Prologue (p. 2 - 4)

                Never were the lands of Limbo as susceptible to change as the day when the ground itself split open with a fissure and regurgitated a lass, no more than twelve years of age, draped in an azure, stunning dress that complimented both her figure and nature exquisitely: an action that would cause all of Limbo to shudder so tremulously that no life would be left untouched. Remedied by the shock of being thrown forty feet in the air, she failed to scream as pinches of her dress caught in the prickly branches of trees as she descended mercilessly, quickly, until she landed on the grassy floor with a thud. She felt the sting of blood pooling from cuts amassed from the fall and could not find the strength to turn her head, finding her perspective fascinating; the line of upturned soil and disturbed foliage from whence she emerged amusing, for there existed barely any indication that a child was borne from that very spot. The lass found the realization that the line would be indistinguishable within a few days even more amusing than her infant thoughts of the birth that had just taken place. And, with her last conscious breath, she entertained herself in the way that the upturned earth looked like a grave, regarding herself as some being that had somehow cheated death and emerged out of it unscathed save for the meager injuries sustained from the act of her descent.

                For a week she would exist in her state of slumber, indulging in dreams of a single lass taunting death by dancing on the freshly churned soil of her grave and walking away, the ground loose beneath her every step, leaving behind a noticeable footprint sunken an inch deep as if she were as heavy as an anchor. In reality, though, she weighted nowhere near as close to the tremendous mass of an anchor. The ground just seemed to part beneath her feet, as if it were begging her to return home.

                Had she woken up, she would have discovered that her body did exactly that: slowly sink into the soil as if the ground were trying to devour her once more. She probably would have, if it were not for an animate, stitched bear guarding her solemnly, due to an impulse that stirred within him mysteriously. Her guardian, who took to referring to her as Vedris, given that one lone passerby had addressed her unconscious body by this name with a whisper, built for her a bed of sticks hidden well in a clearing of an ocean of forest. Resting atop the bed of sticks, Vedris had refrained from sinking into the soil further, and her discreet presence guaranteed that no living being whatsoever would even discover her body so long as they kept to the dirt pathways extending throughout the lush, foggy, seemingly gigantic forest like an intricate maze.

                On the rare occasion that someone did come close enough to discover the bed of sticks despite the thick, nearly impenetrable fog, they were usually frightened by her azure dress, its beauty and colors exemplified and made to seem even more divine and transcendent through the fog: a subject of a common superstition of the surrounding lands that considered it dangerous enough to be feared. Even rarer were the non-superstitious, who would draw closer and be scared off by the features of the lass' face for reasons unknown. If any of the passersby were brave enough to reach down and attempt to scavenge what they could from Vedris, the bear leapt down with a roar and bared a pair of paws with four protruding claws on each. The mere image of the stuffed bear intimidated most crooks and they fled before he could lunge violently at them. Overall, the bear only had to do this thrice, as all the others scurried away quickly, with only one of the three defiant enough to pick a fight with the agitated stuffed toy. He had won the fight instantaneously, the assailant scampering away with mortal wounds.

                The bear, after a long week of carefully safeguarding Vedris, witnessed her body convulse and writhe with discomfort, and he realized the girl was finally to stir from slumber. He scuttled to greet her, drawling on without pause of his experience guarding her with full determination. Vedris listened carefully, seeking what knowledge of the world could be derived from his speech about defending her.

                His tale never faltered, even when she stood up, dwarfing the bear to a miniature version of what he already was. The bear had to look up to Vedris, as he was only as tall as her forelegs; yet, even despite the significant height difference, he chanted on undaunted. It wasn't until she inquired about his motivation to guard her for the entire week that he finally fell silent. Every second dragged on like hours as she watched him ponder, flabbergasted, until he merely shrugged and adopted a rigid stance. In reality, the bear had never considered this. He was drawn to her by some clairvoyant force that seemed so right, so destined, that he did not consider the possibility that she would regard his actions as cryptic, and would ultimately leave.

                Thus, he was awash with glee when she erupted with joy, exclaiming, “Well, thank you, stranger! Might I ask your name?”

                Dumbfounded once more, he shied away with embarrassment about his inability to answer any of her questions. No name came to mind when she inquired, and the realization that he had no name, or at least none he could recall, crept into his psych slowly. He considered inventing a name at the spot, but decided against it only a few seconds later, shrugging in response to her question.

                “I shall name you Stitches, then,” Vedris declared, on account of the many stitches that held pieces of him together. Stuffing bulged in some areas, and she found it amusing, smiling at the thought. “One more question for you.”

                “Yes, m'lady?”

                “Who in the world am I? I’m afraid I can’t recall a thing.”

                “Vedris! You, my dear, are Vedris!” Stitches exclaimed excitedly, a tad bit too loud, and shrank away; scurrying up her dress and launching himself behind her head, using tufts of her hair to keep himself up. The lass giggled, soothing Stitches' nerves. He then had the vague notion that they had done this a million times in the past, despite the fact that they had no knowledge of each other prior to her stirring from slumber only a few minutes before.

                Recollecting the moment, Stitches discovered even more indications to a routine and the possibility that they were drawn to each other equally. When the bear had quickly wrapped curls of her hair around his stubby, fuzzy arms, he had no problem and did not hesitate nor find trouble doing so. Likewise, she had not flinched with pain nor surprise to his actions, even when he suddenly lunged upwards and climbed her body, regarding him as a common happening that she did not mind.

                He leaned around in attempt to decipher her facial expression, far enough so that they were able to bump noses if she had only leaned that way a centimeter more. Vedris, to his surprise, did so: and nuzzled him lovingly as she proceeded to face forwards and skip ahead with glee, wandering aimlessly.

                “Where to, friend?” she mumbled joyously, turning once more to ascertain that he still latched on without hassle.

                “I don't have a clue about any other place besides Acrylic and this forest here where I found you,” he retorted, examining the surroundings hastily, seeking signs of danger.

                “Acrylic?” she repeated hesitantly, enunciating each syllable carefully as to not make any errors.

                “From what little I remember, a beautiful land of painters where dreams come true.”

                “Any idea where to find it?”

                Stitches shrugged, a gesture that Vedris could feel from his position on her back. “Forwards, then, until we find this so-called 'Acrylic'” she giggled as she said so, easing Stitches and providing comfort to him while he watched for danger, as she sauntered on elatedly.

                And so began the exploits of two newly befriended companions, skipping aimlessly down one direction of the thick forest surrounding them, whistling in tune with each other to a song they both inexplicably knew. It seemed as if they both could live this bubbly existence forever, so long as they had the company of another; a dedicated sentry riding her head like a chariot and a joyous lass, still immature, still in need of protection.

                Had any of the two paid closer attention to their surroundings rather than indulging happily in existence with each other, they would have realized far more aspects than what Stitches cared to note. The population of rare passersby spotted every now and then by the bear had dwindled until no man had dared cross the forest for days, the untrodden pathways already beginning to be reclaimed by the thick foliage. Contrary to the absence of travelers, living things like fireflies started creeping out of their sanctuaries, conversing with each other plainly in the empty air muddled by a fog that they believed to be the arms of heaven caressing their body wholly.

                Behind the duo, the forest thrived with life and glimmering parades of beings that glowed through the opaque whiteness of fog like stars did through the darkness.

                Behind the duo, a pair of dim, red eyes kept to the shadows cast by the trees as they penetrated the skies, watching them closely.

Reviews

[Bluefire]

For some reason, I picture Vedris looking like Anemone from Eureka 7 and the bear has the voice of the little lion soul candy in Bleach XD
This is amazing! I love this story!
Please feel free to send me chapter read requests!

[Tai Ryens]

Perhaps if she had a dress on a different side of the color spectrum, she'd be the spitting image of her, aha. It's no secret, though, that I based Vedris off of Alice from Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, but whatever makes the story easier to envision for you, feel free to imagine it. It's as much your story as it is mine.
Thanks, Blue, and I tend to post in bulk so you might not see any updates for awhile.