I'm not fast, but debris stands between them and me. I seize this advantage, my gaze sweeping over the woods before me and I find a tree that is tall and has enough branches for me to climb, and enough foliage to be unseen. Sweat beads on my forehead and random wisps of my hair get stuck to my temples. I wipe my hands on the sides of my dress and start climbing, up, up until my hands start bleeding from the scratches. The cuts sting and my palms throb, but I push on. I'm not letting myself be caught. I'm not letting-
"There!"
I look down. How-? How had them caught up to me? I thought...
It's when they draw bows that I really, really think I will faint. Surprisingly, I don't. The first arrow buzzes past me and my knees threaten to give away. In spite of that, I find support in the thin branches and leap to another, which allows me to stand behind the bark of the tree, not in the men's range. But it isn't like they can't walk around the tree.
The next tree isn't that far away, and its branches make it look even closer. I've done this before. No need to panic. I brace myself, and jump.
xxx
"Nothing," Maleficent says, returning from the hill of wood, glass and ashes.
The sun is rising, making the remaining embers look like they're bowing to it.
My eyes burn, and my hands clench into fists. I know the basics of the human body, and all bodies, for that matter. Blood flows through our veins and it's what keeps us moving. But right now, there is much more to what's fueling me. This... urge to do something. This must be something else entirely.
Her eyes aren't red and puffy anymore. Instead, they are determined. I tilt my head to a side, not understading the sudden hope.
"I found nothing," she repeats, and I know that smile. Hope swells in my chest as well. "There is no body." There is a pause while she turns to face the vast wilderness stretching around us. "This is what we will do. There are three options. Either she ran to the Moors, to known territory, and she's safe; or she ran in the opposite direction, to the woods; or she was caught. I'll go back to the kingdom and start there." I'm relieved to hear that. I'm not the best person/raven to deal with other people. "And you will comb the woods looking for her. Go now."
My body shrinks and lifts from the ground, leaving a explosion of feathers. I will find her. I will find Aurora and I will tell her everything. She'll feel the same way. Everything will be fine.
xxx
My eyelids flutter open, taking in the scenery. Smoke drifts from the west. I assume it's the men and their camp. My house is -was to the south of this point. I kept track of every deviation I took the night before. Every turn I made. Eventually, they'd stopped for the night. I overheard someone saying I was as good as dead out here anyway. I didn't like that.
Was that how everyone saw me? A weak little girl who depended on others to do everything for her? Perhaps that's why they were mad. I am a queen. I am the queen. And instead of doing something, I hide in my wooden house.
But first, I have to go back to the Moors without these goons seeing me. The ground is a good twenty feet below me, so I start my slow descense. The less noise I make, the less likely it will be for someone to see me.
A branch snaps.
I yelp before I have time to even register what happened and I land on my butt hard on the ground. Voices speak loudly to each other. I'm tempted to use one of those funny words Maleficent uses sometimes. She calls them swear words.
This run is easier, but scarier. I'm not running blindly anymore, but neither are my chasers. They can see me crystal clear. I ignore the sound of arrows being set into place, and then the subtle buzz when they're set free.
My right leg brings me down to my knees when an arrow finds my thigh. It's the worst pain I've ever felt. It's like cutting your finger while you're making dinner but with the knife driven deeper, and being stuck there.
"Leave me alone!" I cry out as one of them reaches to grab my arm, tugging it up to make me stand.
A black feather lands in front of me.
