Chapter Ten

Sakura swung from the vines as if she were flying. She didn't see where she was going, all she knew is that if she hadn't left then, she would have done something stupid; like rip the head off that idiot blonde.

'Why were they still here? Why weren't they already at sea, sailing away from the island? What satisfactions could they possibly be getting out of staying here and putting all our lives in danger?' These thoughts swirled around in Sakura's head as she began running through the forest, her legs athetically hurdling over fallen tree branches where either lightning or fire had damaged them. Her moves were graceful and strong as she covered the vast distance of the jungle.

She raced farther and farther away from the village, and soon she was on the outskirts of the Naturian's border, going into unchartered woodland. Her strides shortened as she finally recognized her surroundings. She was in Aquaras territory now. Even if they were neither friend nor foe; Sakura didn't really want to come across one of the water dwellers at that moment. Her mood was in such array she may act inappropriately and considering her position of authority she has standing in her village, and as a representative of her people it may have bad repercussions in the long run.

She came to a stop in front of an old willow tree, her breath ragged and her limbs burning. She leant against the soothing bark and let the familiar feelings of calmness wash over her as she tried to distress her nerves. Maybe she was being unfair, maybe the outsiders would become useful. Some of the men seemed like warrior material, and besides they were Shikamaru's people. The blonde one though, the blonde would have to go. She has too weak of a mind to protect herself against the song of the Airans. If the Airans were to attack again, the blonde would put them all in jeopardy.

Looking down at herself, Sakura finally realised what she looked like. What a sight she must have been, crazily screaming at that outsider looking like she did. Blood mattered her skin and clothing like some sort of paint. Her clothes ripped, showing more skin than usual. Her forehead graced with a slice from temple to chin, small trails of blood still trailing down her face. She looked like something out of those 'horror movies' that Shikamaru continuously talks about.

Sakura lifted her nose to the air and sniffed, her keen sense of smell telling her everything she needed to know. A stream maybe 100 metres to the west of where she stood. The perfect place for a dip to wash away all the memories of that blackened day, only 36 hours ago even though it seemed as if so much more time had passed. She had almost lost one of the people most close to her, all because she was unable to protect her when Airan's had attacked. Isn't that why she fought day after day? To become a warrior, a protector of her people. To protect them so they wouldn't get hurt. And yet she was not there when Cara needed her.

Sakura's body hit the icy water without mercy, the cold stabbing at her skin and piercing her wounds like knives. She welcomed it in punishment as she scrubbed viciously at her skin, taking off layers of skin as well as the redness that reminded her of her failure. Not all of it was her own. Bubbles escaped her mouth as her breath left her body, her frozen limbs moving powerfully through the water as she swum to the bottom. Her eyes, well adjusted to spending great amounts of time in the water, scoured the depths for anything interesting. Anything that could be used for weapons or anything she could bring back for the women of the village. Nice pearls for the women to wear or sharp shells that could be used for the tips of spears.

She found nothing as she swam around until the lack of oxygen finally got to her and she had to surface. She broke the surface with a good kick to the river floor, disrupting sand in great cloud fills. As soon as her head broke the surface, her inner warning bells were screaming at her to get out and hide. She needed no second warning as she launched herself out of the now-red river and flew up the trunk of the nearest tree, to rest on a branch well hidden with canopy.

Sounds began to weave their way towards her, the impressions of hundreds of feet against the ground vibrated up the tree into her ear pressed to the branch. Her eyes widened as she tried to count the numbers, but got lost somewhere near 200. Her body still dripping from the river, the droplets hitting the ground, making small splashes on the dry ground. She knew if whoever was marching towards her entered the clearing, they would notice her dripping body straight away. She had to get a better hide out before they entered. She had maybe 15 seconds, if that. Her eyes searched the clearing for somewhere to go. She had almost given up hope before she saw the cliff face. If she could someone get down it, then she could easily eavesdrop whilst remaining hidden.

With the grace of a feline she threw herself in the air and landed crouched to the ground before sprinting towards the cliff. She was airborne as the wave of creatures entered where she just inhabited. Her arms cartwheeled in the air as she tried to grab something to hold onto. Her hands caught a thick vine in their grasp, so Sakura quickly swung herself up into a small cave crevice, etched into the cliff face from years of erosion. It was a tight fit, but she was well hidden by the over-hanging earth and she could happily eavesdrop at the same time.

As Sakura cramped her body in the tiny space the army of people stopped in the clearing. A small fluttering sound came to Sakura's ears, her memory recognizing it before she even saw the creatures fly over the cliff face to search below. Her gasp died in her throat as she made herself remain completely still. She was hidden in the shadows, and unless she moved they would never know of her presence. Murmured voices sounded above, below and in front of her, before finally, the feet once again begun to walk forwards. The continued in the direction that had been going, completely unaware of the Naturian princess hidden, not 30 metres away beneath the cliff face.

Sakura remained still for maybe a minute after she had felt the last foot leave the clearing before climbing out of her hidey hole and back onto solid ground. Her eyes were wide in shock. The Airan's had built an army. And they were on their way to wipe out her village. They had noticed that three of their strongest warriors had not returned from a routine survey mission. They had put two and two together and put an approximation on the whereabouts of her village. This wasn't good. She had to get back to her village first and warn the unsuspecting villagers. The women and the children! Where were they all going to hide? Sakura pushed these alarming thoughts aside as she began running, she would have to make a wide berth around the army as to not be detected, but would also have to get there first with enough time to evacuate the village. She wouldn't mess up this time. She would protect her people, even if it was the last thing she did.