Original Stories Fan Fiction / Angels Fan Fiction ❯ Angel and Demon Wars ❯ Chapter Eight - Woodchuck ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's note to make up for missed author's note: Emiko is based on Jaci. My BFF. She is not really a unicorn, haha. But she is my roommate. And is awesome. I heart her. Also, um…yeah. I dunno.
 
 
Angel and Demon Wars
Chapter Eight
© 2008 Ohne Sie
 
 
 
“Hey, Troll!” Sadako said, waving as she approached the bridge. The girls walked in a straight line, with Sadako in the front, then Maeko, and finally Ichigo and Ami. Maeko was carrying the sword behind her back.
 
“It'll cost you two hundred gold pieces to cross,” the troll grumbled.
 
“No, see, I wanna ask you some questions,” Sadako said, smiling.
 
“No. Not again.” The troll held his head, as if he had suddenly gotten a headache. “I'm not going to answer your questions.”
 
“Come on,” Sadako whined. “Like, for instance, did your parents beat you as a child?”
 
“No.”
 
“I like your axe. Where did you get it?”
 
“From a dead traveler.”
 
“How old are you?”
 
“Forty-two.”
 
“Do you live on this bridge?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“What do you do when it rains?”
 
“I go under the bridge.”
 
“Do you ever leave?”
 
“No.”
 
“Not even to get food?”
 
“Food comes to me.”
 
“You mean, the people who cross the bridge?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“How about strawberries?”
 
“Huh?”
 
“Do you like strawberries?”
 
“What?” Ami whispered. Maeko rolled her eyes, and Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
 
“No.”
 
“Have you ever had one?”
 
“No.”
 
“How do you know you don't like them?”
 
“I hate fruit.”
 
“Why do you say `Graaaaaarr!' all the time? Why not `Grr' or `Roar?'”
 
“It's more intimidating.”
 
“How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?”
 
“Huh?” The troll scratched his head. Ami waved toward Maeko, who nodded and began to creep along the side of the bridge, avoiding the view of the troll.
 
“If a tree falls down in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”
 
“Wait, but…the first question…”
 
“Hey, what's your favorite color?”
 
“Gre—,” the troll started, but before he could answer, his head fell off.
 
“Whoa,” Maeko said, lowering the sword.
 
“That was...” Ichigo's eyes were wide. She stared at the troll's headless body as it fell to the ground.
 
“Awesome!” Sadako said, grinning. “Way to go, Maeko!”
 
Maeko grinned back. Ami realized that the two seemed to be getting along better than they had been. Ichigo seemed to notice, as well. But neither of them wanted to say anything, for fear that Sadako and Maeko might go back to hating each other.
 
Finally, Ami spoke up. “Um, guys? We're not done yet.”
 
Maeko looked at her. “Oh, right.” She quickly wiped the troll's blood on the sword off on her pants and marched off toward the area where the unicorn was killed. It wasn't far away.
 
“Well, the troll said he never leaves the bridge,” Sadako said.
 
“He left it to chase us and to fight the unicorns,” Ichigo said. “Although I guess he was always within sight of it.”
 
“Yeah,” Ami said absently. She was too busy untying the diamond knife from her belt to pay much attention to what her companions were saying. She finally managed to free it, and placed it against the horn of the dead unicorn.
 
“Hurry,” Sadako said, holding her nose. “Dead unicorn smells like…like…”
 
“Dead horse?” Maeko suggested.
 
“Sure,” Sadako said.
 
“Okay, here we go.” Ami winced, readying herself to saw away the horn. To her surprise, though, it fell apart easily.
 
“Huh,” Ichigo said, picking up the horn. It glowed in her hand.
 
Ami frowned and tied the knife back in her belt.
 
“What are we going to do about them?” Sadako asked, pointing to the dead unicorn and the dead troll. She didn't notice the figure standing beside her, who spoke.
 
“We'll take care of them.” Emiko nodded to the four unicorns standing behind her, who gathered the troll and the unicorn onto their backs. Ami wondered if they were the unicorns who had fought the troll the day before.
 
“Thank you,” Emiko said. “If there's anything you'd like from us in return, please ask.”
 
“What about that sorcerer? Don't you still need us to find him?” Maeko asked.
 
“No, that's…that's okay. It's apparent that he'd rather not see me. It's a shame, but I don't want to force him.” She smiled weakly. “If you do see him, though…”
 
Ami nodded. “I know.”
 
Emiko smiled again, more warmly this time. “You've done the unicorns a great service. Please…take care in your journey.” The girls nodded, and Emiko turned toward the other unicorns, saying something to them in what must have been the unicorns' language. Then they walked into the forest.
 
The girls stood, watching for a while. Then Ami turned around. “Okay, let's take the knife back. Then we should probably go back and give this,” she said, gesturing to the horn Ichigo carried, “To Miya. I just hope it's not too late.”
 
With a nod, the others followed her across the bridge and back to the town from which they had come.