A/N- So, I hope you all liked the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this one, too. Sorry it took so long for me to update, but at least I did update, right? LOL...Anywayz, enjoy!
Those Who Are Hunted: Part 7
By: RurouniGirl
Matt smiled and hugged Joe in relief. "Thanks for bailing us out. I wasn't sure if you would make it in time."
Joe grinned. "Once the Prince explained it to me I tried to get there as fast as I could."
Tai was still sitting on the ground looking a little overwhelmed and paler than usual. Matt knelt down next to him and smiled.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
Tai took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay." He smiled flinging his arms around Matt. "I'm glad to see you."
Matt grinned and hugged him back. "I'm glad to see you too. And all in one piece."
Tai smiled weakly and chuckled. "Yeah, I'm glad I'm in one piece too," he replied. "Thank you Joe and Your Highness," he said looking over at the other boy and the Prince. "I owe you my life."
Joe shook his head. "It was my pleasure," he said. "Besides, it gave me the opportunity to escape," he said, winking at Tai mischievously. 'Not that I have anywhere to go,' he thought to himself.
Matt seemed to sense what he was thinking. "Why don't you come with me, to the Taur'Quessir village?" he asked Joe. "You could stay there for as long as you like and you'll be safe. None of the King's men knows where to find the barrier separating them from the Elvin Realm, so there's no danger of an attack."
Joe contemplated for a moment. 'He would love to have a place to call home, friends, and maybe even one day, a melindo [lover] of his own. Not that that would ever happen,' he silently reprimanded himself. Yet he could still hope, couldn't he? "All right," he said. "I'll come with you and stay, for a little while at least."
Matt grinned. "Good," he said. "Let's get going, before a search party finds us."
"An excellent idea," replied the Fairy Prince. And the small party set off toward the Taur'Quessir village. They went hurriedly and hid in the shadows of the trees, just in case a search party had been sent out.
As they neared the barrier, Joe stopped suddenly, aware of the faint sound of footsteps coming closer to them. He held up a hand to silence everyone.
"Someone's coming this way," he whispered. "It sounds like a group of five or six soldiers."
"Should be try to make a run for the barrier?" asked Matt.
"That wouldn't be wise," said an unfamiliar voice. "If you do that, they'll only see you easier and they'll discover where the barrier is."
Matt whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. "Who said that?" he asked. "Who's there?"
Everyone gasped in shock as a nearby tree trunk moved and something stepped out of the trunk (at least, that's how it looked from their view.) As it moved closer it slowly took on the form of what appeared to be a human boy. He grinned and pointed to a thicket of bushes and flowers.
"Why don't you hide in there while I distract the guards?" he said.
They barely had time to scramble into the bushes before the sounds of the search party came into view. The stranger disappeared behind a tree for a moment and when he reappeared he looked just like one of the soldier. He ran up to the search party, panting. " They went that way," he said, breathlessly. "They were too fast for me. Didn't have any weapons."
The soldiers nodded. "Not to worry," said the soldier who looked like the captain. "We'll catch them. Nice work," he said and the search party ran off in the direction he had pointed.
He watched to make sure they had disappeared and turned back toward the thicket, grinning widely, laughter sparkling in his eyes.
"It's safe to come out now," he said. The group crawled out of the bushes and smiled thankfully.
"You really saved our butts out there. We owe you a lot, and we don't even know your name," said Matt.
The boy smiled. "I'm Izzy," he said.
"Nice to meet you," said Matt. "I'm Matt. And this is Tai, Joe, and the Fairy Prince, whose name I don't know yet," said Matt, introducing everyone in turn.
The Prince smiled. "My name is Cyprus," he said. "And I'd appreciate it if you would just drop the Prince thing. Or even better, forget that I'm the Prince," he said, laughing.
"So, how did you do that whole tree trunk/soldier thing?" asked Joe, curiously.
Izzy smiled laughingly. "I'm a nymph and a shape shifter," he answered "Well, I should be on my way."
"Wait," cried Tai. "Where are you going?"
Izzy shrugged. "I don't know. I travel from place to place. There aren't any more nymphs so I'm sort of an outcast, so to speak."
Matt and Joe looked at each, speaking without words. It was Joe who spoke first. "Why not stay here?" he asked.
"Yes," said Matt. "Why not come live in the Taur'Quessir village with us? You're not an outcast to us. You're a friend."
Izzy looked a little doubtful. "I don't know," he said. "How will the other Elves take it?"
Matt shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "But if you're willing to come live with us, you'll always have us as friends, no matter how much the others disapprove."
Izzy stopped and considered for a moment. "I don't know," he said.
"Well, why don't you stay for a week and see how you like it?" said Cyprus. "Then if you don't like it after that, you can go on your way."
Izzy thought for a moment and nodded. "All right," he said. "I'll give it a try. Who knows," he said with a shrug. "Maybe this will be the end of all my moving around.
Author's Notes: So, what do you think? You like the Izzy idea? I thought it was a good idea, but let me know what you think. Review. RurouniGirl
Those Who Are Hunted: Part 7
By: RurouniGirl
Matt smiled and hugged Joe in relief. "Thanks for bailing us out. I wasn't sure if you would make it in time."
Joe grinned. "Once the Prince explained it to me I tried to get there as fast as I could."
Tai was still sitting on the ground looking a little overwhelmed and paler than usual. Matt knelt down next to him and smiled.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
Tai took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay." He smiled flinging his arms around Matt. "I'm glad to see you."
Matt grinned and hugged him back. "I'm glad to see you too. And all in one piece."
Tai smiled weakly and chuckled. "Yeah, I'm glad I'm in one piece too," he replied. "Thank you Joe and Your Highness," he said looking over at the other boy and the Prince. "I owe you my life."
Joe shook his head. "It was my pleasure," he said. "Besides, it gave me the opportunity to escape," he said, winking at Tai mischievously. 'Not that I have anywhere to go,' he thought to himself.
Matt seemed to sense what he was thinking. "Why don't you come with me, to the Taur'Quessir village?" he asked Joe. "You could stay there for as long as you like and you'll be safe. None of the King's men knows where to find the barrier separating them from the Elvin Realm, so there's no danger of an attack."
Joe contemplated for a moment. 'He would love to have a place to call home, friends, and maybe even one day, a melindo [lover] of his own. Not that that would ever happen,' he silently reprimanded himself. Yet he could still hope, couldn't he? "All right," he said. "I'll come with you and stay, for a little while at least."
Matt grinned. "Good," he said. "Let's get going, before a search party finds us."
"An excellent idea," replied the Fairy Prince. And the small party set off toward the Taur'Quessir village. They went hurriedly and hid in the shadows of the trees, just in case a search party had been sent out.
As they neared the barrier, Joe stopped suddenly, aware of the faint sound of footsteps coming closer to them. He held up a hand to silence everyone.
"Someone's coming this way," he whispered. "It sounds like a group of five or six soldiers."
"Should be try to make a run for the barrier?" asked Matt.
"That wouldn't be wise," said an unfamiliar voice. "If you do that, they'll only see you easier and they'll discover where the barrier is."
Matt whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. "Who said that?" he asked. "Who's there?"
Everyone gasped in shock as a nearby tree trunk moved and something stepped out of the trunk (at least, that's how it looked from their view.) As it moved closer it slowly took on the form of what appeared to be a human boy. He grinned and pointed to a thicket of bushes and flowers.
"Why don't you hide in there while I distract the guards?" he said.
They barely had time to scramble into the bushes before the sounds of the search party came into view. The stranger disappeared behind a tree for a moment and when he reappeared he looked just like one of the soldier. He ran up to the search party, panting. " They went that way," he said, breathlessly. "They were too fast for me. Didn't have any weapons."
The soldiers nodded. "Not to worry," said the soldier who looked like the captain. "We'll catch them. Nice work," he said and the search party ran off in the direction he had pointed.
He watched to make sure they had disappeared and turned back toward the thicket, grinning widely, laughter sparkling in his eyes.
"It's safe to come out now," he said. The group crawled out of the bushes and smiled thankfully.
"You really saved our butts out there. We owe you a lot, and we don't even know your name," said Matt.
The boy smiled. "I'm Izzy," he said.
"Nice to meet you," said Matt. "I'm Matt. And this is Tai, Joe, and the Fairy Prince, whose name I don't know yet," said Matt, introducing everyone in turn.
The Prince smiled. "My name is Cyprus," he said. "And I'd appreciate it if you would just drop the Prince thing. Or even better, forget that I'm the Prince," he said, laughing.
"So, how did you do that whole tree trunk/soldier thing?" asked Joe, curiously.
Izzy smiled laughingly. "I'm a nymph and a shape shifter," he answered "Well, I should be on my way."
"Wait," cried Tai. "Where are you going?"
Izzy shrugged. "I don't know. I travel from place to place. There aren't any more nymphs so I'm sort of an outcast, so to speak."
Matt and Joe looked at each, speaking without words. It was Joe who spoke first. "Why not stay here?" he asked.
"Yes," said Matt. "Why not come live in the Taur'Quessir village with us? You're not an outcast to us. You're a friend."
Izzy looked a little doubtful. "I don't know," he said. "How will the other Elves take it?"
Matt shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "But if you're willing to come live with us, you'll always have us as friends, no matter how much the others disapprove."
Izzy stopped and considered for a moment. "I don't know," he said.
"Well, why don't you stay for a week and see how you like it?" said Cyprus. "Then if you don't like it after that, you can go on your way."
Izzy thought for a moment and nodded. "All right," he said. "I'll give it a try. Who knows," he said with a shrug. "Maybe this will be the end of all my moving around.
Author's Notes: So, what do you think? You like the Izzy idea? I thought it was a good idea, but let me know what you think. Review. RurouniGirl