Dragonfire II: The Twilight Invasion

Chapter 1: Alone Together

In the morning, Gabriella woke up with a kink in her neck. After escaping the capital, they hid in a forest a decent distance away. She was laying in the dirt, beneath a tree. The base of the tree had a small hole, just big enough to fit a person. She had slept there all night, forced into an uncomfortable position. She emerged from her bed of dirt and roots, looking around at her surroundings. Trees, trees...and more trees. The ground was uneven, with small hills all throughout the forest. Birds sang their brilliant songs as the forest returned to life for the day. Gabriella jolted as a hand grasped her shoulder. To her fortune, it was just Lucille. She was back in her regular Neko form, making her shorter than Gabriella. "Did you sleep alright?" She asked, "No...not really. How about you?" Gabriella asked in response, "Well enough, I suppose." Lucille answered. Gabriella recognized the tone in her voice. She was lying. "You stayed up all night, didn't you...? She asked, "It is my duty to protect you, night and day." Lucille answered, "Lucy...you were injured. You need rest." Gabriella said. Lucille shook her head. "I'm fine. We have to make it to Celestia." She responded, "Are you sure? It can't be easy walking around injured..." Gabriella said, "Don't worry about me. I can still fight and move around just fine. We need to stay vigilant." Lucille responded, "Right...I still can't believe..." Gabriella stopped herself, taking a shaky breath. Lucille gripped her shoulders gently, looking up at her through her eyelashes. "Hey...it'll be okay. We'll make it..." She said. Gabriella met her gaze and nodded weakly. Lucille smiled slightly, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Are you ready to go?" She asked, "Yeah..." Gabriella answered, "Alright. Stay close. The Twilight Covenant could be anywhere..." Lucille said. Gabriella nodded and Lucille led her off to the left. 

They walked for a few minutes, before stopping behind some bushes. They were on the side of a trail, one few passed through. It led straight out of Arvan and through a magical forest into Celestia. If they could just follow the trail, they would make it. But first, they had to make sure it was safe. Lucille sniffed the air cautiously as her eyes shifted to and fro. Once she was certain no one was around, she led Gabriella out onto the trail. "Come on, we have to move quickly." She said, heading off down the trail. Gabriella followed closely behind, just as Lucille asked. "Is this trail safe?" She asked, "Nowhere is safe for us. Stay on guard." Lucille answered. It was silent for a few moments before Gabriella spoke up. "I wish I still had my sword and bracers. Then I could aid you should we enter a fight..." She said, "It's alright. Let me do the fighting for now, okay?" Lucille responded, "Right..." Gabriella said. Though Lucille made a point to protect her, Gabriella was quite capable of defending herself. She typically wielded a short sword, with steel bracers. She would use the bracers to block attacks at a close range, then follow up with relentless attacks of her own. She was a deadly warrior, often finding herself on the front lines. At this time, however, she had lost both her sword and bracers, as well as her armor. Lucille had no weapons either, though she had extraordinary physical strength to compensate when she was in her Leonine form. Her strength was their only defense, as they could not go back for their weapons. They were a long way from home...and they had a long way to go. Three hours of walking and menial conversations later, Lucille stopped Gabriella. "What is it?" Gabriella asked, "I hear something ahead..." Lucille answered. Due to her status as a Neko, a part-cat-part-human, her hearing was far better than Gabriella's. Whatever she was hearing, Gabriella could not. "It sounds like someone humming...not something you would expect from the Twilight Covenant, but they're full of surprises...stay on guard." She answered. 

After a few more minutes of walking, Lucille stopped Gabriella once more. The humming was audible to both of them now. "What's the plan?" Gabriella asked, "We have no choice but to keep going. If possible, let's try to avoid conflict. Even if it isn't the Twilight Covenant, this trail leads to dangerous territory. I don't want to get into a fight with someone taking this trail casually." Lucille answered. They kept going, albeit cautiously. A few moments later, the person humming came into view. She had blond hair, with golden eyes. Her hair was tied in a loose, windswept updo. She had lighter skin, of a pale nature. She wore black glasses, presumably to help her see. They did not have dark lenses, despite it being rather bright out. She wore a white dress, with brown travel-worn boots. She was looking through a brown backpack filled with various items. The backpack was rather large, leading to the presumption that she was a traveler of some sort. Yet...something felt off. She didn't look strong. Though it was hard to tell with her kneeling down, she looked to be on the shorter side. She also looked rather slim, suggesting she wasn't all that physically capable. There were no guards or friends with her, nor did she seem to possess any weapons. If she did, they weren't visible. And that was exactly what concerned Lucille. The girl didn't seem to notice them. She simply kept humming as she rummaged through her backpack. It looked like a trap from where Lucille and Gabriella were standing. And so they continued to stand there, waiting for any sign that it was or was not what they suspected.