Darkness covered the area as far as the eye could see. Outside the
darkness lay a clearing, possibly even a nice clearing. If her memory
served her correctly, she last found herself on a circle of dirt, encircled
by tall grass adjacent to a stream. But for the moment, all was dark. The
only exception to this was a small band of light on the horizon, widening
and slimming in quite an irregular manner.
A piercing pain crept through her head with every flash of light, but finally, it stabilized and she could see the world around her. Sure enough, she was still in the clearing, though this time she was viewing it from a horizontal position. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing the lump on the back of her head. In this, she saw all was undeniably as she last remembered, right down to the group of lizardmen surrounding her, all with spears pointed right at her throat.
"Arwh," she whimpered, sounding much like her pet fox, Lelei. Lelei! Where is Lelei? she thought, frantically looking around.
"Looking for your kitty?" the lead lizardman taunted, returning his spear to a standing position. Like mindless drones, the others followed suit. Really, this was the only way to tell he was in charge. Without his commanding presence, they all looked the same: tall, dry, scaly and green. "Aww, isn't this cute?" he continued in his raspy voice. "The poor wittle human wants her pet."
The girl hung her head, as she knew fully well that she deserved his taunting at this point. Allowing herself to be caught in such a manner never had been in her plans. Without doubt, she was a pitiful sight. The eighteen-year-old sat with her legs sprawled under her and her wheat colored hair disheveled in more ways that one could count. Her leather tank top had tattered in the fight, revealing a deeply tanned section of her midriff, and her matching pants had frayed at the ankles. Shoes had never been a thought for this young lady before, but after this skirmish, she was seriously considering purchasing a pair of soft leather boots. Her body seemed unscathed with the exception of a few bumps and bruises. In reality, her pride had suffered the most damage.
Despite the bruised ego, she wanted her fox back, and that meant straightening up. Shaking herself from her embarrassment, she lifted her head up, determination clouding her deep brown eyes. "Where is Lelei?" she growled.
"I'm not sure we should tell you that," he sneered, causing his followers to laugh. The leader held up a hand to silence them, and continued, "After all, a little girl comes prying into our lands, messing with my people and now she expects to live?"
"Your lands? That's a laugh!" A strong new voice, obviously feminine, entered from behind the leader, causing him to turn in surprise. "Since when has Evermore forest belonged to anyone?"
"Not you again," he sighed. Though his voice reeked of toughness, the sweat- drops on his forehead spoke otherwise.
"I suppose you were expecting someone you could beat?" she retorted. This woman was human, apparently in her thirties. From what the girl could see, she had medium length dark hair pulled back tightly in a ponytail. She wielded a longbow and had it aimed at the lizardman's chest. The leader's dry scaly body, however, blocked the rest of her vision from there.
"Now, now, Amalia. I don't think you should be so quick with those words." As he said this, he took a step toward her. "After all, let's not forget the present I gave you last time." With this comment, the rest of the squad stepped froward, forming a line in front of the girl, and Amalia's face tightened into a scowl.
Now the girl could see what the lizardman boasted of. Down Amalia's right cheek lay a cut a good two inches long. She could only imagine how that came about, but a rustling in the grass quickly distracted her imagination.
"Arwh?" This time, it was her pet fox. To her left, Lelei nudged her red- orange head out from between the long blades of grass.
"Lelei!" the girl whispered. "Come here!" she beckoned. In one bound, Lelei crashed into her master's arms, causing her to fall backward.
"Ack!" she grunted, and the leader snapped his head back to her, along with his spear.
"What do you think you're doing, little girl?" he hissed, jabbing his spear close to her throat. Upon noticing the fox, he grinned. "I see you found your pet. Good. Now we can kill you both at once."
"I won't allow it!" Amalia interrupted.
Keeping his spear steady on the girl, he turned his head to respond. "And what have you to say in this matter? Do you even know what she has done for us to behave this way?"
"I don't care. And neither do you!" A twang sounded from Amalia's bow and for a split second the only sound was that of the arrow buzzing in the air, followed by a thud.
The moment the leader fell to the ground, his comrades fled in fear. Amalia hopped off the stone she had been perched on and helped the girl to her feet.
"I don't care and neither do you?" the girl giggled. "Where did that one come from, sis?"
"Oh, shut up, Lenna. It's not like you were doing any better. 'Oh, Lelei! Where's Lelei?'" Amalia mocked her little sister. "I swear, that pet of yours is going to get us killed one of these days. What were y'all doing out here anyway?"
"Playing," Lenna responded innocently. "Lelei was teaching me a new game."
"You're eighteen years old, and you were out here playing hide-and-seek with your fox? Lenna…" Amalia chastised.
Lenna stuck her tongue out at her sister. "I was having fun until he came along. Why did he always have to bother us?" she complained. "Hey, when did he cut your cheek? I hadn't even noticed it until he mentioned it."
"Oh, this?" Amalia rubbed her cheek and the cut faded to a red smudge. "It was just a little makeup I borrowed from a friend. I thought I'd give him an ego boost."
"Neat. Are you hungry?" Lenna asked.
"Yeah. Hey, take his spear before we go. You might need it."
"Already on it." Lenna scampered over to the fallen body, prying the spear from his dead fingers.
"Alright, let's go, sis." The pair strolled out of the clearing, arm in arm, fox in arm, feeling thoroughly happy.
"Just you wait, sisters," hissed one of the other lizardmen, emerging from his hiding spot in the grass. "You won't be so smug for long. I will avenge my father…"
A piercing pain crept through her head with every flash of light, but finally, it stabilized and she could see the world around her. Sure enough, she was still in the clearing, though this time she was viewing it from a horizontal position. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing the lump on the back of her head. In this, she saw all was undeniably as she last remembered, right down to the group of lizardmen surrounding her, all with spears pointed right at her throat.
"Arwh," she whimpered, sounding much like her pet fox, Lelei. Lelei! Where is Lelei? she thought, frantically looking around.
"Looking for your kitty?" the lead lizardman taunted, returning his spear to a standing position. Like mindless drones, the others followed suit. Really, this was the only way to tell he was in charge. Without his commanding presence, they all looked the same: tall, dry, scaly and green. "Aww, isn't this cute?" he continued in his raspy voice. "The poor wittle human wants her pet."
The girl hung her head, as she knew fully well that she deserved his taunting at this point. Allowing herself to be caught in such a manner never had been in her plans. Without doubt, she was a pitiful sight. The eighteen-year-old sat with her legs sprawled under her and her wheat colored hair disheveled in more ways that one could count. Her leather tank top had tattered in the fight, revealing a deeply tanned section of her midriff, and her matching pants had frayed at the ankles. Shoes had never been a thought for this young lady before, but after this skirmish, she was seriously considering purchasing a pair of soft leather boots. Her body seemed unscathed with the exception of a few bumps and bruises. In reality, her pride had suffered the most damage.
Despite the bruised ego, she wanted her fox back, and that meant straightening up. Shaking herself from her embarrassment, she lifted her head up, determination clouding her deep brown eyes. "Where is Lelei?" she growled.
"I'm not sure we should tell you that," he sneered, causing his followers to laugh. The leader held up a hand to silence them, and continued, "After all, a little girl comes prying into our lands, messing with my people and now she expects to live?"
"Your lands? That's a laugh!" A strong new voice, obviously feminine, entered from behind the leader, causing him to turn in surprise. "Since when has Evermore forest belonged to anyone?"
"Not you again," he sighed. Though his voice reeked of toughness, the sweat- drops on his forehead spoke otherwise.
"I suppose you were expecting someone you could beat?" she retorted. This woman was human, apparently in her thirties. From what the girl could see, she had medium length dark hair pulled back tightly in a ponytail. She wielded a longbow and had it aimed at the lizardman's chest. The leader's dry scaly body, however, blocked the rest of her vision from there.
"Now, now, Amalia. I don't think you should be so quick with those words." As he said this, he took a step toward her. "After all, let's not forget the present I gave you last time." With this comment, the rest of the squad stepped froward, forming a line in front of the girl, and Amalia's face tightened into a scowl.
Now the girl could see what the lizardman boasted of. Down Amalia's right cheek lay a cut a good two inches long. She could only imagine how that came about, but a rustling in the grass quickly distracted her imagination.
"Arwh?" This time, it was her pet fox. To her left, Lelei nudged her red- orange head out from between the long blades of grass.
"Lelei!" the girl whispered. "Come here!" she beckoned. In one bound, Lelei crashed into her master's arms, causing her to fall backward.
"Ack!" she grunted, and the leader snapped his head back to her, along with his spear.
"What do you think you're doing, little girl?" he hissed, jabbing his spear close to her throat. Upon noticing the fox, he grinned. "I see you found your pet. Good. Now we can kill you both at once."
"I won't allow it!" Amalia interrupted.
Keeping his spear steady on the girl, he turned his head to respond. "And what have you to say in this matter? Do you even know what she has done for us to behave this way?"
"I don't care. And neither do you!" A twang sounded from Amalia's bow and for a split second the only sound was that of the arrow buzzing in the air, followed by a thud.
The moment the leader fell to the ground, his comrades fled in fear. Amalia hopped off the stone she had been perched on and helped the girl to her feet.
"I don't care and neither do you?" the girl giggled. "Where did that one come from, sis?"
"Oh, shut up, Lenna. It's not like you were doing any better. 'Oh, Lelei! Where's Lelei?'" Amalia mocked her little sister. "I swear, that pet of yours is going to get us killed one of these days. What were y'all doing out here anyway?"
"Playing," Lenna responded innocently. "Lelei was teaching me a new game."
"You're eighteen years old, and you were out here playing hide-and-seek with your fox? Lenna…" Amalia chastised.
Lenna stuck her tongue out at her sister. "I was having fun until he came along. Why did he always have to bother us?" she complained. "Hey, when did he cut your cheek? I hadn't even noticed it until he mentioned it."
"Oh, this?" Amalia rubbed her cheek and the cut faded to a red smudge. "It was just a little makeup I borrowed from a friend. I thought I'd give him an ego boost."
"Neat. Are you hungry?" Lenna asked.
"Yeah. Hey, take his spear before we go. You might need it."
"Already on it." Lenna scampered over to the fallen body, prying the spear from his dead fingers.
"Alright, let's go, sis." The pair strolled out of the clearing, arm in arm, fox in arm, feeling thoroughly happy.
"Just you wait, sisters," hissed one of the other lizardmen, emerging from his hiding spot in the grass. "You won't be so smug for long. I will avenge my father…"