The Heart of the Forest

The Forest smelled like frosted Scones from a bakery, sweet and buttery. Shasha could see the oozing cotton candy smelling pink blood dripping from each tree's branches, forming a rain puddle around them. As Shasha walks through the forest, she hears something.

She heard someone with a high-pitched squeaky voice. “Who are you?”

“I’m Shasha, and you?” Shasha replied as she crept around the tree, she heard the voice come from.

“I’m Bubbles and my favorite color is bright orange.”

“That’s a nice color. Why are you in the forest?” Shasha asked.

In a high-pitched voice Bubbles said. “I am here to help you find your mother.”

Shasha took a step backwards and with a furrowed brow she replied.

“How did you know that? Do you know where she is?”

Bubbles comes out from the side of the tree and Shasha also comes out from the crept area she was in. To Shasha’s surprise, Bubbles was a powdered white frog.

“Your a frog?” Shasha asked.

“You have a problem with me being a frog?”

“No, not at all but I was just surprised.”

“Shasha, your mother, Chantelle is in danger, you must save her from the Leopard King.”

“Who is he and What has he done to her?” Shasha asked.

“The Leopard king is the ruler of the entire Forest, since his brother King Leopard the II passed away, he took over the Forest and turned it into this madness.” Bubbles said with her eyes look weary.

Shasha couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“What does he want with my mother?” Shasha asked.

“He wants to stop her from restoring the forest. Your mother has the power to restore it, and if she doesn’t then we will all be doomed.”

“What do I have to do?”

“You have to follow the pink oozing blood without touching it and it will lead you to the blue bats which is where The Leopard King is at.”

“I will find my mother.” Shasha said clutching both of her fists.

“I’m coming with you.” Said Bubbles in her high-pitched voice.

Shasha and Bubbles decided to go through the poisonous Forest and Shasha smelled the forest change. It then smelled like a woodsy, musky scent. She heard the bats from above flying around in circles. Shasha looked up and saw her mother entangled in cherry red vines with thorns on the edged branches.

“Mom it’s me, Shasha.” Shasha whispered to her mother.

“What are you doing here?”

“We came to save you.” Shasha said with a warm smile.

“No, just leave. The Leopard King is too dangerous.”

“No, mom, I’m not leaving till you are with me.”

“Chantelle, don’t worry, we’ll get you down.” Said Bubbles.

Bubbles looked for something to help with.

“Oh look, a pocket knife.” Said Bubbles to Shasha.

Shasha looked at the knife and began to slowly but surely cut through the thorned edged branches. She did it carefully.

“Almost done mom.”

Shasha cut the last vine, and it unraveled before The Leopard Kings eyes.

“What do we have here?” said The Leopard King.

“You stay away from her.” Said Chantelle.

“I will, as long as you hand me over your locket.”

“Mom, no,” said Shasha.

“Don’t do it, please don’t.”

Chantelle looks into Shasha’s eyes and broke into tears.

“Why? Why do you have to do this to us and the Forest?”

“My parent’s always loved my brother more than me. Now that’s he’s dead, everything he has is mine.” The Leopard King said as he circled Shasha, Chantelle, and Bubbles.”

“Give me the locket or face the consequences.”

“Mom, you don't have to do this, there must be another way.”

“There isn’t.” Said Bubbles.

“Here it is.” Said Chantelle, removing the golden locket from her neck and placing it into the paws of The Leopard King.

“Very good.”

“Can we leave now? You've got what you wanted.” Said Shasha desperately.

“No. You must all face consequences for trying to stop this.”

“Stop what?” Said Shasha.

“You stupid girl. I need this locket to start a new Forest, a Kingdom made for me, by me.”

The Leopard king called upon his blue bats. These bats surrounded the three of them. Shasha gets her knife and starts slashing the necks of each bat that comes next to them. The Leopard King comes to try to defeat Shasha. She took a few clawed scratches from The Leopard King and Shasha slashed his neck. All the pink blood from his body left. Chantelle took back her necklace. “Shasha, you saved the forest!” Said Bubbles.

“The three of us did.” Said Shasha.

Since then, the Forest restored to it’s colorful, purity, lightness and angelic scenery and vibes.