Midnight Forest chapter 5

I woke up and the first thing I see is Jak’s face.  I made a mixture of words and squeaks and hit him, “Don’t do that, you little freak.”  He giggled and curled up beside me.  Aubrey laughed slightly.  I petted Jak’s head and sat up.  Aubrey had found my polishing rags for my swords and was polishing his swords and knives.  He had two swords that he can make into one and seven or eight daggers and throwing knives around him.  I wonder where he kept them all… I looked at my clock, it was 9:13.  I had good enough sleep…. 1

Aubrey kept looking at his weapons, but said, “What is your friend…?  I felt something about her, Neko was her taken name.” 2

I blinked for a second, “She’s a leopard. We are teaching each other how to hide our....er.. our, I guess auras. So when we fight, we can't be so easily detected.” 3

“Now that you say that, I feel the same thing in you.” 4

I looked at him.  I probably looked confused, I felt it.  Because I’m just human. “What do you feel in us?” 5

He thought for a moment. “You know how you feel a lycanthrope?” I nodded.  “Well, it’s the same principle.  You just feel a little different then them.” 6

I nodded, “Ah…” I looked a Jak.  He had fallen asleep again.  He was curled up against the back of my legs.  It didn’t bother me anymore, I know he’s just a touchy-feely person, he feels comforted when he's curled up by someone.  He doesn’t have his own pard, which is just a group of leopards.  I guess I’m the closest one to it, other than Neko.  If you think about it, that’s a scary thought… 7

I finally got out of bed and wandered about my room.  I fed my fish and wandered back to near my bed and looked at Jak.  He was looking at me all cute like.  I groaned, “Gah! What?”  He just grinned.  “What? Do you want some food or something? .....You can talk you know, you’re not all cat…”  He was laughing now, I heard Aubrey behind me laugh lightly. 8

Jak finally calmed down, “Do you have any food I could fix up or something?” 9

“Yes, I always do. I keep it stocked for when I have unexpected visitors, but mainly you.  You’re always eating.” I was grinning. “Follow me, I’ll get what you want.”  I looked at Aubrey “Do you want anything, too?” 10

He nodded, “Yes please.” 11

I started off into the kitchen and the boys followed.  I got out some food and made Jak cook it.  He’s a really good cook. 12

I finished eating first.  So I pulled out my miniature notebook thing out of my cargo pant’s pocket and started writing.  That’s what I do on my little spare time.  Either write or read. 13

Aubrey looked at me and asked, “What are you writing?” 14

I stopped for a moment, “Oh, just a story I’ve been doing for a little while.”  He nodded. 15

“What’s it about?” Jak asked. 16

Again, I stopped. “Nothing much… Just something that is close to my real life, but has a little fiction in it.  It’s going somewhere slowly, I think.  But I’m just writing what ever pops up into my mind…” 17

“'K.”  He went back to eating. 18

I forgot what I was going to write, so I closed my booklet.  Then I remembered something.  “Neko is coming over today.”   19

Aubrey just nodded and Jak got all exited, “Yay! I like Neko.  It’s nice having another leopard around.” 20

I smiled lightly and stood up then sighed.  Oh, yeah, I need to jog… “You guys can stay here, or go with me, what ever, but I need to do my jogging.  I’ll be right back, I need to change first.”  I went off to my bedroom and changed into decent jogging clothes.  I came out and found Jak stretching with the back of the couch.  “Are you going to come with me? 21

He nodded.  I looked over at Aubrey.  “What about you?” 22

He looked over at me, “Do you have any weights or something?” 23

I grinned, “Yeah, we have a workout, slash, training room over there; the second door on the right.” I pointed towards a doorway. 24

“Thanks.”  he headed towards the doorway. 25

“Ok, Jak, lets go.” I got a water bottle and went to the door, Jak following.  There are no ghosts around my house except my mother and the poltergeist, or maybe one or two wandering ghosts.  We jogged for about two miles out, chatting a little of the time.  We didn’t meet anyone… or anything on the way. 26

On our way back to the house, with about a mile left, Neko pulled up beside me and Jak.  “Do you want a ride the rest of the way?”  Jak smiled very happily.  If he had a tail, it would be wagging wildly.  I grinned at that though. 27

“Sure. Jak, get in.” Neko’s car is nice. It was a hummer.  It had compartments everywhere inside of it.  Most of them hidden.  You can hide a bunch of useful spare weapons and things.  Jak opened the back door and got in, I took the passenger seat.  Neko looked over at me, “Have a nice night?” 28

I looked over at her. “Not really…  First there was Jenricho-“ 29

“Jenricho? The vampire?”  I nodded. “Did he break anything?” 30

I grinned a little, “No, Aubrey had killed him.  He’s at home, bye the way.  I think he’s still in the workout room.”  We pulled into the driveway and Neko stopped and just looked at me. 31

“Yeah, tell me the story of it when we get inside… I wish I was there” She grinned. Then looked over at Jak.  “And where were you while they were fighting Jenricho?” 32

Jak grinned, “I was getting stuck into a tree.  I found Aubrey with his shirt off, on Damia’s bed. He was stripping for her.”  He giggled then ran as far away as he could get from me in the hummer.  Neko cocked her eyebrow up, questioningly. 33

“Shut up, Jak. You know he wasn’t.” I just shook my head at Neko. “No, he needed another shirt. His other one had too many blood stains on it to wear.” 34

She nodded her head with a look of mock misbelieving. “Ah, yeah. Ok...” 35

Aubrey walked out of the house. “Hi, Neko.... I thought we had felt you guys.” 36

“Hey, Aubrey.” Neko looked him over, he wasn’t wearing a shirt again. Jak wandered past Aubrey into the house, Neko following, Then me. Aubrey closed the door behind us. 37

Neko turned around and looked at me and Aubrey. “Ok. Now you two are going to tell me what happened with Jenricho.” She grinned, “But first, Aubrey put on a shirt. You’re distracting … Damia.” 38

I just shook my head. Aubrey grinned and went to fetch his shirt out of the work out room. 39

I started telling what had happened starting from when Jenricho stepped out from behind the tree. Aubrey came back in and added some details, and then told her about Malachi. Jak was frolicking around the house somewhere. With him you never know what he’s up to. 40

We got finished and Neko nodded. I grinned, “So, what have you been doing as of late?” 41

Neko grinned, “I’ve just been lying around. Then I came over here and found all this out.” 42

Aubrey stood up. “Damia, if you don’t mind, our fingers have been itching since I saw them. Can I play with your toys?” He looked over to our weapon collection on the wall. 43

I laughed. “Go ahead, just don’t break anything.” 44

He looked at me, with mock surprise, “Now, why would I ever do a thing like that? I might borrow one someday.” We all grinned. 45

Then Jak came out of nowhere and pounced Neko. “Ack!” I got up and left them wrestling on the floor like kittens. 46

I went over and sat on the couch. Aubrey was inspecting the wall, and testing a few of the weapons. Neko and Jak were still play wrestling. “Hey! Watch the TV!” Neko blinked and caught the TV before it fell. Jak had run into it. I grinned at their innocent expressions. “You two go frolic in another room, preferably somewhere where nothing will get broken.” Jak and Neko grinned and ran off into the room with Aubrey. There is a lot of floor space. 47

Aubrey looked over at me, holding a nice katana. He flipped it to where he was holding the hilt and grinned. “Damia, do you want to play?” I’m guessing it was Malachi, Aubrey isn’t usually that happy looking. 48

I raised an eyebrow. “Malachi?” 49

He smiled and nodded, “How did you guess.” 50

“Well, your voice goes down, just a tiny bit, and you keep smiling and grinning, Aubrey’s just not that smiley.” 51

Neko and Jak were on the floor looking at Aubrey, or Malachi, or how ever you want to put it. Jak started giggling for no apparent reason. 52

Malachi blinked and looked down at Jak, “What, my furry little friend, is so funny?” Neko was grinning too. 53

I just shook my head, “Don’t worry, just ignore them.” I grinned. “Their antics are only known to them selves.” I looked back at Malachi. "Sure, we can play, as long as there isn’t any or very little blood shed, I don’t want to clean up.” We both grinned. 54

He grabbed another katana off the wall, and flipped it to me. It was a perfect toss, I caught it easily by the hilt. The katana he flipped me was one of my favorites, yay. It has black leather all around it. 55

“Follow me, we have practice mats in the room past the workout room.” I started off, Malachi following behind me. 56

I went to the edge of the room and set down the sheath, then went and stood in the center of the room. Aubrey/Malachi followed suit. I nodded, and he bowed smiling. I took my normal fighting stance, and watched Malachi do the same. We both smiled at each other. Malachi ran at me, his sword sweeping down. I blocked we stood there a second holding the swords in an ‘X’ between us, then we pushed apart. He ran at me again and I blocked his attacks again. “You, my female friend, are a decent fighter.” 57

We broke apart again and started circling each other. “Why thank you, you are quite good at fighting as well.” He ran at me again, sweeping at my side. I went to block it, then saw him brace himself to swing another direction, and changed to block the swing upwards. 58

He skipped backwards, “Shall we take it up a notch?” 59

“What do you mean…. What are you planning.” I watched him wander around me. 60

He grinned and appeared beside me. “I just want to make it a little more fun.” 61

I automatically raised my sword up to defend my side. His sword landed on mine. I slid my sword out from under his and swung at his side, then twirled around with the sword at his neck. I smiled and he grinned. “One for you, my dear. I’m just toying with you.” 62

“What, Malachi,” I blocked another one of his attacks, “exactly are you?” 63

“I, my friend,” He blocked one of my attacks, “am something that baffles your mind.” 64

“Yeah you do…” He disappeared and reappeared behind me, I stabbed back with the sword, I think it hit cloth.. 65

“Two for you.” He came around and appeared in front of me with his sword at my neck. “And one for me.” 66

We broke apart, and started circling each other again. “What are you?” 67

“Hmm, I am…..something” He grinned and struck at me, I blocked. He appeared again behind me his sword resting on my back. “Two for me.” 68

“What is this something that you are?” Oh no, I started it. 69

He grinned, “I am a something that you know not of.” We started circling each other again. 70

Gah, word games, gotta hate them. “Well, you should inform me on the something that I know of not..” 71

“And I shall when I mean to.” I ran at him and struck down, he blocked with our swords above out heads. I kicked him, not very hard, just enough to kick him back onto the floor. I stood over him on his sword with mine at his neck. He grinned. “You are quite well, my friend, but I can still beat you.” He hit my sword aside with his other hand and pushed me over. I landed on the floor. He rolled over and sat on me. He took my sword and made an "X" by my neck with his sword, as if to cut off my head. 72

“Yeah, you’re good, now do you mind getting off of me, I can’t breath” 73

He grinned, “You can breath, or you wouldn’t be talking.” 74

I coughed, “Yeah, but your weight is blocking my air flow. So if you don’t mind. Get off of me.” He kept grinning. 75

Jak came in the room and just shook his head. “I still say he’s been stripping for you when we weren’t looking.” 76

We all laughed. Malachi stood up and offered a hand down to me. I took it and got up. “Well, that was fun. But I still want to know what you are.” 77

“Don’t we all.” He got his scabbard and put it back on the katana and tossed me mine. “We will have to play again some time.” 78

I sheathed my katana and started out the room. Jak followed me, then Malachi. I put my katana back on it’s spot on the wall, Malachi did the same. “If you aren’t going to tell me what you are, then at least give Aubrey back.” 79

He smiled then closed his eyes and blew out his breath. He reopened his eyes, blinking. 80

“Aubrey?” I wonder why it wasn’t as hard to do that as last time. 81

He nodded, “Yeah, I’m back.” 82

“Well that was interesting. How come that didn’t look like it hurt like hell, and when we were fighting Jenricho, it did.” 83

“Because I forced my way back into my self last time, he didn’t want to leave.” 84

“Why…?” 85

“I didn’t know what he was going to do, he gets really devious at times.” 86

“Ah. So you just didn’t trust him.” 87

He nodded, “I just didn’t know if he would try to test you or something.” 88

I looked at him. “Test me…. Test me how?” 89

He sighed. “Probably try to fight you, probably just so see how far he could push you before you gave out.” 90

“I don’t give out, I fight until I can’t any more or the thing I am fighting dies or gives up. Or if I die.” 91

He just looked at me. “Exactly what I mean.” 92

I raised my eyebrows. “Well that’s different. I guess thank you then.” 93

“You don’t have to thank me again, I took your thanks when I killed Jenricho.” 94

I nodded. There was a crash in the other room. Automatically I yelled, “Jak! What did you break this time.” 95

Jak came in glaring at me, “How come you automatically suspect me?” I just looked at him. He looked down. “I broke the lamp…..” 96

Neko came in trying to hold back laughter. “I’ll clean it up.” And turned around an went back into the room. Jak ran after her. If I didn’t know them as leopards, I would suspect them of being lovers. Lovers that share happy pills.97