TWO. LONG. DAYS. Two long days spent travelling through thick forest and slippery bogs, ogling for some sign of human civilization or some way out of this mountainous valley. He hadn’t even mapped out his entire location, and already the stray child could sense it was a cage – adding to his frustrations and his steadily growing sense of hopelessness. Luckily Kubo was used to surviving – he’s had to back on the streets of PORTLAND for at least a few weeks now. The experience forced him to remember what little he had picked up from the one time he stayed at a week-long summer camp, and develop all the rest.
These, these weren’t streets though. It wasn’t the same forest, either. This was a giant bug-infested, monster-filled, soul-sucking swamp that was filled with all sorts of twists and turns and unknown paths. Once or twice he had come across what looked to be one of the natives – but they would either run off screaming, or point weapons and pitchforks at him threateningly. For this reason, Kubo, as he often did, kept his distance.
With his powerful SHAMISEN slung across his back, and the magical KEY stored somewhere safely in his backpack, the boy had eventually reached a stream in the woods, flowing with fresh water. Having been parched for hours, Kubo had been more than happy for the opportunity to quench his thirst … but that was when one of those giant insects attacked.
A CHASE HAD BEGUN, not only forcing Kubo to once again set aside his own dire needs but run as fast as possibly could in order to lose the beast. Adrenaline and instinct had driven him on, until somewhere down the line, his foot hit a snag. He tripped, tumbled, and rolled down hill until he had come to the middle of grassy clearing. The monster had lost his trail long before.
Senses going in and out, he was too dizzy to even realize that someone else was nearby. Though he struggled to stay awake, eventually the child passed out. Darkness swallowed up his vision … and then some time later, voices stirred it back up.
As Kubo comes to again, the glaring sunlight bleeds through his eye. He blinks, squints, and raises his brow. Two silhouettes obscure the rays partway. The child, too disoriented to immediately acknowledge them, allows his vision and hearing to clear. Then, everything hits him like a WALL. He sits himself up and flinches at the two figures. Normally, Kubo might gasp in shock. He might shuffle back in fright. But the hostile nature of this environment and his previous endeavor brought out something else.
HE HISSES LOUDLY, pulling off the best impression of a cat that he can muster. Then, everything else comes after; the shock, the amazement, the fear. There was another one of those frog people – the same ones who screamed in fear or threatened him! The stray sucks in a gasp, shouts, and shuffles back. “ AHH! ”
“ AAAAAAH!! ” SPRIG shouts even louder, as if he is even more frightened of the human child. He immediately hides behind Anne’s tall legs. There’s a moment of silence, before he finally speaks. “ … Maaaybe this one’s not much of a talker? ”
Startled at the hiss, Anne’s body locked up as Sprig hid behind her legs. She could only stare in utter confusion at the boy; was he, like, feral or something? She couldn’t really say she was sure, but whatever it was, was kinda freaky.
“Ya think? I think he’s more of a hisser.”
Jarred, yes, but undeterred, she offered a hand out to the black haired boy with a smile. Though, it was certainly a little shakier than before; what if he really WAS feral? Well, regaurdless, Anne thought it was still worth a try to confront the kid, hopefully ease his fears.
“Heyy there little guy. Um, we’re not gonna hurt you! I’m Anne, and this is Sprig. We’re not gonna hurt you, I promise.”
Cautiously approaching him, she held up her arms to show she had nothing in them. Sprig copied her motion, though he was a bit more wary after Kuba had HISSED at them.
“What’s your name? And uh..how, exactly did you get here? Are you Anne’s family?” Sprig bombarded him excitedly, but he only got a glare in response from Anne.
“Not now, Sprig, let’s just try to calm him down first.”
“Oh, right, sorry.”
“Mhm. Anyways...” She sat beside Kubo, though there was a considerable amount of space between the two. Anne’s expression softened; why was he acting so... unusually animalistic? Most humans don’t act like this unless it’s a flight or fight response, but she supposes she was kind of the same when she first got there in Amphibia too.
“Look, I just wanna know if you’re hurt, ok? I can help you. Like I said, neither of us wanna hurt you. Just take a moment to breathe, okay?”
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