against the solid wall. I cursed under my breath, by heart thundering against my rib cage, like a wild animal trying to break free from its confined cage.
Bunching its muscles I could tell it was about to pounce, and I drew up my arms in front of my face protectively.
Then, Puck was at my side, grinning widely. I noticed now that he was holding a dagger in each of his hands. "I believe you're being incredibly unreasonable." He addressed the huge tabby cat, placing his body firmly between me and the creature.
"Puck" I hissed, "What are you doing? You'll get yourself killed!" Was he crazy? He could never defeat such a monstrosity.
The Fey boy looked over his shoulder and winked at me, "Don't worry Snowdrop, I know what I'm doing." The Mngwa had obviously had enough of playing cat and mouse, and charged forwards, caterwauling straight for Puck. My heartbeat quickened as I realized that the boy had no time to move out of the way, and a scream lodged in the back of my throat at the thought of him getting crushed by his opponent.
The Mngwa pounced, landing squarely on top of Puck, but the moment it swiped its deadly claws, the red haired faerie burst into a cloud of leaves and twigs.
What the-
A loud laughter broke out among us, and across the clearing I saw Puck. The tabby cat snapped its head around, trying to find the source of the noise. When its eyes came to rest on Puck it didn't hesitate, and was soon charging at him again.
"I told you I knew what I was doing." Looking to my side I saw the handsome faerie standing beside me, grinning madly. I blinked in confusion, my eyes darting back to where the other Puck was now swiping at the Mngwa, a wide grin from ear to ear plastered on his face.
"How are you doing that?" I questioned, frowning in confusion. It was a pretty stupid question of course. Puck had all sorts of tricks up his sleeve, he was a Faerie after all. He simply flashed, that mesmerizing smile, and my knees weakened just a bit. Then he was gone again.
I guess he has that kind of effect on people.
A hostile snarl came from my right, and I looked back at where the huge Faerie was at this point surrounded by ten or so different taunting Puck's, swiping at as many as it could, but of course not making any decent progress. Every time one of the Puck look-alikes got caught or bitten they disappeared in a whirlwind of debris. I watched as the Mngwa swung its head from side to side in frustration, the Fey dancing out of the way of its blows like agile wisps of mist.
Unfortunately the thrill of beating the creature was short-lived.
The Mngwa, by the looks of things realized what was happening and had now stopped in its struggles, glaring at each of the laughing Faeries through cold narrowed eyes. Then it snarled loudly, and launched itself at the nearest Puck, causing the boy to disappear. Swinging around 180 degrees it barrelled towards the others, not stopping before its huge body slammed into each of them, causing the air to erupt in dozens of leaves. The panic returned to my body as I glanced around for Puck, the real Puck. What if he so happened to be amongst all his allies? About to get ripped to shreds? There were now only a few of the look-alikes left. I kept searching until I felt his presence beside me, and craned my neck to fortunately see him standing next to me, unharmed. A look of grim surprise etched into his expression as he watched the last Puck disappear in a frenzy of dust. He had obviously only been able to hold the beast off for a certain amount of time.
A loud roar echoed around the clearing, and the Mngwa turned to face us, its eyes smouldering with anger. Okay, now it is pissed.
In a split second it was hurtling towards us, heavy paws pounding the ground beneath, claws flinging up loose bits of moss in their wake. I looked behind me, we were backed up against the wall again.
Crap! There was no way out of this one, no way of escape.
I narrowed my eyes, there was nothing we could do now. I placed myself in front of Puck, my limbs trembling. I don't know what made me do it, but something just screamed 'Protect!' in my mind.
The monster made a final leap, its sharp claws extended towards me. My head pounded, my heartbeat miles ahead of the rest of my body. I closed my eyes, bringing up my arms. If only there was something I could do...Anything...
Stop!

Chapter 9

So many thoughts and visions of people I knew ran through my mind. My friends, Kelsie, Dan. Little Izzy who I would never get to see again and poor Mom at home all alone, her eyes reddened and swollen. It opened a new hole in my heart in that split second as my life flashed before my eyes.
The deafening sounds of fierce snarls and claws flashing through air immediately stilled into nothing, catching me by surprise. I listened carefully but the only thing that could be heard was my heart, vividly beating against my rib cage. There was no feeling of pain, nothing that would indicate I was in the process of dying. There was just, silence.
I had always been told that before you die, you feel nothing but peace. Right now that was the opposite as to how I felt. I found myself instead pawing at the ground with my feet, making sure that I was still standing which appeared to be true. I was aware of Puck whose breath tickled the back of my neck, sending warm shivers down my spine. That only meant one thing,
I'm alive?
Gingerly I opened my eyes, keeping my firm stance as I dreaded the thought of what I might see. It turned out to be far from what I expected.
The huge tabby watched me intently 3 or so meters away. Where a once fearsome creature stood now sat the Mngwa quietly, completely absorbed by the two before it. My heartbeat began to slow as the silence remained, stretching out for miles, and I frowned deeply, completely puzzled.
Shouldn't it have attacked by now?
I almost gaped in shock, the Mngwa didn't budge, and I snapped my head around to Puck, seeking an explanation. I was regarded only with a nervous stare.
"Puck?"
He deliberately avoided my eyes then, and rubbed the back of his neck as if embarrassed. "Oh, um, you didn't know, did you? I was going to tell you..."
I was still aware of the creature only tail lengths away, and kept my voice as low as possible. Maybe this was all a trick, maybe the cat was just waiting for the precise moment to strike.

"What? Know what?" I hissed, shooting anxious glances in the direction of the Mngwa. It however remained seated, barely moving an inch. Its yellow eyes still pierced my skin, sending shivers up my arms and neck.

"Don't worry, it won't attack, at least not now that it knows."
My eyes darted back to the red haired faerie, and then the beast again. Now that is knows? What could that mean? I cautiously took a step towards the Mngwa, aware encase it so happened to attack again. But it remained still. Taking a deep breath I risked another step in its direction, and as I approached held out my hand, showing that I wasn't a threat. This time the cats orb like eyes narrowed slightly, however it made no move. I hesitated for a moment, my hand hovering mere inches away from the Faerie, before I decided to drop it. Perhaps the creature didn't appreciate being touched.
"Why aren't you attacking?" I whispered, frowning as I watched its eyes slowly begin to de- narrow.
"Snowdrop, we should really get going and set up camp somewhere before long."
I barely noticed the eagerness in Pucks tone, my gaze completely for the creature before me. I racked my brain for any possible explanation as to why the Mngwa was behaving the way it was, but each time only ended up at a dead end. Could it be under some form of enchantment? Of course, anything was possible in the realm of Faery. Although, it didn't seem to be that, clearly the beast was not completely friendly and still had a mind of its own.
Puck called me again, and this time I craned my neck to look at him, "Uh, yeah, sorry." I murmured, "On my way." Picking up my duffel bag from the ground I was thankful to find everything still inside. I swung it over one shoulder and carefully backed away from the Mngwa.
As I approached Puck I noticed a look of strain on his face, as if he was arguing with himself on the inside. Was something wrong? The fear that Puck had been struck by the creature drifted into mind, and I found my eyes darting up and down his lean body, trying to catch a glimpse of any evidence to suggest that he had been hurt. But he was completely fine, not one scratch on him.
"So, where are we headed?" I asked nervously, coming to stand beside him.
"If we travel fast enough we can reach the Centre of the Wyldwood before too long. Then we can rest for a little while." One of the things I liked about Puck was that he was always on point and ready for anything. It was a characteristic of his that was somewhat alluring.
"Right." I agreed, though somehow not quite liking the idea of walking deeper into the Faerie invested place. Then there was that part of me that was still curious about the Mngwa, and I kept shooting quick glances behind as we began our trek once more. Just before we disappeared into the thickly set undergrowth, I looked back over my shoulder a last time, and sure enough the tabby cat still sat there, its eyes never leaving our two retreating forms.

As we walked through the eerily silent Wyldwood my mind couldn't help but wonder. I took in my surroundings, dumbfounded by the amount of beauty it consisted of. I had never seen anything like it before. It was odd, how I felt when amongst the thick vines and tall trees. Even though it was a place I was not familiar with I almost felt...comfortable.
"It's wonderful isn't it?" I heard Puck say aloud, breaking the silence. "I have always loved the Wyldwood. I used to hunt here all the time when I was young you know."
"Hunt? Here? You're crazy. With all the beasties around, I think the last thing I would take pleasure in is throwing myself into danger like that." I replied gruffly.
Puck glanced at me, and flashed pearly white teeth in the form of a smile. There was a look of knowing in his eyes that I swore I hadn't seen before, like he knew something I didn't. "You seem to forget that most of us Fey have grown up living amongst the courts, and here in this very place. We thrive for danger and risks."
"Even if it means getting yourself killed?" I shot back, though kept my voice low. I wouldn't want to run into any more monsters possibly lurking nearby that was for sure.
The Fey boy thought for a moment, "Not necessarily." He looked ahead again, "Here we get to make our own decisions. Unless of course you're ordered to do something by the king or queen. Like me, many faeries are used to the Nevernever and all its 'Beasties." I noticed how Puck emphasized the last word, clearly quoting what I had said. "Unlike mortals, the fey have a way of..." He tried to find the right words, "forgetting the danger and just focusing on the fun."
I nodded a few times in understanding, dwelling on this new information. I knew The Fey were born as wild, careless creatures. Well, especially those that belonged to the Wyldwood anyway. But the fact that they seemed near enough fearless puzzled me. From all the books I had read about the Fair Folk, from all the plays and movies created by famous poets and directors, The Fey had always feared something, one way or another. Even if it was just something small, it was impossible to not feel fearful sometimes. "That's strange..." I spoke my thoughts aloud, "I never thought it was possible to not be in fear of something." I glanced at the boy beside me. In that split second his expression darkened so slightly it was barely noticeable.
"Oh no Skylar. The Fey can feel fearful. The Fey fear many things."
"Like what-"
"Shouldn't be too long now, we have been lucky. Usually I would have faced at least three Wyldwood beasts by now." He smiled, that look completely gone from his face. I closed my mouth, deciding not to push the subject any further. Clearly this wasn't something Puck wanted to talk about.
Instead I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Samsung, something I did so casually without even knowing it half of the time. I looked at the screen- black, completely dead. "That's strange." I murmured again with a frown, pressing the on button with no effect. "I charged it before school, it should still have battery."
Puck chuckled beside me, shaking his head. "You really don't know much about the Nevernever do you?"
"I know enough thank you very much."
"You forget that the realm of Faeries is not the same as the human world, Snowdrop. " Puck continued, chopping a rather strange looking vine in half as we walked. "Mobile devices don't work let alone exist here, neither does time itself."
I rolled my eyes, and shoved it back into my pocket, "Of course they don't." I sighed, my mind wondering again. It was no surprise that mobiles didn't work here, after all, The Fey did not live with technology, let alone know about it. But time? Time was what made the world, whether the real or the fantasy. How did night turn into day, or day turn into night? Surely the Nevernever must have days. And what about aging? You cannot age without time.
You forget that the realm of Faeries is not the same as the human world... Puck's words lingered at the back of my mind.
So it was likely that the Nevernever really didn't have time. Or days...or even Faeries that age for that matter. But that would mean that there was no night nor day. Or no old Fey. How absurd it was to think any world could be that unusual. But, then again, to them our world was just as dangerous, just as confusing...just as bad as theirs.
We continued the rest of the journey in complete silence, the light breeze which blew through the thick undergrowth the only sound to be heard. I could have sworn I heard a howl somewhere not too far away, though I passed it over as a mere figment of my imagination when it died into nothing.
As we neared the centre of the Wyldwood I noticed how it appeared to get darker, mostly in colour. I was about to complain how I could have sworn we had been walking for hours, when Puck stopped beside me. "Well, here we are." He murmured, looking around the rather small clearing that we had walked into.
"Here?" I muttered, taken by surprise. "Right where we're exposed to whatever is around?" Puck couldn't possibly mean we would be sleeping on the floor. That was a terrible, terrible idea.
"Have you any better ideas?" He replied with a raise of his eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. I frowned deeply as I thought for another solution, and before long I had one.
"We could sleep in the trees?" I suggested, gesturing with my chin to the thick objects surrounding the area. "We would be on higher ground, and it would be trickier for anything that wants to get to us."
"I was waiting for you to come up with something like that." He chuckled, tilting his head to one side as he watched me. "The trees it is then."