Chapter 8: Boggan Attack

I was shocked. The alarm went off. That meant a boggan attack. I look around me and saw Ronin and Nod running toward me.

" Take Queen Jinny to the shelter. And don't leave until were back" Ronin ordered. Ronin put on his helmet and whistle, then a hummingbird was right in front of him. Other leafmens already lift up. Nod went running to where they were. He was leaving to battle the boggans. I got so worried. I needed to say something.

" Nod!" I shouted. He turn and look at me. " Be careful" I said.I didn't want him to get hurt or injure. Even though he has come out alive on the attacks before, but he never really tells me if he got hurt or injure.

He looked at me and smiled.

" I'll try." He shrugged. I smiled a little. Maybe he was now a leafmen and is always fighting boggans and keeping watch, but he is still Nod. I stood there a few seconds when I heard footsteps coming straight at me. I looked up and saw Nod. He kissed on cheek and looked at me. " I owe you that one" He said, smiling my favorite smile. I smiled back. He turn around put on his helmet, whistle, and got on the hummingbird.

I touch my cheek with my hand. The way he kissed my cheek was nice. I looked around me to see Mub give Nod a very nasty look. Oh great, when Nod gets back Mub is going to eat him. Again. That's when I remember something. What am I doing here? I need to get the Queen. I started running when i remember someone.

"Mub come on you need to hide" I said while waving my hand toward me. His eyes widen and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

" I knew you weren't going to leave me alone, baby girl" Mub said. I rolled my eyes and went running to Queen Jinny's house. When I was on the entrance, there were no leafmen. I guess every leafmen has to battle. I entered and Queen Jinny was standing in the same place as always. As I got closer I could see her face, scared and terrified, same as her mother. But Flora was because her daughter was in danger. Grub was standing in guard, protecting the Queen.

" Come on we have to get to the shelter" I shouted. I grabbed Queen Jinny's hand and went running to where the shelter was. Grub took Flora, and Mub was following us. I kept running to the little forest of violets. Running and running, until I found it. It was like a trunk, but it was made of violets stems. It had a hole on the bottom. " Come on, let's go" I shouted. We crawl in and that's when I saw it. There was a little door on the grown. I open it and saw some stairs. " This way" I pull Queen Jinny to the stairs, then Flora, Mub, Grub and me last. I shut the door and walked down the stairs. I could see light, I kept walking till I was facing a room.

It was small, but comfortable. It had 2 flower beds, a wooden sofa with petals pillows, a coffee table, 2 wooden chairs, a little storage full of food and a wooden desk. In the walls where little lamps that seem to be lit by a tiny ball of light. Queen Jinny look terrified, but not as her mother. We stayed there a long time. 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour, an hour and a half. Grub and Mub were playing some kind of cards game that was on the desk, when I heard the sound of wings. I got up and climb the stairs. I open the door a little and listened. It was definitely the sound of wings.

" There back" I shouted. I heard footsteps and Queen Jinny, Flora, Grub and Mub were by my side. We ran outside and I could see the leafmen aproaching. There was something odd about them. I swear I saw more leafmen leave to battle. They can't. But how? Nod always told me that there were no death or loss when they battle the boggans, well since Mandrake died. Then the leafmen hit the ground and hop down of their hummingbirds. Ronin was the first one and he didn't look good. He had bruises all over his face. I ran toward him.

" What happened?" I asked, scared. All of the leafmen were injured. This time the boggans got really away with it.

" They were...huff... So many and...huff... Stronger, they were so aggressive...huff... We loss 7 leafmen...huff...so we had to abort the mission...huff... To keep everyone safe...huff" Ronin said, exhausted and worried. I looked around me. They were all injured and it looks like they lost more than 7. That's when I noticed that something was missing. Well, actually someone. Nod.

" Where's Nod?" I asked, worried and scared. What if he got killed? Or badly injured? Or got out but is lost? Or kidnapped?

" He stayed behind. When we abort the mission...huff... He decided to stay to get the other leafmens...huff... Don't worry he should be back any minute" Ronin said, with much more worried in his voice. I got so nervous, but couldn't help get the fact that Nod will risk his life to save other people. He was so brave. I got so worried, but just then more hummingbirds came by. I was so relief, there were more leafmen and Nod was with them. I hope. They hit ground and I tried to look for Nod. But he wasn't. Ronin noticed and I could see the worried look on his face.

" Where's Nod?" Ronin asked, serious but really worried.

" He is on the back. A boggan grab him when...huff... We were ready to lift up...huff... He is really injured. He is with Bill and Charry" The leafmen said. Nod was really injured. At this Ronin's eyes widen with worried and he went running to the back to look for Nod. I went running too. Just then two leafmen drag a body to a giant leaf and took him with them. I froze. He was been drag. How bad was he injured? I hold myself together and went to Nod. Ronin was beside him and when I got there I gasp. His face was full of cuts and some bruises. His gut was cut with what appear to be a knife. He looks awful.

" Oh my god Nod" I said scared, almost a whisper. The cut he has on his gut wasn't pretty. I wanted to hug him so badly.

"Its gonna be alright M.K." Nod groan. How could he say that? Does he even know how bad he is? "Ronin" Nod moan.

" I'm here. Don't worry you going to be alright" Ronin said. Him too. I truly hope he is right.

" Ronin" Nod moan again.

" What?" Ronin asked, worried but curious.

" I saw him... He was the one who grab me... The one that pull me of the bird" Nod moan. What did he mean by ' I saw him'? I started to get more worried, but also curious.

" Who? Who did you saw?" Ronin asked, now more curious, but he had a scared look on his face. I got scared too.

" Man... Mandrake... He's stronger and... More powerful... He's back, Ronin... He's alive"