'Just another day in paradise!'
10 years has passed by since Eva had arrived at the Oasis. She was now a 15 year old teenager and instead of being a spoiled, dainty flower like most girls would be back on earth. She turned out to be quite the warrior.
Inspired by her mother's stories of Robin Hood, Joan of Arc, Mowgli, and Tarzan.
Eva began to train herself in archery, swordplay, and gymnastics. Carving her own bow and arrows and making her own sword. She often experimented with hunting tactics and later, if she was successful, with her cooking skills. In short, she was learning everything she could to increase her chances of survival.
'I think I'll try my luck in the northern canyon today.' Eva thought as she gathered her gear together.
Picking up her bow, she felt a gentle nudging against her legs.
Looking down she saw that it was Ruby greeting her with a gentle good morning.
Eva smiled at her little friend. Ruby was, in her mind, the absolute best friend she could ever have. They found each other when Eva was 6. Ruby had just shown up one day out of the dust surrounding the oasis. They bonded instantly and had been together ever since.
Ruby looked like a small dragon with red scales, feathers, and wings like a bird. Eva still wasn't sure exactly what she was. She just knew that she and the special little dragon were meant to be together.
Having her attention, Ruby began to make distinct calls that were a cross between a roar
and a whine. Eva knew this to be her way of saying that she was hungry.
Eva got down on her knees and picked her up in her arms. She nuzzled Ruby giving her comforting coos that were telling Ruby that they were going to go hunting very soon.
After Ruby was put back down, Eva quickly gathered a small bag of fruit and donned her brown cloak. Then they were on their way to the northern canyon.
After 30 minutes of walking, they arrived at their favorite hunting spot.
It was a high cliff with a low rock wall all around the edge that hid them from view and gave Eva an excellent position to use her bow at full range.
Eva was hoping for some big game today so that they could go without hunting for a time. The rainy season was coming soon and it is safer to stick close to home when the monsoon rain and flash floods hit the desert.
Luck must have been with them, for not an hour had passed by when what Eva thought were large wild pigs appeared. There were 6 of them and they were the size of large cars. They were covered in thick bristly fur and each sported a fearsome pair of tusks.
If she could hit just one of them, and prepared it right, then they would have enough meat to last them weeks.
She drew an arrow, took a deep breath, and carefully aimed.
Meanwhile, in another part of the canyon, Prince Aikka of Nourasia was also preparing to hunt but not for food.
Word had reached the city capital of rogue predator killing off rare animals in the Aramolli Desert Animal Sanctuary, and King Lao had sent his son to investigate the problem. Prince Aikka's mission was to find and capture the creature to present it to the Royal Court.
Accompanied by his mount G'dar and his fencing tutor/guardian Canaan, Prince Aikka hid on top of the canyon cliffs on the watch for the mysterious predator.
"Prince Aikka, are you sure that you wish to begin your search here? There have been more reports of the creature's activity closer to the river basin." Canaan asked the prince in Nourasian.
Prince Aikka looked towards the old swordmaster from under his hood and scarf. He was wearing clothes that covered every inch of him in a dark brown color. It was usually for covert missions that required him to keep a low profile and camouflaged him well among the canyon rocks.
"I am sure Canaan. While there had been more reports elsewhere, this place is closer to the center of all of the reports on the creature. There are caves where it could hide and there is also plenty of food and water here for a predator. This is our best chance of finding it. So here is where we will start."
"As you wish Prince Aikka." Canaan replied before the two of them returned their gazes back to the canyon.
They watched as a small herd of Cillaboars were running through the canyon towards the small riverbed that was further down the rivean.
Suddenly a small object shot through the air and scored a direct hit in the eye of one of the Cillaboars. They rest of the herd fled as their herd mate toppled over and fell still upon the ground.
'What was that?' Prince Aikka thought.
He brought out a spy glass to get a closer look at the object that killed the cillaboar.
Prince Aikka was shocked. It was an arrow, not an Nourasian arrow but an arrow nonetheless.
Sudden movement from the cliffs drew Prince Aikka's attention away from the dead cillaboar to a dark cloaked figure jumping down from the cliffs on the other side of the canyon.
Prince Aikka narrowed his eyes in anger. So it wasn't a predator, it was a poacher.
'Well I will put a stop to that'.
Silently signalling Canaan to circle around to cut off the criminal's escape route. Prince Aikka made his way slowly down the cliff towards the dark figure.
The criminal in question was preparing his kill, taking what looked like a dagger, and cutting the cillaboar's throat open to let it's blood pool upon the ground.
Prince Aikka crept as quietly as possible towards the poacher, but somehow he still heard him coming.
Before Prince Aikka had time to blink the hooded man began to rush at him with his bloody dagger poised to strike.
Bringing out his own blade, the prince engaged the hood in a knife fight.
Prince Aikka was impressed, the poacher could match him in every way possible. Every slash was met with a block and every leg sweep was met with a jump strike.
The fight lasted several minutes before the poacher made the first error. He threw his dagger straight at Prince Aikka.
It was very close, but he managed to block it just in time before the dagger embedded itself in his shoulder.
Prince Aikka looked to his opponent to find that the dagger had been a diversion to give the criminal a chance to escape.
For now he was fleeing the canyon as fast as his legs could carry him. So fast that he almost looked like a blur.
Cannan, who had been waiting in the poachers only escape route, made to apprehend him when the poacher jumped and landed a kick on his chest then flipping backwards, ripped of his cloak and twirled it at Cannan so it would wrap around his head blinding him.
The poacher then turned it's attention back to the Prince drawing a sword from it's back, slashing it at the Prince to stop his attack in mid strike.
Prince Aikka's eyes widened as he froze in shock.
It was a girl! A human girl that didn't look any older than he was.
She was beautiful!
Her hair of black, wild locks reached her waist and seemed to flash red in the sun. Her skin was of cream despite the obvious signs that she had been living in the desert for a long time. Her face bore strange markings that looked like birthmarks. A star on her right cheek and a line on her left cheek that gave the appearance of a stream of tears. Her eyes were like red gems that seemed to be a flame with so many emotions.
Right now the many emotion that he could see was fury, as she glared at him over their blades.
She gave him a quick shove against his blade then jumped backwards. She paused long enough for him to get a better look at the rest of her.
'How long has she been out here?'
She was thin, as if she had not been getting all the nutrition she needed, but she still looked very strong.
Her clothes, if one could call them that looked like very old, worn, and bloodstained rags. They wear barely covering her. They looked as if they were one of those tube top, tiny french bikini he had heard about that were supposedly a big fashion choice on earth, only ripped up.
Prince Aikka continued to stare at her until she flipped over Cannan, who had gotten the cloak off his head and was also staring at her in astonishment, and escaped round the bend.
"Cannan, Did you see that?"
"Yes Prince Aikka. A human girl. What is she doing here?"
"Living here I think. If she is our mysterious predator, then she would have hunted all those animals for food and not for money."
"If that is true, then we will have to report this to the royal council and the King. I am not entirely sure that they will believe us however, Prince Aikka. We have no proof."
'Perhaps we do.' Prince Aikka thought as he recalled the knife that the girl had thrown at him.
He retraced his steps and found the knife on the ground near the canyon wall. He discovered that it wasn't made of metal, it was carved out of bone. A rib bone to be precise. Covered with strange carvings that seemed to take the form of some sort of feathered, serpent-like creature. The grooves of the carving seemed to be stained with blood so the creature would stand out on the white bone.
This bone blade was not made by a Nourasian.
Prince Aikka had his proof. Now it was only a question of what will be the girl's fate should the council, his Father, believe his story.
Please update if you like. the story will get way better after the officially meet.