Hey guys, and welcome back to Running for Life! I started school a couple of days ago (blehhh...), but hopefully I'll be able to keep the updates going as normal!
Anyway, you know the drill! Thanks SO much to Nekohime1, Guest, Brenne, crashingthroughtime (Nice analysis, and I'm glad you like it!), IndiaMoore, justsomeone (Jack appreciates the hug and I appreciate the thanks! No problem!), and Serami Nefera (Aw, I'm glad my work could help cheer you up a bit! :)!
With that done, let's get on with the chapter!
Chapter 10: They Come Out at Night
Four years, it had been.
Four years since he had lost everything, since he had been forced to run.
He had been caught stealing a total of five times now.
His identity was revealed on two of those occasions.
Despite this, he had still managed to escape. He had never once been captured.
Hunters were a common sight. For some reason that he could not figure out, his kind was despised by humans. The strong ones chased him, armed with bows and blades. Once upon a time, they scared him.
Now, he felt no fear.
It was a game to him now, just as it was to some of them. Though he was only fifteen, he was clever beyond his years. He used his terrain to his advantage, climbing trees, causing rockslides, and ducking into the undergrowth. Every time, it ended with him leaping onto his white stallion and racing off to the next town.
He wasn't sure where he was going. He only knew that he had to keep moving. And so with no goal, no destination in mind, he traveled onwards, trying desperately to keep himself alive.
Once, he was too desperate.
During his travels, he came across a lone hunter in the woods. He stayed in the trees, signaling to his horse to run. Despite one of them being an animal, the two seemed to understand each other in ways that most could only hope to achieve.
The hunter tensed. So did he. They were both acutely aware of each other's presence.
He wasn't afraid.
That was the mantra he kept running through his head as the hunter readied his weapon. He had dealt with groups of these people; one should have been no problem.
However, he had no experience with dodging spears.
The sharp point of the weapon hurtled towards him. With a start, he jumped to the side in a last-minute attempt to avoid injury.
But it was too late.
The spear grazed his side, causing him to scream and tumble from his perch. From his new spot on the ground, he stared into the emotionless eyes of the man who had finally rendered him vulnerable. The hunter had now brought out a blade, face void of any compassion for the child he was about to murder.
His anger surged.
He couldn't say for sure what happened next. Later, he would pretend to only remember a blue flash before the darkness took him. However, that claim would not entirely prove truthful. He did remember one other thing.
He remembered staggering away from the hunter's body, unable to look back.
()()()()
"Ya still alive back there, mate?" Aster asked from his position towards the front of the group.
"Unfortunately," was Jack's only reply. For the past four hours, he had been as silent as a field after a snowstorm. He could honestly say he was impressed with his own quiet capabilities, but the boy had really felt no need for words. He was sure that his rigid posture and hard expression had made his feelings clear as day.
"So, Jack," Tooth began, attempting at a bit of small talk. "Where are you from?"
Jack heaved a silent sigh. "Burgess," he answered flatly. "'Twas a small, poor town; you probably haven't heard of it."
"True…" Toothiana responded slowly. "Um…" She struggled to find more words to keep the conversation going. "What about...your family?" The fairy paused. "Do you...have family?"
The young sprite's eyes narrowed significantly. "No. I don't."
He almost took pleasure in her ashamed wince.
"Ah, sorry," she apologized. That was the end of the exchange.
Silence reigned for another tense fifteen minutes before North finally shattered it with his booming voice. "Well, I think it is time we set up camp, yes?"
"Am I to be chained to a post again?" Jack asked sarcastically, one dark eyebrow making its way up past his brown bangs.
"Maybe," Aster mumbled under his breath, ignoring the reprimanding looks from both Tooth and Sandy.
"Of course not, Jack," the only female Guardian told him. "You're one of us now, after all."
Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to burst out laughing or gag. He instead settled for just a muttered, "Right."
North dismounted from Petrov and clapped his gloved hands together. "Alright!" he exclaimed. "Tooth, Bunny, you help me pitch tents, yes?"
"Okay."
"Sure, mate."
"And Sandy, Jack, you two go and find some firewood." The man looked at Jack, a slight grin on his face. "Though you might not need warmth, we don't want to listen to rabbit complaining all night, yes?"
"Oi! Ya little-"
"If there's anything in this world that you and I can agree on, North, it would be that," Jack responded, sending a devilish grin in Aster's direction. The look on the Pooka's furry face almost made being there worth it.
Almost.
Sandy laughed silently and tugged on Jack's sleeve, beckoning for the snow sprite to follow him. Jack nodded and, albeit reluctantly, walked with him into the woods without a verbal complaint. North's hearty laughter faded away into the distance as the duo retreated farther from the camp.
"So," Jack said, unsure of how else to start a conversation with the silent Sand-Spinner. "How...much firewood do you think we need?" Wow Jackson, aren't you socially ept. "Ah, I mean, I've never had need to build a fire, so I'm not sure…" He trailed off, holding his hands out helplessly.
Sandy gave a shrug in response. He put a hand to his chin, looking at the snow-covered ground. Jack watched with owlish eyes as the little golden man shook his head in disapproval, then walked up to the nearest tree. Sandy turned, beckoning for the sprite to come over to him.
What the…? Jack thought silently as he padded over uncertainly. Following Sandy's gestures, the boy found himself kneeling on the ground, hands outstretched as if he was about to give someone a leg up in order to ride a horse. The Sand-Spinner placed his left foot onto Jack's pale hands, then signaled to him to stand. Jack complied, and, from the greater height, Sandy jumped up into the lowest branches of the tree.
Jack stood there, perplexed, while Sandy began examining branches. A full minute had passed before he came to a sudden realization. "Wait…" he said slowly. "Aren't Sand-Spinners able to float?"
Sandy shot him a wink, causing Jack to roll his eyes. "I mean," he pretended to amend. "I'm perfectly happy serving you, my liege." He took a short bow as the Guardian smiled, then continued to watch as Sandy resumed his inspecting of the tree branches.
A long silence passed.
"Might I...ask what exactly it is you're doing?"
No response.
"Apparently not."
Jack glanced around. Upon thinking more about it, he figured that Sandy must be trying to find wood that was actually dry. Any fallen branches wouldn't work, as they were currently immersed in snow. However, the innermost limbs on certain trees might be able to do the trick. The only question is, Jack thought. How exactly is he planning to get the branches off the tree without an-
"AH!" Jack jumped backwards, startled, as multiple pieces of freshly chopped wood cascaded down from above, landing in the golden sand-crate that had formed itself at the boy's feet. Wide-eyed, the sprite jerked his head upwards to stare at the short Guardian, who was now holding an axe made from sand, and silently laughing hysterically.
"Hilarious," Jack called, adjusting his cloak, which had fallen askew. "Just downright hilarious." Sandy only smirked and hopped down from the tree.
They repeated this action a few more times, until the crate was full with enough firewood to last them the night. Few words were exchanged, simply because Jack figured it wasn't necessary, nor convenient. After all, Sandy would have to stop to form his sand images in order to say anything, which would considerably slow down the process.
Then again, Jack thought as he and the Guardian made their way back to the camp, the sand crate floating between them. I'm not exactly in much of a hurry to return to...them. Sandy isn't so bad, but the others are all either overbearing or completely hostile towards me. Unfortunately for me, I'm going to have to get used to them if I'm going to bide my time until they let me get the hell out of here.
He rubbed his forehead, eyebrows furrowing as a feeling of dread washed over him. Moon above, I hope I'm wrong about the "getting attached" concept. At this point I'm almost hoping they try to hurt me or something at the end of this, just so, in case they manage to brainwash me, I'll be reminded to hate them and I'll have a reason to run away.
A small voice in the back of his mind asked what exactly he was planning to do once he left.
I...suppose I'll just keep running.
Jack wasn't sure he quite liked his own response.
()()()()
Sapphire eyes stared up at the covering of the light blue tent that had been provided for Jack. He didn't remember falling asleep, but, just moments ago, he had blearily opened his eyes to find himself in this setting.
Sandy must've knocked me out again… he thought drowsily. Jack vaguely remembered his refusal to eat anything upon returning to the camp, which led to him claiming to be tired and retreating into his tent as early as physically possible. All the attention the Guardians had insisted on thrusting upon him as their "newest member" only served to make him extremely uncomfortable. Once he had left, the Sand-Spinner, or Guardian of Dreams, as was his title, must have sent a strand of dreamsand after him.
Jack exhaled heavily as he stood up, shaking off the blankets someone must have placed on top of him. Funny how they're being so nice to me now that I'm helping them rather than running from them.
The boy frowned and ran his fingers through his chocolate brown locks. Maybe I'm being too cynical, he thought hesitantly. Maybe...maybe they heard the rumors that snow sprites were all cold and evil, and did what everyone else did; assume they were true. And perhaps now that they've been around me for a while, and I haven't stolen anything-never mind that drunk at the tavern's wallet-or killed anyone, they've sort of realized that maybe, just maybe, those rumors aren't exactly true. He audibly snorted. And maybe Aster's just always angry and hostile.
Though he had to admit that these thoughts did make sense, he also couldn't forget to acknowledge that very little in his life actually did make sense. After all, he still had no idea why he had gotten to this point. Why snow sprites suddenly became the most hated species in all of Iskald, no, all of Soluna, or why his home had been attacked. Not to mention the whole Guardian ordeal. Jack was coming to realize that lately, he spent a lot of his time just being confused.
The young sprite sighed, standing up and drawing his cloak around him. Desiring a breath of fresh air and some time to think, he slipped out of the tent, leaving his staff lying amongst his discarded blankets.
A satisfyingly cold breeze greeted him as he stepped out into the open. His recently acquired boots made a surprisingly little amount of noise as he made his way back to the now-dying fire. Jack rolled his eyes.
"You would think they'd at least have enough sense to put this out," he muttered aloud to himself. "Or maybe the rabbit gets too cold at night to go without his precious fire hazard." Jack waved his hand and a mound of snow appeared in midair, falling on top of the fire and successfully putting it out.
The moment the firelight faded from the area, Jack found himself stiffening. For seemingly no reason, his heartbeat quickened and his palms began to sweat.
He needed light.
Blue eyes darting around nervously, Jack slowly held out a hand over the snow-covered wood. Concentrating as hard as he could, he formed a glowing ball of blue ice that was the approximate size of a proper campfire. Azure light quickly flooded the camp, and Jack felt his fear rapidly evaporate.
A long moment passed.
"Okay…" he whispered slowly. "That was...odd…"
SNAP.
Jack whipped around, eyes wide as he stared into the darkness. He could see nothing out of the ordinary. Then, a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention, causing him to abruptly turn again.
Just go back to the tent, Jack, his instincts told him. Just go back to your tent, where you'll be safe, and where you'll have your staff, and where whatever the hell is out there won't be right in front of your face.
No matter what he did, he could not will his muscles to comply. He stood, frozen, next to his ice light, unwilling to stray from its glow, yet growing increasingly tempted to investigate the darkness. He couldn't explain why, but his own curiosity threatened to overwhelm him.
Almost against his will, Jack begin creeping towards the last place he had heard a rustle; directly in front of him. His eyes were wide and his pulse was quick, and the further he moved from the light source he had created, the more he felt inclined to turn tail and run.
Despite this, he kept moving forward.
Suddenly, two amber lights flickered into existence. They swayed before him, and their movement was accompanied by a horrid sound that resembled a demon suffering from asthma. As Jack watched, they blinked.
Eyes, the sprite realized.
The creature blended in amongst the dark trees, but did not seem at all concerned about stealth. As it came closer to the unarmed teenager, it made noises that sounded remarkably similar to hoofbeats in the snow. Its ragged breathing never quieted, and its eyes never left Jack's. Without warning, it stopped, only a few feet away from where the boy was positioned.
An eternity passed.
Then, it pounced.
...
See you guys next time! ;)
Until then, Sapphire316, out.