Deep in the Forest
Continuing their journey so far, the Space Star Sisters were restlessly on their way to find the meteorite. Nevertheless, they were always prepared for everything that gets in their way. Already, they were coming towards the next destination.
“So, where are we going?” Angelica asked, stepping forward near the seashore.
“Well, we’re flying of course!” Seraphina replied, stretching her wings and jumping off a nearby cliff.
“I guess we better get going.” Persephone suggested, doing the same action as like her sister.
“Yeah, let’s get on with it!” Katherine demanded, following close by.
Angelica shrugged, carefully stepped onto the cliff and then flew after her sisters.
Angelica and her sisters soared over the sea with great speed. She was lagging behind, but managed to keep up with them. Finally, they had noticed a new landmass in their sights.
“Hey, we’re nearly there now!” Angelica shouted, zooming downwards from the sky.
Soon, the Space Stars Sisters had landed onto the ground. This time, the surrounding environment was quite different. There were so many trees everywhere, each with bright green leaves. Not only that, but there were also grass, flowers and mushrooms scattered around.
“Wow, where are we?” Angelica questioned, looking at the scenery around her.
“I think we’re in the temperate forest.” Seraphina answered, confident with the current situation.
“I suppose this won’t be too hard, would it?” Persephone enquired, working out how they could achieve it.
“We’ll find it in no time!” Katherine declared, before heading deeper into the forest.
Eventually, Angelica and her sisters were marching through the terrain. They were keeping close together, obviously preparing for anything that gets in their way. While they were walking, they came across a hidden junction.
“I do believe we have encountered a selection of choices.” Persephone stated, pointing to a group of pathways that lead to such random directions.
“Now, where do we go?” Katherine queried, deciding which passage would to the best to go.
While they were busy making their minds up, a loud voice echoed from one of the passages. It sounded like a tuneful melody that would charm even the most wild things. It surrounded the entire area with its alluring trance.
“Did you hear that?” Angelica asked, before rushing towards where the sound was exactly coming from.
“Angie, wait!” Seraphina cried, chasing after her sister, as Persephone and Katherine followed on.
Angelica quickly ran through the forest, eager to know what was making that noise. Passing numerous trees, she suddenly reached into a clearing. It was then until she stopped when her sisters caught up with her.
“Angie! What’s with you?” Seraphina questioned, being concerned about her sister’s safety.
But Angelica was not listening. Instead she peeked over the leaves of a nearby bush. She was just about to rush in further, when she tripped over her own hooves and landed flat on her face. It was until she had saw that thing with her very eyes.
“Whoops!” Angelica yelled, struggling back up.
Angelica had found herself facing a creature. It was a sphinx, with a human head with curly hair and purple eyes, wearing an orange headscarf. She had a lion’s body that was coloured yellow with green patches, a snake’s tail that was coloured cyan with a blue spine and an eagle’s wings that were coloured magenta with red feathers.
“At last, my beautiful performance has attracted a likely spectator.” the sphinx boasted, as she suddenly turned around.
“Yeah, I liked your singing.” Angelica commented, obviously impressed by the song.
“Why, thank you. So, who may you be?” the sphinx asked, as she approached towards Angelica.
“Oh, I’m Angelica.” Angelica replied, introducing herself to the newcomer.
“Well, my name is Mandarin.” the sphinx answered, standing as proudly as ever.
Meanwhile, Seraphina, Persephone and Katherine finally stepped out of the bush, just in time to see their sister.
“Angie! Where have you been?” Seraphina enquired, feeling concerned about Angelica’s well-being.
“So, how about you?” Mandarin questioned, noticing the Space Star Sisters’ presence.
“Ah, I’m Seraphina and these are Persephone and Katherine.” Seraphina responded, introducing herself and her sisters.
“Very good. So how are you feeling?” Mandarin asked, curiously.
“We’ve been busy searching for a meteorite!” Angelica replied, explaining the whole purpose of their journey.
“Oh, I know that!” Mandarin proclaimed, feeling as rather cheerful as ever.
“So, you know where it went?” Seraphina questioned, wanting to know the whereabouts of the meteorite.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” Mandarin declared, posing herself to a nearby spot. “If you can answer this riddle.”
“Well, if you insist.” Persephone agreed, wanting to get this over and done with.
"What is the plant that grows roots in the spring, branches in the summer and leaves in the autumn?" Mandarin announced, feeling rather confident.
“It’s a tree!” Angelica shouted, knowing the answer.
“Great, you done it! Anyway, I do believe it went somewhere in that area.” Mandarin proclaimed, pointing her tail at a passage surrounded by many trees.
“Okay, thanks for your help.” Seraphina stated, joining the rest of her sisters as they began to depart.
So the Space Star Sisters continued their journey. Meanwhile, Mandarin stayed behind and started to sing.
As they moved on, Angelica and her sisters travelled through deeper into the forest. Suddenly, they came across another area of lush vegetation. Nevertheless, it was something they would expect.
“Hey, what is that?” Angelica questioned, taking notice of whatever was in their way.
It was a swamp. A deep and luscious swamp. It was no ordinary swamp. It was enclosed with murky marshes, petrified plants and vicious vines. Around the surrounding area, a foul stench whiffed into the air.
“Geez, who knew this place reeks!” Persephone complained, pinching her own nose.
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Katherine added, attempting to avoid the nasty smell.
Suddenly, Angelica saw something else that appeared at a far corner of the swamp. It looked like a green blob covered with various markings. Knowing that it would lead to further clues, Angelica decided to chase after it.
“I think I know how!” Angelica boasted, sprinting towards whatever it was at the end of the swamp.
As she rushed across the edge of the swamp, Angelica was approaching towards the unidentified object. However, the creature suddenly took off as soon as it saw Angelica. Both of them were running like the wind.
“Time for a little boost.” Angelica whispered, stretching her wings.
Using her flight as an advantage, Angelica was now speeding rapidly. This time, she was closing in with the creature. She finally pounced on the creature, landing on top of it and its tracks were subdued.
“Whoa, you got me.” the creature spoke for the first time, in a voice that sounded rather innocent.
Realising her mistake, Angelica took a step back. Soon, the creature finally got up. It was a jackalope, with brown eyes and gray antlers. He had green fur, pink spots and an orange tail. He turned his head and stared at Angelica.
“Sorry about that, I didn’t see you there.” Angelica apologised, feeling guilty.
“Ah, it’s not like I could run away forever.” the jackalope responded, slowly walking towards Angelica. “Who are you, anyway?”
“Oh, my name is Angelica.” Angelica replied, introducing herself to the newcomer.
“Well, I’m Franklen. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” the jackalope remarked, with a sign of greeting manner.
Just then, Seraphina, Persephone and Katherine arrived on the scene, wondering what their younger sister was up to.
“Angie, you can’t just run off like that.” Persephone scolded, in a stern tone.
“Yeah, we need to stick together.” Katherine lectured, reminding Angelica of their whole purpose.
“Hey, where are you guys from?” Franklen asked, suddenly noticing the Space Star Sisters.
“Oh, I’m Seraphina and these are Persephone and Katherine.” Seraphina responded, introducing herself and her sisters.
“So, what brings you here?” Franklen asked, eager to know about the Space Star Sisters.
“We’ve been looking for a meteorite!” Angelica announced, explaining about their journey so far.
“Ah, I remember that!” Franklen declared, feeling rather enthusiastic.
“Then can you tell us where it went?” Seraphina enquired, wanting more information about the meteorite.
“Hmph, I just saw it going over there.” Franklen proclaimed, pointing his front paw towards the end of the swamp.
“Very well, thank you. We really appreciate your help.” Seraphina stated, preparing to depart with her other sisters.
As the Space Star Sisters turned to leave, Franklen suddenly jumped out of the way and disappeared into the forest.
Soon, Angelica and her sisters were on their way out of the forest. By now, they were approaching towards the exit. However, Angelica had just stopped at a mere second.
“Is it just me, or is this getting weird?” Angelica questioned, feeling rather nervous.”
“I’m sure you got much to learn, Angie.” Seraphina reassured, consoling her younger sister.
“So where are we going next?” Persephone requested, looking out for yet another outcome.
“I think we’re heading for the desert!” Katherine stated, rushing further ahead.
Finally, the Space Star Sisters had continued their journey. Nevertheless, they were still searching for the meteorite and its secrets. Regardless, they were now prepared for everything that was waiting for them.