Chapter 14 Cheren and Ruby
Ruby opened her eyes. She looked around. Where am I? she wondered.
She remembered the crocodile grabbing her from behind and saying that his name was Cheren. She winced as her head started pounding. She then remembered getting hit on the head and being knocked out.
She saw she was tied up. She couldn't get out. It was dark and she could barely see anything.
She tried to roll some place and hopefully run into something. And she did, but it wasn't someone she wanted to see.
Cheren lifted the dark green worn out blanket that covered the waggon. Cheren was trying to get back to the bamboo forest hideout, so he was going to sneak onto another person's supply waggon.
Cheren felt something run into him. A little bit of the sun's light poured in and Cheren could see the red fox rolling around. Cheren narrowed his eyes and said, "Settle down kid."
"My name is Ruby," she growled.
"Whatever," he said, lowering the blanket.
"Get me out of here!" she shouted.
Cheren was about to yell back at her when he saw the owner of the waggon coming back from the shop. He quickly got out his dagger and held it at her throat. "Make one sound and you'll get it," he whispered.
Ruby was silent. She barely had any idea where she was or who she was dealing with. She decided that it was best if she just remained silent for that moment.
The two heard the wheels start rolling and they tried not to fall off because of the bumpy ride. Ruby tried her best not to fall forward at the dagger by her throat.
She felt nervous. She shut her eyes and felt a shiver up her spine. She felt the fear inside her build. Soon, her mind was only filled with the thought of what might happen if no one came to save her.
After awhile, Ruby was almost at the point of tears. But luckily, the waggon stopped.
Cheren slowly raised the blanket that covered the items. He soon lifted the whole blanket off once he realized that the driver had gone off to eat. He looked around and saw that they were close to the city. Ruby was lifted up and thrown over his shoulder.
Her eyes were wide once she saw that it was the city her brother and parents were going to. She squirmed, hoping to break free and make a run for it.
But Cheren kept a firm grip on her. He went inside the forest to take her back to the wooden shack. He knew the woods like the back of his hand.
Ruby's depressing thoughts washed away as she thought of her escaping and reuniting with her brother and parents.
She could just imagine her mother giving Ruby one of her kind and gentle hugs that always warmed her. Ruby's father would hold her close and say that she was his little girl.
She thought that maybe her brother would be neutral seeing her.
Cheren felt Ruby stop struggling. She was lost in thought.
He opened the door and threw her in. Ruby snapped out of the daydream and looked around in a panic. Where was she?
She watched as Cheren stepped in and he closed the door behind him. "Now, you're going to keep quiet. I have something very important to do," he said.
"Sure, because we all know captives love staying with a total stranger who probably wants to strangle them," Ruby said sarcastically.
Cheren ignored her statement and continued on. He looked over to the left side of the room. A sturdy wooden desk stayed by the dirty window.
He opened the drawer and took out the paper and pencil. He started writing his ransom note.
Ruby wondered what to do to get herself out of there. She had an idea. "What's up croc?" Ruby asked teasingly.
Cheren rolled his eyes at the pun and continued writing. Ruby needed to think of something. "Hey croc, wanna play tag?"
"No, now be quiet before I knock you out," Cheren threatened her.
Ruby just said, "Oh, so you're too slow?"
Cheren was starting to get irritated by this fox. He quickly spun around and pointed his dagger at her. Ruby looked at the dagger that pointed at her.
She continued with her idea, "Pretty, pretty, shiny, shiny."
Cheren moaned as she repeated it multiple times. He raised his hand and got ready to bring it down onto her, but she rolled to the side. His dagger cut through the wooden floorboards.
He tried to pull it out, but it was stuck. Ruby laughed. Cheren felt anger surge through him.
He then pulled it out and tried to hit the red fox. She dodged every time. Then, she managed to stand up. She hit her head with his and he was blown back.
Everything was spinning in his sight now. Ruby saw he was still going to try though. This croc just doesn't give up now does he? she thought.
She dodged every attempt to strike her with the dagger and then she started to slow down. She quickly went to the right, but he followed. His dagger missed Ruby, but cut the rope.
She smiled as the rope dropped to the ground. She narrowed her bright green eyes and tackled the crocodile to the floor.
Cheren had dropped his dagger and was now wrestling with her. "C'mon Cheren, you can do better than that!" Ruby taunted.
Cheren used all his strength to overturn her and she saw he was now winning. She used her tail to tickle the back of his neck.
He laughed and Ruby overturned him. Cheren saw the dagger was only a few inches away from him. He tried to reach it without her noticing, but she stopped him.
"Why are you hitting yourself?" she joked as she slapped him with his own hand.
Cheren hit her with his other hand and said, "You're being a bad little girl, now aren't you?"
Ruby rubbed the side of her face. "Ow," she muttered.
Cheren laughed at her. "You're going to behave until I get that letter ready."
Ruby was pinned down by the crocodile and Cheren tied her paws down to the leg of the desk.
She narrowed her bright green eyes and purposely moved her paws up and down. The desk shifted and ruined Cheren's letter. He grabbed another paper and tried again.
He stomped on Ruby's tail to make her stop. Ruby shouted out, "Ouch!"
She growled at him which only made him stomp on her tail again.
He finished his ransom note and a grin spread across his face. "Perfect," he said slyly.
He looked at Ruby. "Soon, young fox, I will have your family's riches and your family. You'll never be free again."
Ruby rolled her eyes and just said, "My brother would defeat you within seconds. My mother wouldn't mess around either. And my father would sweep the floor with you in the blink of an eye."
Cheren just got up and went out to mail the note. Ruby waited until she was sure he was out of sight. She quickly used her claws to get her untied.
She went for the door, but it was locked. She tried the windows. They were locked as well. She tried breaking down the door, but it wouldn't budge.
She tried punching it, but all she got out of it was a sore paw. Then a thought came to her mind. She looked around.
She had been pranking Valerie, Peter, and Josie for days now. Why not prank Cheren? Ruby had mischievous smile on her face and she rubbed her paws together. "It's time for pranking," she said.
Cheren walked back, thinking tall of himself. I've really got this plan down for sure. I'll be the richest and most feared crocodile in all of China, he thought to himself.
Cheren walked through the bamboo forest quietly and made sure that no one was following him.
He twirled the dagger in his hands and grinned. "Those foxes will be a piece of cake to defeat. They're just foxes," he said.
Cheren swung open the bamboo door and a bucket of water fell on top of his head. He looked around for Ruby who was sitting by the desk.
"Alright you smarty, you asked for it," Cheren said coming her way. He raised his foot where Ruby's tail laid and just as he slammed it down, she quickly moved it away, revealing splintery wood beneath.
Cheren's eyes widened and he let out a shout of pain. Ruby had scratched it up with her claws and rested it gently over the splintery wood.
Cheren quickly got the splinters out from his foot and glared at Ruby who just smiled tauntingly at him.
Ruby stuck her tongue at him and knocked him off his feet. She jumped over him and went to the other side of the little wooden shack. He raced over to her angrily and stepped on a loose wooden plank.
It immediately hit him in the face and he stepped back. He rubbed his scaley face that was a little red from the hard smack.
He went around the loose floorboard and chased Ruby. She dodged his punches and jumped over his low kicks. She threw him some punches of her own which he failed to dodge.
He winced from the kick to the stomach she gave him. She ran to the shadowy corner of the shack. She stuck her tongue at him and he fell for the taunt.
She fled from him once he came close enough to her trap. He couldn't stop running soon enough. He tripped on the row of pencils that had been scattered around the shadowy area of the floor.
He fell on his back and groaned. This red fox was a load of trouble.
He grabbed a handful of pencils and flung them at her. She dodged and deflected some pencils.
Cheren then threw his dagger at her. She ducked and only missed her head by a few inches. It hit the door. She quickly yanked it out and saw it had made a hole in the door.
She quickly clawed the door and escaped when she made a big enough widening. She quickly jumped through it.
Her heart raced, her mind was filled with worried thoughts, and some fear and happiness flowed through her at that moment. She was happy that her plan had worked, but she was frightened about what might happen now that she had ticked him off even more.
She decided that she would worry about that later. Right now she needed to find her brother and parents.
Cheren narrowed his eyes, looking through the wide gaping hole in his door. He watched as the red fox swiftly ran through the dark bamboo forest. "You may have gotten away now, but I'll get you again," he said with a twisted grin.