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Chapter Text

A fire settles in on the mossy stone, the tents glimmer under its light. The Freaky Friends had finally found a spot to make camp for the night, having walked their way over from Scout Hall. They predicted it would be a silent night with few distractions. As Hilda hoped it should.

Within the tent, Hilda sets the stage for some scary stories. Frida provides snacks while David and Louise get comfortable within their separate blankets. She's been quite the narrator of these tales, able to string out a fright out of her friends. They all lie in wait for her to begin.

In a moment, she grabs the flashlight and turns it on under her chin. With a grim face, Hilda recounts a tale told from long ago.

"A girl loved to be home alone with her little dog. She was her favorite and she often let him lick her when she feels scared." Hilda then scooted Twig to her side.

"Yet she never felt safe in the house, for the little girl had heard of rumors of a man that had been sneaking into people's houses!"

She then raised her arms upward and angled the flashlight to make her loom over her friends. Her little fingers tingled like spiders up a wall as she fanged her teeth. Her friends hid under the blanket but kept their eyes on Hilda.

"Fearing for her safety, she led her dog back to her room and locked all the doors and windows," she then gestured the use of a lock and a key, "Still feeling scared, she let out her hand and let her dog lick it for comfort." Hilda then held Twig up in her arms, hugging him like a pillow.

"Wait, I feel like I know this–" Frida quietly says before David shushed her.

"She may have locked all the doors and windows, BUT there was one place in the house she forgot to seal off..." she then raised the flashlight up to her face, "And it would be the one place she thinks of the least," she builds anticipation.

"Where?" Louise asks.

"She forgot THE BASEMENT!" Hilda jumped and pointed her finger towards David.

David flinched at the mere mention of a basement. He screamed loudly, quickly cupping his mouth. Frida and Louise giggled at his bewildering fright as they shared Jorts.

"As the night passed, the dog would hear the basement door open ever so slowly in the dark," she then imitated the sound of a creaking door.

"The dog then looked for the source and found the man hiding in their bathroom!" Hilda then turns to Twig with a horrifying face, scaring him. "Before he knew it, the man SNATCHED the little dog by his legs and dragged it whimpering back inside!"

As she emulated the screams, she proceeds to playfully drag Twig towards her. The deerfox jumped off before Hilda got to his feet and nestled on David's lap. Perhaps the performance was too real for him. Both boys were shaken by her narrative.

"But as he finished, the man knew the girl would find out if her little dog wasn't around. So he snuck into her room, crawled RIGHT under the bed, and pretended to be her loving dog."

Hilda didn't pull any theatrics for this scene, but she can see how the idea seeps into her friends' eyes. They were pulling the blankets over their eyes this time. The story was working.

David and Twig were shaking in fear. Twig had a mind of his own and dreaded the idea of being in that dog's shoes. David meanwhile became horrified at the thought of someone under his bed; he had this fear since childhood and had been a recurring nightmare, and he couldn't shake it off.

Minutes passed and Hilda finally managed to reach the closing moments of the scary story she was telling. By that point, everyone was spooked.

"But just before the man could catch her, the little girl ran out of the house! She ran away with all her might, but the man was even FASTER than her!" Hilda used her hands to imitate two people running.

"And when he caught her, the man simply dragged her back to the house and into the basement! Her screams pierced the silence and only then, did the house find peace once the man was done."

The Freaky Friends had been worked up by this tale. David tucked himself into the sheets with Twig while Frida and Louise were morbidly listening in with Hilda. All their snacks had been consumed by that point.

Hilda let out a sigh and rested her voice. "And that was the end." She then turned the flashlight off. "Would you like another story?"

Though shaken, Frida was amused by Hilda's storytelling. "Well, it is customary."

Louise looked at her. "You want to be scared again?" She then turned on the lantern.

"Why not?" she shrugged, "Hilda's a good storyteller. She's done this before and it's a lovely time."

"Lovely time, indeed," David sheepishly remarks in the corner, still under the sheets.

Hilda chuckled as she saw him. "Aww, did you get scared?" she asks. "That's fine, I'll think up of something less scary."

"No, I'm fine actually," he refuted, "It's just...well I feel like I need to sleep it off."

Understanding what he meant, Hilda then lets him out of the tent for now. She wondered whether or not her story was too much for him, but with keen eyes on her, she couldn't mope around him for now.

David sat on a wooden log nearby of the camp, looking idly out into the forest around their camp. He can still hear Hilda setting the stage for another scary story from a few steps away. He covers his ears for now.

He lets out a calming breath to release the burden out of his chest. He shouldn't feel like this again; being scared out of a scary story. He was better than this. But rather than face it, David chooses to let it go for now. Thinking of it only makes it worst.

Staring idly into the wilderness while humming some tune in his head, he noticed just how loud the surrounding woods are at this hour. Though not in the Screaming Stones anymore, the wilderness still had noisy confrontations around. David tries to ignore the rabble of the woods, preferring to keep to himself.

Yet no matter how much he tries, the wilderness still bothered him. David looked out in between the trees to at least discern what's causing the ruckus. He sees nothing.

He turns toward the camp and looks out from that direction. Whatever it is, it has to come from somewhere. However, even with the campfire's light, nothing seems to be apparent in this area of the woods. The noises still remain; the rustling of the trees and the squelching of earth disturb the silence.

Perturbed by this, David chooses to come back to the tent. Whatever is waiting for him out here is not worth his time. Maybe someday.

David returned in the middle of Hilda's theatrical narration, this time about a clown. As Hilda prepared to bring down its climax, he lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

She jolted from the touch, but was quickly relieved to see David back.

"David!" she greets, "What brings you here?"

"Eh," he shrugged, "I changed my mind. Can I stay here with you guys?"

"Well, what's stopping you?" Louise quipped, "This is the only tent around."

"Right..." he said, "Still, can I be here?"

"Are you kidding? You came in for the best part!" Frida exclaimed, setting aside his spot for him.

Twig doesn't look amused but David felt safe enough for one more scary story. At least for now, they have his back.

Hours had passed and Hilda had already exhausted all her stories to tell. The Freaky Friends were now fast asleep, all within their own separate sleeping bags.

David tried to rest himself easy by jamming out to some lite rock before dozing off. Yet he feels that he couldn't sleep at night. Hilda's stories had gotten the better of him. He changes the song to a lullaby, which was all about a greedy unicorn, and hopes it will be enough to let him sleep.

As he tossed and turned, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. His imagination had ran wild tonight, and it is not helping.

To relieve himself of these thoughts, David walked out of the tent and tried to breathe to some fresh air again. Maybe this will help him sleep. He sat back on the wooden log and stared out into the forest again. The wilderness looked darker than they usually were, but all he could think of is the song playing in his ears. He slowly breathed in and out, letting his worries out as he went.

Then, he heard something in the wilderness. He turned around, thinking it might be one of his friends. The tent stayed closed. He turned back but as he was about to put his headset back, he heard it again. Something about this sound feels... different.

It isn't like the rustling of leaves or the quiet thuds of the earth, yet it feels natural. It felt like the lullaby he was listening to earlier. David approached the glistening sound, almost not caring for the obscene squelching of grass he's stepping on. The noise emanated from behind the tent, and he followed it, dropping his walkman and headset to the ground.

David kept moving through the wilderness to find it, the song growing louder as he went closer. He looked back and realized just how far he was going from the tent. It became clear that he's gonna be lost if he didn't continue. Yet something about this sound felt surreal, comforting even. Despite what his gut is telling him, he kept moving.

He then finally encountered the elusive singer of the lullaby. It came to rest around a series of stones and mushrooms in the ground, as it floats into the air. The song had now embraced the atmosphere and the wind became its orchestra. David couldn't believe what he saw.

In the center displayed a blueish light that floated like a candlelight but moved like a person. It danced around the circle like an opera, strutting along to its song like a ballet. The singer then let out its light over his face, lightly touching it and swirling itself around him. It was theater in all but name.

Then, as the wind winded down and the leaves rustled again, the light then turned the other direction and slowly walked off into the distance. It carried the song forward as it passed.

Entranced by the song, David kept going towards it, unable to hear the warbled sound around him. As his foot was about to step into the circle, he then felt the pull that was–

"DAVID!" Frida pulled his arm away from the circle.

He was taken aback by the surprise. His senses were thrown out of loop during all that. He looked around, and noticed he was standing in the middle of nowhere in the wilderness.

He turned to Frida and she looked horrified. David didn't understand what was going on, but as he turned to see what he saw, she spoke up.

"David, where were you going? You could've been lost out here," she kept her hand on his arm, shining her flashlight on the other.

"Wait lost?" he felt confused, "No, I wasn't lost. I was following this–" he turned around to see that the light wasn't there.

Frida looked to where he was pointing. "Following what?"

"Wait, what!?"

Reality came to him, as his head looked frantically into the dark. He tried to stare deeply into the woods where it might've been but when he saw the circle of mushrooms on the ground, he took a step back.

Then, he nearly tripped himself in the process. Luckily, Frida catched him before he fell on some large stone on the ground. Holding on to his hand for dear life, she then quickly brought up back up to his feet, her heart racing.

"David, what's gotten into you?" she looked at him with worry. 

David kept glancing at the dark but he couldn't explain himself. "I- I was looking for something around here and- I knew there was something but–"

"David," she shook him lightly, "Calm down, just..." she exhaled, "Can we talk this out at camp? Just the two of us?"

Frida then took a step back from him, realizing that he's in a panic. David noticed her change of posture and it eased his mind. His heart was still beating against his chest, however, and he tries to ramble his words together. But with some space given, he can finally take his mind off of things.

Letting himself breathe in and out, he then kept his eyes on Frida. Seeing a familiar face helps calm him down, and now that he feels his chest getting quieter, David then lets out a sigh of relief.

"...Are you okay?" Frida approached him.

"I'm fine."

The two then walked their way back to camp, with Frida leading the way with her flashlight. David still felt shaken by what he saw but at least he has someone on his side.

Keeping up with her, he worked up the courage.

"I gotta thank you for snapping me out of it," he said, "Had you not been there, who knows where I might end up in."

"Thanks." That gave her a warm smile on her face.

"Say, about what you said..." he twiddled his fingers, "Can we talk? I still feel scared being out here. I don't know what it is but I feel the same."

She turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Like I don't know... Hilda's stories still give me the creeps, and I don't like that it does. I thought I was getting braver but I'm still scared by it. I don't know what's gotten into me."

Frida quickly picked up on what David meant. He thought he was changing, but he still felt the same as before. And he's not proud of it.

She took a sigh. "David, you don't need to be brave at all times." She stopped walking. "But I understand if you still feel like your old self. Even I feel like I haven't changed." Frida then points to her scout leadership uniform.

"But that doesn't make us weak. David, I actually like your honesty. That's something that never changes from you."

"Still, I feel like I should act my age. This isn't right. I shouldn't be scared by Hilda's stories."

"David, I also feel scared by her stories. Do I sometime think of them? Yes, but you don't need to keep it to heart. You don't need to act tough in front of us or do it to feel older. It's fine not to grow up and that's okay! If you want to feel younger, there's no shame in that.

"David, I believe in you. And that's not going to change."

Then she gave him a hug. David didn't expect that, but he appreciated for what it was worth. What Frida said though, it touched him deeply. Some old habits do die hard and he can embrace it if needed be. And as thanks, he embraced Frida back warmly.

"So, what did you saw back there?"

"Well, about that...can we talk this out?"

Chapter Text

It has been a day and a half since they departed Scout Hall. As part of the badges that they needed to earn, the Freaky Friends are now on a lookout to photograph at least one endangered bird from the wilderness. 

Frida had the manual for what to picture, and distributed which bird each will take a photo on. The conversation with David last night still shaken her, and they both agreed to keep it to themselves for now.

It's not worth bothering Louise and Hilda especially about this. They want a normal campout again, they won't risk bringing her attention into it.

Travelling along a riverine tributary in accordance to the map, the four friends arrived at a designated signpost. These posts were placed there years beforehand as a checkpoint of sorts for the Sparrow Scouts, so they wouldn't get lost in the wilderness.

"Okay, just so we're clear," Frida laid out the manual, "I'm afraid we're gonna have to split up for this activity." 

She felt pity in her words. Looking at David, he looked scared going out in the woods alone again.

"That's fine," Louise said, "I like doing things alone."

"It's daytime anyway," Hilda remarked, "We have plenty of time to spot a bird. Right, David?"

"Yeah, yeah," he repeatedly nodded, "Plenty of time, just..." he looked at the sign, "remember to find a way back."

The Freaky Friends approved of his caution, and before they went off their separate ways, they gathered their hands close together and with one praise, they raised them up in the air and walked in all directions.

David is now on his own, closely following Louise's trail on his right. It helps keep his nerves calm to be in a parallel direction with a friend.

With the embankment of mossy boulders, tall trees and the dense forest around him, David had to adjust his camera constantly to keep his eyes on a particular bird. Unfortunately the overlapping branches and the overgrowth of leaves above left little sunlight for him to take a photo.

And the bird he was assigned to was of scarce number. It was a Velourian Bleeding Heart, a bird with feathers as brown as a nitten and a big bright red spot in its chest, thus giving the name Bleeding Heart. The only way of finding this bird in the middle of the woods was its white tail and a distinctive wail.

Trying to find it with only a camera and a picture of what the bird looked like, David had to get farther away from the signpost. Crossing through thick shrubs, small rivers and dense woodlands, he felt like he's looking for a needle in a haystack.

At least he can still see Louise from a distance. That gave him enough comfort to be pursuant of the Bleeding Heart.

With another few steps deep into the forest, he heard something in the branches.

PIP-PIP!  PIP-PIP!

David looked up with his camera and within the lens, he caught sight of the Velourian Bleeding Heart, perching over a makeshift nest. Unsure if the noise he heard was actually from the bird, he checked the description.

Perhaps he should've double-checked since the manual had been outdated for a few years. Sighing to himself, he then picked up the camera and prepared to take the photo.

All of a sudden, the bird flew out of sight. Annoyed, David ran after it in a briskly pace, stepping over a few twigs and dry leaves in the ground. This loud commotion had gotten the attention of Louise from afar, and it looked as if he's running towards something.

He tried to pace himself, taking a brief break to come back to his senses. This bird is quite elusive, he thought to himself. Once he wiped the sweat away from his head, David focused on taking the photo. It's one badge away.

Then he heard it again.

PIP-PIP!  PIP-PIP!

David looked back and forth for the bird, yet all he heard was the wind. It was picking itself up again, blowing leaves towards his way. Trying to find the bird, he honed in his ears to make a guess on where it took to rest. 

Then, he found it again.

Now the Bleeding Heart is perching against a branch, facing away from his direction. It seems to be chirping something, he doesn't what it is. Pulling his camera out, he then zoomed the lens in for a closer shot. It looked puny compared to the leaves falling around it.

He took the photo.

As he waited for the picture to come out of the eject slot, David noticed something else at the corner of the lens. It was...blue.

He turned the camera towards it and there it was again. A flamelike light had been dancing around the leaves, waving its arms as gently as the wind, letting the wind follow its footsteps. 

It was singing too.

Yet unlike last night, now it was singing a different song. This one now sounded like a waltzing ballad than a lullaby, and it performed as if it was looking for someone. Then, as David watched closely from his camera, the light took notice of him.

It didn't shriek. It didn't flinch. It just looked at him with a blank yet peculiar face, though it lacked one. David almost said a word when it looked.

Soon enough, the flame then whisked itself off in the distance. It turned around, and from the gestures of the light that followed the wind, it seemed as if it's asking him to come with it.

The waltz had him fazed, and with its invitation, how can he refuse?

David kept looking at the camera and walked forward. The light moved slowly yet it had the gentleness of the wilderness under its spell. It sang as it passed.

He would've kept going until–

PLOUP

David quickly snapped out of its senses and stepped back. He looked down at his shoes, and lo and behold, it was dirty.

From his entrancement, he had mistakenly stepped his foot in a deep mud puddle. Holding back his gag, he chose to walk it off.

In the meantime, David managed to secure the photo of the Velourian Bleeding Heart out of his camera and kept it in his pocket. As he was walking out of the forest, he ran into Louise.

"David, are you okay?" she asked worryingly.

He looked down to his shoes. "Not exactly."

"I just saw you standing there earlier. What was that all about?"

"What–" He turned back. The leaves that were swirling in the air had settled disturbed in the soil. The bird had already left the branch.

"I also heard someone singing. Was that what you were looking?"

"Singing?" He looked perplexed. "Wait, singing? I swear it was there." 

David then pointed to the disturbed leaves. Louise wasn't easily believed but she still walked over to inspect. Something feels wrong here, yet what could it be?

He followed Louise to the site and walking over the area where the light once was, they both noted something. All the leaves felt burned, even though there was no fire. And then to the left, there was a trail of bright orange leaves...in the middle of June.

"David," she turned to him, "I think we need to go."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know," she said, "This place is giving me the creeps..." 

David looked outward to the trail. It was somehow the only bright colored path in between the pines and shrubs, leading towards one place. It exudes something is waiting for him, but he doesn't wanna find out.

"Yeah, this is giving me the creeps too. Can we go back?"

The two walked back from the forest and towards the Sparrow Scout signpost, trailing along the familiar route. As they went, they both discussed the photos that they took of their respective birds. 

It was the only thing they could talk about aside from that incident.

Louise takes out a picture. "I found this one sitting next to a pond." She hands it to him. "If my memory serves me right, that's a Flapjack Talisman."

David felt impressed by the find. "Very rare," he complimented, "Aren't these found in some island?"

"Well, they are migratory birds and Flapjacks like migrating towards bodies of water. Their feathers look pretty too."

"It sure does."

"Well, what did you find?"

"Oh, this is a good one," he grabbed his camera, "I found a Velourian."

"No way!" Louise looked at him dumbfounded, "A Velourian!? That's one of the rarest birds in the world!"

"Wait, they are?" he looked back at her, "I thought it was an easy find."

"They aren't. Velourians are very hard to find around here, and it's rarer to find them in the open. No way you took a picture of it."

"I'll prove it then."

David reached for his pocket to show it off, giving a smugly amused smile back at her. As soon as he pulled the photo out, an orange leaf had found its way into his hand.

While Louise stared at the photo he took with glee, David looked at the leaf in his hand. Something seems to be written in the leaf's blade, it looked runic too. When he took a closer look, the runes changed.

It now bears his name.