I promised four people I would post today before I go my friend Emily's for the weekend so here you go. I will try to write while i'm gone. I'll bring my neo.
Chapter 9
Annalaya was freezing. She woke up shivering and her teeth were rattling. It had to have been the middle of the night. It was much too dark to be almost daylight.
She tried to turn herself tighter into a ball but it was no use. She just couldn't get warm. She would just have to be cold.
Annalaya groaned and rolled to her other side which was even colder.
There was rustling a few feet away, and she felt movement beside her.
Warm arms wrapped around her, and Annalaya sighed in thanks. She snuggled into Galian, beginning to feel warmth seep back into her. How was he so warm when she was so cold?
Minutes later, she fell back to sleep.
An alarmed twitter sounded in Annalaya's ear. She rolled over with a grunt. She felt cold, and she realized her warmth giver was gone.
Her hair was being pulled. At first it was a light pull, but then it ended up being a yank when she refused to get up.
"Ow!" She exclaimed in shocked pain. She opened her eyes to see a frantic sparrow fluttering his wings in her face. Annalaya sat up, panic flooding her.
She stood up quickly, ignoring her sore and stiff joints. They complained as she ran after the sparrow, who shot through the air like an arrow. She could faintly hear someone running after them. That made her feet move faster.
Galian flew so fast she was afraid she would lose sight of him.
They ran so long Annalaya felt her legs wanting to give out. She forced herself to run on. She couldn't give out or she could die. She refused to abandon Galian.
The woods ended and the two runaways were in a field. The grass was so tall Annalaya could barely see over it.
She couldn't hear the footsteps after them anymore and relaxed. She was about to tell Galian they were safe when she heard a hiss and something flash by her.
Annalaya screamed as an arrow hit her beautiful sparrow in the chest and he fell to the ground.
She fell beside him, he was now a man. The force must have turned him from the shock. She covered her mouth, trying not to be sick.
The arrow protruded crudely through his chest. It must have missed his heart because he wasn't dead. Not yet at least.
"Galian!" She cried. She leaned over his limp body, trying to see how terrible his injury was. She couldn't remove the arrow until they were in a safe place, or else he would bleed to death.
The question was, how would Annalaya get Galian to a safe place? He was much too heavy to carry.
"Galian?" she smoothed back the sweaty locks of hair falling into his eyes.
He opened his eyes, his pain filled gaze went to the arrow and then to Annalaya.
"We have to get you out of here, Galian. It's not safe."
"I'll turn back into a— "
"No!" Annalaya kept herself from shouting out. "It could be dangerous with an injury like this."
Galian was quiet and then nodded. "You will have to help me."
Annalaya gripped his arm as he shakily stood to his feet.
He wobbled and if it hadn't been for her helping to hold up his weight, he would have tumbled to the ground.
Annalaya held on to Galian tightly and slowly they made it away from the fields. They took a detour back into the woods, staying away from the tree house. The peddler was most likely waiting for her to bring him back to tend to his wounds.
Galian never once made a sound as Annalaya helped him along. He mostly bore his own weight, wrapping his arm around her shoulders for some support.
Annalaya didn't know where they were going. There was really nowhere to go. They had to go somewhere. She felt helpless and worried for Galian's life. What would happen if she couldn't find anywhere for him?
Annalaya glanced toward the sparrow man who was sweating profusely from the effort it took him to follow along with her.
"Do we need to rest?" She asked as Galian leaned heavier on her.
"No," he rasped, "Keep going. It's too dangerous in the open."
Annalaya pulled him further into the woods until she thought they were lost.
"Look over there," Galian's voice was faint.
She looked ahead and saw a stream. It was familiar, and she found it to be the wishing stream they had been at before. Was it safe to use the water?
"Are you sure?" Annalaya asked in worry.
"We have to stop here. I—can't go any farther." It was all Galian could do to get the words out.
Annalaya hastily and more so dragged him than anything toward the stream. She saw a clump of bushes and leaves. That would have to do. She couldn't leave him in the open.
Galian groaned as Annalaya laid him back on the ground.
"I'll be back," she kissed him on the forehead and he gave her an appreciative smile.
She hated leaving him there, but she had to find something to staunch the blood.
It took more than a few strides to find some moss. She gathered it up quickly. She wished she had a knife so she could scrape off some white willow bark. She would have to get some for Galian later or he wouldn't be able to handle himself.
When she got back, Galian's eyes were scrunched tight, and he was muttering incoherent things.
She dropped down beside him, placing the moss down where it wouldn't get dirty.
"It will be all right," she whispered to the poor man.
"Let's get it over with," Galian gritted his teeth.
Annalaya took a deep breath and ripped his shirt off, leaving his over coat. She carried the ripped shirt into the stream and washed the blood out. She needed it to clean the blood away.
Galian set his teeth as Annalaya broke the arrow in half.
She tried to keep her hands from shaking, she didn't want to hurt him but she had to do this.
She gave Galian a stick to bite down on and prepared her own self for this next step.
She gripped what was left of the shaft and yanked straight up.
Galian screamed, but kept still.
"I'm sorry," Annalaya apologized, quickly wringing the water of the gaping hole, to rid the blood.
Galian's eyes grew big as he saw her with the moss. "What is that for?"
"I have to keep you from bleeding. This will hurt." Annalaya wanted to take away his pain. Why hadn't it been her that was shot?
She packed in the moss, trying to drown out Galian's painful noises.
The worst part was over. Now she had to find him some willow bark. She could see the agony etched on his face.
"I have to go get some—"
"No, please don't leave." Galian grabbed her hand before she rose up.
Annalaya settled back down beside him, holding his hand. "You're in pain, you need some willow bark."
"It can wait, please?" Galian pleaded to his tree girl.
Annalaya didn't answer verbally. She lay down and wrapped her arm around his waist, tucking her head into the crook of his shoulder.
"Thank you."
She felt his lips press into her hair.
If you hate me don't blame me. It was my fiance's fault. He had the idea of Galian getting hurt.
Thank you for all your reviews. I give virtual cookies to all!
