Umi: Hello again! It's me! Here is the next chapter…Forest Dwellers! In this chappie you'll meet the sly outlaw named Ryu. Who, by the way, is totally made up by me!
Fuu: Anyway…
Umi: Shut it Fuu! Anyway, if you want to see a disclaimer, go to the Prologue.
On with the story!
~**Just a little note**~
Oh yea, and before I forget! Thank you Gaea for the review! Your constructive criticism will be taken into account! Thanks so much for helping me out! And don't worry, Syaoran is coming in the next chapter, but not really as you expect…oh and about the Eriol thing, I didn't wanna make him bad either but he was the best choice I had, however if it bothers you I'll find out a way to turn him good, or maybe you could give me ideas? Well, whatever you think, we'll talk about! Thanks again!
Also big thanks to Angel. w 1 ing, I'm glad u like Umi-chan too! And by the way, I love HIEI TOO!! He's so coolie. Okay so anyway, on with the story! Thanks for the review!
The Blossom, The Wolf, and A Weasel
By Ryuuzaki Umi
Chapter Four: Forest Dwellers
Sakura crouched in the bushes, trying to ignore the root bruising one knee, hardly daring to breathe as she peered through the leaves. There, so close to where she hid, were a band of warriors searching the forest.
Searching for her. Oh yes, she recognized every one of them. Her father had sent them hunting for her, as he'd done in the last three days.
~Of course he had sent them, ~ Sakura thought ~he could only be thinking she'd run away from home like a little angry at her parents. ~ If the warriors caught her, she'd be dragged back in disgrace, as she really was only a child.
"Wish the king had let us take the dogs."
~Oh, thank you Touya! ~ Sakura glared at the stocky, brunette-haired man. (UmiN: Let's get something straight…Touya isn't Sakura's brother in this story, k? Carry on…)
She wasn't the only one who disapproved. Fair-haired Lantis, lean as a hunting hound himself, said sharply, "You don't hunt a princess with dogs!"
"That's right," an annoyed Eagle (ßyes, that's a name) snapped, "shout it out so we can be sure Princess Sakura hears us!"
"Och, what difference does it make?" Touya asked impatiently. "We've been searching for her for three days now, without hunting down so much as a hair from her pretty, stubborn head. If we haven't found the princess by now, we're never going to find her."
"Bah," Eagle said shortly. "She may be a princess, but she's still only a girl. And one girl can't possibly escape an entire troop of trained warriors."
"She's done it so far, hasn't she?"
Lantis sighed. "Serves us right for teaching her woodcraft so very thoroughly."
~It does, indeed, ~ Sakura thought.
But is she stayed here any longer; the men couldn't possibly avoid discovering her. Moving bit by careful bit, the princess backed away on hands and knees, testing each spot before she put her weight on it, biting her lip so she wouldn't make a sound if she landed on a root or a sharp bit of rock. When, after what seemed an eternity, she was finally sure the warriors couldn't see or hear, Sakura got to her feet and hurried off, struggling through he tangle of forest, tripping over roots, snagging clothes and hair on branches. At last, breathless, she sank to a rock, listening feverishly, sure that for all her care; she'd made enough noise in her flight for an army to follow her.
Sakura let out a long sigh of relief. If the warriors were still following her, the small birds and animals would have remained quiet, frightened all those noisy, invading human presences. Now all she had to do was puzzle out where her mad rush had taken her.
She…could puzzle it out, couldn't she?
As Sakura stared at the dense, featureless green world about her, a weight of fear settled slowly and coldly into the pit of her stomach. Dear gods, she hadn't the vaguest idea where she was! She didn't know where Irwain lay. She didn't even know which way she was facing! Thin rays of sunlight, filtered down from the crown of leaves, but there was just enough of them to let her judge direction.
~That—that's all right. All I have to do is climb a tree. ~
But when Sakura managed to struggle her way up, she found herself looking out over an unbroken sea of green.
~No, oh no……~
The cold weight of fear was beginning to make her ill. It wasn't so bad, she told herself sharply, it really wasn't so bad. At least now she knew which way was west, and could keep going west by following a straight line from tree to tree…Oh, fine. But what small section of "west" did she need? Unless she could find a road, Sakura told herself, she wasn't likely to come across any of the traders who were supposed to give her directions to Rhegeth's den.
~I'm just going to have to search through all the endless leagues of forest, assuming…~ she thought bitterly, ~…I manage to survive that long…~
It isn't fair. ~After Irwain suffered through such a drought last year, the forest shouldn't look so green, so lush—so eternal. ~
The princess sank back to a rock, struggling to hold back tears of sheer panic. How could she have done such a stupid, stupid thing? She was lost, truly, hopelessly lost.
~*Days Later*~
Still traveling desperately west, Sakura knew she would have welcomed even someone who would carry her home in disgrace. ~Home! What a wonderful word! ~ She hadn't seen the slightest sign of the warriors for…however long it had been. Sakura licked her lips, realizing, she had lost track of time.
Not that it really mattered. It was full spring in the forest. Part of her was proud she had survived this long. She could tell which plants and berries were safe to eat, could successfully hunt down small prey, and had found small streams filled with pure water to drink. Her muscles had toughened up nicely from all the traveling. And there wasn't real danger from the weather because it had stayed cooperatively mild. Her cloak had indeed proved waterproof enough to keep her dry in the rain.
Back home, the farmers would be starting the spring planting. The spring planting that she wasn't going to see. As she searched for a good place to camp, she had to fight back tears. What a silly thing to cry about! There would be other spring times.
~Wait! What is that? ~ Tears forgotten, the princess began sniffing the air…Wood smoke! Gods, all she needed now to finish everything was a forest fire—no, no, the forest was surely too moist for that. Besides, the faint flickering light she could make through was too small for a forest fire.
~A campfire? ~ Dear gods, could she have possibly stumbled across someone's homestead? The thought of a warm bed, a bath, and a roof over her head…Overwhelmed she started forward—
Then stopped short. Who would be living in the middle of the forest? Not farmers…Traders, maybe? No, not in a dense forest. Foresters? Or someone less honest, someone she might not want to meet?
At last, the princess stalked warily forward. Holding her breath, she parted to branches just enough to let her see…
No house, nothing but a campfire. Three, no, four men sat by the fire, jesting softly as they polished knives. They were hard-faced and dirty it was difficult to tell age, ragged as weasels. Weasels, indeed. These could only be one thing, a group of outlaws.
~Wonderful. Just what I didn't need. ~
Their leader was standing somewhat apart from the others, and Sakura drew in her breath in astonishment. He was startlingly handsome amid all the roughness, his narrow face as elegant as that of someone out of Faerie, his hair softly golden.
~Don't be a fool! ~ Sakura snapped at herself. Yes, he was beautiful, yes, bards sang of hero-outlaws living in the forest, doing good deeds, but she wasn't about to believe such nonsense. A man who'd lost every sense of law, no matter how handsome he was, was no more dangerous than any true outlaw.
A hand suddenly clamped down on her moth, stifling her startled scream.
~You see, idiot? They had a scout posted! ~
As she struggled frantically to reach for her knife, a rough arm caught her about the waist. Sakura was dragged forward, kicking and clawing, into the circle of firelight, and dumped without ceremony on the ground.
"Hey, look what I caught."
Heart racing, Sakura scrambled up, knife in hand, tryin to look as dangerous as an outlaw herself. The beautiful blond outlaw shook his head in mocking disapproval, smiling.
"Now, sweetling, don't be so fierce." His voice was a purr. "We're not going to hurt you."
His eyes were blue, so very blue. Sakura stared into them, fascinated, hearing his voice soothing her, soft as precious velvet…
Someone chuckled, the sound so ugly the princess was jarred back into reality. The other outlaws were all staring at her like so many starving wolves, and Sakura fought back a shudder, all too well aware of the harm that could be worked against a woman alone.
The blond outlaw frowned, angry, Sakura thought, that his pretty spell had been broken, but he continued suavely, "And what's a pretty creature like you doing all by her lonesome?"
His glance swept over her, making Sakura suddenly,
ridiculously, aware of how worn and travel stained she must look. Ignoring the impulse to straighten her
tangled braids, she glared up at him.
Voice rusty from disuse, she snarled, "That's none of your business!"
The men laughed again, nudging
each other, but their leader studied her thoughtfully. "Oh, I think it is," he
purred, blue eyes flickering. "I think it's very much my business. In fact, I
think we're all going to have a jolly night together." He took a smooth step forward,
smiling. "Now, put down that knife, sweetling, and join the fun."
"No." Sakura struggled to keep her voice from trembling. "Get back, weasel, or I swear I'll cut your pretty face for you."
The man threw back his head in a bark of laughter, and then lunged at her as swiftly as a wolf, catching her about the waist before Sakura could react, crushing her against him.
~Eriol! ~ She thought wildly. ~He's just like King Eriol! ~
The outlaw's hand closed about her knife arm, so tightly that Sakura gasped. In another moment she'd have to drop the knife—Curse it, no! She had escaped Eriol; she'd escape this man, too!
Fiercely, Sakura twisted about and bit the outlaw's hand so hard he yelled, losing his grip on her wrist. The princess lunged up blindly with the knife, feeling it strike flesh, hearing him cry out a second time. He pushed her away, doubling over, hands over his face, swearing in a choked voice. Sakura stared in horror at the blood dripping from between his fingers. Oh dear gods, she really had cut him!
The other outlaws were locked in shock. In that instant before they could recover, Sakura turned and ran.
Umi: Well, there is Chapter Four Forest Dweller! Hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter: The Wolf. Please read and review! Sayonara!