Half an hour later the guards returned and saw their fallen companion. By
now Dan would have filled her hole on the off chance it was discovered and
Jack found. She would be up a tree somewhere.
Jack crouched in his hole, the dirt making it hard to breathe in without inhaling half the ground. He heard the tent flap swish, a guard shouted and the hubbub began all over again. More people looked in his tent, the General started shouting and then everything died down.
Jack crawled out from under his cover.
It was now nighttime. Everything was visible though, since it was a full moon. The ground was almost clear as day. Jack scuttled towards the generals tent hurriedly. For a while he was on a flat open area and easily visible. But he made it okay.
He went around the back, since the temperamental man would surely have hid his things in that desk of his.
Jack silently knelt down, gripped his knife and slit the tent so that he could crawl through. He sheathed his knife in his belt and made to enter.
Then he felt the hand come down on his shoulder.
He froze. He even stopped breathing. Slowly he turned his head and saw a dark figure looming over him, he was currently crouched on the ground, and not in the position to run for it.
He went to stand up but the figure pushed him down.
His breath hitched in his chest.
"Hurry up, we have to run for it while under the cover of darkness" Dan breathed into his ear. Her breath tickled terribly but Jack just continued on his recovery mission. The generals' tent was dark; the moons light didn't penetrate it so the whole thing was almost pitch black.
Jack crept across the plush carpet to the desk, he knelt down fumbled for the drawer handle, found it and silently slid it out. He reached in and his hand immediately closed around his effects.
He smiled grimly; revenge was still within reach.
The girls' boots were here too.
He passed the boots out, they felt like the were filled with metal.
He strapped on his goods, even in the dark, and crawled out of the tent. Dan led him towards the post where all the horses were tied.
She went straight to work freeing the beasts. Jack frowned; he could have sworn there had been a guard here earlier.
He looked down at his feet to see a dark patch seeping into the sand. He shuddered, his arms getting goosebumps despite the warm evening.
He hadn't even realized she had left.
She hissed from the other end of the fence.
"Come on".
He responded and walked over to her. She boosted him onto his horse, then she told him to walk the mare as quietly as possible into the forest on the right, while she released the horses ahead. Jack nodded and nudged his horse in the desired direction. The horse complied, the sound of her hooves muted by the sandy turf.
Once in the safety of the trees Jack sighed softly.
It had been far too long without rum.
*************************************************************
Jack crouched in his hole, the dirt making it hard to breathe in without inhaling half the ground. He heard the tent flap swish, a guard shouted and the hubbub began all over again. More people looked in his tent, the General started shouting and then everything died down.
Jack crawled out from under his cover.
It was now nighttime. Everything was visible though, since it was a full moon. The ground was almost clear as day. Jack scuttled towards the generals tent hurriedly. For a while he was on a flat open area and easily visible. But he made it okay.
He went around the back, since the temperamental man would surely have hid his things in that desk of his.
Jack silently knelt down, gripped his knife and slit the tent so that he could crawl through. He sheathed his knife in his belt and made to enter.
Then he felt the hand come down on his shoulder.
He froze. He even stopped breathing. Slowly he turned his head and saw a dark figure looming over him, he was currently crouched on the ground, and not in the position to run for it.
He went to stand up but the figure pushed him down.
His breath hitched in his chest.
"Hurry up, we have to run for it while under the cover of darkness" Dan breathed into his ear. Her breath tickled terribly but Jack just continued on his recovery mission. The generals' tent was dark; the moons light didn't penetrate it so the whole thing was almost pitch black.
Jack crept across the plush carpet to the desk, he knelt down fumbled for the drawer handle, found it and silently slid it out. He reached in and his hand immediately closed around his effects.
He smiled grimly; revenge was still within reach.
The girls' boots were here too.
He passed the boots out, they felt like the were filled with metal.
He strapped on his goods, even in the dark, and crawled out of the tent. Dan led him towards the post where all the horses were tied.
She went straight to work freeing the beasts. Jack frowned; he could have sworn there had been a guard here earlier.
He looked down at his feet to see a dark patch seeping into the sand. He shuddered, his arms getting goosebumps despite the warm evening.
He hadn't even realized she had left.
She hissed from the other end of the fence.
"Come on".
He responded and walked over to her. She boosted him onto his horse, then she told him to walk the mare as quietly as possible into the forest on the right, while she released the horses ahead. Jack nodded and nudged his horse in the desired direction. The horse complied, the sound of her hooves muted by the sandy turf.
Once in the safety of the trees Jack sighed softly.
It had been far too long without rum.
*************************************************************