It Lurks In The Bushes

"Huh..." Zack and Victoria look at the wooden post which has an arrow pointing down a well walked dirt trail "Scenic Overlook, a quarter mile." he scratches his chin as he looks at Vicky "Wanna go?" he asks, questioning the blonde.

"Of-freaking-course!" Victoria cheers "We can't turn back now, not after getting this far." she nods at Zack "It'd be like reading ninety percent of a good book only to put it down and never touch it again! Of course we're going to see this overlook!" she was almost bursting with joy and it was intoxicating for Zack to witness.

"Okay okay! Calm down there, Vic!" Zack puts his hands on her shoulders to stop her from bouncing. "Gotta be careful though, we're going off the beaten path, it could get dangerous. Lions, tigers and snakes oh my!" his eyes go wide which cause Victoria to laugh out at his facial expressions. "Don't worry, stick with me and you'll be safe!"

"Thankfully I've got a big strong and brave man to keep me safe from all these lions and tigers here in Azure Rocks!" Vicky rolls her eyes knowing clearly that lions and tigers do not not live in or even near Azure Rocks. "You're the best, Zachary!" she inflates his ego even more as she grips both her arms around Zack's bicep and pulls her body in close. It made Zack feel awesome, his secret crush is walking side by side with him and she's even the one pulling her body into his own. He was ecstatic right now and nothing could make him feel anything different.

The couple began their quarter mile journey (four hundred meters) and it was as gorgeous of a hike as both have ever experienced. Many birds were flying and singing between the branches, many colorful and beautiful flowers were littering the grounds, the path itself wasn't too rough either, just a few branches and vines they had to step over. It wasn't until just to their left, a bush starts to shimmer that causes the couple to stop.

"Oh no, Look out!" Zack stops in his stride while Vicky continues to hold his arm "There's something dangerous over there!" his finger is pointing to some bushes that are moving.

"Oh no, you think it's a lion?" Vicky gasps out as she pulls herself in closer to Zack. "We're doomed!" she jests.

"Don't worry Vic! I can easily handle a lion by myself!!" Zack stands up a little straighter as he steps forward.

Just then, a tiny brown squirrel jumps out of the bushes running straight toward the couple! Then at the last minute it leaps off to the side towards a tree and begins its ascent. It catches Zack off guard as his body flinches and he takes a step back, tripping over a little vine behind him and causing him to fall flat on his butt. "Ophf!!" he grunts out as Victoria lets go of his arm. "Ouch!!" he brings his hand back and begins rubbing his backside.

"Hahahaha!" Vicky laughs out at the boy "oh my god, hahaha! I-I'm sorry I'm sorry! I shouldn't be...hahaha...shouldn't be laughing!" she teases.

"O-Oh stop it!" Zack brings his hand down to push himself up off the ground. His face is now beat red with embarrassment as he moves his hands down the backside of his jeans, brushing the dirt off them "It was two versus one!" he tries to play it off "That squirrel and THIS..." he kicks the vine on the trail, almost stubbing his toe in the process "OW!" he yelps.

Vicky can barely control her laughter as both her hands are covering her mouth. Eyes clenched, panting, gasping hard and laughing uncontrollably. "That...That...hahaha!"

"I'm glad me getting hurt is so funny for you." Zack bends over, rubbing the outside of his shoe where his toe would be.

"Oh, haha, there there! haha!" she tries to comfort Zack "I'm just...hahaha, just glad, ooohh..." she gasps a few more times.

"W-We could have died, Vicky! Lions are no joke! Next time instead of drawing its attention to me I'll throw you to the slaughter!" Zack shakes his head back and forth at Vicky, seeing her normally gorgeous sun kissed skin now a shade of red from laughing so hard.

"O-Oh Za-Zachary!!" she exhales a few times, slowing her gasps down "M-My big brave man!" she begins to control her oxygen intake as she gazing in his direction.

Zack just rolls his eyes at his own expense before he begins to turn back to his normal shade of non-red skin tone "Let's go, Vic! We should be almost there, gotta keep moving before another...LION..." he squints at Victoria telling her what they saw "comes out and attacks us." and starts moving up the trail again.

"Yup yup! Gotta watch out for those lions!" Vicky skips up to the boy before once again throwing her arms around his bicep and pulling him in close, walking side by side "They sure are quite terrifying, Zack! I'm happy you're..." a few muffled laughs begin to escape "I'm happy you're..." air releases from her nostrils as she keeps her lips clenched tight to try to keep the laughs in "that you're...you're such a brave....hahaha!" she loses it once more.

"I hate you Vicky..." Zack grumbles out to her, slightly embarrassed but also extremely proud with how much she's holding onto his arm, laughing and genuinely being such an amazing person to be around. Listening to her laugh was almost music to his ears as just being in her presence and be able to spend this time getting to know her, getting to joke with her and getting to hang out with her is more then Zack could have ever asked for...