Pointy and Poisonous

On a bright breezy day, not too hot, not too cold, the lively trees sway with the wind. Sunlight comes through only from a few loops in between the tall trees. Leaves shimmering bright under the sun, almost crystallizing. Chirps and squeaks of life surround them like stars that explode in the night sky. The scent of nature swirls around as if it’s going somewhere.

Two friends go on an escape away from the city, towards the loving arms of mother nature. One with hair as red as a rose, eyes of emerald green, beauty marks spread across her rosy cheeks, and a smile sweeter than honey. Another with hair as white as snow, eyes of pure blood, and skin as pale as can be. Both with the ability to bring life to nature around them. Meadow and Kuznite go on a hike, in hopes of finding a new companion and adding life to their treehouse.

“Hey, wait up! My shoelaces are loose again.” Kuznite shouted.

“Again?? You just tied them like 5 minutes ago!” Meadow exclaimed.

“It’s not my fault they designed shoelaces to come off every 20 steps I take” Kuznite replied.

“Hate to break it to you, but they’re not designed to do that. Here, let me help” Meadow offered as she crouched down to help Kuznite tie their shoes.

They continue their journey across the forest path, full of hope. They encounter many different creatures along the way. Not long after walking, they spot a small rodent with a smooth bushy tail, running up and down the tree bark, collecting food for winter. With cheeks as stretchy and squishy as can be, razor-sharp two front teeth made for cutting through hard shells, and large eyes with enhanced sight. As Kuznite reached out towards the tree bark to try and touch the critter, it leaped off from the tree branch and landed right on top of their hair.

“AAAAAAAAAHAGDASDSAH GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFFFFFFF” Kuznite panicked.

“SWEET MOTHER THERESA WHAT DO I DO” Meadow exclaimed.

While Kuznite skipped around in circles, panicking, Meadow gently wrapped the vines from the trees around its bushy tail and removed it from Kuznite’s head. Turns out, those little cheeks didn’t mean any harm but simply thought that Kuznite’s hair was its nest, so it started stomping on their head in attempt to “warm it up”. All the scratches and ruckus caused Kuznite’s hair to puff up and look even more like a nest. When they both looked up, dozens of dark pairs of eyes looked down at them, ready to strike.

“…run- RUUUNNNN” Meadow shouted as she pulled Kuznite and herself away from the trees.

They continued along the rocky-mossy path, occasionally looking up to the trees to make sure no little demons were still following Kuznite’s hair. Then, they stumbled upon a still and quiet fella. Shell hard as a rock, meant to protect its fragile body. Glassy bright colours spread like crystal shards around the shell. Kuznite gives it a gentle knock, and a head slowly emerges. It’s eyes taking so much time just to open and see the sights out there. Which in this case, is two teenagers with big doe eyes admiring it.

Meadow and Kuznite spent another 15 minutes staring and waiting for it to do something, even the slightest nod or crawl. But no, it stayed there, not moving an inch, with not a care in the world. Technically, it is living life to the fullest by sleeping.

“Hmm I don’t think it’s going to do anything” Kuznite said.

“Well, were you expecting it to do a backflip? It’s a tortoise, it’s meant to just… exist” Meadow argued.

“Okay okay jeez, no need to be aggressive about it” Kuznite grunted. “Let’s just continue”

“Whatever you say, short-stack” Meadow called. Kuznite tried to argue with the nickname but deep down, they know that Meadow isn’t wrong.

They then came across a large log, damp from the recent rains. Many other logs scattered around like fallen soldiers. Mushrooms spread all around them, feeling at home. Kuznite reached for one of the logs, hoping to take a souvenir home with them. Something sharp shot out of the log like a bullet, nearly striking Kuznite. It was a crystal quill that pierced the tree bark.

“YIKES WHAT WAS THAT” Kuznite exclaimed