[IC] This Means War

[liah]

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. "Anything is possible if you want it to be. As long as you try hard enough." I picked a flower and began to examine it. It was dark purple on the edges and lightened to yellow towards the center.

[natcat]

“The war. If anything’s possible if I want it to be then why hasn’t the war ended?” I asked her glancing at her over my shoulder. “I’m sure a lot of people like to think like that, but it’s not realistic.”

[liah]

"Yeah, I know." I trailed off. "But I think... That if you keep that thought in mind, eventually people will believe it will happen. It's kind of like hope... People give up on a lot of things, but they never give up on hope. And eventually hope drives us to what we really want in life... If that makes sense." I mentally face palmed myself. "It sounded a lot better in my head."

[natcat]

I smiled, shoving another branch out of our path. "I guess so. Although, hope doesn't do much unless you do something with it. You've got to have the strength and will behind it." I said wondering if what I was trying to say came out right. "Ah well, maybe it all depends on the steps we take and the way we work with others. One small act can change the fate of billions."

[liah]

"Yeah, you're right about that. I mean, one act is what got this whole war started. One act could definitely finish it." I sighed. "So. Where are you from?" I asked, trying to get on a brighter subject. All this talk of war was getting depressing. That's the last thing we needed at the moment.

[natcat]

I breathed out a sigh, recognising the abrupt change of subject. “Uh, I’m from a town just outside of Til, it’s a pretty small place, one school and a few shops. Mostly industrial.” I told her, picturing the town I grew up in. I could recall the long slow walk home from school in an instant. "What about you?"

[liah]

"A small city, not right outside of Til, but pretty close. Lots of people though. You either know everyone or you don't." I shrugged. I missed home. But a small part of me was happy I wasn't there. I just wished it was under different circumstances.

[natcat]

"One of those places." I nodded knowingly, my town was similar in the way that kids basically ruled who you were. "Which one were you?" I asked picking a leaf off of a passing tree. "Miss Popular or the nobody."

[liah]

"I guess I was a nobody. I damn sure wasn't popular." I sighed. "I mean, I started off with the- I guess what you would call 'popular' clique. But things happen. Girls are mean and you know how the rest goes." I looked up at him.

[natcat]

I raised my eyebrows as I sighed. “Yeah, we all know what high school is like.” I said thinking back to my horrible school. “My dad had an electrical company and I spent all of my time there. I was one of those kids that knew hardly anyone, no one liked and everyone mocked. People can be cruel, and life even crueller if you let it. I try not to let that stuff bother me now though. They didn’t like who I was, but now I’m done with them, I’m somewhere else doing meaningful work and that’s what matters. Back then, I know I didn’t think like that, I was isolated in that town.” I rambled looking ahead into the bush as we walked forwards, pushing aside various plants.

[liah]

"I know what you mean. Not many people liked me either." I said, remembering the dirty looks I'd receieve as I walked down the hall. "It bothered me for a little. I just isolated myself from everyone. Even from the few friends I did have. It got to the point that when people saw me in the hall, they'd say 'Wow, you still go here? I thought you went to another school' But of course I just laughed and continued about my way." I shrugged. "It's ok though." I kicked a pebble in front of me. "It's good that you know your way now though, Sam. It's good you know who you are." I gave him a small smile.

[natcat]

I shrugged. “All I know is that I’m not as bad as they made me out to be.” The only person whose opinion mattered to me was my father’s, so far I wasn’t sure if he even had one. “If I’m here fighting a war and they’re at college studying something I learnt in pre-school, then I know I’m doing something better, even if I’d love to be in their position.” I glanced back at Daisy with a small smile.

[liah]

"Good." I smiled back at him. "Hey, if we went to the same high school, I bet we'd be friends." I laughed a little. I wasn't the type to pick on anyone or look down on them. You never know what could come back to bite you in the butt.

[natcat]

I smiled and laughed lightly. "I'm sure we would've." I agreed turning my head back to look where I was going. It was too late though, one moment sooner and I would’ve saved myself from tripping on a rock and tumbling down a large leafy slope, my backpack flying off of my shoulder and landing in a large puddle of muddy water.

[liah]

I gasped, pausing as Sam disappeared. "What the-?" I went over to where I'd last seen him. He was tumbling down a slope. "Sam!" I called after him. "Are you ok!?" I was scared. I hoped he wasn't hurt. What if he was hurt? What would I do? Why hadn't he answered me yet? "Sam!?" I called again, nervously awaiting a reply.

[natcat]

I gasped, pushing myself up off of the muddy ground. Pushing through some bushes, I stuck a hand up letting Daisy know where I was. “I’m okay!” I shouted up to her hoping she had the brains to stop walking. I winced as my arm throbbed in anger, the tumble down the slope irritating the wound from the day before. “It’s okay. I’m fine.” I said sitting up above the bushes, looking up to where I fell from I could see Daisy looking down worriedly.

[liah]

"Let me go look for something to pull you back up!" I called down to him. Stepping back, I began to quickly retrace our steps. There were tons of long vines and roots sticking out all over the place. All I needed to do now was find one strong enough to pull him back up. After searching for about five minutes, I found a long vine hanging from a tree. I took my knife from my leg where I was hiding it and began to cut it down. Once I got it, I quickly returned. Tossing the vine down, I tied the other end of it to a nearby tree. I just hoped it was long enough to reach him.... I had a feeling it wasn't. But it was worth a try. "Can you reach it?" I asked.

[natcat]

“Hold on, I lost my backpack, it should be down here somewhere.” I said standing up carefully, not wanting to slip over in the mud that I was now covered in. And I meant covered in, literally from head to toe. Wiping what mud I could off of my face, I glanced around the large nature crafted hole and spotted the backpack in a large puddle a bit farther away. “Got it, just give me a second.” I called up to Daisy as I climbed over various plants and sludged through the watery mud to get to my backpack.

[liah]

"Alright." I called down, waiting for him to get back. As I waited, I could hear footsteps coming from behind me. They were light, but they were fast. I bit my lip, not knowing what to do. If I went to go hide and Sam came up, they could capture him. That is, if it wasn't a Jaxlor. Sighing, I grabbing my walkie talkie as quick as I could from my pack and went to go hide.
"Sam. Sam if you've got your bag, don't come up. Someone is coming." I crouched behind a bush, staying low and trying to keep quiet. "Sam. Someone is coming. Don't come back up." I said once more, hoping he could hear me. After my last attempt to talk to Sam, I kept quiet. Whoever it was, was here.

[natcat]

Wading through what had turned out to be some sort of pond rather than a puddle, I finally reach my bag and grabbed it and lifted it up, watching the water fall in streams off of it. Turning around to walk back and go to Daisy, I paused as I heard a crackling noise coming from beside me. Looking at my bag, I knelt down immediately and reached in, searching around for the walkie talkie. Pulling it out, I waited for another message to come through and looked up to where Daisy was. Blinking, I stood up slightly, not being able to see her. “Daisy,” I called out not understanding where she had gone. Had the Jaxlor’s come and taken her while I was preoccupied? Suddenly, another message came through the walkie talkie and I breathed out in relief when I heard Daisy’s voice come through the receiver. Listening and understanding, I immediately ducked down and hid underneath the bushes, hoping my muddy form would blend in with my surroundings.