Umi-chan: Hey all I'm back with Chapter five: The Wolf. Hope you enjoy!
The Blossom, The Wolf, and The Weasel By Ryuuzaki Umi
Chapter five: The Wolf
Sakura raced through the night-black forest with frantic speed, by wild luck dodging branches in the darkness and avoiding roots and rocks. All too soon, the outlaws came storming after her, burning branches clutched in their fists. But the very light that let them see where they were going let Sakura see and avoid them.
~But I c-can't keep running forever...I've got to—got to rest. ~
At last, breathless, the girl went to earth in a little cave under a mat of tree roots, curling up into as small a bundle as she could manage, struggling not to gasp out loud, trying to be nothing more than one small part of the night. She heard the men crashing all about her for a time, muttering angrily as they searched.
~Don't let them find me, please, please don't let them find me! ~
"It's no good," someone muttered. "She's gone."
"No!" that was their leader, one hand still on his bleeding face. His voice is trembling with pain and fury, he snarled, "She won't get away with this. I'll find the little witch no matter how long it takes!"
Sakura bit back a frightened whimper. ~Don't be stupid! ~ She snapped at herself. ~You've heard enough angry courtiers to know when a man's making empty threats. If he could catch you, he already would have! ~
At last, peeking cautiously out of her cramped little cave, she saw the outlaw leader leave. Sakura waited for what seemed a lifetime after that, but to her immense relief, the small forest noises finally started up again, telling her that he and his men were gone.
~I fought him, ~ she thought in disbelief. ~I fought a man and—and marked him. I won, and I—I—oh dear gods. ~
A sudden surge of memory shook her: She was a child once more, lying huddled in ed, stunned by Eriol's attack, refusing to tell anyone, even worried Tomoyo, what had happened. This attack had seemed so terribly the same, the same horrid strength used against her, the same horrid sense of being...unclean. Of being helpless...
No! If there'd been the same attack, there had also been the same defense. She had escaped then; she had escaped now. One thing she was not, Sakura told herself sternly, was helpless!
But the fact didn't seem very comforting at the moment. Miserable, tired, frightened, the princess didn't want to be the triumphant warrior just now.
~ I only want to be safe at home! ~
Her mind conjured an image of herself in her chambers, surrounded by her ladies, all of them warm and dry and comfortable, and Sakura gasped in anguish as a wave of homesickness washed over her. Oh, to be back there, listening to their silly, friendly, happy chatter! And her father—her father must be wondering if she was dead. Dear gods, maybe he'd already held a funeral feast for her!
~I'm alive, Father, I'm alive! ~
Nonsense. He couldn't possibly hear her. She was alone, all alone, with no one to know what became of her. If she hadn't managed to escape, right now those outlaws would be—would be—
~I escaped. It's all right. I did escape. And self-pity is stupid. Worse than stupid. Dangerous. ~
But she kept seeing over and over again the outlaw she wounded, hands over his face, and the blood...He'd been so beautiful, so very beautiful. Sakura couldn't seem to stop shivering, even after she wrapped her cloak tightly around her.
~Dear gods, I want to go home, I just want to go home.~
But she was very weary to cling to misery, too weary even to hold to fear. And at last, still huddled in her shelter, Sakura drifted into broken sleep.
A sudden wild rustling in the underbrush woke the princess with a gasp, her heart racing with alarm. Who—what—what was out there? No normal forest creature made so much noise, but the wild rustling didn't sound like anything the outlaws might make. It didn't sound like anything any human would make! What manner of...monster...?
~N-Nonsense. There are no such things as monsters. ~
Weren't there? All of Tomoyo's stories—stories that seemed so deliciously scary when she'd been a child settled cozy in her bed—came rushing back to her. Biting her lip, Sakura lay tightly curled in her little cave like a wild thing hiding from predators.
No. This was ridiculous. Ignoring a danger didn't make it disappear. Listening to the fierce, frantic rustling, the girl knew she couldn't just go on huddling here. It might be some trick of the outlaws, it might be something far more terrible, but she had to know what was out there!
Carefully, almost to stiff to move, Sakura struggled to her feet, trying to shake some life back into her cramped body. The moon hadn't quite set, and enough cold silver light filtered down to the forest floor to let the princess stalk forward—trying not to think about outlaws stalking her in turn—and peer carefully through a screen of leaves.
She gasped. This was a wolf—but a wolf large as a horse, his hide gleaming the most amazing silvery gray! Peering through the early-morning gloom, Sakura realized that the wolf had somehow managed to trap his might paws in a net of vines and couldn't get loose for all his struggles. Poor beast! If she left him here like this, he would surely starve. If poachers or hungry outlaws didn't find him first.
But a trapped, frightened animal could be dangerous, and this was a very large wolf. Sakura approached carefully, crooning softly to him, "I'm not going to hurt you, you mighty thing. Just stay still, and I'll get you out of this. Just stay still."
One silvery ear flicked in her direction, one large, dark, auburn eye rolled back to watch her. As Sakura drew her knife, she saw every muscle tense, and mouth slightly open to show his glinting, white teeth. However, the wolf remained perfectly still as she worked his paws free from the vines, one by one.
"There! You're free!"
The wolf was gone in one mighty stride. Sakura barely stifled a sob of loneliness, because after his dazzling silver vitality, the forest seemed all at once very dark and empty. But just as suddenly he was back, staring at her. His mouth opened. And a voice distorted but still quite understandable said: "Thank you." Well that's chappie five: The Wolf. Next up is Chappie Six: Companions on the Road. Please Review. Ja ne till next time
The Blossom, The Wolf, and The Weasel By Ryuuzaki Umi
Chapter five: The Wolf
Sakura raced through the night-black forest with frantic speed, by wild luck dodging branches in the darkness and avoiding roots and rocks. All too soon, the outlaws came storming after her, burning branches clutched in their fists. But the very light that let them see where they were going let Sakura see and avoid them.
~But I c-can't keep running forever...I've got to—got to rest. ~
At last, breathless, the girl went to earth in a little cave under a mat of tree roots, curling up into as small a bundle as she could manage, struggling not to gasp out loud, trying to be nothing more than one small part of the night. She heard the men crashing all about her for a time, muttering angrily as they searched.
~Don't let them find me, please, please don't let them find me! ~
"It's no good," someone muttered. "She's gone."
"No!" that was their leader, one hand still on his bleeding face. His voice is trembling with pain and fury, he snarled, "She won't get away with this. I'll find the little witch no matter how long it takes!"
Sakura bit back a frightened whimper. ~Don't be stupid! ~ She snapped at herself. ~You've heard enough angry courtiers to know when a man's making empty threats. If he could catch you, he already would have! ~
At last, peeking cautiously out of her cramped little cave, she saw the outlaw leader leave. Sakura waited for what seemed a lifetime after that, but to her immense relief, the small forest noises finally started up again, telling her that he and his men were gone.
~I fought him, ~ she thought in disbelief. ~I fought a man and—and marked him. I won, and I—I—oh dear gods. ~
A sudden surge of memory shook her: She was a child once more, lying huddled in ed, stunned by Eriol's attack, refusing to tell anyone, even worried Tomoyo, what had happened. This attack had seemed so terribly the same, the same horrid strength used against her, the same horrid sense of being...unclean. Of being helpless...
No! If there'd been the same attack, there had also been the same defense. She had escaped then; she had escaped now. One thing she was not, Sakura told herself sternly, was helpless!
But the fact didn't seem very comforting at the moment. Miserable, tired, frightened, the princess didn't want to be the triumphant warrior just now.
~ I only want to be safe at home! ~
Her mind conjured an image of herself in her chambers, surrounded by her ladies, all of them warm and dry and comfortable, and Sakura gasped in anguish as a wave of homesickness washed over her. Oh, to be back there, listening to their silly, friendly, happy chatter! And her father—her father must be wondering if she was dead. Dear gods, maybe he'd already held a funeral feast for her!
~I'm alive, Father, I'm alive! ~
Nonsense. He couldn't possibly hear her. She was alone, all alone, with no one to know what became of her. If she hadn't managed to escape, right now those outlaws would be—would be—
~I escaped. It's all right. I did escape. And self-pity is stupid. Worse than stupid. Dangerous. ~
But she kept seeing over and over again the outlaw she wounded, hands over his face, and the blood...He'd been so beautiful, so very beautiful. Sakura couldn't seem to stop shivering, even after she wrapped her cloak tightly around her.
~Dear gods, I want to go home, I just want to go home.~
But she was very weary to cling to misery, too weary even to hold to fear. And at last, still huddled in her shelter, Sakura drifted into broken sleep.
A sudden wild rustling in the underbrush woke the princess with a gasp, her heart racing with alarm. Who—what—what was out there? No normal forest creature made so much noise, but the wild rustling didn't sound like anything the outlaws might make. It didn't sound like anything any human would make! What manner of...monster...?
~N-Nonsense. There are no such things as monsters. ~
Weren't there? All of Tomoyo's stories—stories that seemed so deliciously scary when she'd been a child settled cozy in her bed—came rushing back to her. Biting her lip, Sakura lay tightly curled in her little cave like a wild thing hiding from predators.
No. This was ridiculous. Ignoring a danger didn't make it disappear. Listening to the fierce, frantic rustling, the girl knew she couldn't just go on huddling here. It might be some trick of the outlaws, it might be something far more terrible, but she had to know what was out there!
Carefully, almost to stiff to move, Sakura struggled to her feet, trying to shake some life back into her cramped body. The moon hadn't quite set, and enough cold silver light filtered down to the forest floor to let the princess stalk forward—trying not to think about outlaws stalking her in turn—and peer carefully through a screen of leaves.
She gasped. This was a wolf—but a wolf large as a horse, his hide gleaming the most amazing silvery gray! Peering through the early-morning gloom, Sakura realized that the wolf had somehow managed to trap his might paws in a net of vines and couldn't get loose for all his struggles. Poor beast! If she left him here like this, he would surely starve. If poachers or hungry outlaws didn't find him first.
But a trapped, frightened animal could be dangerous, and this was a very large wolf. Sakura approached carefully, crooning softly to him, "I'm not going to hurt you, you mighty thing. Just stay still, and I'll get you out of this. Just stay still."
One silvery ear flicked in her direction, one large, dark, auburn eye rolled back to watch her. As Sakura drew her knife, she saw every muscle tense, and mouth slightly open to show his glinting, white teeth. However, the wolf remained perfectly still as she worked his paws free from the vines, one by one.
"There! You're free!"
The wolf was gone in one mighty stride. Sakura barely stifled a sob of loneliness, because after his dazzling silver vitality, the forest seemed all at once very dark and empty. But just as suddenly he was back, staring at her. His mouth opened. And a voice distorted but still quite understandable said: "Thank you." Well that's chappie five: The Wolf. Next up is Chappie Six: Companions on the Road. Please Review. Ja ne till next time