Aviana tripped and fell on her face. She felt her wound open up again as pain stabbed through her forehead. God, she hated this place. Sure, it was pretty to look at trees, but not when you have to walk through them for the past two hours.
"Not quite, not quite..." Rick mumbled to himself as he scanned the area they stopped at. Lewis was distracted by the sticks and leaves stuck in his hair, and Aviana just wanted to sit down.
"Rick. Stop. Now. I am not going to walk another step until you tell me what you're looking for. Is it, supposedly, an already specially - built mansion? Or a condo? Hmm? Because I fail to see how you fail to see that every single place is the same!" Aviana screamed now.
Shocked, Rick took a step back. "Vi, looks like the heat got to you, eh?" He said with a nervous laugh.
When he took one look into her now murderous eyes, he wisely decided to back off. "Alright, alright. The next place we find that has some water nearby is ours, okay?"
Not in the mood to argue, she merely nodded. Besides, she was already so tired. Instead, she resorted to the excitement of watching Lewis pull a twig from his hair with a frown.

"Finally! I got it! Look!" Aviana heard one of the two shout. She quickly looked up, relieved and fresh with energy, only to see Lewis pull the last twig from his hair. He was so excited that it hurt. Aviana fixed that problem with her hand. "Oww!" Lewis squealed while Aviana grinned in content.

Aviana decided to look around a bit. Usually, she was into nature and animals and all that 'Save Earth' stuff, but after experiencing how it was to live in the wild first hand, the feeling kind of dissolved. Determined not to let this island take the best of her, she took in the vast amount and variety of wildlife around her. Towering trees with rich green leaves flocked her. The constant chirping and buzzing of insects on the ground kept up the background noise. Winds tickled the leaves, playing with the lush greenery as the latter waves in response. Bushes of all shapes and sizes were scattered on the tall, grassy floor. Vines hanging from the trees gave an overall majestic look to the surroundings. It was breathtaking. Aviana couldn't believe she didn't notice the beauty and terror radiating from this jungle.
Wait. Something is not right here...but what? Aviana thought silently. It hit her like a brick. "Guys! List-" she started before Rick put his hand over her mouth.

"Quiet! Do you want to attract attention?"

"Mmph!"

"Exactly! Who knows what lives here."

"MRMPH!"

"Jeez, calm dow- Ow! Hey!"
Rick protested loudly as Aviana bit down- not that hard- on Rick's hand.
"What I was trying to say, was that there are no animals here! Didn't you guys notice? Nothing! Not a snake or crocodile or giraffe or...or..." Aviana was losing ideas of what they should've found.
"Um...Vi? You do realize there would be no gir- never mind," Lewis stammered after Aviana shot him a glare that could have shattered stone.
" Thank you for wisely deciding to stay out of this Lew," Aviana said before rounding on Rick, "Next time, listen more carefully. I am not trying to undermine you, for God's sake!" She would've continued if not for the movement she saw in the corner of her eye.
She immediately froze. Whispering, she started slowly creeping forward, "Look up really slowly," The boys looked up and horror dawned on their faces. Lewis involuntarily stepped back before tightening his hands into fists and taking three steps forward to where Aviana stood.
OK ok. It wasn't that bad. It was just some kinda small, dwarf creature covered in a dark brown pelt with some kind of weird mask made out of a hard looking white sonething. There were two holes where its eyes should have been, but all Aviana could see was black. The mask had weird markings and strange symbols. One struck her as an inside down 'U' with a line going diagonally from the top right corner of the U to the bottom left. Also, she could tell it was a pelt hanging off it due that reason specifically. All in all, it didn't seem like a bad thing. Apart from the fact that its head kept turning impossibly around with a horrible cracking sound. Another wonderful part of the equation was it's spear, made of rock and wood. Good for impaling, most probably. Oh, and it was advancing. Delightful!
"And I was hoping for this place to be home,"Rick muttered warily.
"Good thinking, Rick. The question is what do we do now?" Lewis aid as he warily eyed the creature as his voice grew higher.
"I would like to communicate, but that's not an option," Aviana said calmly as she slowly stepped back, "We can't fight, so...run!" Aviana shouted as she grabbed the boys and ran for her life.
I am not a coward. It is just that, well, we definitely can not fight that. We have nothing. I mean, I have never been allowed to COOK by myself in case I get burned. Fight a dwarf like demon thingy? Uh, probably not. Aviana assured herself as she bolted through the jungle. Why did thus place have to have so many trees? I mean, come on! Pretty but deadly. Aviana growled to herself as she heard another growl rip through the air. No, unfortunately, it didn't belong to her. She raced past the undergrowth, directly behind Lewis. She was a good runner, but Lewis? He should make a living out of it. Another growl sliced through the air, sharper than a blade and scarier than anything she had ever heard. Behind her, too far behind her, she heard a thud as Rick stumbled and fell. Cursing, she stopped and ran back. Lewis followed, his eyes full of fear but his moves filled with courage. None of us are cowards, Aviana thought proudly as she and Lewis hauled up Rick and continued running.
Finally, with scratches adorning their faces and arms, and exhaustion ripping through their bodies, they stopped. Rick listed carefully, his muscular body angled behind them.
"I think it is gone!" He exclaimed. A smile came on his face. Then it dissappeared. "What was that?" He asked as horror crept into his voice.
"Who cares? We are safe! For the time being, at least," Lewis said as he cheerfully stepped forward, pulling along the two. Crash! Aviana barely had time to scream as they fell.

☆Hey everyone! Please drop your feedback in the comments. Also please vote because we can only win the Wattys through everyone's help. Spread the word! Tell your friends about my story please! Have a great day and don't forget to check out these accounts: Hollander1001 and jinssweaterpaws.
-SugaKookies05 ♡