The Butterfly Girl: A Star is Born

Smoke and Shadows

[Apollo]

Apollo managed to calm the twins down, but they were still worried. He tried to explain the phenomena of earthquakes, but the twins were struggling to grasp the concept. They pressed on anyway. They had to move further and further into the forest as it started gradually going downhill. The path was steeper and more rugged. They had to be careful where they stepped. Apollo was surprised that the twins could walk out here completely barefoot and not be bothered in the slightest.

They still didn't see anything of particular interest. Apollo was beginning to think they wouldn't find much out here. Maybe Teri and Sophia would have more luck. They moved further into the forest where the path was flatter, easier to traverse as getting near the cliff had more large rocks that were difficult to climb over.

A gust of wind blew from behind, making everyone shiver.

The twins glanced behind them for a moment, until they suddenly froze and screamed.

Apollo whirled around and beore them, a giant Shadovian stood in front of them. It growled and roared at them, making everyone scream and they stumbled back.

Where the hell did this thing come from!? Apollo thought.

The shadowy creature was much larger than any Shadovian he'd ever seen. The way it breathed made the very air around them icy. It took a step forward, the ground rumbeled beneath them.

"Get behind me!" Apollo yelled at the twins. They cowered behind him as he flared his wings out in a protective stance. Apollo raied his right arm up defensively, and suddenly, it began to smoke. The monster growled again.

Apollo's arm caught fire, lighting itself ablaze. The twins stepped back further.

The creature took a swipe at them. Apollo shot a flame towards it, making the monster recoil. They dashed through the trees. The creature found it difficult to weave its way through. The trees were slim, but were close together. It stomped the ground, making everyone stumble over and fall to the ground. The twins quickly picked themselves up and hide behind a tree. Apollo's lit arm scorched the ground. He kicked himself away as the monster approached him. He threw another shot of fire it it, but the creature dodged it. Luckily, the shot hit a bare rock and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Apollo backed up against the tree the twins were hiding behind. His arm of fire leaned up against the trunk. He watched as the monster tried to cut through the trees and reach out to him. The twins quickly unfolded their wings and lifted themselves up into the tree. The creature jumped and tried to swipe at them. Apollo jumped out of the way, scorch marks scaring the tree. But it didn't go out. It ignited, smoke started rising as the fire started catching.

Apollo tried to run, but the monster caught up with him easily and leapt in front of him. He threw another fireball and it hit the side of the creature, making it roar again. It stamped the ground wildly, kicking debris at Apollo and making him fall over again. He wasn't quick enough to get up this time and the creature was quick to act. It snapped at his leg and Apollo screamed as he started getting dragged away. The teeth didn't go through his flesh, but the creature quickly snapped again, this time catching both his legs. Apollo started to panic, flailing his torso around and tried to smack the creature's face with his burning hand. But the creature didn't let up so easily.

The twins called out to him, watching the monster drag him off deeper into the forest. They tried to jump down and go after him. But they felt heat rising from the ground. They looked down, but only caught smoke in their eyes. The fire wrapped around the tree and started rising higher and higher, faster than they could see it. The twins were forced to climb further upwards. They called out to Apollo, but were too afraid to move.

They didn't know what to do.

They heard his screams get quieter as the fire grew taller, drowned out by the cracking of the wood and their own screams getting progressively louder as the intensity of the heat rose.