The Search - Prologue

Inside the Skunk household, Milo and his little nine-year-old sister Mackenzie were sitting on the couch with nothing to do. Their parents were out of the house for a few days, and they wouldn't be back till Saturday afternoon. Today was Tuesday, and a particularly sunny one at that.

Mackenzie was flipping through channels, uninterested in anything that was on TV. "What do you want to do, bro?" Mackenzie asked her brother.

His response was snores.

Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "That's the bajillionth time he's fallen asleep when he should be babysitting me," she said to herself. She elbowed her brother in the back to try and wake him up.

It worked. "Huh? What's happening? Wha-" Milo mumbled, sitting up on the couch and rubbing his back. He looked at his sister. "Kenzie, did you have to do that in the middle of my nap?"

"You shouldn't be sleeping on the job, bro," Mackenzie said matter-of-factly.

"Hm? Oh, sorry, sis," Milo said, blushing from embarrassment. "I'll try not to do that again."

"You'd better not," Mackenzie said, giving her brother her famous "I'm-warning-you" look.

"Do you wanna play tag, bro? Huh, huh?" Mackenzie asked Milo, her demeanor changing rather quickly.

"Can't you let me finish my nap first, Kenz?"

"No! Now c'mon, let's play tag outside!" She grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him into the backyard.

Before Milo could protest, Mackenzie tapped his shoulder and said, "Tag! You're it!" She ran off, giggling.

"Oh, I hate being it," Milo mumbled, chasing after his sister.

He eventually caught up to her and gripped her shoulder. "Tag! Now you're it!"

"I'm gonna get yoooouuu!!!" Mackenzie shouted after her brother.

After some time, the siblings had wandered far from their house, not really looking where they were chasing each other.

"C'mon, slowpoke! Catch me if you can!"

"Oh, no you don't, Mackenzie Ann!"

"Oh, yes I do, Milo Christopher!"

Undauntedly, the sister and brother ran into a dark, musty cave. They didn't notice until they were merely feet from the entrance.

Mackenzie stopped short, causing Milo to bump into her. The collision sent them crashing into a huge spiderweb and then onto the cold stone floor.

A few moments later, Milo came to. He scanned himself, then gave a little shriek. He was covered from head to toe with spiderweb threads! As he was brushing off the threads, he heard a groan behind him.

"Kenzie!" he gasped. "Oh, are you okay, sis? Please tell me you're okay!" He took his sister into his arms and hoped that she was still alive.

"Mmm?" Milo heard Mackenzie mumble. Her eyes fluttered open ans she quicly realized that her brother was holding her. "Is it bedtime already, bro?" she asked her brother sleepily.

Milo chuckled quietly. "No, Kenz. I'm just glad you're all right." He gave his little sister a quick kiss on her forehead.

Mackenzie blushed, her cheeks turning a bright pink. Her blush faded as she asked, "So, where are we, Milo?" The tone of her voice indicated that she didn't like this dark and musty place.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, sis," Milo responded, trying to be as calm as he could. However, worry still gripped his voice.

From the shadows, the siblings heard a low, sinister growl. They whimpered and held onto each other for dear life.

"W-what's that?" Mackenzie said, trembling violently, as if she were a skunk popsicle. But she wasn't cold; she was scared.

Milo opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a gasp as he saw a pair of ghastly grey eyes staring at him and his little sister. Mackenzie noticed them as well and held on to her brother even tighter.

Out of the shadows loomed a scary-looking mountain lion that towered above the shaking skunk siblings. He circled them once and growled again, making Mackenzie's eyes snap shut in fear.

"L-L-L-Lumus? W-what are you doing?" Milo asked, sounding as brave as he possibly could, though his voice still trembled.

Lumus bared his giant white teeth and grinned slyly. "What I usually do when anyone tresspasses - I capture them and eat them if they're any good to eat."

Mackenzie burst into tears. "I don't wanna get eaten, Milo! I'm too young to be eaten raw!" she wailed, burying her face into her brother's chest.

"We don't have a choice, I'm afraid," Milo said, trying to tell his sister the cold hard truth. "If we get eaten, we get eaten."

"B-but I won't be able to say goodbye to Jacob!" Mackenzie cried. Then she added, looking up at her brother: "And what will Camille say if she hears about this?"

Milo shoved away the thought. How could he bear to see Camille's face all red and tear-stained when she looked at his corpse, even if he couldn't see her? That sent chills up his spine.

Suddenly, he felt Lumus breathing down his neck. The next thing he knew, Lumus had picked up Milo with his teeth by the collar of Milo's shirt. He was shaken a few times, then Lumus let go, sending him sailing through the air. He hit the cold stone floor with a thud.

Lumus proceeded to do the same with Mackenzie. She crashed on the stone floor next to her brother.

Lumus grinned slyly at the two unconcious bodies. He had them right where he wanted them.

~~~~~END OF PROLOGUE~~~~~