[GreekQueen]

THE FOREST WAS huge, with large hot springs burbling up with astonishing frequency. The air was thick with the scent of ripening fruit.

This was not at all what Dalizie had expected. She walked along the path, amazed with the forest's liveliness. She gazed up at the trees, so far above her small height.

So many trees, she thought. This place was made for things that wanted to hide.

The moon had settled into the horizon, and a developing pink color began to spread between the trees. A breeze whispered through the trees, and she shivered a little. The density of the trees and strange liveliness was beginning to weird her out. It was okay, though. I can deal, she thought. At least it's not crowded.

She looked over at Takin.

"I think I prefer this place to the bridge," she said. A particularly fragrant fruit caught her eye - it was bright red streaked with faint pink lines, and dripping with condensation. I wonder if that's edible...

[Mousen]

"Dalzie!" Cried a familiar voice. "I thought I'd lost you there." Takin smiled and swung happily through the canopy above. "What goes on 4 legs in the morning, 2 legs in the afternoon and 3 in the evening?" He asked, waiting cheekily for his reply. "better than the heat." He said and immeadiatly regretted it, he didnt need any reminders on that chapter of his life.
(nice opening^^)

[GreekQueen]

Dalizie glanced over at Takin, knowing full well that something had happened in the desert. She felt the aching, burning need to ask, but swallowed the temptation.

She was so busy pondering both Takin's history and the riddle that she didn't notice the low-hanging branch until she had smacked right into it.

"Ow," she said, stupidly, and retreated, her nose wrinkling. Stupid thing... someone needs to trim it out of the way, she thought irritably.

Dalizie stood back on her haunches and sneezed, still attempting to shake both the heavy scent of the bark and the soreness from her nose. She suddenly heard what could only be described as a low, creaking laugh. She glared suspiciously at the tree, sizing it up. It seemed to be a normal tree. She turned to face forward again and continued walking along the path, failing to notice how the branch arched back up and into the rest of the tree's foliage again.

"Perhaps... a shapeshifter?" she guessed, in response to Takin's riddle.

[Mousen]

"Are you alright Dalzie?" He asked a touch of concern in his eyes. "Actuly Dalzie, Youve beaten me again, It wasnt a shapeshifter, but that would work, It was man, 4 legs in the morning, crawling like a toddler, Afternoon walking like a man and in the evening walking with a stick, The morning noon and evening of their lives." He  said Climing down from the trees to hop along on foot.

[GreekQueen]

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dalizie said sheepishly, annoyed with her display of pain. High overheard, a bird twittered. The riddle's real answer made sense - she felt kind of ridiculous for not guessing it, but then, as she had been telling herself, such was the nature of riddles, to outwit the people trying to figure them out.

"Hey, Takin," she said, "where are we headed?" Dalizie hadn't been to this neck of the woods before - to say the least - and really needed some direction.

Another branch blocked her way, but this time she was smart enough to skirt beneath it. She hadn't noticed that one, either. What was going on?

[Mousen]

"Maybe to see the crystaline trees, of which this forest is so famous for. I don't think thoose trees like you Dalzie." Takin said laughing as he scampered up the rough bark. Out of nowhere a  branch swung and knocked him breathless out the tree. He  laid on the ground for a few moments before picking himself up and coughing. "It was my own stupid fault I wasnt looking where I was headed... I'm fine really." He tried to smile and hopped on limping slightly. "I guess they don't like me either." He tried to sound offhand but his voice shook.

[GreekQueen]

She winced as Takin hit the ground.

"Hey, are you all right?" she was about to ask, but he answered the question for her even before she opened her mouth. She took a deep breath. Okay, she would try to relax. She was taking a stroll in a lovely forest with a newly found friend, and she would just have to enjoy it. - even if some vegetation thought differently.

Creepy plants... why was Takin so upset? The Ringosett's mystery grew with every passing second, it seemed.

She shook her head to clear it. Those Crystalline Trees, now, those sounded interesting. Absentmindedly, she wondered if she would be able to harvest crystals from the trees.

"What's this about Crystalline Trees?" she asked.

[Mousen]

"The trees? They are many of them, in a deeper part of the forest, beautiful trees made of crystal you often see luna flys there too."Takin smiled a real smile this time. "Theese trees are strange today huh Dalzie?" he asked convosationaly.
(writers block sorry  )

[GreekQueen]

"They certainly are," Dalizie replied, warily eying yet another low-hanging branch. She edged cautiously around it, and- something suddenly twinkled at the corner of her vision. She spun around and stared between the trees, which had begun to glimmer and sparkle faintly, as though they were the rippling ocean and the stars had dusted them in glittering silver powder.

She shook her head - where had that thought come from? - when that strange light fluttered again. This time, however, it was much closer, and now she could see an array of different colors, all dimly neon, imprinted on a shadow of a figure before it suddenly disappeared.

Dalizie stared.

"Say, Takin," she began slowly, unnerved by the clean smoothness with which the shape had moved, "what kind of creatures inhabit this forest?"

{I am incredibly sorry for not posting for so long! Forgive me!}

[Mousen]

"Errm... I'm not sure, some say monsters but most people know better. There will be some strangeties why?" Takin asked tilting his head, a sign he was curious. Takin parted his fur where the tree had wacked him. Already a purple-blue bruise was appearing. Takin swore under his breath. How was he was going to explain that to Mouse? Yeah, well I was climbing a treee and it hit me. Not likely, even if it was true, he might make up some sob story for Bells and then tell Tallie who would tell Mouse and Mouse would belive Tallie... Takins thoguhts trailled off and landed back to Dalzie. "Hey, Dalzie, you haven't told me much about yourself." He stated, not asking for any infomation incase it was a  taboo subject, just stating the obvious.
(Your forgiven, *Hits over the head with stick.* Can you tell if My wrinting style has changed? Oh and Takins thoufhts are in pale orange.

[GreekQueen]

(Oooh, yes, your writing style has changed a little; you're giving more detail, it seems like it has improved. )

"Oh..." Dalizie would have blushed, except that, being a Concept creature, red didn't show. "There really isn't too much that's interesting about me." She attempted a grin, but it felt a bit too wide, and she quickly relaxed her face.

A shadow twitched and vanished high overhead, but Dalizie didn't notice. She was stil too busy worrying about her past - what she could remember, that is.

Where did my life go?

"Years, just gone," she murmured, then glanced quickly over at Takin, dismayed that she had actually said anything out loud. She didn't want to seem like a whiner or attention-hogger or anything; she didn't want to lose Takin as a friend after just meeting him.

Friend. She felt the word in her mind, felt the glow of it. Like wetting your pants, eh? Dalizie chuckled inwardly.

[Mousen]

"Are you allright Dalzie?" He asked, quietly. A thousand questions were in Takin's head, but it would be unfair to his new found friend to pester her, he just shut his curious side out. "So," he began looking around at the trees, they seemed still, which was a good sign when you had just been wacked by one. " Dalzie please tell me you saw that shadow?" He asked a touch of... Fear? in his voice, caution certainly.

(I tink you writing style has improved too, it like they way you set things out =^.^=)

[GreekQueen]

Dalizie's eyes darted upward, scanning the trees. This place was growing creepier and creepier by the second. The trees were still doing that glowing thing, and-

There!

Small spots of glowing neon were just barely visible in between the leaf-crowded boughs of the trees. Their owner was darker than the other shadows of the forest, which were mostly a hazy blue color, thanks to the strangely glittering vegetation.

Dalizie stopped altogether and stared intently at the creature - what she could see of it, at least.

"I see it," she said as quietly as she could. "But I don't think it's a shadow."

A high-pitched cackle erupted high overhead, and the creature leapt from one tree to another, too swiftly and too erratically for Dalizie to keep track of.

"This forest is so creepy," she laughed nervously. That was probably just another of its inhabitants... no worries... She hadn't been here before, so she couldn't judge its abnormality from what the forest was usually like. Still, glimmering trees and light coming from far away and shadow-like creatures moving through the trees didn't seem normal to her.

She wondered if she was having hallucinations. Maybe the heavy scent of the fruit was getting to her, or she was allergic to it, or something.

The shadows were real, though. Takin had seen one; she knew that for sure. And he didn't seem too pleased to see it.

Another branch reached out to whack her while she was standing still. That did it; Dalizie spun around to leave, but the path had closed up behind her.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me, she thought. Pretending that she just jumped to avoid the branch, she turned back around and continued on the path, worry speeding up her walk. She wanted to leave this forest. Now.

"Hey, Takin," she said as casually as she could, "these glittering trees are pretty crazy, aren't they?" She needed to verify that she wasn't having hallucinations.

Another thought struck her - maybe a god or goddess was trying to contact her, or Takin, or both; that would explain the surreal glow.

Okay, that was just a little bit too ridiculous. Firstly, she wasn't even sure if there were either gods or goddesses out there, and secondly, why would they want to contact either of them?

A sinking feeling filled her stomach. Maybe this was something from her past, coming back to haunt her. Whatever, she would deal; it's not like something like this hadn't happened before. Well, maybe not exactly like this, but people had gone up to her and said hi, and a strange-looking Yonyuu had come up to her one day, delivering a packaged marked "Return to Sender". To this day, Dalizie still hadn't opened it.

(Whoa, sorry for the length. And thank you! Writing is one of my passions, and I'm always trying to improve.)

[Mousen]

(Me too, I keep writing openings, but second chapters avoid me.)
"Oh, Turnip." Takin muttered, moving faster through the forest. "Yes, they are crazy, but I don't remember them like this, they were in a circular glade, it was noon, and the trees looked like glass with diamond leaves, and they cast rainbows everywhere..." Takin trailed off "You did see the shadows I guess?" He added, as a smaller shadow moved around in the dappled light. "Just come out. Now." Takin said slowly, an edge of unpoken menace in his voice, whatever was aroind here had to show itself. Takin hated secrets and thiings he did not understand, and this was one of them.

[GreekQueen]

(I'm introducing a new character, if that's all right; if not, then I can simply edit my post to make the shadow something else. In the meantime...)

There was another cackle from high above. Dalizie stepped forward, staring upward. The rising pink dawn cast the leaves of the trees in sharp relief against the sky, and the shadowy silhouette reappeared for a second, neon still pulsing.
"Gotcha!" Dalizie cried out. "I see you! Get down right now!"
The shadow cocked its head as though listening, then stepped nimbly across the limbs of the trees, getting lower and lower with each passing moment, making strange noises to itself.
Suddenly, it just landed right in front of them.
Slitted emerald-green eyes peered interestedly at Dalizie. Their owner was definitely feline in structure, with large ears and a long, thick tail that rolled up into the air like perpetually undulating smoke. A Biolune Rexxel.

"A Ringosett and Draculi," the Rexxel remarked, its voice masculine and laughing. "An interesting pair." He grinned down at Dalizie. "Strange that you should be coming into this forest at this time of day," he added. "Out of all the paths of all the forests in all the world..." He cackled again. "I suppose you wouldn't remember me? Yes, I thought not," the Rexxel said matter-of-factly, a tone that seemed strange with his voice. "I'm Enon."

"And Takin," he said, turning to face the Ringosett. "It is an absolute delight to meet you."

Dalizie stared.