Harnesse - Season 1 Episode 1 "Warning Signals: Part 1" By nooodisaster

EXT. FARM - SUNDOWN A homely farm stretches out for miles. Small homes and old fashioned farmhouses (1900s) are scattered in the rows and rows of corn and wheat fields that make up the farm. Only the far right quarter of the farm is in bloom, the rest oddly in different stages, as if all four seasons were going on, each only affecting one quarter of the farm. The camera ZOOMS through the 16 year old boy named NIL is through the fields of wheat. with curly dirty-blonde hair his sweaty brow. farm and the people working. A pulling a horse-drawn binder Nil is tall, lean and muscular, in a mess. He GRUNTS, and wipes

Sitting on top of the horse is his sister EMMA, a nine year old. She has a goofy smile on her innocent-looking face and boundless energy as she turns around on the horse to face backwards. She has blonde locks. The binder goes over the smallest bump and she falls back onto the horse, chortling. EMMA Wee! Nil looks up and gives a little smile through his exertion as he hauls the horses along. NIL (breathy) Glad someones having fun. EMMA We should do this every day. NIL We do! ACROSS THE FIELD where the wheat fields end and the corn fields start is 16 year old ANABELLA, walking towards a old-fashioned water pump. She is beautiful yet delicate, with long brunette hair and carefully cared for skin. Anabella puts down a large basket filled with corn husks and starts to pump. As the water flows out, she washes her hands, and combs them through her hair. Even with bits of corn husks stuck to her, she is still graceful. Emmas LAUGH reaches her ears and she gets up, seeing Nil about ten rows over. She waves

(CONTINUED)

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2.

ANABELLA (to Nil) Good luck with the rest of your work! Nil opens his mouth to say something, but then, pauses, awkwardly longHe just nods to her. Anabella smiles and walks into the corn fields. DEEP IN THEM, a fairly built and tall 17 year old, IEN (pronounced like a one syllable version of Ian) is walking. He has short dark-brown hair and a tiny amount of stubble. He is grabbing ripe corn and throws it over his head in a half loop into his own bucket, which is even larger than Anabellas. It is nearly full. He walks past a nearly ripe husk- and then stops. Ien walks back to the husk, looks around. The coast is clear on both sides, showing a long, empty corn row. He squats down to get almost eye level with the plant. Air flows into his nose and then out in a concentrated, deep breath. Then, Ien slowly unravels the tips of his fingers and PULLS upwards, never looking away from the plant. Right before him, the stalk grows, and the corn fattens, and in a matter of seconds, its ripe. Ien smiles with a look of triumph on his face, then pulls the corn off the stalk and puts it in his basket. ANABELLA Hi. IEN AHHHH! Ien SCRAMBLES back, knocking over his basket and crying out as he does. Anabella looks on in mildly amused horror. ANABELLA Are you okay?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.

Ien turns away sheepishly putting his corn in the basket, his face a slight red from embarrassment. IEN Okay, yes. I just... wasnt expecting you. ANABELLA Sorry. I finished my work and wanted to... I thought youd be done before me, with your plantae powers and everything. By now, Ien has cleaned up. He wipes the dirt from his hands onto his pants and gets up, smiling a bit sarcastically. IEN Ah, but see I dont get to use my magical plant powers to harvest because that... would just be too easy. ANABELLA Because the soils energy would get used up. IEN Yes. So I dont use my powers. Anabella looks down as the plant Ien used his powers on finishes shrinking back down to its original size. ANABELLA Yes. Ien smiles, either oblivious to what she saw or pretending to be. He bents to pick up his basket. There is a moments silence. Anabella looks down at her feet, her hand touching her neck nervously, and her cheeks blushing a soft red. ANABELLA (softly) Since youre not done, do you want me toIEN Well Im gonna finish working. Ill meet you at the central building for dinner, okay? Anabella nods with a smile. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.

ANABELLA Yes Ien. She turns away and walks. ThenIEN Hey Anabella? Anabella turns around, hopeful. ANABELLA Yes? IEN Do you know if Nil is finished with his work? Anabella deadpansThen quickly recovers herself. ANABELLA No, seems like I beat you both today. Ien smiles and nods. INT. CENTRAL BUILDING - NIGHT In the Central Building is a large dinner table filled with about 30 people all getting their dinner. The seating is as follows: There is an empty chair surrounded by MOM (late 30s), and DAD other side, a man in his late 30s with a short beard and large muscles, then the GRANDFATHER aka MYD (late 60s) next to him. Across from them are Nil, Emma and NILs MOM, a mid-40s women. Anabella and HER PARENTS sit a little bit to the left of Nils. The table is loud with chatter, with people passing dishes and talking happily. Then, the door opens and Ien walks in. The table semi-quiets down as he walks to his seat. IEN Sorry. DAD (brutal) Yes, I hope youre sorry.

(CONTINUED)

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5.

Myd looks over at Ien and smiles. He doesnt look like a Grandfather, but instead still fighting ready and healthy, with a fighting twinkle in his eyes and muscles to spare. MYD Build a new corn field, did we? IEN (laughs) No Teacher Myd. MYD No, Im not your teacher here boy. Here Im just your Grandfather. Ien nods. Myd takes a bite of corn. MYD But speaking of teaching, I do have a lesson for you tomorrow. Iens face lights up. IEN Really Teacher- I mean Grandfather? MYD (slick smile) Yes. DAD Hell miss work. MYD Thats the perk boy gets for being this special age. DAD Yes father, but we cant afford it right now with fourth harvest and anima troops demanding payment next week. MYD Well we shouldnt even be paying anima army anything. Right boy? IEN Yes! Myd points his finger towards Nil, who is face down eating his corn with reckless abandon.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: MYD Nil, take over Iens position tomorrow, okay?

6.

Nil looks up, corn pieces falling from his mouth and looking utterly confused. NIL Hmmm? MYD Thanks. NIL (distressed) Mmmm!! EXT. FARM - AFTER DINNER Its night, and the only lights come from the Central Building and lanterns near each of the other houses. The light casts playful shadows everywhere on the wheat field, this one only half grown. Nil (carrying a lantern), Anabella, and Ien run out with Nils sister EMMA (EMMY), all happy to finally get some free time. DAD Thirty minutes and then you all come to bed, do you hear? IEN Yes father! Nil sits down with the lantern. Ien SKIDS next to Nil with his hands up like a baseball player tagging home. Anabella runs over, holding her dress up so as not to get it dirty. As she sits down, Ien and Anabella share a look, accidentally a first. The light flickers off Anabellas eyes, reflecting the mystery of the night with her gorgeous pupils. She pulls her hair back slowly, so Ien can see her face. Emma CRASHES through this scene by jumping on Nils head, causing him almost to drop the lantern. NIL (aside) Emmy be careful, well start a fire. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

7.

Ien blinks, and turns to Nil. IEN So, what do you want to do with our precious time? Anabella looks and Nil and Emma and chuckles. ANABELLA Not put out fires I hope. Nil blushes at this. Ien stares at a wheat plant and grows it slowly in his direction. IEN Heh, at least it would be something new. ANABELLA (playful) Dont tell me after 17 years of us being friends that youre getting tired with spending time together? Nil looks at Iens wheat plant, and lifts out his fingers. Nil pulls his hand back and the plant starts to grow towards Nil. NIL Sixteen years, you mean. You and me were still in the womb. IEN It just gets boring farming, is all. ANABELLA I dont know. I like this life. Cant you imagine getting older... (starts to blush) falling in love, marrying, having a family? Ien makes a sound, then gets up. IEN Lets play Hide & Tag. Nil and Anabella look surprised.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: NIL But... ANABELLA You always... EMMA Lose! Emmy points to Ien and looks at Nil very seriously. EMMA He always loses. IEN Yes well, nows the night to chance that. Anabella gets up. ANABELLA Okay. Ill be the tagger. Boys, dont use your powers! Keep it fair for the ladies. IEN Okay. Im ready to win.

8.

CUT TO: EXT. WHEAT FIELDS - LATER Ien is running desperately through tall corn fields, footsteps behind him. IEN Why do I never win?! His feet slam against the dirtHe lunges left Forward Then right. ANABELLA (O.S) If I catch you even while wearing this dress, thats a bit sad dont you think? Ien runs a second further, then stops, panting hard. He puts his hands on his knees to try and get air. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: Silence. Then, Anabella suddenly appears to the left, arms outstretched. ANABELLA Got you! Ien turns to see her JUMP and tackle him, and he falls-

9.

CUT TO: EXT. FARM - TRAINING SITE - DAY -onto the ground. Ien grunts with anger, his sweaty brows furrowed in frustrated concentration. He gets up and walks back. Around him is a grass field about the size of a large pool. Trees grow to the sides of it. There are holes in the grass like it has been torn up by something. Ien is wearing a plain white sleeveless shirt that by now is covered in dirt and sweat. Myd is wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, and has his hands outstretched in a battle pose. He is looking at Ien intently. MYD You need to develop your sense of surrounding if youre ever going to reach me. IEN (frustrated) Yes Teacher. MYD Then lets try this again. Ien stares at Myd. They wait, like a standoff, then Myd FLICKS his finger. Ien LEAPS to the right as a bamboo-like stock SHOOTS out of the ground from where he stood. He runs, sees two more growing diagonally in an X and SLIDES under it, kicking dirt up around him. Ien jumps up, and continues running towards Myd. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: A small tree EXPLODES out of the ground, and a branch rockets towards Ien. Ien falls back dodging it.

10.

He rolls to the side to get up, stands, runs back center. He pauses for a moment, taking a breath. Suddenly he FLIES forward onto his face. Ien screams out. Ien rolls over, groaning in pain. As he looks back, he sees he was hit from the back via another branch from the small tree. IEN Aghhhh. Ien pushes himself up off the ground. Hes filthy by now and he wipes the dirt from his face onto his shirt. Myd is still standing, perfectly composed. He takes a moment, Then goes out of his battle pose to standing straight. As he does, the plants around the field slowly sink into the dirt, leaving behind holes where they sprouted. Ien puts a hand on his back and winces. IEN Im starting to think Nil got the better end of this deal. Myd chuckles softly and Ien smiles back. MYD Dont worry, hell get trained too once he comes of age. (pause) But right now, were training you. IEN (turning back) Yes. Ill get back into position and try agaiMYD (wisely) I didnt say that. Ien turns around, curious. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: MYD I think its time I taught you a new technique. Iens face lights up. IEN Does this mean I dont have to get beaten up anymore? EXT. FOREST - MINUTES LATER

11.

Ien and Myd are sitting cross-legged next to each other in the middle of a forest. Myd is cupping a sapling that is growing towards his hand. MYD Ien. IEN Yes Teacher? MYD Describe to me how you direct plants. IEN What? I mean, I... we just do it. MYD Think hard about it. (grows sapling) How do you grow this? Ien states at the plant, and looks down at his fingers. IEN Well, I guess I just concentrate on it and then move my hands where I want it to grow. MYD Yes, thats the physical process. But at its coreMyd stops growing the sapling and closes his eyes. MYD Directing is telling nature what to do and having it listen. Thats the power the Gods gave to mankind. Ien watches Myd breath slowly in. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: MYD The technique Im about to teach you reverses that. Im going to teach you how to listen. IEN Listen? MYD Yes. Close your eyes, and focus on the sapling I grew. Ien closes his eyes.

12.

In the darkness, a gray outline of the plant appears in Iens mind. MYD Concentrate, listen. And hear it. IEN (focused, quiet) Yes. Ien waits, letting darkness prevail over his eyesight and listening. The gray plant-outline stays the same. Then, a small sound. Ien gasps and opens his eyes. IEN I think I heard something! MYD Did you hear it respond to my brushing against it? Ien pauses. Then deflates. IEN Uhh... I think I just literally heard you brush against it... MYD Concentrate harder. Ready? The gray outline fills the screen. And then suddenlyIts gone. Ien opens his eyes. (CONTINUED)

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13.

IEN (breathless) I heard it. Myd is sitting, the sapling ripped in his hands. MYD Good. What you just heard is the loudest sound a plant can make- the one it makes in death. It is very quiet. Ien looks at the spot the plant was ripped from morbidly. MYD Once you master this technique, youll be able to hear whenever someone hits a plant, brushes up against it, and more. Its like... a warning signal, to you in battle. IEN (breathless) Thats amazing. MYD It is. It makes us plantae users the best guerrilla fighters, as in the wilderness, we constantly get information our enemy could only dream of. IEN Wow. MYD Yes. Myd stands. MYD Now get up, you have much to practice before the sun goes down. END OF ACT 1

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: ACT 2 EXT. VILLAGE - OUTSIDE CHURCH

14.

Ien is standing outside a wooden building. There are three pillars sticking out of the buildings top like a regular church, each one a different color: green, red, and brown. There are three doors also, but only one is open. A few people are going in, all dressed up. Ien is wearing a brown button up vest with a white button-up underneath, bow tie, black slacks and a brown flat cap. He looks up and sees Anabella waving to her family and then running towards him. She smiles as she reaches him. Anabella is wearing a long green dress and has her hair done up. IEN Hello. Hows your family? ANABELLA Dreadful as ever. But I think Ill have a few minutes before they make us go inside. Anabella smiles. ANABELLA I like your bow tie. Ien looks down at it and laughs. IEN Yes, its almost like you made it for me. Anabella laughs too. ANABELLA Well, it looks particularly good on you. IEN I dont think anyone else has ever worn this. Anabellas eyebrows go up. ANABELLA ("duh!") I did. Ien pauses. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

15.

IEN Well, your whole you looks beautiful today. Anabella blushes and looks down. IEN As does Emmys. Anabella looks up to see Ien waving at Nil and Emmy. Nil is wearing a brown sweater with a white open collar underneath, and knee-long Knicks with plaid socks going up to them. Emmy is wearing a cute purple skirt and bonnet hat that shes fiddling with. NIL Hello. ANABELLA Hello. Anabella walks over to Nil and Ien. ANABELLA I like your bonnet Emmy. Its beautiful. EMMA I dont. Its itchy. NIL Sorry Im late, I was helping dress Emmy. IEN Oh. WasIen pauses, and looks down at Emmy. Emmy has taken the bonnet off and is scratching her hair. NIL Yeah, it was just us this morning. Anabella and Ien react to this in silence. After a moment, Nil leans down to Emmy. NIL Hey Emmy, do you wanna save me a seat?

(CONTINUED)

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16.

EMMA (honest) ... No. NIL Will you save me a seat? EMMA (sighs dispiritedly) Yes. Nil kisses her on the cheek. NIL Thats my sister. And keep your bonnet on, please! Emmy skips into the church. Nil waves smiling. After a moment he turns back to Anabella and Nil, The smile quickly fade from his face. NIL I... I think its another man. ANABELLA What?! Nil sighs. NIL I know. But ever since my Dad died, shes been away more and more. I know shes lonely but... Nil grimaces and looks down to hide the pain on his face. After a moment he looks back up. NIL Anyway, Emmy needs to have a mother, and right now she doesnt. ANABELLA Im so sorry Nil. I didnt realize it was this bad. IEN But I mean... maybe its not what you think? Teacher Myd goes away (MORE) (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

17.

IEN (contd) sometimes too, and its not like hes... You know. Nil looks at Ien and shakes his head a bit. NIL Right, yes. He forces a smile. NIL Enough about that. ANABELLA (concerned) Are you sure? Dont keep this stuff from us. Nil nods. NIL I wont. (playful) Anyway. Ien, I had to skip dinner-room yesterday to finish your shift, so you better have some cool stuff to show for it. Ien smiles. IEN Luckily, I do. I can even try teaching it to you, its this crazyIENS DAD IEN! Ien turns and sees his Dad and Mom walking towards him. His Dad is wearing a suit and tie and his Mom is wearing an elegant black dress. IENS DAD Come on, lets go inside. IEN Can I talk for one moreIens Dad grabs him by the hand forcefully.

(CONTINUED)

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18.

IENS DAD No. Come. Ien is dragged away. He waves to Nil and Anabella for a moment before his Dad smacks his hand down. IENS DAD This is a place to worship, not to socialize. IEN (begrudgingly) Yes sir. INT. CHURCH - SHORT WHILE LATER The inside of the building is in the style of an old-fashioned church but with diagonal pews. In the center of the building is a stage-like area that is elevated about a foot. A PREACHER is standing in the middle, walking around and making grand gestures to match his impassioned speech. PREACHER And these are trying times indeed. Yes, everywhere you look corruption lies with its teeth ready to strike. Anabella is sitting among her family, politely paying attention. PREACHER There are people who abuse the powers you gave us, oh Gods. Armies use their powers to oppress, to take our food. Who abuse the creatures created on this Earth. Men, women, let us never fall victim to the same corruption we see in the anima army. Ien is sitting, listening intently to the preacher. He nods in agreement. PREACHER There are those who defile our ways of childbirth, who lay with those of the same gender. We must banish these sinners in your name, oh Gods.

(CONTINUED)

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19.

Nil and Emmy and sitting to the end of one of the pews. Emmys bonnet is off, and Nil is staring out the window, face stoic. PREACHER All these challenges we must overcome for your return to us. Now, let us worship the Gods. Everyone STANDS, and closes their eyes. There is silence. INT. IENS HOUSE - MIDDAY Ien and Nil walk into Iens house, and Ien closes the door once they are in. The house is small and made of wood, with the room theyre standing in actually being Iens room. There is a unceremonious-looking bed with one sheet, a crate that is closed, and a few books by it. To one side is a doorway to where a larger bed can be seen. IEN Finally I can get out of these clothes. I get we have to worship the Gods, but couldnt we do it without the dumb hats? Ien throws open the crate and throws off his flat cap. Then, he starts to slip off his vest. NIL Well, we did sort of drive them away you know. Ien now is slipping off his shirt. Nil looks away. IEN Not us, the people of the past. Its the anima army and gays and corrupted whore the problem. Its not like were either. NIL (sighs) Yes. Out of the corner of his eye, we see Ien throwing his pants off. IEN Anyway, are you going to change after me?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: NIL Yes. Or... no, Ill probably check on how Anabella is doing with Emmy first. Ien turns around to face Nil. He is totally undressed besides his underwear and socks. IEN (serious) Youre a good brother, you know that?

20.

Nil pauses in silence for a moment, not meeting Iens eyes, then just shrugs. NIL Shes my family. What else could I do? IEN (bitter) Ask my parents. They sure seem to know. Ien turns around, and starts changing again. EXT. FARM - TRAINING SITE - AFTERNOON Ien is standing in his training clothes (white sleeveless shirt) with Myd in the same position as they were yesterday. Iens eyes are filled with determination. MYD Lets see if your training did any good. Ready? IEN Yes. Ien waits. Myd lifts his handAnd bamboo-like shoots SPROUT out the ground towards Ien. Ien JUMPS to the right, and sprints forward. As Myd lifts his other hand, Ien looks down, see a stem about to pop out, and SKIDS, double backs, and keeps running. Theres a sound of growth behind Ien, and he DODGES as a branch explodes towards him.

(CONTINUED)

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21.

MYD Good! Ien smiles, LEAPS over bamboo sprouts mid-growth. Hes 2/3s of the way there to Myd. Ien stops for a moment, then curves towards Myd. He hears another sound, looks to see sprouts coming towards him on his left, side-steps to his rightAnd slams onto the ground. IEN AGHHH! Ien clutched his leg in pain and looks back to see a sprout where he had side-stepped to the right. IEN Dang it! MYD That was better. Ien pushes himself up, but its too quick. His leg buckles and he FALLS back down, crying out again. IEN Dang it! Iens whole body is steaming with frustration. He looks over at his leg, unravels his torn pants. Theres a cut on his right leg thats bleeding. Myd walks over and looks down at Ien. IEN Stupid siffing He looks up and realizes Myd is there. IEN Im sorry Teacher. MYD (kind) No. Myd sits down and places a hand on Iens shoulder. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

22.

Ien looks up, surprised. MYD Youve already improved your sense of direction after one day. Thats no cause to apologize. Despite himself, Ien smiles. MYD Perhaps your language thoughMyd stands up and offers his hand to Ien. MYD Come on. Ien grabs it and is pulled up. IEN Thank you Teacher. Myd smiles kindly. MYD Remember, Im your Grandfather too. How about a hug from my Grandson, huh boy? They hug. As they pull away, Iens visibly emotional. IEN I know I shouldnt say this... but it feels like youre more of a dad to me than my actual Dad sometimes. Myd pats Ien on the back sympathetically. MYD Come. EXT. FARM - EVENING Ien, Nil, Anabella, and Emmy are all sitting around in the same spot as yesterday. Everyone has changed out of their Church clothes, and they seem to be in the middle of a conversation. Ien is spread out looking at the stars. Anabella is sitting with Emmy in her lap.

(CONTINUED)

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23.

ANABELLA I wonder how it feels to be an anima user. IEN Dont know, dont care. Can we not talk about those brutes right now? Anabella turns to Ien. Emmy looks up at Anabella. EMMA That was rude. ANABELLA Yes. But hes a boy, what can you expect from them? EMMA ... Nil isnt rude. Ien sighs. IEN Sorry. Then after a moment he jumps up, like a light went off in his head. IEN If you want, you can try to catch me in Hide & Tag. ANABELLA (wry smile) I do like beating you. Yes, lets do it. IEN Okay, till the count of twenty. Ready? EXT. FARM - CORN FIELDS - MINUTES LATER Ien is standing hunched over in the corn fields so that hes hidden. His eyes are closed in concentration. In his minds eye, there is a gray corn field outlined. The vision is fuzzy as he tries to concentrate on all the plants, and sometimes it vanishes. AWAY FROM IEN, Anabella is walking silently but quickly through the field. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

24.

She pushes past a stalk of corn and accidentally snaps it. IN IENS MIND, suddenly there is a sound. He pans through the gray outlines and sees one of them is snapped. It is to his right, and close. IEN (under his breath) So there you are. He moves left towards the end of the corn field, and hides behind a tree at the edge of the farm. A minute later, Anabella gets to the spot where Ien used to be. ANABELLA (aside) Where is everyone? UP IN A TREE, Nil watches silently, holding onto a branch. He hears a noise and looks down. Nil watches Ien hide behind a tree. Then, he hears another noise, but this time BEHIND him. Nil turns around quickly and sees EMMA (loud whisper) Hi Nil! Nil is petrified. NIL What are you doing here?! EMMA I saw you hide. This is a good spot. NIL You shouldnt have climbed this high, its too dangerous. EMMA (pouting) Well you did. ON THE GROUND, Ien hears soft chatter. He looks up and sees Nil with his back turned to Emmy.

(CONTINUED)

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25.

IN THE TREE, Nil sighs loudly. He puts his hand through his hair in distress. NIL Thats because I have plantae powers. I can strengthen a branch if its about to break. EMMA Ill be real careful. I wanna climb higher than you so Im not caught. Emmy starts to climb up the tree past Nil. NIL No, wait! Emmy grabs a branch and tries to pull herself up. Then, there is a horrifying SNAPPING sound. NIL EMMY! Nil stands up to grab her, but its too late. The branch shes grabbing onto breaks. Emmy falls. EMMA AHHHH! Her eyes are wide with terror wind whisks by her the ground ENLARGES towards herNil JUMPS out of the tree after her Shes about to hit the groundBOOM. Five-feet tall grass EXPLODES out of the ground ENCOMPASSING Emmy like a hay stack. Nil swings off a branch onto the ground, his shirt ripped from traveling down the tree so fast. Hes breathless. He stares at the grass heap in shock.

(CONTINUED)

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26.

NIL Emmy? IEN (O.S.) Shell be fine. Ien walks into view, his hands going down from their directing pose. Theres a MUFFLED SOUND from the grass. NIL Oh praise Sucellus!! Nil runs towards the grass, overjoyed and desperate to see Emmy. Ien makes a downward motion with his hands and the grass slowly dissipates back to the ground. After a moment, Emmy is left laying on the ground face up. Shes covered in grass and crying from the shock. Nil GRABS Emmy and THROWS her into a HUG. NIL Dont ever fall to your death again, you hear? Emmy nods through her soft sobs. RUFFLING, then Anabella runs in. She glanced at Nil, then Ien, then Nil holding Emmy again. ANABELLA What happened? Emmy lifts her face from Nils embrace and looks at Anabella. EMMA (sniffling) Dont ever climb trees. Nil laughs, then wipes his eyes. ANABELLA ... What? IEN She fell.

(CONTINUED)

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27.

ANABELLA Oh. Nil slowly puts Emmy down and looks at Ien. NIL But you saved her.. Thank you. IEN You should really thank the grass, itNIL Oh shut up. Nil walks over and gives Ien a CRUSHING HUG. IEN Yes... Please stop... Nil lets go, beaming. EMMA (timidly) Does this mean youre not mad? NIL (chuckles) Just give me a second to be, yes? Ien stands and watches as Nil walks back to Emmy and wipes away her tears. He glances towards Anabella when suddenlyA loud sound reaches his ears. His eyes open wide. IEN Did you hear that? Anabella takes her eyes off Nil and Emmy, who she was watching happily, and looks at Ien. ANABELLA Hear what? IEN I-... Ien shakes his head and closes his eyes. He sees the gray outline of the forest, and waits. Then, he sees a rumbling out from the middle. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

28.

Dozens of small plants (flowers, saplings) seems to be somehow pulsing, going down, like theyre being pushed down by something. Every passing second, more plants are being pushed down, in a straight line that is heading towards Ien. Ien opens his eyes, fear and realization in making them wide eyed. IEN Its an army. ANABELLA (half paying attention) Hm? IEN Guys, GUYS! Everyone turns towards Ien. IEN Youll say Im crazy, but I think the anima armys coming. NIL No. Theyre not picking up the food until next week. ANABELLA Yes, and how could you know theyre coming? I dont see anyone. IEN Its this thing, Teacher Myd taught to me. I can... sense, or- I cant explain, just- theyre coming! Silence. IEN We need to tell everyone. ANABELLA I trust you. If theyre coming early, we have to prepare the food now, as itll take longer to try and find enough for them. IEN Thank you. Anabella, you tell the South families, Nil the North. I need I go find Myd.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: NIL (unsure) Ien, if youre wrong about thisIEN (angry outburst) Im not!!

29.

Anabella places her hand on Iens shoulder to calm him down. ANABELLA We trust you Ien. Everything will be fine. They just came early. IEN It could be an attack. NIL Why? They have no reason to attack. IEN That hasnt stopped them before. Now lets go! Ien runs off. Anabella glances at Nil, then follows. Emmy looks up at Nil, her tears just starting to dry, with fear in her eyes. NIL Itll be fine. He bends down, arms behind his back in Pre-piggyback fashion, and she jumps on. NIL (softly) Itll be fine. He starts to jog into the forest. The camera PANS UPWARDS and travels across the stoic trees. The sun is starting to go down, and the bright yellow is starting to fade into orange. FOOTSTEPS increase in volume as the camera pans untilA long line of ANIMA TROOPS is revealed. Each is wearing leather armor and beside each man is an animal, ranging from wolves to hawks to even a bear, all of which are tamed. Men are carrying torches, illuminating the forest with the flame. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

30.

At the front of the line armor he is wearing is a his face. Beside him are posed as he is, and look

is a hugely-muscular man. The only steel helmet that covers most of two magestic LIONS. They walk as just as deadly.

Through the helmet, the only thing oh can see are his eyes and mouth. A wicked grin is spread over his face and his eyes reflect the fire around him. Below him is a daisy in bloom, fragile and beautiful. He takes a stepand CRUSHES it. END OF ACT 2