*trumpet noise*

Um. Hello. So. I don't exactly know how to start this, but I have a little bit of news for anyone who bothers to read this. 

I'm not sure how many people that originally joined this Solo Write are actually still around on the CB, but for those of you who are, I'm talking right to you. Also, I just realized some of the new people will have no idea who I am or what this is. Hello! I'm Clouded Leopard, a CBer who's been here for about two years now. This is my second solo write that I've ever done on Chatterbox (the first is called "CB Spirit Solo Write" and sadly goes under the heading title of "...". You can find it on Inkwell), and I managed to get a little ways into it before I lost motivation, and just kinda... stopped. 

Thankfully, though, I have recaptured that motivation! Take that! I've already written two more parts of the story which I will then post weekly, and after that... I have the whole thing ahead me. I want to finish this story because I like it. I'm interested in it, and I want to see it to completion. If anyone else sticks around, that's just a bonus. So I'm going to try very hard to finish this story, though it may take some time. High school is the worst!! Please bother me if I stop posting for a week. 

Anyways, that's all I wanted to say. MewFour says hi, so does 8-Piece, and I'll see ya when I post the next part... sometime this week.  

Preface: Sooo, I realized this part was pretty long, so I'll be posting the first part of it today and the second half tomorrow. That's all!

- - - -

Part 4: A Work of Art

~~

A whine rose in the forest as bugs flitted around the traveling group’s head, flickering in iridescent colors and flashes of sight. However, despite their fragile beauty, they were also very annoying. “Ow!” Leafpool yelped, swatting at the back of her neck. “Stupid fly…” With a cross expression on her face she waved her hand through the cloud, trying to clear them from her face. Anna watched with a bemused expression, though the next second she gave a squeal as something bit at her own shoulder.

“Who’s all superior now?” Leafpool muttered, glaring at the insects, who didn’t seem to care. In fact, that day had been unusually sweltering, and it was taking a toll on all of the AEs. Complaints had already been flung around, and sweat was on everyone’s forehead. Even MewFour, who was normally unseen without his crisp black suit, had loosened the jacket, revealing a thin white shirt inside. He trailed at the back of the group, appearing to be deep in thought. Several times Quill looked back at him, worry flashing across her face, but she didn’t say anything to it, remaining by Ashlee’s side as the group trekked across the humid rainforest.

Besides being uncomfortably hot, the journey also tended to be… well, a bit boring. Trees after trees after trees got repetitive in short time, even if one of the group members occasionally spotted an animal. Creatures of the Pudding Jungle were much more reclusive than others, due to the area being one of high CBer activity. Of course, the CBers and their AEs tried to be respectful around animal living spaces, but traffic was traffic. They couldn’t help it. All the same, once Cilantro had seen a brilliantly colored parrot soar overhead, four wings extending from its sides instead of just two, and Rae had spotted a lemur-like creature with a tall fin on its head that had stared at the group with moon-wide eyes before flashing away, scaling a tree and disappearing from sight in an instant.

There wasn’t much else in the rainforest, however. The only sources of light were the sun overhead and the stage lights that hung down from the branches of trees, ensconced in vines. Some of their bulbs dimly flickered on and off, while others remained silent and dark. Zoey’s tongue hung from her mouth like a dog’s, though Leafpool suspected that this was likely just for dramatic effect. Sticks crunched under the CBer’s feet as she maneuvered her way through the crowded forest, beginning to regret ever coming on this quest. What was she going to get out of it anyways? Sure, it had seemed dire and terrible when she’d first heard of 8-Piece’s disappearance, and later Secret’s vanishing from the group, but those events both seemed far away and foreign now. She just wanted to get out of those endless, endless, rainforest…

“There!” A voice bursting with excitement broke into Leafpool’s slogging thoughts, and she looked up to see a slight drop in the amount of trees ahead. Foggily she thought it might have been a clearing that only led to more forest, but when they cautiously ventured closer, it became clear that the Pudding Jungle really had finally come to an end.

“Somebody seriously needs to make a map of this place,” Spyro griped, his thin purple tail lashing from side to side as he picked leaves out of his scales.

“Somebody? Why?” Jamie asked innocently, blinking at the dragon. “I didn’t think they were really a map-maker.”

“No, not--” Spyro took a deep breath, closing his eyes with a frustrated growl. “Somebody. Anybody. Anybody is fine. Anybody should make a map.”

“Are they new?” Jamie purred back, barely able to hold back giggling.

Spyro’s only response was a blast of flame near Jamie that scorched the moss black, leaving the other AE to jump away with a peal of laughter.

“So where are we?” Cilantro asked, her sharp green eyes flashing. “I don’t know what it is, but I’m just glad we’re out of that stifling rainforest.” Yawning, she stretched luxuriously. Heat had a way of making one sleepy, very sleepy… Ashlee’s eyes suddenly lit up, a burst of energy filling her body. Leafpool turned, blinking dazedly. She was still feeling the effects of the jungle, and hadn’t quite caught up with Ashlee.

“We’re at the Arts!” she exclaimed, rushing forwards. Another large building lay ahead of this one, but it was nothing like the Masquerade SI. Where that palace was dripping with gold and silver, exquisite and elaborate with spiraling and swirling designs, this building was more like a delicate work of art, with glass panes for the walls and light shining out like the sun was trapped inside. While the jungle trees were left behind the group of sixteen, with their bright colors of green and all hues of flowers, the trees that lay in the far distance seemed more like tall pines, cool and with mist trailing around them. But between the two forests was the sparkling glassy building, and a long river that snaked around it. Stumbling down the grassy hill that led out from the rainforest, which was dotted with bright red and yellow blossoms, they arrived at the sandy shore of the river.

Danie leaned down and dipped a finger in the river, flinching at its chill. “It’s freezing,” she reported, her face creasing with confusion. “Weird.”

“What? Why?” Elementgirl asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because we’re so close to a baking-hot rainforest,” MewFour broke in, a bit obnoxiously. “Temperatures don’t normally just change that quickly, especially so close to one another. So this is a weird river. But it should be that way--this is the River of Dead Threads, more commonly called Thread River. It’s said that when a thread is lost, torn, or forgotten, it falls into this river, and all its content bleeds out, freezing the river with lost memories. But then again, maybe this art gallery chills it instead.” There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at MewFour, surprised by the load of information dumped on them at once. Seeing their incredulous stares, MewFour’s cheeks flushed and he went on the defensive at once, snapping, “What?”

“Where on earth did you get all of that?” Zoey said, looking like she’d had her pride dented a little bit.

“Reading, mostly,” he growled back, deliberately avoiding any eye contact. “I can probably name all the rivers and forests from here to Chirp.”

“...okay,” Danie said, still a bit suspicious.

“Why didn’t you help us find a faster way through Pudding Jungle, then?” Ashlee asked quietly, her gaze piercing his skull. For a moment MewFour’s prickly expression dropped, replaced by something that looked like genuine regret.

“I just forgot,” he continued tersely, raising his barriers again. “I wasn’t thinking about it.” Silence followed, and it was clear that the AE had ended the conversation. Quickly attention shifted away from him, and eventually it was decided that the group of CBers would take the easier and safer route and just travel through the glass gallery. Besides, Ashlee was practically exploding with anticipation at entering the building.

“Alright, let’s go!” Zoey called, waving her hand to the others to move them along. In small groups, spread apart just enough in case something went wrong inside the museum, the sixteen CBers and AEs moved towards the glass museum. It was a curious thing, how they were able to get in. A strip of land jutted out from it, forming a land bridge from the island, of which the gallery sat on while the river teemed all around its close-cut banks. Walking cautiously across the grass rectangle, water rushing by her feet, Leafpool noted how strange it was for this to have naturally formed. Or maybe it wasn’t natural. She couldn’t imagine this perfect bridge and island made solely from sharply sliced grass and dirt by erosion or whatever else, but… that left the question of who made it in the first place.

Part 4: A Work of Art, part II

I just realized that all my parts I've written up till now are so long... oops... 

~~~

She could have continued to peruse on this topic for a moment more, but all thoughts fled her mind when she set foot inside the gallery, swept up in its magnificence for a second. Lights poured down from every corner, from the ceiling, walls, making it seems somehow even brighter from the inside. The museum appeared to go much deeper than it had at first sight, labyrinth-like mazes with paintings and various flat pieces hung up on the walls. Several exquisite sculptures towered in the main hall, and Leafpool could see a few more in paths further back. But the whole place screamed with brilliancy, and a slender and tall sculpture in the front lobby that sparkled with iridescent and metallic hues that seemed like it was glowing from the inside. “Whoa…” Starseeker murmured, her black-scaled body tense with surprise. Silence continued for a few more moments, then Ashlee stepped forwards, her eyes shining like stars.

“I’ve heard of this place!” she murmured, still quiet in awe of its spectacularity. “This is where all the art threads get delivered and hung up. There’s pieces from years ago deep inside these halls!”

“That’s… pretty impressive,” Cilantro admitted, glancing up at the skylight ceiling. Ashlee nodded, though her mind was evidently elsewhere.

“Where’s the exit?” Spyro cut in, his wings ruffling uncomfortably. Leafpool had to agree with him, honestly. Despite the beauty and grace of this gallery, she felt a little walled in, like the glass was a fake sky, only a mirage of the atmosphere. Besides, it felt like being in an oven. Breathing out, she wondered with a prick of annoyance whose genius idea it was to put art inside a giant greenhouse.

“Greetings!” a voice suddenly rang out behind them, sending Leafpool’s heart pounding. She whirled around, a second passing before she processed what she saw. A tall figure, dressed in a blue and black security outfit, stood there, his hands crossed behind his back. His face looked calm and impartial, nothing special about it. But it was his smile that was unnerving to Leafpool. It was wide and bright, but it never flinched. It never wavered. It remained there in all the time she looked at him. “Welcome to the Bluebird Gallery!” he said in a cheerful voice, one that was almost purring. “I’m the greeter; it’s so very nice to meet you all.” He began to walk around the group, gesturing with his hand to the art, smile steadfast as ever. “We’ve many fantastic exhibits for you to see. Would you like me to take you on a tour, or shall I simply direct you to something?”

Zoey stepped up, her brown wingtips fluttering. “No thanks on the tour,” she said, assuming leadership of the whole group. “But you could tell us where the exit is.”

“Leaving so soon?” the tour guide asked, and Leafpool could have sworn she’d seen his smile flicker for just a second. Huh. “Ah, but if that is your intent, I suppose I can lead.” Raising a gloved hand, he pointed to a long hallway that turned at a corner. “Follow that path to its turn, and on your right is the exit.”

“Thanks,” Zoey said, nodding her head and spinning around, marching down the hallway with an important air.

“Please, though…” the guide continued softly. Leafpool, who had lagged at the back, was the only one who caught his words. “Look at some of our exhibits. Our artists do work so hard.” Leafpool turned her head and stared hard at him, but nothing in his expression changed. Finally, when nothing was yielded, she followed her friends and disappeared down the hallway. The guide watched them all leave, his posture stiff. His face seemed to slip, his expression dripping… if Leafpool had looked back, she would have found that she could only see a white and somewhat wooden expanse where his face should have been, a stretching black smile painted on.

Mermaids and fairies, dragons and cats. Wolves and dogs and calligraphy and humans and phoenixes. Leafpool had to admit, it was pretty cool to see all this art here, pristinely made and hung up on the black velvety wall. Still, she was beginning to just want to get out of this gallery. They’d passed a couple exhibits, too many to count, but they all showed art from every single artist who’d ever created something in Cricket. The few she remembered were… Cockleburr Exhibit, Lap R. Exhibit, Clouded Leopard Exhibit, Viola Exhibit, some others… bleh. She was starting to feel a little sick from the closed-in walls and the sweltering heat. Rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand, Leafpool blearily glanced at a large painting that hung next to her.

The rest of the group was already heading for the exit, which turned out to be further away and more confusing to get to than the tour guide had said, but thanks to scouting by Spyro and Rae, they’d gotten there in the end. Leafpool was still at the back of the group, her feet trailing on the tiled gallery floor, and she was easily distracted by the wide-spread canvas. In fact, she stopped long enough for Anna to glance back over her shoulder an wave to Leafpool, who murmured something indistinct about, “Be there in a minute.” Anna raised an eyebrow, but complied.

The painting was about as long as Leafpool was, and showed a battle at sea. Waves raged around a small schooner, which looked hopelessly outnumbered against the thundering storm and the giant black shape that hulked over it, blank white eyes blazing like lightning. The monster’s claws were raised over the boat, about to smash the poor thing into splinters. Leafpool had an urge to reach out and run her hand over the painting, admiring its small and controlled brush strokes. Slowly she moved closer to it, each color becoming more and more visible.

The monster blinked.

Startled, Leafpool jerked away from the painting. Had she really seen that?... but there it was again, tiny flicks of the bright white eyes. “Maybe I shouldn’t--” Leafpool began to say, but it was abruptly muffled when the beast’s image opened its maw, roared once, and plunged out of the painting, filling the small hallway in a second. Leafpool had nowhere to run. She couldn’t even move; her limbs felt like they had been frozen.

Snap.

She was gone.

- - - - - - -

“Whoof! Sure glad to be out of that stuffy place!” Jamie puffed, stretching his arms until they quivered. Quill looked at him reproachfully, her hands crossed on her lap.

“I thought it was fantastic,” she said, shrugging her shoulders at the other AE. “It was really cool to see all those artists there, even if it did drag on… a little bit.” Besides her, Zoey was counting the members of the group, her finger bobbing up and down.

“...twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen--wait,” she stopped, her brow creasing. Starseeker turned her head to her AE, reptilian violet eyes staring.

“What is it?” she asked, her mouth breaking into a yawn.

“There should be sixteen,” Zoey replied, and Starseeker’s blood ran cold. She could have sworn there were only fifteen CBers--after all, why would you cut it off at some other, less round, number?--but if Zoey remembered, and she didn’t… then another person had been taken. Zoey had her hands pressed into her skull, massaging it and muttering under her breath.

“Who was it, who was it, who was it?” Her voice sounded strained, like she was on the verge of tears at her own faulty memory.

“Leafpool,” Jarnen said, looking stricken. “Leafpool’s gone.” Starseeker looked at him with a blank gaze, feeling horrible. She couldn’t think of anyone she had ever known named Leafpool, but the name was too strange to be made up by Jarnen. Her throat felt oddly tight, and she dropped her head onto her claws.

“Leafpool,” she repeated. Repeated so she didn’t forget. So she couldn’t.

“Leafpool, Leafpool, Leafpool…”