The Writers' Circle

Finally got it done! Take THAT, writers block!!!! Didn't get a chance to proof read it for errors, so I get what I deserve! Critique away!! By the way, I'm a little concerned with some aspects of the story, so please pay extra attention to these: Are the characters developing alright? Can you tell what Senji is like? What do you think of Truffles? Is there too much description of the room he finds himself in? I really aprreciate all your guys' help, more than you could ever imagine!! <3

Chapter Three

	Senji  yawned widely, rubbing his tired eyes. The clouds had mostly dissipated, and, though it was still raining, the moon was visible. From its position, Senji guess it was around midnight. He and Truffles walked on the side of the road now, the middle having become quicksand in mud form. It was now curving gently to the east, and Senji could see the Wood of Wilds clearly now.
	"That's where the witch is," Senji said quietly, as though afraid she might hear him from here. Truffles just let out another sarcastic snort.
	"You know," Senji said, "You are a rather caustic dog. No wonder you don't have an owner." At this Truffles stopped and shook, slinging mud at him.
	"Was that really necessary?" Senji complained, trudging on. As he continued to follow the curve in the road, Truffles went straight. Senji stopped, sighing.
	"Where are you going, you silly dog?" he called out. Truffles barked and ran around in circles excitedly before dashing forward, disappearing into the tall flowers and grass, heading towards the Wood.
	"Where are you going, stupid dog?! You'll be eaten!" Senji cried. When she didn't return or reply, he ran after her, Slipping and sliding on the wet plants.
	"Stop!" he called when again she was in sight. She stopped and barked at him, wagging her tail excitedly, but before he could snatch her up she was off, and the chase was back on. The tree line was getting quite close now, and Senji was sure some monstrous demon was about to jump out any moment now and gobble them whole. He slowed to a jog and then to a walk as he broke through the tree line. Ancient evergreens towered above him, blocking out the little light the moon had provided. The only comfort Senji had was at least the ground here was dry and the pine needles softened the sounds of his footsteps. He listened quietly, but all he could hear was his own heavy breathing and the pounding of his heart.
	"Truffles!" he whispered fiercely, "Truffles, where are you?" A happy, excited bark rang out in the night. Senji followed it as quickly as he dared while at the same time trying to control his breathing. Despite his caution he ended up tripping over a tree root, the wind knocked out of him as he landed hard on his stomach. A warm, rough tongue licked his face and, before she got the chance to run off again, Senji snatched her up. She let out a started bark and wiggled fiercely as he stood up.
	"Bad dog!" he scolded, "next house we find I'm leaving you behind. Now, let's get out of this place before something really bad happens." Senji looked around, looking for the tree line. His heart skipped a beat as he realized it was no where in sight.
	"Ok, don't panic," Senji whispered to Truffles, "if we don't panic, we'll be out of here in no time." Truffles, however, didn't seem worried at all. She had stopped wiggling and was looking up at him, panting and wagging her tail happily. Senji glared sighed at her, both exasperated and exhausted. Looking around, he picked the direction he thought would lead them to the road. Fifteen minutes later when the road was no where in sight, he began to think differently. Just as he was about to turn around and try to opposite direction. Something caught his eye. A soft, glowing light, coming from somewhere on his right. He followed it. A house! In the middle of nowhere! It wasn't long before he stood before a huge, long wooden structure. It looked like a large ship, similar to the ones senji had seen come into port in Kingston, except this one was a wreck. Gaps ravaged the front and bottom as if it had crashed into the earth. The glass in the windows was shattered and the wood looked rotted. It had no sails. Instead it had for thick, metal ropes that rose from the deck limping. They seemed to be attached to what appeared to be the largest blanket Senji had ever imagined, probably even bigger than the ship itself, though it hung ripped and ruined in the trees. It must have been purple had one point, but now it was faded and reeked of mildew. Several of the surrounding trees were laying on the ground, broken in half or ripped from their roots, and there was a huge gouge in the earth behind the ship that went on for several hundred yards as though the ship had plowed into the ground. Splinters of timber and broken glass littered the ground.  Several yards away was another mangled structure that at one time might have resembled the wing of a bird. There was also what looked like a propeller, though it was missing two of it's three blades. Whatever light Senji had seen earlier was gone.
	"What is this place?" Senji asked quietly. Truffles growled in reply, and, tearing his eyes away from the ship, Senji could see why. All around them dozens of cats lounged amongst he rubble or curled up in scraps of cloth. Some of them looked up at Senji and Truffles, but they seemed unfazed by the dog's ruckus.
	"I wonder if some kind of cat demon lives here," Senji said. Truffles snorted. A cold breeze whispered through the trees, sending chills up Senji's spine and giving him goosebumps under his soppy cloths. A clanking sound, like wood hitting wood, made Senji jump. He clutched Truffles tightly as he spun around to see what had made the sound, sighing in relieve when he realized what it was. A rope ladder hung from the deck of the ship, blowing in the wind. 
	"Let's go," Senji said to Truffles, "this place creeps me out." But as he turned to leave, he remembered why he was here in the first place. With a groan he plopped down on the ground, releasing the dog as he did so. Instead of chasing after the cats, she sat down beside him, looking up at hi. She whined and Senji smiled, scratching her ears.
	"No, I'm not mad at you anymore," he sighed, "I just wish I knew how to get us out of here." Truffles was silent, quietly enjoying her ear massage while Senji pondered on different ways to get out of the wood. Another breeze blew through, making Senji shiver and banging the ladder against the ship.
	"I wonder how it got here," Senji said, looking up at it. I twas pretty tall, though no as big as normal ships.
	"I bet you can still see pretty far from that deck," Senji said absently, stroking Truffles' fur. Something in his head clicked.
	"That's it!" he exclaimed, scooping the little dog up in his arms and dashing to the ship. He put his foot on the first step of the ladder, testing it. It seemed sturdy enough. He climbed the rest of the way slowly, finding it difficult to go very fast while clutching a wiggley dog and trying to keep his balance one hand while the ladder swayed back and forth. Finally he reached the top. There was a little door in the railing and, nudging it open, he pulled himself onto the deck, releasing Truffles. Her paws clicked on the old, creaky wood. It was even creepier and colder up here, if that were possible. The blanket or whatever it was blocked out almost all of what little light there was. There were two parts of the deck that were raise about a foot above the rest; the front part, where several barrels and ropes were scattered about, and the back part where the helm was. There were two sets of stairs for each of the raised levels, and, in between the two on the back part of the ship, the stern, there was a slanted bit of wood with a trap door in it. Truffles ran over to it and started pawing at it viciously, barking up a storm
	"What is it, girl?" Senji asked, "What's down there?" He put his hand on her head gently to calm here before tugging on the door; it didn't budge. He pulled harder and harder, but it still wouldn't move. With and angry sigh, he placed his feet firmly and tugged with all his might.
	"Open... up!" he growled. The door flew open and Senji fell backwards, landing on his rump.
	"Owwww," he groaned, standing, "Stupid door." Truffles didn't stand around to waste time insulting inanimate objects, however. Instead she bolted through the door, which was pitch black.
	"Truffles!"  Senji hissed. It seemed like he was spending more and more of his time chasing after this silly dog. He went through the doorway cautiously, finding that inside was a winding flight of stairs. The stairs were weak and rickety, wood planks set in a steel frame, and they made Senji nervous. Unable to see, he felt his way down the narrow hallway, trying not to fall down the steep incline. The passage was fairly short, however, and before he knew it he was in a small parlor room. It was warmly let with a blazing fire, and richly decorated. The walls were made or rich, dark wood that went well with the dark red carpet. The interior showed nothing of the damage that ravaged the outside of the ship. The fireplace was directly in front of him, in front of which was a deep, purple  couch with a table one the left side, which was shared with a big, royal blue comfy chair. on the left side of the room there was a walled in area. This wall was made of stone, as was the floor inside it. Through the archway, Senji could see that it was a small kitchen, with strange devices in it he had never seen before. Along the back wall of the room, behind the staircase Senji had come down (which had come out facing towards the prow of the ship), stood a large, looming, black wardrobe. In the corner stood an easel with a large map on it, surrounded by chairs. On the wall to the right of the fireplace was a small dining table with chairs at each of it's four sides. Next to it, close to the wall in which the fireplace was built, was a strange site indeed. On the wall there was painted an elaborate door. It was a dark, blue-green color, which clashed horribly with the rest of the room. The knob was gold, and the frame around the small, circular window at the top was wood. Through the glass was only darkness. On the prow wall, the wall with the fireplace, was a real door, just to the right of the blazing fire. 
	"This is amazing," Senji whispered, "I wonder who owns this place." He walked over to the painted door. The knob really did jut out, and the glass was really there, but everything else was painted. Experimentally, Senji reached for the knob only to be greeted by a shock.
	"I must have built up static from walking on the carpet," Senji said, looking down. He realized he still had his shoes on and quickly removed them, not wanting to soil the rich fabric. He looked at the other door, wondering if he should search for the owner of the strange construction he was in.
	"It would be rude to invade someone's privacy by going through their home," Senji said, "Also, he might mistake me for a burglar. I should wait here." He seated himself on the couch, finding it overwhelmingly comfortable. His weariness was quickly starting to get to him. Gazing into the dancing flames, he though about the place he was in. Why was there a ship here, of all places, far away from any body of water? As his eyelids drifted shut, he wondered absently where Truffles had run off to.