Shan's cheeks turned a bright red; thankfully, no one could see this because of the harsh shadow from her hood. "I'd um... I'd like to have my son's father to myself, actually. Somewhere that we can all live together with no troubles at all..." She found her mind wandering and quickly stopped herself, focusing instead on her son, who was looking back at her.

He was smiling too. "That would be nice."

((In a little bit XD, I was going to do it today but I had too much HW so it will have to be tomorrow morning D8;;;

LORD, IT'S HOT.

Er.. goodnight XD (or day? different time zones can confuse me XD)

baddies are coming tomorrow~

EDIT: Alrighty, it's morning, I can do it now >w< ))

They had been walking for some time now, the sun had begun to set. The sky was various shades pink and orange, and so was the landscape around them. In the trees and bushes, new sounds could be heard, animal sounds, and other sounds too.

Shan stopped abrubtly, suddenly completely still.

"What is the matter?" Yuki asked, although he had a pretty good idea of what might be the matter.

"We're being followed. Stay still, look vulnerable. It's better that they come out to get us rather than us having to chase after them to where they have the advantage."

Slowly but surely, a creature emerged, somewhere to the group's right. It looked like something out of a child's nightmares. Someone's version of the monster in the closet or under the bed. The eyes were a deep red, the crooked smile looked like what a shark would look like if sharks smiled. The rest of its very large shape was undefined. It would seem the dreamer did not see any true physical form for this creature, although it had some arms and legs, its edges looked blurred. Nevertheless, the monster looked strong enough, and after all, even if it had part of a dream before, it could definitely do more than just scare someone now.

Shan became tense, her fans were now in her hands. They weren't open yet, but if she had to, she would open them.

Next to her, Yuki stood with his flute close to his lips. He was a strong enough fighter, but not a close range fighter; his mother would not let him unless the circumstances called for. He could see why. The monster looked strong.

The creature gave a loud roar, and charged at the group, lashing out with one of its large arms

The monster lashed out at the vines, damaging them, but not successfully freeing itself, at least, not completely. It flailed it's body around, too close to some of the travelers.

Yuki jumped backwards, wondering if he should do anything, of if he should wait. The creature seemed strong, but not strong enough to get away from the vines trapping it.
He was quite surprised actually. He half expected himself to be shaking with fear, but he didn't feel any true danger, not yet. He placed his flute to his lips and began to play. Icicles began to form high above the monster, getting sharper and sharper as the complex notes from his flute sounded higher and higher.

Shan waited as her son played and the monster continued to struggle. Yuki was composed now, but what about afterward? She was waiting for his reaction, not a physical one, but an emotional or psychological one.

When the ice was sharp enough, Yuki let it drop towards the monster, but as he did, the monster managed to break free. However, some of the ice did manage to strike it, and as it came free, there was a horrible bellowing sound from the creature, as well as an odd crunching noise upon contact. Yuki blinked, startled not only by the sounds, but by the sight of the monster. It was bleeding. It didn't look much like it, but this monster could bleed, and it gave Yuki a sickening sensation at the pit of his stomach.

Shan looked over at her son, to make sure he was alright. After being reassured that his sickness was only temporary, she readied herself to fight, fans fully open in her hands.

One again, the monster was ready to attack, but this time it was diminished by the ice stuck in it's body. That would not, however, stop it from causing terrible damage if left to its own devices. He lashed out once more, this time with it's whole upper body.

While Yuki stayed far for the moment, Shan spun out of the creature's way, remaining within a fighting distance.

The monster fell with a loud thud. It struggled to get up, but failed, and within moments it was completely still. It was strong enough to last more than the smaller monster they had encountered before, but not that much stronger. It had been difficult to deal with because it was large. This monster, unlike the other one, did not disappear however. It would only be gone once the Dreamweaver herself made it vanish.

Shan stood straight, closing her fans and glad that she had not had to fight much this time around. "We're all alright, yes?" She asked tentatively.

Yuki nodded, but remained silent. He was still thinking. He went over to his mother and took her hand; the comfort from the contact calmed his nerves.

"A few months at most,"Shan answered. "I don't know how having more people will affect the journey just yet. So far everything seems about the same."

Yuki nodded. He would have to get used to this type of life, and fast. He would not be here for too long, but a month was quite a long time for a child who lived day by day.

((Hm, I'm not sure o.e... If HotaruHoshi remains absent, I'll create the "frozen character" list....

Also some heads up: I might be very slow this week and the next, since AP Exams are coming up and school is piling up on me... and I have to submit all this stuff to the college I'm going to @[email protected] ))

[[*revives* Sorry, I was taking AP exams XD Product of Evil they be, although I think I did best on the Psychology exam, especially the 2 essays >w<

I might still be a bit slow since I have to fill out a lot of forms for the college I'm going to next year (OMG, college!), but it won't be as bad as the last week or two.. XD; ]]

Shan nodded. "I suppose that someone young would think this to be a long, a few months being a good fraction of their life." As she said this she was thinking of Yuki.

Yuki agreed with this statement. Whether or not his magic was strong, depending on who judged him, he was still only a child, and for children, time seemed to pass more slowly and kindly than it did for adults.

Shan began to think about the night, and quickly it seemed to be coming. Because of where they were, night would take its sweet time coming, or it would mock them further by coming all to soon. This place never seemed to have pleasant-length days at all. She stopped in her tracks abruptly and turned to the travelers. "I suppose I now is the best time to explain how our nights will work. Travel during the night is simply not doable because this is when the nightmares are at a complete advantage. We cannot see them hiding, and their powers are sometimes double at night. The only safe time to move is during the day, and even then we are not at a total advantage.

"When we stop to sleep, one of us will always be awake. We will each take turns during the night, I myself taking two turns, the rest of you taking one." She paused for a moment, then continued: "Since Yuki is a child, he will take the first shift, so that he can sleep through the rest of the night. I will take the second and last shifts. As for the remaining shifts, I think you should all get to decide."