Arnold looked to his family all wearing near-identical confused expressions. He couldn't be sure because he didn't have a mirror yet he was absolutely positive he had the same features scribbled across his face.
It was all too surreal. He must be dreaming, still, it must be one heck of a dream. He didn't have the brains for something like this.
His wife was a 7-foot jungle woman. His son was a knight and finally, his daughter had shrunk to the artic Tinkerbell. Also, all of them including himself had names rolling around their heads that weren't their own yet seemed somehow comfortable being called.
"So should we go to the castle?" he felt that he should try and get this dream over with as fast as possible.
Everyone nodded automatically. No thinking was used.
---
It was an eerie forest with great shadows eating all but the nearest trees. At times it felt like something was watching the group.
"Are we there yet?" Nova asked, sitting on Sir Edger's armored shoulder blowing frost bubbles. Bored as she would be on a long family drive.
"First we don't know how far," Edger/Tony huffed casting a glare at the pixie, "Second you're using me as your legs so stop asking," his face became covered in frost. He shook Nova from his shoulder who blew a blue raspberry before zipping off, taking the lead of the moving family.
At the back, Waldo/Arnold and Narza walked side by side. Waldo had to admit he'd never really thought about giant muscle on a giant woman before, but she looked great. Amazing even.
She didn't see it that way. Every ten paces or so there was a low-hanging branch that hit her forehead. Somewhere in her mind, she felt she could tare the whole branch off and throw it halfway to the horizon. Yet that felt ridiculous for she could barely carry a 13kg box without huffing and puffing, so what would be different now?
"Hey. Un Where are the kids?," Waldo had been so focused on admiring Nerza that after nearly ten minutes he hadn't looked at his children/travel buddies. Now it was just them.
Nerza's eyes went wide with worry, "Where are they!?"
"The path goes straight. Not like they can disappear," said Waldo.
There was a great groan coming from the left side of the forest. Looking toward the gloomy forest, the pair were greeted by a roar like thunder and the sight of a tree the width of a school bus falling towards them, sending foliage falling in its wake like snow from a cloud.
Acting on some sort of instinct- programmed or natural - Mary grabbed Waldo with arm, tucking him under her arm. Noting how he was so light she might have just been carrying a large bundle of clothes instead of an normal adult human. Maybe there was something to having the strength of five men in each arm.
Moving with a near-blazing sprint she went nearly a meter away when the tree met the ground in a bone-shaking crash.
'Uh. You can put me down," Arnold's face was a red tomato and from the quiver in his voice, Mary felt he was fine if she took her time. "Really. I thought you would have liked it if kept you a bit longer," she teased. "You look so cute like this."
Mary succeeded in making her now long-bearded hubby's nose go cheery red.
Thump! Thump!
The thunderous sound returned. Charging out from the forest was a huge shape, twice as high as Mart Narza's form. Somehow both knew it was a hill ogre, with its stony skin, bone-knitted loincloth, moss growing from its sweaty folds and two long tusks curved out of his square jaw.
"Fresh meeat." It rumbled.
Mary went cold dropping Arnold who landed with a loud 'Oof." A second thundering came from behind. Peering over his shoulder, Arnold's long beard became soaked with sweat at what he saw, another hill ogre stepping over the fallen tree. In his left meaty hand was a massive club with a long sharp metal object nailed in.
"We're in trouble. Come on wake up Arnold," he whispered to himself.
---
Up ahead Edger/Tony and Nova/Betty had also lost sight of their parents. Even the path had disappeared.
Once there was a mildly overgrown cobblestone path, now there was a wall of gloomy trees. A cold breeze blew throw the gloom, accenting the creepiness of the whole situation.
"Brrr," Edegr pulled himself into his golden red clock. "Are you cold?" Nova asked an eyebrow raised as she fluttered beside him.
"Yes, I am." He snapped. "Can't you feel that forsaken breeze?" inwardly Tony noted how odd it was for him to say such a word.
Nova put a finger to her dark blue lips, "Well one of my abilities is immunity to the cold. Probably because I'm a Frost Pixie. Even if I have no idea what is."
A cold throaty AHHUUH shouted from the gloom. Edger pulled out his sword which glowed hot despite the cold temperate. "Is another of your powers the ability to turn your voice scary and throw it? Please say yes."
"No," Nova pointed, a shaky finger, " They do on the other wing-hand."
Mud dripped from the bones of the skeleton warriors as they rose from the road. Rusted armor and horned helmets were their only clothes. Each fleshless hand gripes tightly a spike shield in the left hand and a heavy broad blade in the other.
Eyeless yet hostilely glowed in those deep socks. Shambling towards the pair, the undead warriors spread out into a crescent formation of four.
With every creaking step forward the knight and Pixie took a step back until the pair's backs were against the wood of the dark wood of the newly arrived forest.
She was ashamed to admit it Nova briefly considered saying, 'Siyanary bro.' She didn't of course but not for 100% altruist reasons. Nova swore that in the wood pale eyes stared at her. Daring the fluttering artic creature to enter.
"Looks like we have no choice. We Have to fight," Edger gulped.
---
"Looks like we have no choice. We Have to fight," Waldo quivered.
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