Author's note: Thanx for the feedback, guys, you're awesome! Anyways, sorry this one has taken me awhile to post, but here it is! Chapter four baby! Oh, and by the way, feel free to correct me on anything that I may get wrong, and if you have any ideas, (and I mean not idiotic ones), feel free to make suggestions on anything that I've written or I've yet to write. Thanks once again!
Chapter 4: First Blood
Auron's birthday had come and gone, and two years went by with nothing out of the ordinary occurring in Auron's young life. It was almost time for him to become the apprentice of one of the masters. Auron wanted learn under a master that traveled a lot. He had never set foot outside of Westra, except of course when he visited the Cove in the forest, as he and Braska had so named it. Sonja was now becoming even more of a pest than she had ever been before. She was also becoming more pushy, bossy, and her cooties were even more infectious than they'd ever been. Auron despised her, pure and simple. She was the only one to have ever beaten him in a duel, and it was only due to the fact that he'd lost his footing. (At least he liked to think so). To make matters worse, she was a girl. One minute she acted so nice to Auron, and the next she'd push him into the water and proceed to dunk him until he was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen.
"We have to get away from her, at least for today, Braska." The look in Auron's eyes was desperation.
"But how? She follows us wherever we go!" Braska waved his arms about emphatically. They were taller now, and didn't look as scrawny as they had when they were younger. They hadn't quite started to even come close to filling out yet, but they were getting there.
"Well, yesterday after she'd left, I went and did some exploring." Auron looked around to make sure that Sonja wasn't around.
"Without me?" Braska asked with indignity. "I can't believe you went without me!" He turned around and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting.
"I had to, Braska!" Auron grabbed Braska's shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry…" Braska shook away Auron's hand with a violent shrug. Auron lost his temper. "If you don't want to know about this cool place I found, then fine!" He got up and started to stomp away, but Braska yelled at him.
"I'll betcha I know where it is!" Auron spun around. "It's the clearing in the middle of the forest, huh?" Braska nodded at Auron's bewilderment. "I knew it! I found that place forever ago." He smirked.
"Then how come you never told me?" Auron challenged. "You followed me, didn't you?" Braska had been found out.
"Well, I…uhhh…" He stammered.
"Look, I don't care that you know, all right, I was going to tell you anyway. The important thing is that we get away from HER." Braska nodded affirmative.
"Sounds good, but we'll need a distraction."
"Don't worry about that," Auron said with an evil grin. "I've got a plan."
Sonja brushed her blonde hair out of her face as she wandered through Westra looking for a certain pair of boys. Her green eyes scanned the Field as she walked by it, hoping to spot Auron's jet black hair in amongst all the reds and blondes. He and Braska were the only to boys that had black hair, and they were the only boys who kept their hair short.. There were a few girls, but their hair was long and it was easy to tell who they were because of the way they wore it. She turned dejectedly away when she only spotted her younger brother fighting with another red-headed boy. Where could they be? She thought sadly. She knew that they didn't like her, but they were the only ones who would play with her. The girls wouldn't play with her because she was too much like a boy, and the boys wouldn't play with her because she was too much like a girl. She was the typical tomboy. Sonja only had brothers, two older ones, Jeremi and Erik, and a younger brother, Wesley. She had always wanted a sister, but she got the shorter end of the stick.
Sonja was startled out of her reverie when she looked up to see Braska running straight for her.
"Ha, I gotcha!" Braska almost ran Sonja over as he tagged her on the shoulder. He kept running by her. "You're it!" He laughed back at her as he disappeared around the corner of the house. Sonja smiled and took off after him, knowing where he would probably be headed. This was their favorite game. A cross between hide-and-seek and tag. If the "it" person found someone, the tagged person would then become it and have to chase down whoever wasn't it.
Sonja rounded the corner and saw both Auron and Braska running across the field, heading straight for the forest. She ran swiftly across the field, causing some of the children to gaze at her in bewilderment. Sonja also saw Jasmine glare at her as she ran by her sitting on her usual boulder. Sonja just flashed a smile at her and ran after the boys. She made it to the Cove in no time, but the boys were nowhere to be found. The waterfall made it hard for her to hear where they might've been, so she had to rely on her sight. She looked carefully and noticed that there were two pairs of footprints leading deeper into the forest. She ran across the log, her anticipation making her lose her balance and almost fall into the water. She made it across and ran into the thicket, expecting to pounce on them in triumph. Once again, her plan was foiled, minus the footprints they'd left in the sandy earth at her feet. She followed them deeper into the dark woods.
"That was great!" Braska said, his cheeks flushed and his breath short. "She'll never be able to find us now!" He started to run ahead, but Auron caught his arm.
"Be quiet! She might find us if we're too loud!" Auron hissed. "And besides, you might mess up the trail we made for her to follow." Braska gulped and nodded, and they silently followed the almost invisible path that led to the new clearing.
"Braska, Auron!" Sonja was starting to get desperate. She'd lost the trail awhile back and was now on the brink of sobbing. "Where are you?" She cried into the silent trees and bushes. They didn't respond. Sonja didn't know where she was. She'd never been farther away from the village than the Cove, and even then, that was within running distance. She had been wandering for almost an hour and a half, and it was beginning to get darker. She wasn't sure if it was getting late or if the forest was becoming more dense the farther she was into it. Sonja hated the dark, and to make matters worse she had become quite cold. "Auron!" She sobbed. "Where are you?!"
This time, the trees did respond. The branches on several of the trees were shaking violently, and bushes were uprooted. Sonja screamed and tripped over a tree root as she stepped backwards. Just as suddenly as they had started shaking, the trees stopped. Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked up to see huge wolf staring down at her. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. From beyond the wolf came a deep, threatening chuckle.
"Hello." The tall figure wearing a scarlet coat came out from behind the wolf and looked at Sonja with smile. "Are you lost?" He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, doing his best to act like a decent person. Sonja felt that this man was not to be trusted.
"No!" She shook her head quickly. "I'm just…looking for someone." Her voice squeaked involuntarily. She looked around wildly, hoping to see a quick exit.
"Now, now, it's not polite to lie." The tall man scolded, his smile fading into something else. "Grogar, I think she's lying to us." Sonja shrank back in fear and whimpered, a single tear of fright falling to into the cold dirt.
"Ha!" Auron knocked away Braska's sword, and was now aiming his for Braska's throat. "I win again! Told you so, Braska!" Auron said haughtily. He stuck his sword in the ground and looked down his upturned nose at Braska. "I suppose no one can beat me…" He sniffed with an annoying air of confidence.
"Well, actually…" Braska trailed off. He knew he didn't need to finish what he was saying to get his point across.
"I tripped, okay?!" Auron had suddenly lost his smug attitude and was indignant. "And besides, I was gonna let her win anyway…I felt sorry for her!"
"Yeah, okay…" Braska rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we should probably head back…" He gestured to the pink sky. "Getting late." Auron sighed and nodded. They both grabbed their weapons and headed back to the village.
"What do you mean, she never came home?!" Braska was frantic. "But…But…"
"I mean that her parents have no clue where she is! Everyone thought that she was with you, but then you and Auron say you both don't know where she is." It was really late by the time the boys had gotten home. Auron and Braska had both gone to their homes, Braska was the first to find out that Sonja had yet to return. Sonja's parents were panicked. Jeran called an emergency village council meeting, and Braska and Auron were ordered to attend. They held the meeting in the giant Town Hall, and everyone in Westra, even the younger children, was there. The crowded hall was almost too much for Auron; he had an acute case of claustrophobia, though he hadn't told anyone of this because it was seen as a weakness. He sat near the head of the table along with Braska, where all of the council members were also seated.
"Auron!" Sonja's father, Gregor, advanced on him. "What did you do to my daughter this time?" His scowl was menacing, and Auron cowered in fear.
"Well, uhh…" The entire village's attention was now focused on Auron's words. "We were…Braska, Sonja, and me…Were playing a game of tag…"
"Gregor!" Jeran slammed his goblet down on the table. "This isn't helping! We are going to form a search party which I will lead. The boys will be coming with me, and those who will be accompanying us will be…" He scanned the crowd. "Masters Drogan and Stephan, Gregor, and Master Archer Tulio. The rest of you keep an eye out for little Sonja." Jeran pulled his blade from its scabbard. "Let's go!" The search party filed out of the room, and the villagers went about the village, looking in all the favorite children's hiding spots they could think of.
"Jeran…" Auron tugged on the older man's faded blue sleeve as they entered the forest. "Master Jeran, it's my fault she's gone…" Jeran stopped and turned around and looked at him quizzically. The rest of the group headed towards the Cove.
"What in the Gods name do you mean?"
"Well, it was my idea to trick her, see…" Auron swallowed hard. "We wanted her to leave us alone, so we played a trick on her…"
"Auron!" Jeran was shocked.
"I didn't mean for her to get lost…Honest!" Auron looked as though he might cry. "I just didn't think she keep trying to find us after the trail stopped…" He was cut off by Jeran.
"Auron, you can't let that bother you." Jeran scolded him gently. "You have to focus on saving her now." Auron nodded, and sniffed. "She needs you now, Auron, and you're the only one who can save her." Auron looked up at Jeran, and nodded again, this time with more certainty. They caught up to the rest of the group in no time, and Braska was already pointing out the trail they had made to confuse her.
"No wonder she got lost…" Tulio was saying as Jeran and Auron approached. Tulio gazed at Auron knowingly, but said nothing. Drogan was being unusually quiet, as was the ever-talking Stephan. They made their way into the forest, following Sonja's trail. It went round and round in circles, as though she had been wandering aimlessly. "Look!" Tulio hissed. They silently crept up behind the bush that Tulio stood behind. Beyond was a small clearing with what looked like the remains of a campfire. "It's still smoking…" Tulio said. "It's no less than a few minutes old."
"Sonja!" Gregor cried out.
"Shhhh!" Jeran clamped his hand over Gregor's mouth instantly. "Do you want to get us all killed, man? Who knows what's in this forest!" Gregor looked totally depressed, but nevertheless, he hefted his ax, shaking his look of sorrow and replacing it with bravery. Auron had to admire his courage.
"There!" Braska pointed out movement in the trees. It was a large black form, moving slowly towards them. Two moon-yellow eyes appeared. The men gasped in fear, and the boys hid behind the men, peeking out at the terrible sight. It's mouth was huge, and full of sharp, glistening teeth displayed in a snarl. Saliva dripped from the huge snout, and it's claws looked lethal. The giant wolf had smelled the men, and had come looking for dinner.
"Grogar!" Drogan and Stephan stepped back, brandishing their weapons. Auron had heard the name spoken before, and he knew that their situation had not improved in the slightest. A purely evil laugh broke the menagerie, startling the already petrified warriors.
"HA HA HA HA!" The man in the red coat came out of the shadows, holding a limp Sonja in his arms.
"Sonja!" Gregor cried out, advancing on the man. Grogar snapped at him, and he instantly retreated. Auron was simmering, about ready to burst. He couldn't stand it anymore.
"LET HER GO!" He cried out. Everyone, even the giant wolf, looked at Auron in surprise. He took out his sword he had won all those years ago and held it at ready.
"What's this?" The man scoffed. "The son of Dolan challenging me? HA! How ironic! I guess it's fate that I should be the one to destroy the Hybrid line." Auron was taken aback.
"Why, you…" Auron said through gritted teeth. He took another step forward. "I'll kill you for this!" The man only laughed.
"You'll have to get through my pet, Grogar, first, boy!" He turned and walked away, back into the shadows where he had come from.
"Come back here!" Grogar stopped him by biting at Auron's arm. He was barely able to dodge it, and was nicked before he rolled back to where the other men stood. The first blood had been drawn.
"Come on!" Jeran shouted. "Let's kill the beast!" They charged into battle.
Author's note: Sorry, but I couldn't write anymore…I have to break it here…sorry about the cliffhanger, but don't worry, I'll remedy it soon with another chapter…so long! J