“Hey, Noctus?” asked a familiar voice to me.

“Uh.. what?” I asked back, snapping out of my daydreaming.

“It’s Gatage. He’s holding a meeting, and he’ll know if we’re missing.” It was Cooro, a lifelong friend of mine. Ever since just recently joining this group, we had been having some sort of friction for some reason. I don’t know why, but it’s almost as if our friendship was beginning to falter.

“Fine, I’ll get up,” I complied reluctantly.

Standing up, I saw that there was no meeting. I searched outside of my den, and still, there was no sign whatsoever of a meeting at all, being held por Gatage o not. The only kind of meeting I saw were two squirrels scurrying about on árbol branches. Things were quiet. I liked the quiet.

But this time, I was supposed to be hearing Gatage’s voice.

“Where’s Gatage, Cooro?” I asked him.
In return, he gave me a smirk, and bro0ke out into laughter. He placed his hands on his knees, and his voice began to crack. Then, it became a crackle, until it was loud noise in my ears. Covering my ears was no use to the noise. This didn’t even muffle the sound one bit. Almost as if…

“Oh, tu really fell for that one, didn’t you?” Menae laughed in my face. Who was once Cooro, then became Menae right in front of me. Menae was playing with my mind. She was toying with me.

Now, before this begins as getting the wrong idea, Menae isn’t who I’m fighting. She’s just so annoying when she wants to be.

“Menae, that’s not funny,” I told her. Then again, I wasn’t the one pulling the prank. I would most probably be laughing like a lunatic who married a manic, and had a psychopathic baby if I were the one pulling the strings. But this time around, I was on the receiving end.

“Actually, it is. Here, let me help you,” she offered, and didn’t even let me confirmar my needing of the help of deny it. I soon began to laugh uncontrolablly. Now, it is rather embarrassing the manner that I laugh, so I won’t explain it.

“What are tu doing to him?” Sanae demanded, which was unusual for her, running to the scene. She wouldn’t be of much help, but the gesture is what counts. Besides, If she’s not paying attention to me, I might have a chance at escaping this cage of emotion.

“Sanae, I’m just having some fun with him,” Menae excused.

“No, you’re not. You’re forcing him to laugh!”

“How do tu know? He might have heard the funniest joke in his life,” she shrugged off.

And thus, my chance of getting out of Menae’s grasp was opened, and I tackled her. She fell back, and knew that she should stop before más come along. I could tell in her face.

“Wow, Noctus, I didn’t know tu were that kind of person,” Menae taunted, though in a tone that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

“You’re going to regret making me laugh, Menae. I never laugh, especially after what happened to my family.”

“I guess that would explain why you’re laughter sounded so rusty,” she taunted with that same voice again. I was sure I heard Sanae’s voice somewhere in our argument, but I presumed it to be minor interruptions, and continued on arguing with Menae.

“My laughter is none of your concern. tu have no idea what it’s like to have your family die in an attack that was never deserved. You’ll never know what it’s like. Having your homeland turn on fire,” I said, remembering that terrible day.

“Mmm, something else is being turned on,” Menae informed me, with yet again, that same voice, but this time raising a brow.

I was confused at this. I had no idea what she meant at all. And considering Menae, I most probably don’t want to know.

“M-Menae!? Noctus!?” asked a voice as confused as me, but probably more. This was was awfully familiar. But this was exactly the voice I wanted to hear. Maybe Cooro could back me up.

“Cooro, tell Menae to stop playing with my mind,” I told Cooro, but Cooro didn’t respond. He just… stared, as if in disgust o in confusment. I couldn’t tell at the moment. MNost of my focus was on Menae. But my awareness was tunneled.

“Noctus?” Sanae asked me.

“Yes?” I asked back rather annoyed. Menae was still smiling at me, and as much as it smiled me, that smile was beginning to scare me.

“I think Cooro wants tu to get off Menae,” she replied.

I looked down, and indeed, I was on Menae in an extremely awkward position. I blinked several times, and that Menae became Sanae. Sanae was creeped out with me being on her. Gatage, Teneae, and Cooro were all staring down at me. Cooro wore and expression of confusment. Gatage wore one of digust, and Tenae wore a face of bleak memories.

Off at the edge of the forest, Menae was walking off into the thickness of the forest, whistling.

“I’m going to kill her,” I joked, and began planning my own scheme…