Into the Forest Shadows by J.A. Marlow Read Free Book Online Page B

The shape disappeared in a flurry of singing wings.
    Ayden pulled at her arm, gesturing at her to
follow. He crawled out from under the bush. Her hands and knees
crunched against the dry leaves and twigs that had fallen on the
floor. She recoiled at the touch of something slimy, brushing a
hand against her pants before continuing.
    He rose to his feet and started running. Her
basket banged against her shin as she followed him further into the
forest. Her ears attuned themselves to the returning sound of
singing wings, but couldn't hear any noise other than the sound of
the two of them crashing through the underbrush.
    Ayden led the way to a small rise and
stopped. Kate was thrilled to stop. She bent over, sucking air into
her lungs.
    "Well, that was a bit of excitement," Ayden
said with a laugh. "Good time for a meal to fly by."
    "Glad you find it so amusing. You were
kidding about eating us, right?"
    "Only if you fall into the burrow," Ayden
clarified.
    "Great, you weren't kidding."
    "We'll walk along this ridge as far as
possible. The beetles always make their nests in hollows or
depressions."
    "And when this ridge ends?" Kate asked,
standing up straighter.
    "We'll figure that out once we get to it,"
Ayden said with a shrug. "Let me know if you hear any fast
clicking."
    Ayden walked swiftly away. She demanded.
"What do you mean fast clicking?"
    "You'll know it when you hear it," Ayden said
over his shoulder.
    Kate groaned. She forced herself to start
moving forward.
    She strained to hear the beetles. She also
searched for one of the Trailing Willows. Come to think of it, she
hadn't seen one since they'd left the shuttle.
    It concerned her. What would they do if the
fog came before getting to Grandmother's house?
    Kate opened her mouth to ask Ayden, only to
find he'd stopped. Kate caught up with him, trying to see what he
so intently stared at. A few breaks in the trees allowed her to see
a portion of the mountains.
    A thick fog had descended in one big cloud
towards the base of the mountains. The bank blocked out the tops of
the trees, appearing as if it were covered with snow right down to
the base.
    "That doesn't look good," Kate said.
    "No, it doesn't."
    She didn't care for the worried expression on
his face.
    He led the way back into the shadows of the
forest. They dropped down the ridge and struck out across a
relatively flat area filled with the larger and taller trees with
the bright purple leaves. No matter how quietly she tried to walk
the crunch of dead leaves met each of her footsteps.
    Holding the basket grew annoying. Kate wished
for a backpack like Ayden's to carry everything in. And why did her
cape have to get caught on anything close to her? And her basket?
She'd never felt so clumsy before.
    She jumped at a sharp bump on her head.
    A purple and blue seed pod dropped to the
forest floor at her feet. Kate rubbed the top of her head and
looked up.
    Just in time to see another one heading
straight for her.
    Kate squealed and ran. A shower of seed pods
rained down, some hitting her head, some her shoulders or bouncing
off of the cloth cover of her basket.
    Ayden put up an arm to protect his head,
breaking out into a run. But the shower of seed pods followed. Good
grief, aerial attacks by the trees now?
    He pulled her up next to a tree. He glared
into the canopy.
    Then Kate's ears picked up the sound of
chittering and what sounded like laughter. Small bodies ran up and
down the limbs above them, but they were too far up to see what
kind of creature they might be. They couldn't be the forest-floor
dwelling bunts.
    "What just happened?" Kate asked.
    Ayden turned away from the chattering
creatures with disgust. "Some of the animals don't like humans in
the forest. Lately they've been playing tricks on us. We do our
best to ignore them."
    "You mean they are doing this on
purpose?"
    "Oh yeah. They did it once in a while before
but it's been getting really bad lately. Come on. No point in
staying and giving them two