XII
She travels by the light of the moon, creeping silently across the forests and heading south towards the point Lupa had marked on the map. Aurum and Argentum are her shadows, silver and gold streaming behind her as she runs, her braid whipping behind her.
She doesn't look back, doesn't look at the trail of golden dust she leaves behind her. Her spear is hungry; her determination even more so. She is clashing gold and biting teeth and iron willed, and for a moment she allows herself to believe that she made the right decision all those months ago. (Later the simplest thing - a curve of a tree branch, a stray acorn, a leaf fluttering on a log - reminds her of Hylla, and she feels the aching burn in her gut, her throat, her heart once more).
She banishes all thoughts of her sister from her mind, concentrating instead on the heavy footsteps behind her. She spotted the Cyclops back in Sacramento. It'd been following a small child with solemn gray eyes and curling blonde hair. She'd categorized the monster immediately, her eyes accessing its body with rapid efficiency.
{Cyclops - threat}
The child was innocently unaware of his pursuer, gurgling happily on the sun-soaked lawn. She'd hesitated for only a second before scooping up a rock and making her decision with a single, fluid throw.
The rock hit the monster right in its eye.
It's been following her ever since. Despite the added danger to an already-perilous situation, she doesn't regret her choice (the child had chubby fingers and ruddy cheeks, and she's always been a sucker for clumsy-footed innocents).
She spies a tree with conveniently placed branches ahead of her, and her eyes narrow in concentration. She shifts her stride slightly, increasing her speed until her legs are pumping, slamming against the forest ground with satisfyingly powerful strokes -
Aurum, seeing her signal, breaks off from the path, barking loudly to draw the Cyclops's attention. The beast roars behind her, its single eye fixated on Aurum's conspicuously gold coat. She crouches closer to the ground, tensing her stomach muscles as she prepares to leap.
She grabs on to the first branch, feeling the bark slide underneath her fingertips, and pulls herself up with a single, practiced motion. Aurum continues to howl his battle cry, and her heart echoes, screaming loudly into the night as the Cyclops blunders into the clearing. She readies her spear, watching with bated breath as the Cyclops swipes at Argentum's lithe form with an engorged hand.
She whistles, a harsh, piercing sound that draws the Cyclops's luminescent eye upwards. Aurum and Argentum slink silently away, leaving the Cyclops wide open.
She breathes. Once. Twice.
Her fingers tighten.
Then -
Release.
Later, she thinks that there is nothing quite like the feeling of victory.
Author Note: Guess who we finally meet in the next drabble? :D As always, all reviews are greatly appreciated :)
