Sequoia Throne

[Unknown Kadath†]

((B141 Saul Fetteralf continued from Extinguishing the Light of the Future))

Trees. Trees. Trees. Trees. Trees. Trees. Trees. Trees. Treestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestreestre-

"I hate being lost."

Saul trudged slowly through the forest, his eyes half-lidded and his back slouched. He was tired, frustrated, sore, and even more tired. Sighing, he kicked a dead branch from his path, hands buried deep in the pockets of his cargo pants. In it, he could feel the cracked face of the cheap compass they supplied them. Hours before, he had given up on any navigation, flinging it against a tree trunk. After collecting it, and discovering that he had damaged it, he shoved it into his pocket, and trudged off in a random direction. When you're lost in the woods, you're supposed to walk straight until you reach the edge, right?, he thought, If so, why aren't I at the edge yet? Is this fucking Mirkwood or something?

He kept going, until he came across a tree. It was massive, looking like it had been there for hundreds of years. The huge trunk was more thick than a truck, and longer than a commercial airplane. It was the largest tree Saul had ever seen in his entire life.

And it was laying on it's side.

By the base of the trunk, halfway through it, there was a clean cut. The rest looked as if it gave out, the height of the tree and gravity doing the rest of the work. He looked at the trunk, the split leaving a piece sticking upwards, making the stump resemble a chair. In reality, it looked nothing like it, but the exhaustion may have helped his perception of it. He walked towards it and sat, finally, onto the tree-chair.

Alone in the forest, he felt calm, as if the game never existed. As if the outside world didn't matter. He was in his own world. He was lord of his own realm, and he sat upon his sequoia throne.

He smiled, closing his eyes, and leaned back, a sense of security washing over him.

[Dropbear†]

((Sapphire McLeod continued from Jack Sparrow Irony))

How long had Sapphire been running? It was too long. The sun had rose again, and with that announcements, people killed, the lighthouse being a dangerzone. She hoped that they had got out, that Stacy and Sarah wouldn't come back. Her head was tired, her eyes wanted to shut, but she forced herself awake again. If she slept, they... they would get her.

Running through the trees, Sapphire gasped at the ice-cold air, starting to heat up in the rays of the sun. Turning her head around, she glanced behind her. There wasn't anyone following, so why was she runnin-

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

With a loud scream, Sapphire tripped, rolling down a steep hill, sticks and stones ripping at her dress, her bag smashing into her stomach. At the end of the hill, she started to slow, spread out, dirty and scratched, her eyes closed. This couldn't get any worse.

She opened her eyes again and looked to the side. A tall man was sitting down on a throne, looking down at her.

"...hi?"

[Unknown Kadath†]

His eyes closed, Saul soon found himself dozing, the world around him fading. He barely had any sleep, the fear of the others keeping his mind on edge and his lids open. But now, the exhaustion spread it's tendrils through his head, weighing his eyes shut. Everything was silent, only the soft wind and the distant chirp of a bird.

thumthumthumthumThumthumCRASH!

Saul grumbled to himself, lost in his own world. The neighbor needs to learn to not let his fucking dog play around in the bushes, or it'll get hurt.

Opening his eyes, agitatedly, he looked to the ground, seeing a girl laying on the ground, leaves clinging to her clothes and twigs protruding for me hair. He just stared for a moment, not yet realizing he was still in the forest, on an island, and not in his living room. He blinked, hearing her voice giving a small greeting.

Suddenly, the memories rushing back to him, he jumped from the stump, looking up to the hill nearby, seeing a swath cut through the steep incline's brush. He looked back down to the girl, fitting the evidence together in his head, creating a likely scenario. He took a step closer, offering his hand to help her up. He wasn't sure if he could trust her, but maybe a good impression would sway her towards the whole 'not killing Saul' idea.

Giving a small smile, he replied, "Uh, hi. Want some help?"

[Dropbear†]

"...yeah. Could use some help."

Reaching up, Sapphire took the man's hand and forced herself back up. The man seemed friendly. Nothing dangerous on him. Heck, he was kind of cute in a fashion. With a wince she put her fingers through her hair, pulling out the twigs. Great, now she looked like something from the jungle. Then again, she kinda admired those stories, living independantly by yourself-

Getting sidetracked.

"Thanks... I'm friendly, name's Sapphire... You're Saul?" She swore she saw him one time during assembly or something. "Yeah, I have no idea why I was running like that... that was stupid. I... ahh..."

Frowning, she looked up at the large figure. "You're not playing, are you? I mean, you're not... hurting people?"

[Unknown Kadath†]

Saul chuckled nervously, helping her up. She didn't seem all that bad. Honestly, he had never noticed her in school before. He put his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to finish grooming herself.

After introducing herself, he gave her an awkward smile, "Yeah, that's my name. Nice to meet you, Sapphire."

Then, she kept going, trying to explain herself, stumbling over her words and trailing off. He chuckled quietly, until she asked him.

Am I playing? I... I don't think so...

He never really thought about it. His continued survival was important to him, but could he really kill someone? Hell, he's never even held a weapon before. Saul liked to think of himself as peaceful, even if he overreacted sometimes. But could he kill someone? He didn't think so. Or, at least, he didn't want to think so.

Shaking his head, he replied, "No, I'm not playing."

He looked at her, when suddenly a thought crossed. What if she's playing? What if I'm just telling her that I'm an easy target?

He looked into her eyes, a frown pulling the corners of his mouth downward, "Are you playing?"

[Dropbear†]

With a snort, Sapphire pulled out the electronic pet from her pocket. Something she could answer. "I'm a jewellery artist, very Christian and half the time I can't speak to anyone due to awkwardness. And to top it all off I got given a tamagotchi as a weapon. I don't think I'm player material."

Stretching upwards, she gave a smile. "Saul... I didn't know you from somewhere, did I." Her mind shuffled through people's faces and names, thinking. Oh well, she'd remember where he was from later. She proceeded to sit down on a part of the log and open her bag, getting out a bandaid. Lifting her dress up, she it on her cut knee. "Ach... stupid." Wincing, she took out a block of chocolate from her bag, cracking a corner off. Her last full block, from the looks of things. Must have dropped some at the lighthouse...

"Want some? It's good!" With a bright smile, she brought out her hand, offering a square or two.

[Unknown Kadath†]

Chuckling, Saul nodded, her explanation convincing him. "Yeah," he said, nodding, "I can see why you wouldn't. A little digital pet pooping all over everything sure wouldn't help you in a situation like this."

Hearing her ask him if she knew him, he shrugged, "I wear the school mascot suit at games. That`s probably how you know me."

He looked around carefully, listening closely. Even though she meant no harm, that didn't mean that someone couldn't have followed her here. He heard her shuffling and he looked back to see her drawing her skirt up. "Ah!" he gasped and turned his head away, blushing slightly.

Hearing a small crack, he looked over through the corner of his eye, seeing her extend a piece of chocolate and offer it to him. He shook his head, "Uh, no thanks. I'm good."

[Dropbear†]

Sapphire rolled her eyes as Saul looked away and giggled. They were on an island with potential killers, and here he was avoiding looking at her knees. Shaking her head, she bit into the chocolate and smiled. "Oh right, you were the husky!" she mumbled through her full mouth. Swallowing, she said it again, slightly easier to understand.

With a sigh, she looked back up into the trees. It was peaceful here. What would she be doing if she was at home? Beading? Watching TV? Would she be watching SotF at home if she didn't go on the trip? Watch her classmates die? No. She wouldn't be able to stand it. Sapphire used to wince at bones of things at museums, before she realised that they were plaster moulds. To see a body would probably make her freeze in shock, unable to move. And if it was by her own hands...

"We're really going to die here, aren't we?"

She closed her eyes.

[Unknown Kadath†]

Smiling, Saul watched her take a bite into the chocolate. On an island of death, corruption, and betrayal, and here she is enjoying a chocolate bar. I wish I could be like that. Just content to eating candy, not worrying about what's around every corner, hoping that every step won't walk you straight into an ambush.

Hearing her realization, he came back to reality. That's right. He's the husky. It seemed like a lifetime ago. In all his time on the island, Garry was his only real reminder of home. Of how things were. He remembered the sports shop at the arena. He sighed, remembering the girl behind the counter. He never did get to ask her if she wanted to go to dinner some time. "Yeah..." he responded, "The husky guy. That's me."

He smiled weakly, hoping his silent musing, hoping his face did not betray his thoughts. Then she spoke again. This time, the words carried much more weight and meaning.

Were they going to die?

Logically, there could only be one survivour. The chances of either of them being the last one standing were about 280 to one, give or take a few students. He already heard the names of the deceased. Nobody he knew, other than Cyrille... Right now, they were just the unlucky ones. Back to his thought, even if both of them survived to the end, one would have to kill the other, or they both would die. The odds massively stacked against them, he looked to her and said,

"No way!"

He grinned. He had to be strong. He already lost one person he promised to help. Never again. Never would he let someone down like he let Cyrille down. Like he let Garry down. Never again would he be left behind, his friend's back to him, his voice unheard.

[Dropbear†]

Giggling, Sapphire gave a nod at Saul and reopened her eyes. "Right! We can do this. We don't need to listen to that fat guy's orders!" Eating another block, she gave another laugh. For all the people on the island that could hurt her, there was an equal amount not wanting to at all.

"So... I reckon this place is a good base to hide, don't you? We could build a shelter or something, like on Survivor! I mean, unless you think walking around would be safer, right?" Twiddling with her necklace, Sapphire started to think. "It be easier to find friends if we walked around, wouldn't it? But then again, some people could find us that we don't want to meet." Scratching her chin, she ran though the choices. She really wanted to see Sarah and the blue-haired girl again, as well as some parts of the GODspeed club... although someone like Clio wouldn't be good to meet again, now that she thought about it.

"What do you think?"

[Unknown Kadath†]

Listening to her go on, Saul's mask of a smile slowly became genuine, he corners of his mouth tugging upwards. She's safe to be around, that's for sure. Hell, I doubt she could even hurt a fly.

"I dunno if a shelter would be really smart, Sapphire. You remember the fat guy talking about danger zones? If we're caught off guard in one, we're toast. I think moving around would be better, honestly, but I dunno how many more people on the island are as peaceful as us...."

This speech felt familiar. Like similar words were spoken by him. It couldn't have been earlier than yesterday. In fact...

Then, it clicked. It was similar because he said it to Cyrille. He said that caves were a bad idea. That they should have moved. His lip quivered as a rush of raw emotion swept over him. Cyrille... if they had stayed at the cave... maybe she wouldn't have...

It was my fault.

He killed her. Maybe he didn't stab or shoot her, but he may as well have. He got mad at her in the tunnels. She left. That was the last he heard of her or his companions. What if Garry died too? Garry was his best friend. Did he send his best friend to his death too?

"O-oh s-shit..."

Tears, welling up in his eyes, slid down his cheeks, leaving warm wet trails on his skin. "W-we should..." his voice wavered. Who was he to say his opinion? His opinion got someone killed.

[Dropbear†]

And then out of nowhere, Saul broke down in front of her. Frowning, Sapphire looked at Saul deeply. "Hey, it's OK, Saul."

What had Saul been through to suddenly be like this? It wasn't like he was injured or anything... but then again, spiritual wounds didn't show any scars. What had he seen? Sapphire's vision blurred to faceless people with knives and guns, firing at friends, stabbing. Shaking this thought out, she tilted her head at Saul. A crying man who used to be the school mascot at games, had friends, family, a life. Did he have hobbies like her? Everyone had hobbies, didn't they. But she was digressing. Here was someone who had something wrong. And she could fix it.

Swallowing, she got up and hugged Saul tight.

"Let it all out. I'm listening."

[Unknown Kadath†]

Saul sobbed, his shoulders shaking. Feeling Sapphire's arms wrap around him, he held her closely, her warmth comforting him. Soon, he began to calm down, his breathing becoming more even. He swallowed and let go of her, stepping back. "Sorry..." he began, wiping his eyes, "It's just that announcement earlier... the one with Cyrille in it. I knew her. Not very well, but I was with her for a bit after I woke up. My friend Garry and I were traveling with her and another girl named Miranda. I got mad at Cyrille and I pretty much yelled at her... and then she went off and I lost my group. Next thing I heard was that she was dead."

He sighed, his red rimmed eyes looking at Sapphire. He couldn't bear that happening again. If Garry died, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. They were best friends. Saul never wanted anyone to die, even if he put on a tough face. But, even with all the talk of protecting, could he really bring himself to kill someone? That seemed less and less likely with each passing hour. He frowned, digging into his pocket and pulling out the 8-ball. He stared at the black numeral painted in the white circle. Even if I could kills someone, how could I with this?

[Dropbear†]

Killed. Death. Murder. Why else would someone cry? Your friend gone forever, and knowing that you could have stopped it-

Sapphire dragged her head up and looked into his face. "You don't know what could have happened if you stayed. It's in the past. You can't change it, and it's pointless thinking about changing it."

Words from her mother. How ironic. She would always say out thoughtful stuff like that at the drop of a hat. Was she growing up? That could be one way to put it, she thought. Be the mother figure.

Watching the 8-ball, she gave a swallow. That must have been his 'weapon', for a lack of a better word. With a small smile, she reassured Saul, saying "We're not listening to fat man," and pulling out her tamagotchi to show him. "We don't need to kill, and we're not going to die. We run, we hide from players, we find our friends and we find a way out of here."

Holding onto her necklace, she nodded slowly. "We can do this."

[Unknown Kadath†]

Saul smiled slightly. Escape? Seemed impossible. Even that Danya guy said so. Death seemed to be the only escape on this island. Death, whether you did the dying or not. Only one person would get off the island. Even then, what would happen to the ones who won. Nobody knows what would happen. And if they did escape? What would happen then?

His mind was a jumble. Thoughts crossing through his head. This Danya guy had them in a box. Even if they could get past the troops, the collars would surely be set to detonate once out of the signal's range, if they didn't set them off earlier. He held the collar firmly, but still wary. He didn't want to blow his own head off like an idiot.

"Sounds good," he lied, "how do you propose we escape?"

Saul knew hey had no chance in hell of escaping, but trying would be a hell of a lot better than sitting around, waiting to die.