Chapter Twelve
- Attacked -
Tired. She was tired. She tried to look for Jack in Fort Helencia, but was welcomed by the confused faces of Lord Zane and the others. She tried the City of Flowers. She tried the Forest Metropolis. But he wasn't there. He didn't seem to be everywhere. But she knew. She just knew Jack was out there. It hit her suddenly why she didn't think of Solieu Village in the first place. Maybe they spent too much time in Fort Helencia that she thought of it first. But she felt stupid not really seeing that Jack went to Solieu Village.
And it was where she was headed.
She had to beat her lagging legs. She had to convince her weakened mind. Just to get to Solieu Village. Slowly, she trudged down the dirt path. Telltale signs that she was in Tria Region sprouted around her. The sun sank down the horizon minutes ago. The birds chirped, all going back to their nests and resting places. Rest was all she wanted. But she wanted to see Jack more than anything else. She had to overcome her tiredness.
All around her, the world withdrew. Silence gradually took over the place as she walked on. Ridley didn't have the time to rest. No time at all. Everything was dark, illuminated only by the pale moon and the numerous, faded stars that dotted the dark blue sky. From the distance, a wolf howled in a sad, melancholy melody. She trudged on. She didn't have the time to rest. She had to go on.
Suddenly, six hungry wolves surrounded her. Ridley was tired and in no state for a battle, but she had to. It was just another barrier. One of the many she had already passed. She took out her axe as the wolves circled her menacingly. The largest, which Ridley assumed was the leader, growled violently.
"This is uncalled for." she muttered. She was poised for the attack.
The leader lunged forward as Ridley dodged. It howled, commanding the others to attack. One of the wolves jumped straight for her arm, an attack she fended off immediately as she struck the wolf's belly with her axe. The wolf was thrown away, crying in pain. Its underside bled heavily. Ridley averted her eyes from wounded wolf, limping away as she turned her attention back to the others. The leader swiped at her, successfully wounding her arm.
"Agh!"
It howled fiercely. Two wolves jumped again, one successfully fended off as she struck a blow to the wolf's leg. The other one growled and rammed its head on Ridley's legs. She buckled and fell on the ground, axe flying beside her. It almost bit her, but she grabbed hold of the axe immediately and launched it at the beast, limping away with the other two. The leader howled again. One swiped at her leg, ripping the cloth on her shins and giving her a gash. Pain. It was painful. She tried to fight the pain as she launched another attack at one of the wolves. It missed, the attack landing on the leader instead.
A few minutes. She braved her wounds, her gashes, finally felling the last of the wolves. Two of them lay dead on the ground, while the other four had disappeared into the distance. Her arm ached. Her wounds raw with searing pain. She was tired. Not being able to handle this any longer, she collapsed to the ground, her axe falling beside her. She stared at the star-dotted sky, knowing that she was losing her consciousness.
But she stayed conscious long enough to hear him.
The footsteps were loud enough to break into her weakening sense of hearing. She felt cold and pale. But the footsteps.
"Ridley?"
It was him. He saw her on the ground, near-unconscious and weak. He saw her.
"Ridley!"
He broke into a run. Ridley smiled. "Jack..." she whispered. The boy ran, ran to her side and cradled her in his arms.
"Ridley! Are you okay?"
She couldn't reply. Weak. Too weak. Jack gently shook her, repeating her name a few times as his eyes traveled to her wounds. She breathed. She tried to make Jack to notice that she was breathing, alive. "Ridley..." he murmured. With no time to spare, he scooped her up and carried her. "Hang on, Ridley..."
He ran. Ran to Solieu Village. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. The visit to the Ressan Tree was more than worth it. It brought Ridley back.
