Chapter One: Into the Woods!
'Ridiculous.'
It was the only word she could think of to describe what she was seeing.
'Truly ridiculous.'
A few yards away, Lena was still was still asleep in a leaf pile much like the one Brynna had woken up in. She'd already tried to wake her friend, spending nearly ten minutes shaking and calling her, but the girl just wouldn't budge. It was strange, Lena had never been a heavy sleeper, but her even breathing and calm face kept Brynna from getting too worried.
No, she was far too preoccupied at the moment with trying to figure out why of earth she'd woken up, still dressed in her faire clothes, and in the middle of the woods.
'Why us? Why does this kind of thing always happen to us?'
Of course, all things considered, that was a bit of an exaggeration. These things didn't always happen to them. It wasn't that they were generally prone to confusing or dangerous situations, or waking up in places they didn't remember getting to, but if things could go wrong, they usually did.
This, however, was crossing the line.
Brynna looked back over her shoulder at her still-sleeping friend. Her legs were all tangled in her burgundy skirts, feet just poking out at the bottom, and her hair was absolutely ruined, splayed around her in a chocolate brown mess. She frowned at the sight, remembering back to the hours it had taken her with a curling iron to get the each curl just right. And now look at them.
Truth be told, though, Brynna couldn't really care less about the state of her friend's hair. She couldn't imagine what her own must look like, though if the hand she'd attempted to rake through it was any indication, it wasn't pretty either.
Throwing one last quick glance at the forest surrounding her, she huffed and gathered up her own skirts before returning to her best friend's side.
"I'm sorry, Lena," she whispered, settling down beside her and reaching over to begin picking leaves and sticks out of the other girl's long hair. She knew this wasn't necessarily her fault, per se, but she did feel some responsibility. It had, after all, been Lena's first time to the renaissance faire. She'd been nervous and hesitant, but had eventually given in to Brynna's prodding, trusting that she would look out for her. And she had let her down.
"I'll get us out of this, I promise. We'll be fine, just you wait and see," she vowed, hoping with all her heart that she would be able to do just that. She wasn't completely useless in the woods, but she was no woodsman either. That had been her father. All in all though, she knew she could keep them going for a few days. After that, she wasn't so sure. She'd just have to hope she could get them home before that.
Sighing, she let her fingers run one more time through Lena's hair before she stood and placed her hands on her hips. She was no expert and no hunter, but she knew with some familiarity nearly all the woods in her general area. The faire hadn't been too far from her home, and though she clearly had no idea how they'd gotten there, she also figured that they couldn't be too far out in the middle of nowhere.
She looked around her, eyes trained for any of the land marks she usually used – certain mountain peaks, an unusual tree formation, rivers – but to her dismay, she could find none. Thinking she was maybe just at a bad angle, she wandered some, though slowly and always making sure to keep Lena within view. It didn't help though, and as time dragged on, she came to the realization that they were truly and utterly lost. She didn't know these woods, didn't know the area, and those thoughts sent her heart pounding.
A sudden thought hit her though, and she twisted to reach at the leather pouch belted at her waist. It wasn't large, but it had been enough for her to store her money, phone, a few spare band aids (because knowing her and Lena, someone was bound to get hurt). If she could get her phone, she could call someone, or even attempt at getting a GPS location, and maybe they could be out of there in just a few hours!
To her further shock and rising sense of panic, however, she found the pouch to be completely empty. Nothing. Nada. Not her phone, not her cash, not even one obnoxiously colored plastic bandage strip.
Heart racing, she returned as quickly as she could to her friend, making a valiant effort to calm her herself. Lena was still lying there quietly, but Brynna had no idea when she would wake and the last things she needed was to scare her even more by not appearing in control. When it came to them, it had always been Brynna's job to play the protective one. She was older, if only by a year and a half, but to her it mattered. Lena was naturally whimsical and child-like in disposition, and though Brynna could be just as free-spirited as her friend, she was the calmer of the two. When things went wrong, she handled them, and this would be no different.
Sitting back down at Lena's side, Brynna had to think of a plan. Judging by the faint hints of pink and orange that were already beginning to paint they sky, night would be on them soon enough. There was little she would be able to do with the hour or two they had before nightfall, but by morning Lena would likely be up, and they could start moving. She knew by then she could figure out which way was east, and with any luck their position wasn't too far off course of her home.
Until then, she would stay vigilant. She didn't have the means at present to build a fire, but she did have her bodice dagger (initially bought for show, but she'd use it if she had to) and better hearing than most. With any luck, she wouldn't need to use either.
By morning light, Brynna was able to heave a sigh of relief. Very little had disturbed her in the night, save for the occasional squirrel or curious deer. To her great concern though, Lena still wouldn't wake. She'd tried shaking her again not long after dawn, but to no avail. She tried calling her (though albeit, rather quietly given the fact that she wasn't so comfortable in woods she didn't know), pinching her, and just about anything else she could think of, but she wouldn't stir.
It was nearly two hours past dawn by Brynna's count when she decided that awake, or asleep, she and Lena needed to start moving. She didn't want to spend anymore nights out there than needed and the sooner they could find some source of water, the better off they would be as a whole.
Quietly as she could, Brynna rose to stand, stretching out her limbs and back which had grown stiff after sitting so still and watchful all night long. Looking down at Lena, she let out a long sigh. If anything happened to her, if there was something was wrong or somehow she'd gotten hurt, Brynna would never forgive herself.
Doing her best not to jostle her friend, Brynna reached down and slid her arms under Lena's shoulders. Once she had a good grip on her, she maneuvered Lena over her shoulders and on to her back. All the skirts made to movement a little tricky, but before long she had her settled and balanced and ready to move.
Her first few steps were slow and awkward, but before long Brynna had built up a rhythm. Her own skirts kept her pace slower than she would have liked, but she still wasn't entirely sure she was going in the right direction, so caution kept her from minding. She'd spent the time between dawn and when they'd set off watching the sun. From its movement across the sky she'd been able to roughly determine their direction, and that would have to do for now.
Hours passed. Brynna's stomach had begun to rumble not long after setting off, but she refused to stop before finding water. Once there, she could lay Lena back down and scour the area for any sort of edible plant life. Until then, she had to keep going.
It was late afternoon by the time Brynna's ears finally picked up on the gurgling of running water. It was still a long ways off, but she sighed with relief and her stomach let out a particularly demanding growl at the promise the sound held. Lena was still fast asleep on her back, but Brynna refused to think of what might be wrong with her friend. She needed to get then out of the woods, then she could worry.
"Just a little farther, Lena. We can do this," she whispered as she trudged on.
She made her way as swiftly as she could towards the sound, which was, admittedly, not really that swift at all. The hours spent without break and with her friend on her back, not to mention the lack of any food or water, had tired her and slowed her down. Fatigue was settling in her arms and legs and her back was beginning to ache with the weight, but she fought it. By the time she'd stumbled into view of the river, she was ready to collapse.
Settling Lena down as gently as she could, she spared her friend a long, concerned look before finally dropping down beside her.
The next time Brynna opened her eye, it was dark. After a brief moment of panic, her memory returned to her and she cursed herself for letting herself nod off without realizing it. Turning quickly as she could, her eyes searched the darkness relentlessly until she found Lena, still sleeping and right where she'd left her.
Letting out a long breath, Brynna leaned back on her hands as she watched the wood around them. It was quiet and still, no squirrels or deer to disrupt the quiet or give Brynna a heart attack when they snuck up on her.
It wasn't until a few long moments later that Brynna realized the lack of animals might not be a good sign. The night before there had been squirrels and deer in abundance. She had even caught sight of a fox once or twice. Now, there were no animals, and by a river no less. Given all the general rules of the wilds, all reason said that the river would be the best place for animals to be gathering, day or night. And yet there were not.
Suddenly on high alert, Brynna scooted closer to Lena, and trained her eyes on the trees surrounding them. It was on her third pass when she noticed the light gleaming through the trees not far at their backs. Squinting her eyes, she rubbed them briefly just to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
But she wasn't. The light was still there when her eyes focused again. It was a bright, yellow glow that radiated and flashed between the trunks, rising and falling in intensity with every shift of the breeze.
'A campfire.' Brynna thought.
Now she found herself with a whole new dilemma. There was a campsite nearly nine yards away, and where there was a campsite, there were people. People that could either help them, or hurt them, and it was suddenly up to her as to how to deal with this new discovery.
She looked down at Lena. She couldn't deny that something was wrong with her friend. She hated to consider what that might be, but she also had to think that whoever occupied that campsite might be able to help her, or at least get her to safety. Of course, there was also the possibility that whoever was there might also pose a threat, and Lena's life was not something so was willing to risk.
Still…Brynna bit at her lip. What was she supposed to do? Risk her and her best friend's life by approaching strangers, or continue on in only God knows what direction hoping to find civilization while they both weakened from lack of food and water and exposure.
'Lena, what am I to do?' she wished desperately that her friend was awake and with her. She could tell her to hide, stay out of sight while she went to investigate. But she was still asleep, oblivious to what was going on and the trouble they were in.
Turning back to glow through the trees, Brynna set her teeth in resolve. She had to do something, she had to get help.
Getting to her feet, she reached down to pick up Lena, cradling her in her arms as she looked around her for a place to conceal her while she was gone. She found a small gathering of rocks next a great bundle of brush and carefully laid her down in it. With any luck, the brushes would hide her for the most part, and it was better than leaving her out in the open.
'Hold on, Lena. I'll be back for you soon.'
Feeling only marginally better, Brynna turned back to the light. Trodding as quietly as she could, she crouched down and began to slowly approach the camp.
She kept her eyes and ears perked at all times, listening for the slightest change in her surroundings, be it the wind, animals, or anything else that might give anything away. But the night remained still. As she neared the camp, voices floated toward her, high, merry voices laughing, singing, and chattering away. There was the shuffling of many feet, and for a moment she paused, trying to see if she could count them.
She couldn't though, not from her distance. Daring even closer, she could begin to see shapes and shadows through the trees. The voices grew louder and Brynna could clearly tell that the strangers she was coming up on were of some sort of party. Probably some rowdy group of teenagers sneaking out into the woods to drink.
The voices grew in volume as some joke was made and laughter broke out. It was a nice sound to hear after an entire day and night in the near-silence of the woods, and it almost made Brynna feel better about her choice. Whoever they were surely sounded friendly, she could only hope that they were as nice in person.
So preoccupied with the voices was she, that she didn't notice that movement just behind her in the wood. The shuffling as someone closed in on her, the eyes on her back. She was just on the edge of the camp when all the voices suddenly ceased. Not a sound was made. Her heart picked up pace. Something was wrong. She strained her ears, but found nothing. Her eyes, so used to the firelight now, could see nothing in the darkness around her as they darted back and forth searching for something to explain the sudden change.
It was then that he lunged for her. Before she knew what was happening, she felt herself being thrown into the lightened clearing of the camp, landing with a gasp on her back and weight landing on top of her not a second later. She drew a quick, shallow breathe as she opened her eyes only to find herself staring the up at the pointed end of a sword and a feral face surrounded by a flurry of blond hair.
