She's like a Doll...((Tebby!))

[Anonymous]

Sunlight lit small areas on the path, causing the fresh dew on the vibrant, green leaves to sparkle. A small girl stood next to a cart that was on the side of a forest path. She had a box in her hands, a music box. It was wooden, and very well made. She slowly and carefully turned the key of the box, which looked as delicate and pretty as she. The box began to play a tune that was both haunting and beautifull. The music seemed to drift through the air and come from everywhere but nowhere at the same time.  Her soft, brown eyes seemed to have a doll's stare, into the distance.

[Anonymous]

The leaves rustled high above in the trees. The birds among the leaves whistled their tunes and Zebediah kept the notes with his flute, hitting each note the birds sang as if he had been born to play it. He strolled along the trail, kicking stones as they crossed his path. Today had been particularly hectic. The best way he knew of relaxing was with a walk through forest, admiring the colors, sounds, and smells. They all seemed to swirl around him, engulfing him in pure peacefulness. The music grew as he added more and more notes to it, making it more complex, more beautiful. The intensity grew and he let the music take him over until he was merely letting the flute play itself.

He held the last note for a while, letting it echo around the trees, slowly fading away and leaving the silence behind when it finally died out. The birds fell silent as well. He sighed, wishing for the music to have continued. He shoved his flute in the carrier on his back and marched on, glancing from tree to tree, spotting a squirrel here and blue bird there. He smiled and breathed deeply, walking further and further into the forest.

He had been walking for a few minutes. Everything was moving around him, going on with it's daily functions. He began to hum subconsciously. Step by step, one foot in front of the other. The music grew louder, though still far away. It was an eerie tune that drew him in it's direction. He hadn't even realized were he was going until he reached the peak of the music. He couldn't see the source of where it was coming from but he couldn't leave until he did.

He followed his feet and his ears. They drew him forward, inch by inch. Minutes passed until he turned a corner and saw her. She was tiny and fragile looking. Even from far away he could see the glimmer of gold in her hair. He wasn't sure what he was going to do when he approached her, but if he didn't, it would break him even though he wasn't sure why. He continued forward slowly but surely. She was just staring off into the distance, her expression completely blank. He was nearly close enough to touch her when his feet stopped. He couldn't move forward anymore. So instead he decided to try and break her trance. " Hello miss. You lost?"

[Anonymous]

Aki faded out of her trance and said, "No, I am not lost. Thank you for your concern, though." The music slowed to a stop, and when it did, there was little sound at all in the surrounding forest. Aki set the music box down carefully, and picked up another one. She turned its key in the same way she had the last, and its tune filled the air. It was peaceful. She said in her quiet, soft voice, "Would you like to see my music boxes? Each one has a different tune.."

[Anonymous]

He glanced around as the music ceased. It felt almost as if part of him was taken with the sound. But as the sound broke, so did his trance. He looked at the small girl and smiled. She was nothing he had ever seen before. Her skin was like porcelain and she had the appearance of a doll or an elf. Her voice was almost as enchanting as the music she had been playing. He shook his head slightly and glanced around, wondering what she was doing in the middle of the forest.

He watched her as she picked up a box with a slightly lighter shade of brown on the outside. She turned the key and it began to play a more quiet and peaceful but equally beautiful piece of music. He was automatically thrown back into a trance. The colors of the forest seemed to spin around him and take him over. He closed his eyes, letting the music wash over him. He opened one eye to glance at her when she spoke. A smile spread wider across his face as he nodded. "yes ma'am. I would be delighted to hear some more of that beautiful music." He sat down on the soft ground and continued to listen for the change in the music.

[Anonymous]

Akiko played the song for a bit longer, and picked up a third. She played that one for a few minutes also, then set them are carefully back inside the cart. She looked at him and said, "They are all handmade by me. Do you like them?" She turned and shuffled things around in the cart, pulling out a box. It was strange, and had  many different levers and buttons. She toyed with it.

[Anonymous]

He smiled and listened, hearing when she transfered from one box to the other. He relaxed his arms and let his head fall backwards, completely taken over by the beautiful sounds. They surrounded him and hypnotized him as if by magic. He began to hum along with the music and find the tune when she let it run off and end. He opened his eyes and glanced at her as she twiddled with some buttons on a different box. He raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what she was doing. He decided if it was important he would find out soon enough. He pushed himself off the ground, once again standing on his feet and towering over the small girl.

She was intent on the box. He stared at her for a few minutes, watching as she switched levers and pushed buttons, each one slightly changing the box before he remembered she had asked him a question. "Er...yea! They are incredible. All hand made you said? That must have taken you a while. You have a real talent there." He smiled again at her.

[Anonymous]

"Thank you..." She sighed, and fiddled with the box some more. "It did take me a while...creating the box itself, and the music for it..." The box popped open when she pulled a lever that was hidden before. There was a small key in there. She took it and locked up the cart's doors. Then, she put the key back inside the strange box, and placed it on top of the cart. She then turned around and looked up at him. "You are very tall..."

[Anonymous]

He jumped slightly when the top opened up. He tilted his head, watching her in amusement as she worked. It was fascinating. He had never seen someone so small before, so fragile looking. She packed everything neatly so everything was in it's place before closing the doors and locking them. He was smiling gently when she turned around. She was very small. Her voice made her seem even smaller. He placed his hand on the back of his neck, nearly revealing his scar, and chuckled. "Yea. I am pretty tall." He glanced behind him and bit his lip.

He glanced back at her and smiled. "You headed back for the night? Because if so would you care to come join me for dinner? I am quite the cook if you would like some sandwiches." His eyes twinkled. He never was one to mince words. He knew what he wanted and would do anything to get it. He shifted his weight to his other foot and ran his hand through his hair awaiting her response.

[Anonymous]

Akiko had to look up high to see him. He made her feel quite small. But, she was used to it. She had always been tiny. She looked rather surprised when he asked her if she wanted to have dinner with him. She tilted her head. Nobody in a long time had asked her to dinner, and each time, she had felt like a doll at a tea party. "Well...it's quite nice of you to invite me to dinner...alright." She pulled out a handle on her cart and began to move it twords him with effort. When she was beside him, she looked up at him again.

[Anonymous]

A smile beamed across his face when she responded. He glanced down at her and grabbed the handle of the cart, helping her tow it along. "so do you always come out here with your boxes?" he nodded toward the cart. His mind longed for the sound of the music boxes. He longed for the feeling in his heart and the peacefulness of mind when it played. He glanced forward at the trees as the music played and replayed in his head. He breathed in the deep air as his tail swished back and forth to the beat of their footsteps.

[Anonymous]

Akiko nodded. "Yes. I travel around with my music boxes." She appeared to be in deep thought for a moment, then said, "We haven't been introduced yet. What is your name?" She kept the pace steadily, her small feet making little sound on the path. She tripped and fell foreward, making a sound like, "Oof!" She lay there for a moment, then got up slowly. She felt quite embarrased at falling like that.

[Anonymous]

He glanced over at her and then forward again. He let of a sharp breath. " my name is..." He glanced back over at her and reached his hands toward her as she descended towards the ground. He missed her by a small amount and she hit the ground. He knelt down beside her and helped her up. He glanced back and saw a poacher trap. He glanced back at her to make sure she was ok and ran back to undo it. It disgusted him that anyone would think about catching or killing animals by means of traps such as that. He shook his head and headed back to where she was, putting the trap in his pocket.

They continued walking for a bit before he realized he hadn't answered her question. "Oh! by the way, my name is Zebediah, Zebediah Ira. Or Eddie for short if you would so wish. And yourself?"

[Anonymous]

Akiko quietly thanked him when he helped her up. She paused before answering his question. "My name is Akiko. You may call me Aki." She cast a dissaproving glance at the trap before he pocketed it. She yawned a bit, covering her mouth. Then, she looked up at him. She didn't see the trap before it snapped. She made a frightened sound and grabbed Zebediah's leg, avoiding the trap's jaws. She quickly let go of him, her face colored slightly red.

[Anonymous]

Zebediah caught Aki as she fell, barely dodging the bear trap himself. He watched as it clamped hard onto her shoe, ripping it off her foot and closing on tight to it. He looked down at her, seeing her petrified eyes. She let go of him, but he held onto her arm to make sure she wasn't going to collapse. He watched her cautiously, biting his lip while he thought. He had an idea, it was a long shot and would be asking an awkward question. He would have to choose his words carefully as to not scare her off. If she ran off by herself with all the traps, who knew what danger she might be in.

He took a deep breath before turning to her. "that was close. You alright? It's hunting season and the poachers are laying traps everywhere. They are tricky to see sometimes. If you...err..want i could" He paused for a second. "I could carry you back to my house. It's even more dangerous as you near the city." He held his breath and looked straight forward, waiting to hear her reaction to his odd statement.

[Anonymous]

Akiko thought about how lucky she was to have this person around. It was nice of him to help her. Then, he asked if he could pick her up. She was slightly startled by his question, but her face didn't show it. That was...quite an odd solution. She thought for a moment, then she made a little sigh, and tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. Much like a little girl wanting to be picked up, she held out her arms and stood on her tip-toes. She didn't really mind this, as long as he just wanted to help her from the traps.

[Anonymous]

He chuckled slightly on the inside. She reminded him of his little sister Bella. She was mommy's little girl. But he loved her none-the-less. He would carry her around from place to place when she was little and they would go on journeys through the clouds and adventure to castles. such imaginative little children they were. He smiled and bent down to pick her up. She was light, small, easily carried. He adjusted her into a cradling position with one arm and grabbed the cart with his free hand. He ventured on, avoiding roots and walking cautiously. Last thing he needed was for either of them to get injured from another bear trap.

He moved forward slowly. He smiled and glanced at her. She was closer now, easier for him to talk to. "So...how long you been coming out this way?" He felt perfectly comfortable and hoped it wasn't awkward for her.

[Anonymous]

Akiko shrugged. "I have lost all track of time in my life, nowadays...One month is the next, and one year turns into 3.." She sighed. She didn't really mind this. She was rather comfortable.

[Anonymous]

He was dumbfounded. Losing track of time wasn't something he thought was possible. Each day was like a new adventure, always moving to new places, seeing new things, meeting new people. He stared at her for a few long seconds while dozens of questions flooded his mind. Glancing forward again, two questions came to the front of his brain. "Where are you from? How old are you?" He realized he had asked them before thinking about how pushy they had sounded. He was an idiot for jumping into questions like that. He was never like this. But this girl was a mystery to him. Mysteries were not something he dealt with well, and they usually forced him to ask stupid questions like that. He shut his eyes for a second and swished his tail. stupid stupid stupid.

[Anonymous]

Akiko shrugged. "I am..sixteen. As for where I'm from, I don't have an answer for you." She didn't really know herself. All she knew was that she was set into the world alone at a rather young age. She didn't know her real age, and she didn't care, either. She pushed the hair out of her face.

[Anonymous]

He nodded and continued looking straight ahead, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. He walked along, not asking anymore questions, only thinking.

They neared the edge of the forest, it had only been about a 20 minute walk. The sky was still light but the chilly night air began to come and replace the warm sunshine. He wrapped his arm around Aki, trying to keep her warm to the best of his abilities. In a few minutes they would be surrounded by the city lights and he would be able to put her down and give her something else to keep her warm.

They walked until the dirt turned to grass and the grass turned to gravel. He set her down gently and removed his jacket, wrapping it around her tiny shoulders. It covered her completely and extra fabric dragged on the ground. This made him smile and they walked to where the street lights were bright. He waltzed through the streets, turning left and right wherever necessary. He would glance back to ensure she was indeed following. They did this for ten minutes before he stopped in front of a small shack-like building. He turned to her and gave her a sheepish smile. "Home sweet home."