PMaM Page 12

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"RAMSET!" Gordon shouted. "You live and sleep in the forest, how could you possibly not hear anything?!"

"Look, Gordy...it's not my duty to surveillance the forest at night." He pointed to the bright, yellow tape wrapping the tree trunks of Kalmari Forest. "Who honestly thought one of those demon beasts would invade Kalmari."

Gordon glared at him. "One was bound to show up! What do you expect, we live in a time of war!"

"Don't lecture me like I don't know!" Ramset threw out his arms in retaliation. "I served under Crux since I was a kid! I know we're at war!"

"Yeah, well..." Gordon covered his face in frustration. "It's time to start taking this matter more seriously; we've been taking our peace for granted- all of us have."

He looked at the forest behind him. "You said someone was killed?"

Ramset nodded. "I believe it was a bird." He lifted up a blood covered feather to show him. "No body, though...only a pool of dried blood."

The Sasuke sighed. "It wouldn't have phased me, but the tree in which the bird was killed in....it looked like someone was set on killing it."

"Huh?" Gordon glanced away from the feather and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"The tree..." He scratched his head. "Erm..I can't explain it very well. It looks like it was stabbed over and over again with a machete."

"A machete?"

"That's the only way I can explain it." He looked at Gordon. "Whoever was responsible wanted to make sure it was dead. I dunno, you'd think one strike would've been enough."

"Hrm..." Gordon looked at the feather again. "Okay, then...I'll go and inform Bat-"

-CRACK!!!-

Gordon and Ramset turned around when they heard the sound of glass breaking.

"Huh?" Gordon saw Meta a few feet from them. "Meta, what's wrong? Are you oka-"

Gordon stopped talking when he saw the terrified look on the Puffball's face. It's a face he knows all too well.

'Meta....oh, no....'

Before Gordon could say anything, Meta ran the opposite direction of the forest- leaving everything he brought with him scattered on the floor.

'META!" He shouted. "WAIT!!!"

Ramset looked at the spot where Meta was just standing. "W-wait...what just happened?"

Gordon went over and picked up a paper next to the broken jar of candy. Tears started to form in the elders eyes when he saw it.

"Meta and that bird were friends...." He whispered to Ramset.

Artist Comment:

Date: October 11, 2013

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To find out your friend was just killed...it's such a horrible feeling; especially for a mere child.