Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the idea for my story.
The cool summer's night air caressed her skin, beckoning her to join in the forays of the
night, yet carrying with it the pungent smell of smoke, and this caused her to run faster, to
escape the demon brought forth this night.
Her heart thudded violently against her rib cage as she ran through the glade of bulrushes,
not looking back to see if her pursuers still followed. She didn't even slow down when she came
across a bog, struggling through the muddy water as it dampened the tips of her long silver hair.
She heard the triumphant call of one of the men, summoning the others to come and help
him capture the sorceress. This only caused her to struggle against the water further, obeying
only the primeval instinct inside her that said run.
She reached the edge of the bog and climbed out onto the steep embankment, holding on
to saplings and low branches to help her up.
Her small brown wrap was wet, hindering her progress further. She decided against
taking it off and exposing herself to the elements, instead turning and fleeing into the nearby
woods.
She ran through the grove of trees, the pine needles on the forest floor pricking her bare
feet as she ran.
She decided to chance a look back to see if she was still being followed and she tripped
over a tree root that jutted out of the ground, sending her sprawling on to the forest floor.
Pain shot through her entire being and her body begged her to linger awhile on the sweet-
smelling carpet of pine needles. Her mind was to have none of that and screamed at the young
girl to continue running, for the bounty hunters could appear and be upon her at any time.
She picked herself up again and started to run, a pitiful cross between a limp and a
stagger.
Suddenly, she heard another voice, this one closer than the last. She started to run faster,
but was mesmerized by the flare that arched it's way over the treetops and exploded in a splash
of red, for one instance in time blocking out even the light of the stars.
She whirled around as she heard the sound of approaching voices, then the snap of a gun
being loaded.
A sense of dread washed over her, causing her small body to shiver uncontrollably. She
knew that she couldn't get away, and was tired of running.
Then an idea came to her, one born from pure desperation and a lack of options. She ran
over to a nearby tree, and began to climb, the rough bark scratching her bare arms and once
almost causing her to lose her grip and fall to the forest floor.
When she felt that she was out of sight, she peered down through the branches of the tree
to watch the events unfold below.
The two men that she had heard walked under the tree and just kept on walking, not
noticing a being watching them from above.
The girl leaned back against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes, feeling a wave of
fatigue overcome her. She slowly drifted off to sleep, to be plagued with dreams of the past and
of things yet to come.