Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tamora Pierces characters or settings but anything you don't recognize is mine as is the plotline. Please don't use my characters or my plot. If you want to use them just ask. I would probably let you.
AN: This is my first Tamora Pierce fic. You won't see to many people that we know and love from her books in this chapter but there will be more in the next chapter. Please R&R. (This is an updated version of chapter one because a few people thought she was too young.)
Tatiana ran through the forest, her soft shoes breaking down with strain and braches cutting her face and arms as she sped along. She had finally done it. She had run away from home. She had a loving family and she loved them dearly but they would never let her take the path she wanted for her life.
She stopped running when she spotted a small cave in the side of a cliff. Tatiana walked carefully towards it and stepped inside. The walls glowed with florescence and she could see that the ground was rocky beneath her. She was weary and decided to sleep there.
Tatiana took a step outside to glimpse her surroundings more closely. The forest was thick and the only path was the one she had come from. She smelt meat cooking in the distance and went back to her hiding place. The last thing she needed was to be caught by bandits.
She sat down and brushed her long, raven black hair out of her ice-blue eyes. (AN: If anyone has seen a husky with really light blue eyes this is what I mean by Ice-Blue.) Tatiana winced as she pulled her tattered shoes off her feet. She cursed her stupidity at not bringing proper footwear. It was just past mid-winter. Without shoes she could freeze. She had seen people with frostbite. Their feet or fingers were cut off. She shivered at the thought. Yawning she pulled a blanket out of her pack and lay down to sleep using her bag as a pillow.
A few hours later a rough hand awakened her.
"Now what 'ave we 'ere," the bandit leered over her. "A little wench in our 'iding spot." Tatiana stared at him in horror. Behind him stood five other bandits all rough, large men with ugly faces.
"OY' boss, who gets 'er first," one of them sneered.
"Just wait a second Jayden, I got to ask 'er some questions first." As the one they called 'boss' leaned over with a lantern to get a better look at her, she shivered.
She had been hunting with her father last year when they found the body of a young girl who had been brutally raped. She couldn't let them do that to her. Wouldn't let them.
Tatiana coughed. His breath smelled like rare meat and lots of ale. "Who are you little one?" he asked. Without responding she spat in his eye. Three of the other men, including the one he called Jayden, guffawed. He wiped the spit out of his eye and leaned over her. "Not very smart, little un."
"Now can we 'ave 'er boss?" another man asked.
"All right but I get 'er first." He started undoing his breeches. The other men backed away and laughed. She began panicking, they were going to watch, and they blocked her only exit. When his were down he reached over and plucked her blanket out of her grasp and began tugging at her breeches. Tatiana started screaming, so he tore a piece of the blanket off. As he did this she scrambled backwards and tripped over a rock. He reached down and stuffed the piece in her mouth and the sound was stifled.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and her feet and hands were throbbing and bloody from the sharp rocks. He had her breeches around her ankles and was trying to yank off her loincloth while she kicked and hit him. It was to no avail however because he soon had her loincloth off and was advancing on her. She tried to scream around the cloth as the other men laughed in the backround. He was almost on her and she was preparing herself for what she knew was coming when a loud piercing war cry ripped through the cold night air. The men's heads whipped around towards the sound. She took advantage of their distraction to pull the blanket back over herself.
The man, Jayden, fell to the ground as a whirling kick broke his jaw. When he fell they could see a small figure of a woman standing were he had been in a fighting stance. Tatiana watched amazed as the next two men fell to the woman's fast blows. The stranger's hands and feet moved so fast they could barely be seen. When all the men were lying on the ground the small woman turned slowly in a circle to make sure none of them were attempting to rise. As soon as she was sure they were all unconscious or dead she came over and knelt beside Tatiana.
"Are you alright?" she asked with a slight accent. Tatiana nodded and picked up her discarded clothes. The woman tactfully turned away. When she was dressed Tatiana tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around. "What is your name?" she asked.
"Tanya," she lied, using her old nickname.
"Tanya, huh. How old are you Tanya?"
"I'm 12," she lied again.
"Liar," the woman said dryly. Tatiana hung her head in shame."You aren't more than six or seven." That made her looked up at her rescuer angrily. "I'm nine in a month," she answered indignantly. The stranger nodded, accepting this. "Who are you?" Tatiana asked her.
The woman looked at her, judging, her answer. "I am Kylaia al Jmaa, the Shang Unicorn," she said finally. Tatiana gasped and stepped back. A Shang warrior. Finally her dream had come true.
"Really, the Shang Unicorn? I have always dreamt of meeting a Shang Warrior. But the Shang Unicorn…." She trailed off in awe.
Kylaia grinned. "Enthusiastic young thing, aren't you?" Tatiana smiled back and nodded. "Will you teach me?" she asked eagerly. Kylaia looked at her startled. "Teach you to be Shang?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry but no." Tatiana's expression was one of hurt and confusion. "Why not?" Kylaia looked away.
"You're too old. Come now we must get back to my camp." She began walking through the trees and Tatiana rushed to follow. Too old? she thought. She had heard that the old Shang Dragon, Liam Ironarm, had started at six. He had died saving King Jonathan at his coronation. She was only a year and a half older than he had been when he started. Glaring at the Shang Unicorns back she tried to keep up. "Glaring won't do you any good," Kylaia said. Tatiana looked at her in amazement. How did Kylaia know that she was glaring at her? "But your face might get stuck in that position," she continued.
Tatiana jogged up beside her. "How did you know I was glaring at you?" she asked. Kylaia grinned. "That's for me to know and you to find out." Tatiana stuck her tongue out at the older woman and fell back behind her again. A few minutes later Tatiana could see a small fire through the trees. Two men sat by the fire, roasting what smelled like pheasants. "Tanya this is Tarak Palani my cousin, and Griffith Gideon, the Shang Griffin, he's… a friend. (Tamora Pierce never specified the Shang Griffin's name so I had to make it up. I know its kind of lame but Griffith-Griffin and Gideon means 'great warrior' so yeah.)
Tatiana almost grinned. Sure the Shang Griffin was Kylaias 'friend.' She bowed to both the men. "Greetings," she said. The Griffin's pointed face rounded into a smile. "Polite little thing, isn't she?" said the Griffin. This time she did grin. She looked into his green-yellow eyes. "Yes sir."
He looked at her. "No sir please, it makes me feel old. Just Griffith is fine."
"Yes… Griffith." He smiled. "Much better." She turned to the Unicorns cousin. He was different from both of the others. He was tall and heavily built. While she would bet the others could have him on the ground in seconds she wouldn't have thought that if she didn't know who they were. His nose looked like it had been broken many times and he had a long thin scar across his right cheek as well as no right eye. A black eye patch wound its way around his head covering the empty socket. She gulped. "Master Palani." He just nodded gruffly acknowledging her presence.
Kylaia pulled her down and handed her a rough wooden plate of pheasant. She smiled and dug into it. Griffith laughed. "It's a good thing you saved her Kylaia, she is hungry enough." After being reminded of what had happened mere minutes before, she almost puked. Kylaia put an arm around her. "Don't remind her Griffith." He nodded sheepishly. "Sorry."
They were soon getting ready for bed. Kylaia pulled an extra bed roll out of a bag and handed it to Tatiana. "Here you are Tanya." Tatiana murmured thanks and snuggled down. She grinned when she saw the Unicorn climb into the same bedroll as the Griffin and kiss him goodnight. Then she closed her eyes and slept.
AN: Thanks for reading. Please review. I hope you liked it. If I get some reviews I might just tell you exactly who Tatiana is and why she ran away. Mwahaha. Sorry. Anyway in the future chapters I am always going to refer to Tatiana as Tanya because that is her name for basically all the rest of the story. Thanks again for reading and thanks if your going to review. (Just press the little purple 'GO' button.)