I think this is the best of my writings so far I think, I hope you enjoy >:3

I hope I get them or the wheel god gets the volcano 🌋

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Cialo led the way up the mountain trail. "Just a little longer, guys."

Gieashi scoffed. "You said that an hour ago."

"I mean it this time," Cialo glared over his shoulder.

Nembi nervously tapped his fingers together. "Are we sure it was smart to go into these mountains?"

"Don't tell me you're gonna make this about that," Gieashi snarked.

"The Nâa are scary!" Nembi protested. "They can possess people, remember?!"

Cialo confidently spun as he walked. "Please, Nâa aren't real! I can't believe you still believe in that myth!"

Nembi scowled. Cialo hurried to turn and not fall over. Nembi groaned, grabbing each side of his hat and pulling it down.

"I'm gonna die first, aren't I?!"

Gieashi rolled her eyes. "No one's going to die, you scaredy-tail!"

"I'm not a scaredy-tail!" Nembi snapped.

"Oh hey, look, we're finally here!" Cialo exclaimed, speeding up.

Gieashi and Nembi hurry to not be left behind. The tents appear over crest of the hill and Nembi couldn't be happier.

The tents surround four different cut logs, the logs surrounding a campfire.

"If you guys need me, I'll be hiding in a tent!" he scrambled towards the closest one.

Cialo's tail wraps around his and he flops to the ground. Gieashi snickers.

"Guys, come on!" Nembi whined.

"You're not going to hide from something that doesn't exist," Gieashi sneered. "Besides, I have a scary story planned!"

"What, no!" Nembi cried. "Do you want me to call attention to us?!"

Cialo dragged him to a log and leaves him laying over it. Gieashi settles onto her own log. She rubs her hands together excitedly. Nembi covers his face with both hands.

"Okay, most of us are ready for the story, so--"

"I hate my life," Nembi muttered.

"Quit being such a loser!" Gieashi growled. "Anyways. About a decade ago, four campers traveled into these very woods, headed for this very camp."

Nembi forced himself to sit up and grabbed his tail for comfort. Cialo spared him a glance. Gieashi cleared her throat and continued.

"When they arrived at the camp, they decided to go to sleep without eating their wovine berries."

Cialo leaned forward. "No way!"

The mention of the berries momentarily distracted Nembi from his fear. "But you're always supposed to eat those before bed!"

"I know, right?" Gieashi adjusted to the edge of her seat, a clear sign she was going to get serious. "But because they didn't eat the berries, the very next day..."

Nembi's gaze caught on something directly over Gie's shoulder. His mouth fell open and eyes grew wide. She stopped her story, that he wasn't listening to anymore, and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Nembi, what is wrong with you, man? I thought you were afraid of nâas, not Segestriyos."

He slowly raised his hand up, not breaking eye contact with the face. His finger pointed at it and he began stuttering.

"U-uh... G-Gie... N-Nâa b-b-b-beh..."

Gieashi frowned. "I can't understand a single thing you're saying."

Cialo followed the direction of Nembi's hand. His mouth also fell open and eyes widened. She flicked hers between them both.

"Great, now you made Cialo catch your fear, good going Nem," she scoffed.

"Uh, Nembi's... uh..."

"That's it!" she threw her hands up and pushed off the log. "What are you guys... on about..."

The grin on face staring back at her grew at her terrified expression. The three salamanders screamed, gripping onto each other desperately. The Nâa flew forward and landed on Cialo's face. His screaming crescendoed.

"Get it off, get it off, get it off!" he yanked at the face covering his.

Nembi and Gieashi stumbled away from him.

"Stop, clawing at it isn't gonna help!" Nembi shouted. "It's only going to make it more desperate!"

Cialo tried to dig his fingers deeper under the face. Nembi darted forward, grabbed his wrist, and yanked his hand away. He looked over his shoulder at Gieashi.

"Run."

She shook her head. "Wha--"

"Run, or so help me!" Nembi cried.

She saw the barely disguised fear. Fear for her. She found herself nodding before she realized it. Her legs moved on autopilot and she was darting for the path they took to get there. Nembi turned back to Cialo, the Nâas smile nearly the only thing he could see.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Ci," he whispered.

He released Cialo's wrist and backed away from who used to be one of his best friends.

"I'm sorry."

Nembi felt a tear run down his cheek.

"We're going to miss you."

The Nâa twisted it's head slowly toward him. He sniffled, checking to make sure he was going to where Gieashi vanished.

"I wish there was I could've done to save you."

Blindly, one of his back legs slipped off the incline. He froze.

"Goodbye, Cialo."

He turned tail and skittered away from the camp. He didn't dare look back.

"I loved you."