CHAPTER FIVE: NIA AND THE CAVE PAINTINGS

After Nia left the rest of the family she struggled to keep Kalmar in her sight. But then she stopped when she couldn't see anyone. Then she realized that she couldn't hear anything either. No grunts from the Fangs or Kalmar and no music from Leeli's whistleharp. She put away her sword and sat down on a nearby log to get more air while her mind was racing with questions. When she finally gained her strength back she slowly stood up and looked to where she came from and then to where she guessed Kalmar had gone. She heard one of the Fangs say to take Janner to Castle Throg. She asked the Maker to protect everyone and to get Janner back. Then she walked into the direction she was going.

A couple of hours passed and she could feel the air getting cooler and she figured that the sun must be setting. Even though she never encountered any dangerous creatures yet, she was still looking everywhere for a creature. Kalmar had told her about the Toothy Cows and mad Cloven. But something that she thought of almost made her stop in her tracks. What if because there is no Toothy Cows or mad Cloven is because there are bigger creatures than cloven and cows. Nia shivered at the thought and walked on cautiously. Everything was silent until a few minutes later she heard a noise come from behind her. She quickly climbed into a tree and went up as high as she could. She hid in the shadows looking for what it was. More noises came and it got louder and louder, then she heard a voice.

"Oh, oh, oh! I smells it. I smells it! It's so close!" Then a strange creature came into view. It looked like a horned hound with a beak and green feathers running down his back. Then a deeper voice came from behind him. "I smells it too. But where is its." Then a creature that looked like the first horned hound came but instead of green feathers it had blue feathers. They both started to sniff the ground then walked in circles with their noses to the ground. Another creature came into view, it walked on four legs and the front half looked like an eagle while the back half had paws and a long tail like a cat. It stood there staring at the two beaked- horned hounds with annoyance. Then it spoke with a woman's voice, "Will you two ever be useful?". She rolled her eyes.

"Well gee Amrah, we're doin' the bestest we can." Said the green-feathered hound.

"That's the problem, Skritch, you two can't do anything!"

"WAIT! I has something!" Said the blue-feathered hound. Then he started to sniff the ground again. "Oh it's close! It's close!"

"What is its ,Scratch?! What is its!?" asked Skritch.

Then Scratch started to walk toward Amrah. "It's close, it's close, it's-" Then he stopped when he reached Amrah. "Why it's youse, Amrah!" Scratch exclaimed as he wagged his tail. Then Skritch gasped, "Are you the human wees been smelling?!" Then Nia hid behind a branch trying not to breath to heavy. Amrah? Nia thought, It can't be. "NO!", Amrah yelled, "It's not me!"

"Sorry." The hounds said in unison. "Wait!" Skritch said, "I got another sent!"

"Me too!" Scratch said.

"It better not be another Flabbit." Amrah said.

Nia couldn't sit in the trees any longer. She quietly tried to move to get down and was successful. Until she dropped to the ground with a oof. She then covered her mouth and stood still. "What was that?" Amrah said.

"It sounded like it came from that tree." Scratch said. Then Nia ran with her back toward the creatures and never thought to look back. Then she heard Amrah yell "GET THEM!" and barking and howling came from behind her. She heard a loud screech come from above her then she was swept off her feet. She looked up to see Amrah who held onto Nia tightly and weaved through the branches. Nia screamed, "PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" But Amrah looked down at her and laughed "Sorry Queen Nia", she said mockingly, "But you have no authority here. You're not in Anniera anymore and you'll never go back." She laughed again. Then Nia pulled out her sword and tried to stab Amrah but only put a deep cut into her shoulder. Amrah screeched of pain then dropped Nia. She then caught herself in a branch, climbed down and ran once more. Everything was darker now which is why Nia didn't see the small pond and fell in but once she reached the surface she swam losing her sword along the way and praying that she would find the shore and she did.

She ran a bit further and realized that she didn't hear the creatures anymore. She then stopped and collapsed to the ground. It can't be, Nia thought, Hulwen said that the Stone Keepers would die. Nia couldn't understand what she witnessed. Once she got up again she started to wander then a bit of moonlight shone through the trees and revealed a cave. She couldn't tell for sure but it didn't look like it went in deep. Nia was able to find a few pieces of dried wood and a couple of rocks to start a small fire just so that she could get a bit warm. So she sat there in the cave facing the opening afraid that something would come in. Then her stomach growled. She hadn't even noticed her hunger until now and she wondered what was going to eat. She looked around the cave for the first time to see if there was something here. She soon looked behind her and gasped at what she saw. Unfortunately she didn't find any food but she did find sketches all over the wall and there was a strange words on the wall. She picked up a stick from the small fire and walked closer to the drawings and saw pictures of herself. She looked up and down the wall and saw other things.

She saw her children at different ages as they grew, Artham and Esben before the war, and pictures of Anniera. But most of them where of either her or her and Esben. She found a picture of herself that had the words MY LOVE written below it. Nia covered her mouth and tried to hold back her tears afraid that someone would hear her. She remembered Kalmar telling her about the cave that Esben lived in all these years. Soon she laid down next to the paintings and cried herself to sleep. Having dreams about her Esben.