CRUNCH!
This is the sound those flat-looking things went when Yumi stepped on them. Jeongguk had called them 'leaves', in what Yumi considered an unbelievably nonchalant way. Had these things been found innocently on the ground of Earth, it would have been what the robot news reporters would be yelling about for years to come.
Leaves would shed from plants and trees, something that symbolised life and hope of life.
Something that had been lost on Earth for the last decades.
Namjoon had got the group waiting when he first found the flat things ("I can feel the moisture in it!"). The other humans had promptly joined him, crouching over the soil as they each chose a leaf to examine ("There are so many of them!", "They are the ones who act like oxygen dispensers, right?", "Amazing!") with Jeongguk standing over them, confused.
"What...? Hey, we've got to move on,"
"Can we take some with us?" Yumi asked excitedly, already collecting some fallen leaves from the ground, "WOAH! What are those? Fower? Flouah? Flower?! AMAZING!"
Jeongguk sighed, easily plucking a red one out from what Yumi knew to be a 'Shrub', handing it to her while looking exasperated and slightly entertained at the same time, "Keep that. Will you come now? I need to call on my vehicle already–"
"Pluck one for me too!" Jimin protested.
"And me!"
"No, Hara, wait! You are the only one here with an implanted nanorobot! Can you, like, zoom in on the leaves and see the holes? You know, the ones that dispense oxygen! Can you? What do they look like?!"
Jeongguk's pale fingers were already fiddling with a physical-looking key, "Seriously? I'm calling the vehicle, get ready,"
"What?" Yumi asked from the spot on the ground she had settled on, turning the blood-coloured flower over her fingers, quite oblivious to the noise.
"I said, we've got to move on. Stop it already! Hey, you! Short head! I'm only giving this flower if you stand up already! No, that leaf is not edible. At least, not to you. Put it down."
There was a distant humming that seemed to vibrate in the air before two balls of lights starred the sky. Wrapping her fingers carefully around the flower, Yumi heaved herself up. A vehicle similar yet bigger than the one Yumi owned stood before her. Its large wings folded itself beneath the metal the vehicle was made of as it steadied itself an inch over the ground, as if eager to carry its new passengers already.
"We need to get to the other side of the forest," Jeongguk said, hopping in, "We will have to keep ourselves out of sight as much as possible. You never know, a Nocturnal might see us and snitch. Get in. When we are deep enough, we can collect some food for ourselves,"
A strong stench of herbs and hay was the first thing Yumi noticed when she squeezed herself in. The last thought on her mind before she took off was 'This better work.'
__________
Yumi remembered how, in ancient days, people used to believe that the winds were caused by Mother Earth's breathing.
So, by that logic, Pluto must be blowing raspberries right onto her face to slap her with the wind.
It had been years (although it sure didn't feel like it) since she had last sat in a vehicle like this. Naturally, it had also been years since she last drove at the speed Jeongguk was driving right now. She almost missed the days in the spaceship when she couldn't feel the pressuring wind.
Well, even though she complains in her mind, it would take more than Pluto slapping her in the face to stop her from grabbing onto her last desperate hopes.
She banged her head on the window with a loud "Ow!" as Jeongguk ordered the vehicle to go faster.
"I'm going to puke."
Jeongguk calmly shoved what seemed to be a deformed-looking receptacle into Namjoon's ashen face, "Don't mess in here," He said like he had seen it coming, "Go faster!" He urged the automobile.
"We can't go faster than this speed, passengers."
"Seriously? I could run faster than this!"
"Run faster?!" Jimin choked out, "I thought you were just a rabbit hybrid."
"Just a rabbit hybrid?!" Jeongguk narrowed his eyes into a glare, "Do you have– oh, forget it... Go faster, you stupid metallic box! We need to reach as fast as possible!"
"We are going with a speed of 140 kilometres per hour," Hara said, "We'll crash into something if faster."
"Ugh, this is–STOP!"
His sudden yell made all four of them almost hit their head over the low ceiling. Then heaved forward as the fast-moving vehicle jerked to a mighty halt. Namjoon groaned, hugging his stomach as the others clutched at their shaky selves too.
Yumi opened her mouth, ready to just hell with it and yell at him for that scare when her ears filled with voices that deemed Jeongguk's order as smart.
"Duck!" Jeongguk hissed at them as he quickly turned himself into a rabbit, conveniently ducking beneath the seat whereas the humans had to do their best to squeeze themselves under.
"What was that?"
"You guys heard that?"
"Man, people are growing more and more reckless, travelling through the woods at night," Yumi felt oddly called out at that statement the stranger spouted.
Great, now they were back to breathing as quietly as they could.
"It's probably nothing," One of the voices started as if annoyed at the interruption, causing Jeongguk to go unnaturally still, "What, you all think that's true?"
"You don't?!"
"Oh, come on! He was obviously spouting nonsense."
"It's not something he can just spread false rumours about, Hoseok. People are at the edge, I've never seen Pluto in this state."
"So you think it's true? That Jeongguk of all people would commit treachery?!"
Jeongguk's ears fell a little at that comment.
"I mean, you know what's he like– rebellious and stuff–"
"Look, I couldn't give a nut about those Earthians and the nonsense they're getting up to– it's only a matter of time until their useless selves get caught. Why would they accuse him–"
"Don't be the dumb one here, you jumpy squirrel. That rabbit was the one who had to keep watch on them. He was nowhere to be seen! Anywhere!"
"He could be–"
"What? Injured? Murdered? No evidence of that. The chiefs wouldn't just jump to their conclusion! No– look. I'm tired of this conversation already. Just go back to your hole, you never know what could happen, not when humans are let loose,"
There was loud, angry grumbling coming from the other side. This person obviously wasn't too happy about the accusations about Jeongguk, who was silently gazing at the ground, avoiding the humans' eyes.
The team of five held their breaths as silence fell. They stayed absolutely still before Jeongguk quietly turned back, ordering the vehicle to go slower. He didn't say another word. The humans didn't say anything either.
Yumi stared at him, unblinking. It was at times like this that Jeongguk was at his most mysterious. The question was why, why would he give up everything for this mission? Why would he risk it with aliens? Why?
His ears twitched as if sensing her stare, causing her to tear her gaze away from him. She turned the flower over her fingers, her eyes on it, her mind still on him. Carefully pocketing it, she closed her eyes, shutting out the visions of the dense forests as she tried to quiet down her reeling mind and fall into a long-awaited dose.
_______
"Hey, wake up, you." The voice hissed in her ear, causing her eyes to snap open, "We've reached,"
"Reached? Already?" She looked around groggily. All the others were also in the same state of daze, yawning and murmuring.
Jeongguk's eyes looked tired and bloodshot, "We've reached out the forest, there will be people around now, you should be alert,"
Yumi got up from her slumped position, cracking her sore neck.
Proxima was peeking through the sky now, and Yumi felt oddly exposed under it. Kind of like even Proxima wanted them to be caught and was deliberately lightening their surroundings up so they'd be seen. Yumi felt less than reassured by that thought.
"I'm going to close the windows," Jeongguk murmured, "We can probably get stuff like food and...and water. We'll have to disguise ourselves heavily, though,"
"Okay."
That was the last thing they said before silence fell in the vehicle. Yumi took one look outside the window before it was closed. The panic in the hybrid's eyes was no different than the one in Earthians' eyes.
She clenched her fist. They were going to change that. Change it so that panic didn't exist in both species' countenance anymore. She would do anything she could to make sure of that.
"Wear these..." She felt something upon her head. With closer scrutiny, she could recognise it as a rabbit hat, designed for being a replica of hybrids for her disguise.
She turned to adjust the tight hat on her head, just as Jeongguk leaned in and placed his fingers on her face. She jumped slightly, startled by the close proximity, before realising he was attaching fake whiskers to her cheeks.
She gulped, holding her breath, looking anywhere but at him, staying as still as an electric tower until he was done.
"This tail," Jimin hissed, shifting around his seat bodily, "Is so uncomfortable! Like I'm sitting on battery chargers,"
"Stop complaining," Jeongguk grumbled, plastering the fake whiskers on his face.
"They seem rather cheap, actually," Hara said plainly, playing with her dog ears.
"I said, stop complaining!"
"Yeah, guys. You shouldn't complain...not when I'm the one in these ridiculous body scales," Namjoon seemed to have some trouble keeping the fake scales attached to his skin.
"You should have this fake tongue attached too, actually," Jeongguk said matter of factly, smirking slightly in amusement.
"What?! Ugh,"
"What are you disguising yourself as?" Yumi asked, not wanting to look at Namjoon as he tried to pull on the snake-ish tongue.
"Me? Nothing much..." He replied, pulling on his ears and masking his face with a cloth, "I'll have to pretend to be a kangaroo hybrid,"
"But that's so obvi–"
"Don't be dumb. Kangaroo hybrids are famous for hating to show their faces, so that's one advantage," He rolled his eyes, "Also, people fear them for their mad fighting skills, so they'll generally avoid me, another advantage,"
That makes sense.
"Okay," Yumi straightened her hat, "Are we ready?"
"These–whiskers– itch–" Jimin scratched at them angrily.
"Hissss..." Namjoon tried to get the sound right.
"That's not convincing enough. Put your tongue behind your teeth!" Jeongguk told him.
"Hissss..."
"It should be shriller!"
"HISSSS..."
"Never mind, I can't teach you this. I'm a rabbit hybrid..."
"Yes, Yumi," Hara said calmly, "We are ready,"
"Thank you, Hara," Yumi nodded before sneezing loudly, the fake fur tickling at her nose.
"I think we've reached," Jeongguk peeked out the window sneakily and Yumi caught a glimpse of a busy market street with hybrids and robots alike bustling through, "Let's split up, I have some money with me. Get as much ever food and water as possible,"
_________
"Walk with a little hop to your step!"
"Like this?"
"Not that high!"
"Okay...?"
"Put pressure on your toes–"
"You think it was a good idea to come by ourselves?" Yumi asked, having had enough of his nagging.
"I need someone with me to the heart of the mall," Jeongguk said evenly, "The others are at the sides of the markets. Get that stack of hay, too!"
Yumi did her best to hop to the pile of hay, grabbing one packaged stack and trying her best to not look as fascinated as she felt by them.
"Will the others be okay all by themselves?"
"Yeah, they are."
Jeongguk said that with so much conviction that Yumi frowned at him, "They are?"
"Their disguises have got GPS in them," He murmured idly, glancing at his wristband, "I'll know if they stray too far,"
"Really?" Yumi asked curiously, "Why?"
"You never know, they might plan to run away,"
"...Why are you revealing that to me, then?"
"You are stuck here with me." He shrugged like it should be obvious, "If you plan something against me, I can just–"
"We need some fruits with us too," Yumi quickly changed the subject, "We are not planning anything. We...are quite grateful, actually," She scratched her covered head, quickly adding, "Unless you don't give us away, of course,"
He frowned at her, eyes narrowed as if trying to detect any signs of lies. Not finding any, he sighed. "We'll have to get fruits from forests, I guess. I haven't got that much money–"
"Jeongguk?" A new voice joined them, turning their blood cold, "What are you–"
_______
"Get that piece of meat, too!"
"Hisss..."
"Man, I'm never going to get used to its smell..."
"HISSS!"
"You are getting good at it," Hara noted evenly, indicating Namjoon's hisses.
"Let's get those bottles of water too," Jimin stated, grabbing one water bottle in each hand from the nearest vendor at the side of the loud, bustling street.
"Take all you need, young Kitty," The old reptilian vendor said, "You'll need it all, I suppose... Take good care,"
"Uh," Jimin was obviously surprised, both by being called 'Kitty' and by the mourning voice of the vendor, "Yeah... Yeah, sure... Thank you,"
"Such a polite, young Kitty," The vendor said in a helpless tone, "You remind me of my oldest friend, you do. Passed only a few weeks ago. May she have a good, sweet sleep."
"I'm– I'm sorry..."
"Oh, never mind, never mind. I'm only here because my robot has been down. Don't bother paying, dear. You'll need it, after all..."
"Oh," Jimin said dumbly, "Oh, ma'am, you don't have to–"
"Your help is greatly appreciated, miss," Hara took over as Namjoon nodded feverishly behind her, "We will remember you,"
They took as much food and water with them as possible without them feeling guilty. When they bid the vendor goodbye, Jimin couldn't think of anything else to say other than, "I hated that."
"So did I," Hara let out, "But we are short on budget... We must accept their kindness as much as possible,"
"We have basically lied to her," Jimin exclaimed, quickly dropping his voice so they wouldn't be overheard, "If it wasn't for the fact that I dressed as a feline–"
"Jeongguk probably dressed you as such because expected something like that to happen in the first place!" Namjoon suggested his theory as quietly as he possibly could.
"Oh, come on. He is the most unpredictable creature I've ever seen. What with this plan, him suddenly wanting to team up–"
"Speaking of Jeongguk," Hara's eyes widened as she pointed behind the other humans, "Um..."
Jimin whipped around just as Namjoon located them, "What...? Are those two...?"
"Why are they dragging a body with them?!"
_________________
A/N:
LMFAO I'M SORRY BUT "Hippo Hopi get loopy" MIGHT JUST BE THE GREATEST AUTO CORRECTED KEYBOARD SMASH I'VE EVER SEEN JDJWJDHD.