Day by day, Katniss returns to the bridge only to be met with the wall of ivy. She has this gut feeling that something is waiting beyond this ivy wall, but she has no way of knowing just what it is. She can only have hope that one day, the ivy will spread open wide and allow her through so she might explore the other side. There is a part of her that tells her what lies ahead is dangerous but there is another that tells her it might be beautiful. Katniss has never been afraid of the unknown, and so she keeps returning to the bridge.

On this particular afternoon, as Katniss approaches where the wall of ivy should rest, she cannot help but notice that the path is full of flower petals (petals she did not remember being on the ivy) and dried up leaves. She sees pearls that have been thrown around haphazardly and she picks up a couple and puts them securely in her satchel. And when she comes to where she knows the ivy wall once was, she can only see the beautiful island that lies ahead.

Steps and slow and cautious as she walks over the bridge. Feet sink down into sands a shade of white brighter than anything in Novus. Eyes look around at the beautiful palm trees that seem to be rich with fruit. She follows her instincts and moves further into the island, leaving the bridge behind her.

Birds call out to her and she looks up to see birds that she cannot even begin to describe. They are so very different than the birds here on Novus, even their calls are different. And as she walks through a small clearing, she sees a small pool of clear water. It looks inviting and yet, Katniss is hesitant. Something doesn’t seem right about this paradise. Something tells her that this place is a bad omen, that something terrible will come from it. And yet, she cannot find any reason other than that small little inkling that there is anything wrong. Katniss is a smart one and she knows that she needs to trust her gut. Unlike some to sip at the cool water, Katniss backs away and heads back over the bridge. She does not feel safe here.

He is stunned by the ivy that blocks his path. It is so tall and lush and completely unnatural. The earth magic that flows through him cannot even touch the ivy and it is as if the ivy is immune to his magic. He tried to part the ivy, to tear it down, to raise it up, but nothing happens. It is strange to him that his magic has no effect on the earthy ivy.

With his magic acting strange, Rhone cannot help but choose to stay along the bridge and watch and wait. Camping has never been something he likes to do, but he feels as though in his instant, it is necessary. He needs to know why his magic isn’t working, why the ivy is keeping him out.

As the days wear on, he notices that the small berries along the ivy are appearing to beat. They emit a sound much like the sound of a beating heart. It is strange and eerie and Rhone is uneasy. The sounds grows louder and louder and louder until Rhone feels as though he is hearing his own heart beating. He cannot hear the sound of the ocean anymore and he wonders if he will go mad with the sound the berries are making

But then one day, the sound simply stops. There’s no more ringing in his ears, no sound of heartbeats, only silence. The silence is eerie and it makes Rhone uncomfortable. He can hear his own thoughts and they make him seem like some sort of individual that should be locked away in a psychiatric ward. He cannot escape the thoughts that plague his mind.

But just as he was prepared to leave the bridge and return home, something strange begins to happen to the ivy. He watches closely as the leaves begin to turn brown and then fall. The berries burst with pearls that scatter at his feet. Petals from flowers unknown shower him as the ivy seems to wither away.

And when the other side of the bridge is shown to him, he cannot help the way his lips gape open. It is beautiful. The birds sing sweet songs and it beckons him onto the island. The trees are tall and lush, the flowers black as night. He is in awe of this place and knows this is where he should retire to. A peaceful island away from the rush and chaos of Novus. He could see himself ending his days here.

Saphrax could really say he was indifferent about the whole volcano and wall and ivy and all that shit that came with it. He could hardly be bothered with the way the berries beat like a beating heart, the way the ivy blocked his flight to the other side of the bridge. When he had been met with the wall of ivy, he simply had returned home, caring nothing for what came of the whole situation.

However, days later he had begun to hear whispers of what others had seen. They said the ivy wall had simply withered away after days of silence. They claimed that a beautiful island was on the other side of the bridge.

Saphrax listened to them, gathered information, and decided that he too would visit the new island. After all, Novus was lacking in girls that found him attractive. He was so used to everyone just falling at his feet and begging for him to fill their wombs with fiery babies. He had gotten no tail in Novus and it was downright disheartening. New island meant new women (or so he thought).

Wings flapped easily in the morning breeze, carrying him over the bridge and towards the new island. At first he flew around the board of the island, then slowly working his way inward. The island was much smaller than he had imagined and to his dismay, there was not a single female anywhere. The only other individuals on this island were the ones that had traveled across on the bridge. But Saphrax tried not to get discouraged. He might find something inland, where he couldn’t fly to.

His landing was nothing short of perfect. Wings folded against his side as he began to steps into the dense jungle in hopes of reaching the center. The whole time he was traveling inland, he kept hoping that the dense jungle would not brush against his wings and pluck away a feather. He had spent way too damn long preening this morning for some jungle filth to mess it up again.

And as he came into the small cleaning, he is disheartened to see that there are no women. His trek into the jungle was fruitless and all it had done was make him thirsty. The clear pool was inviting and Saphrax was quick to sip from the waters. He was expecting cool water to quench his thirst but he was met with sweet liquid that made him thirsty for more. And ever the stupid individual, Saphrax continued to drink, not caring if it was probably not a good idea.

The wall of ivy had been the talk of Novus lately. Even secluded on her own private island in Delumine, Sloane had heard rumors of the ivy and what was happening. It was as if the daily news was so focused on that damn wall of plants that nothing else mattered. No cared any longer for the monster in the woods killing people. No one cared about the small little squirrels that lit fires when startled. No. Now everyone only cared about a plant…a fucking plant.

Most of the time, Sloane ignored any sort of rumor or news about the bridge or the ivy. Frankly, she was tired of hearing about it. And yet today, there was quite a lot of chatter about the lack of ivy, which Sloane thought was quite strange considering the ivy was all Novus could talk about for days.

Upon hearing that the ivy had seemingly withered away and the other side of the bridge had been exposed, Sloane made her way off her own tiny island towards the bridge. Perhaps she would see what was on the other side.

She walked with slow, meandering steps, in a hurry to go nowhere. At the sound of a something bouncing along the stone bridge, eyes looked down to see the fallen leaves, petals, and pearls. How strange. She didn’t remember there being pearls or flowers on the ivy. Gathering a few samples for later experimentations, Sloane continued on.

And when she got to the other side, her eyes looked out at the island that had been revealed. It looked ordinary and yet different at the same time. It had white sands, trees, birds. While the actual elements looked different than on a normal island, they were still the same type of items. This island was no different than any other, she surmised. And with that, Sloane turned and headed back to her own island. All that hype over nothing.

She stands on the island now exposed by the fallen ivy. She had heard the rumors, the stories, the fear that everyone seemed to exude regarding the island and the ivy. She couldn’t see how everyone was so bent up out of shape about it, but she supposed there were worst things to be afraid of. But considering that everyone was so startled by the sudden appearance of a strange island at the other side of the bridge, Targwyn had to investigate. After all, she might find a way to help facilitate chaos on Novus.

But as she stands on the island, she cannot help but wonder why people have been so scared. There’s no scary animals, no trails of blood, no talking trees. It looked like an ordinary island. Sure the birds were different, the flowers black as night, and a pool that tasted sweet. Strange, yes, but scary? She didn’t think so.

For hours it seemed that she had explored the island, finding nothing  like what she was hoping to find. But Targwyn would not lose hope. Perhaps if she searched a little harder and a little longer, she might find something that she could use to her advantage. Surely there was something on this island worth her time.

(eek D: Total crap.)