I am sooo excited about where this is going! Hope you're enjoying the ride!!

The Hunt Chapter 4

The level open plains spread out like a sea of grass with no apparent beginning or ending. Wildflowers spotted the tall grasses that gently swayed back and forth with the shifting breeze.

Their horses ran in unison in the late afternoon sun. Their hooves beat the dirt path in simultaneous tempo as they made their way across the grassy plains. Now, though, there was one less horse, one less companion.

Having quickly escaped after Richard's near clash with General Wilkes, Zedd had made a slight adjustment to their original plan. He decided it best if he made a detour to Agaden Reach to see what he might be able to find out from Shota before heading to Aydindril.

Kahlan and Richard had been none too happy about Zedd traveling by himself when they were all being hunted, not to mention seeking any help from Shota. She had brought them nothing but misery. However, arguing with a Wizard of the First Order had proven unsuccessful. Zedd had felt that between him and Shota, they would be better able to come up with a way to defeat the Shakrah. He had promised to meet up with them as quickly as possible in Aydindril.

Now the beautiful scenic landscape was nothing but a blur of colors as Richard and Kahlan rode side by side worry weighing heavily on their minds. Worry for Zedd. Worry for each other. How were they ever going to get out of this one?

Kahlan risked a quick glance at her traveling companion, concern for him consuming her thoughts and permeating her heart. She had finally found true love. Not love tainted by confession, but a deep, once-in-a-lifetime love. And now that love was being threatened, at risk of being lost forever. Kahlan swore on her life that she would protect Richard with her last breath. No one was going to take him from her.

Richard, casting a side-long glance, noticed the worry that lined his Confessor's brow. Besides the fact that she always grew quiet, it was her most betraying sign that she was upset or worried about something.

She looked pale and exhausted. The last few days of hard travel had been difficult for them all, but were obviously weighing heavily on Kahlan. She would never let on she was tired nor would she accept any special treatment, her concerns for them always foremost in her heart. It made Richard love her all the more, want to take care of her and protect her more than ever.

Suddenly, Richard felt something whizz past his ear causing him to jerk his head to the side. He spun his head around only to be greeted by the gruesome site he had been dreading for days…a group of fierce looking savages galloping at full speed, arrows drawn.

Arrows began firing past them at rapid intervals. Adrenaline surged through their veins with the site of their fierce pursuers gaining on them. Richard could clearly make out at least eight Shakrah, but could tell there were definitely more following behind them.

Richard and Kahlan raced around the bend in the road granting them a temporary reprieve from the aerial assault. Desperate for their best chance of survival, Richard quickly decided they were going to have to take drastic measures. The weight of their perilous circumstances was bearing down on them. Sweat was beginning to form and trickle down their necks; dust from the plains sticking to their skin and clothes.

"Kahlan, follow me!" Richard yelled at her. "Just stay close to me!" He felt as though his heart would beat out of his chest as he attempted to save them from the fate of the Shakrah.

Kahlan immediately followed the Seeker's lead as he promptly steered his horse off the dirt road, heading through the tall grasses toward a dark patch Richard had noticed off to his right in the horizon. He just prayed he was correct in his assumptions or they would both soon be at the mercy of their pursuers.

The Shakrah continued to follow their prey as Richard and Kahlan cut through a stream, water splashing around them in their desperate attempt to escape their hunters.

"Richard, they're gaining on us!" Kahlan shouted to him, her heart racing. The stories she had heard about the Shakrah certainly did not live up to the horrific reality of being chased by them.

Richard twisted his head around to see that they were getting dangerously closer. He glanced at Kahlan in time to see an arrow imbed itself in her back close to her shoulder, causing her to arch her back in pain.

"Kahlan!" Richard screamed; his face a mask of horror.

It was all Kahlan could do to stay atop her horse, the pain from the arrow tearing at her muscles. Trying to block out the searing pain, she quickly reached over her injured shoulder in an attempt to remove the object only to have it break off, leaving a good part of the arrow imbedded in her back. She angrily discarded the broken piece and lowered her head trying to avoid further injuries, adrenaline allowing her to force down the pain.

"Kahlan, head for those trees to your left!" Richard shouted, panic threatening to consume his mind as he saw Kahlan's dress quickly turning crimson with blood from her wound.

Richard was mildly relieved at finally seeing that his assumptions were correct. The dark patch he had seen on the horizon had been a forest. After riding across the open plains for most of the day, it was a relief to finally see trees. He would at last feel like he was back in his element; the forest was like his second home.

Kicking their heels into their horses, they spurred their steeds on, increasing their speed as they attempted to head for the cover and protection of a patch of woods that they were fortunate enough to have found.

Richard risked another glance back, narrowly avoiding an arrow that almost found its target in his skull. They were gradually beginning to pull away from their hunters as they made their way for the trees.

Slick with sweat, their horses panted with the frantic pace, giving their all as if they seemed to sense the magnitude of the danger their riders were in.

Richard knew that if they could just make it to the shelter of the forest, they would be safe. He just prayed Kahlan could hold on till they got there. She was looking paler by the minute, her hair whipping behind her as they continued their frantic escape. He could tell she was fighting to stay in her saddle as the blood continued to flow from her wound.

An arrow suddenly tore through the sleeve of Richard's shirt, slicing his arm open. He barely noticed the new wound, too consumed with their survival. Panic was threatening to force aside reason and logic, his breathing ragged, his heart racing wild like the horse he rode. He had to stay focused and not let his worry for Kahlan get a hold of him.

Arrows still flew around their heads, but not with the same intensity or force as they continued to pull away from the Shakrah. The savages were growing more distant by the minute, their horses no longer able to keep up the intense speed due to the large build of their riders.

Kahlan glanced at Richard, registering the worry that weighed heavily on his face. She was feeling more lightheaded by the minute, pain coursing from her shoulder and down her back making it difficult to breathe. Each breath she took was excruciating, sending sharp burning pains through her lungs. She kept telling herself that she had to hold on; she had to keep Richard safe.

Kahlan noticed blood seeping from the tear on Richard's shirt sleeve. She was furious with herself for being injured. She was his Confessor, committed to be his protector. How was she going to be able to protect him if she was hurt?

"Richard, you're hurt!" she cried out in distress.

She wished that Zedd was here to heal their injuries, but at the same time was relieved he wasn't. If the Shakrah captured them, Zedd may still be able to rescue them or at least save Richard.

"I'm alright; it's not bad," Richard yelled over to her, swallowing back the dread that threatened to choke him as he took in the image of his wounded Confessor. "Hang on, Kahlan! We're almost there. Just stay close to me; follow my lead!"

They swiftly entered the refuge of the forest, the trees becoming a solace against the impending threat looming behind them. As they made their way cutting left then right around trees and leaping over brush and fallen limbs, a plan was rapidly forming in Richard's mind.

"Kahlan, stay with me!" he shouted back to her, glancing back to make sure she was still following close behind him.

Kahlan had a fierce grip on her reins, her knuckles white with tension as she trailed him. She tried to keep her focus on Richard, but her vision kept shifting in and out of focus. Her breathing was ragged and irregular. She began slumping further down on the neck of her horse in an effort to stay in the saddle.

Glancing back again, Richard realized he was quickly losing her as she sank closer to the neck of her horse. If he didn't act soon, she'd fall from her galloping steed; the fall would likely kill her.

Seeing no sign of the pursuing Shakrah yet, Richard brought his horse to an abrupt halt. Leaping from his horse, he grabbed the reins of Kahlan's horse as she came near to him.

Richard caught Kahlan up in his arms just as she collapsed from her horse. "I've got you," he softly said as he buried his face in her hair, just thankful she was still alive. She wouldn't be for long if he didn't get her to safety and tend to her wound.

After grabbing their packs, Richard smacked the backsides of their horses, sending them off without their riders. They would have to go on foot from now on. Gathering his unconscious Confessor back up in arms, he set off in search of shelter, the light quickly dissipating as the sun started to sink behind the horizon…