A Melancholy Trail

Vikki wailed in her gag as she tried to tug the rope from the sub-human's hands. She was surrounded by them with a few to her front and only one from behind her. If she could just get the one that head the rope that was tied to her neck away all she had to do was avoid the one behind her. If she could run she just needed someplace to hide long enough to cut the rope that tied her hands behind her back off. Not only did she want to avoid what fate she was being dragged away toward, but she had to check on, Bathsheba.

A Poke with a knife in her back made her wince just managing to leap forward to avoid it going into her skin. The Sub-Human behind her kept his short blade out with a stern look on his face. He grunted commandingly while the one pulling, Vikki yanked on her rope harshly nearly making her fall to the ground. She just managed to plant her foot forward catching herself before she had to continue walking.

It was no use the rope tied around her neck was snug and the Sub-Human holding her leash was strong like his compatriots. They did not seem too clever, but they were savage and barbaric in her position it was pointless to resist. If she kept attempting then they could simply gut her and be done with it or share her friends fate and be shoved off a cliff. They were in the jungle as if right now having been on the move at least a few hours by now but they were high in highs the jungle floor climbing and falling as they went wherever, Vikki was being taken to it was far and the captors hardly took a moment to rest they wanted to stay on the move with their prisoner. Their orders were clear should they stop eventually it will have to be when they all were in need of rest and the region around them were filled with predators on the prowl even in the highlands.

The Captive woman breathed heavily through her nose with her mouth covered up with a cloth keeping her near silent. The Trek was difficult with the slopes of the hills going up and down and with the jungle so thick and her captors pulling her along so harshly it was hard for her to stay the pace.

Anytime she seemed to slow down the Sub-Humans forced her to press on, not allowing her to take any chance to escape or keep them from fulfilling their order.

The Sub-Human behind her remained very close to her. He grunted in delight seeing the beauty of the woman call out to him. Vikki kept walking though she was very tired from the forced march but then she felt a palm reach out and grasp the back of her skirt. Her cheeks went red turning her head and glared at the sub human that dared to feel her in an area most inappropriate.

The Action did not go unnoticed as the leader of the group raised a fist and the rest of the group stopped in place. The Leader stormed to the back of the group his near bald head with a long-curled pony tail stretching down the back of his neck was seething.

He had caught sight of the soldier that defied the order he made post capture of the female. The Sub human that felt, Vikki watched as the leader came up to him and back handed him so hard he collapsed to the ground dropping his knife. He pointed and growled baring his teeth two of them looking like fangs of a primate. Vikki didn't realize just how primal these sub-humans were. Whatever spell was cast on them turned them into beings that were not fully human anymore. To think they were once normal but turned into such abominations saddened her. A Fate worse than death itself.

The Sub-human that defied his leader tried to respond in a pleading manner, but the leader stomped on his stomach next making him cry out painfully holding his stomach. Vikki was shocked by the treatment the leader had given his soldier. She had seen disciplinary actions before back home but never in such a manner. The Head Sub-human continued to stand over its soldier not saying anything until the soldier finally managed to adhere to his pained stomach looking up at its leader.

The Leader grunted approvingly before turning back coming towards Vikki. She tried to back up but the one who held her rope stood firm coming up behind her stopping her from moving. The Leader looked over Vikki seeing she was not scratched or bruised too much. Only the fight hours before had left her with some light forms of injury but nothing bad and his soldiers rash actions against her did little. If anything was to be done with her it will come from his order and she will be taken to where she was expected to be in the shape that was commanded for her to be in.

Nodding approvingly, he wiped the side of, Vikki's face but she jerked away glaring at him, but he snatched her hair sharply making her whine in her gag from the pull of her long her making her look directly back at him. He grunted menacingly at her. She shut her eyes expecting to be struck anywhere but her hair was released, and the Leader returned to the front letting out a loud growl and the group continued forward. Vikki quickly joined walking before the rope on her neck could tug. The Last Sub-human took a minute to get to his feet before running to catch up them holding his stomach as they walked.

Vikki couldn't imagine how bad this was. These creatures that once were human were complete savages. They would harm their own if they got out of hand or acted irrationally. They could easily kill her if that is what they wanted but given how they got rid of, Bathsheba and took her alive it did mean they wanted her for something and that didn't bold well at all. She only could walk along being in the state that she was escape was impossible and she did not want to die while in the captivity of the Sub-Humans. Given to how their teeth were a mix of primate and beastly she wondered if they would eat an intelligent being as well?

Heading downhill away from the slopes of the jungle Vikki was glad in the very least they were still continuing southward. If anything, the further south they went perhaps it could lead to a clue where to find Fire Keep but without, Bathsheba as her guide how could she even find it even if she wasn't captured by the savage servants of a witch?

The Sun above was starting to go down in the horizon as what little could be seen of it through the trees. Many of the Sub-Humans looked rather exhausted even the Leader of the group knew that walking in their state by night would be a terrible idea. Most likely they would be easy pickings for a predator, and they could not risk allowing their prisoner to escape.

Stopping in place within the jungle that slowly dimmed he grunted out a series of commands. Vikki was stopped in place with the one holding her rope gripping tightly just off her neck listening to the commands of the group leader.

Vikki wished they spoke plainly at the very least then she could have some idea what they were planning but speaking through grunts and growls made it very difficult and the only way to tell what they were going to do was by their actions.

Some of the Sub-Humans sat in place while others went to some of the nearby trees using their axes to cut away some of the branches for firewood. One fetched some rocks and leaves to use to start their fire once enough wood was gathered but, Vikki waited for what was to become of her. If they were stopping to rest for the night then what would they do with her? She was about to get her answer when the leader approached the sub-human in charge of her.

"Guard…green!" He commanded through near broken words. Vikki was surprised it seemed the sub-humans could actually speak though it seemed it was difficult to talk plainly. Perhaps due to the spell or whatever it was that made them as they are.

The Leader then looked at Vikki inspecting her. Her gag kept her quiet. Reaching behind he felt the ropes on her wrists were good and tight. It would take a knife to slice them off or a pair of hands to undo the many knots that were made but looking downward he saw her legs were unbound. She still stood freely and could walk about easily. The Female was clever given to what happened with many of their men having fallen under her and the Felidae female and if somehow she could get slip away it would be due to the lack of binds on her legs.

Shouting towards one of the sub-humans who carried a sack on him the sub-human threw it down and took out some rope heading over to the leader that snatched it from his soldier without acknowledging him and kneeled down to, Vikki's ankles.

To the frustration of Vikki, she watched as her legs were pulled together by the sub-human who came over while the Leader tied her ankles with the rope he was given. Once he had enough rings around her legs he tied the two ends together and knotted them.

Nodding in approval the leader stood back up. He then nodded to the one guarding Vikki releasing his hold on the rope to her neck. Vikki tried to move but the bonds on her legs did not allow her to even move an inch. She tried to pull her legs apart, but the rope below was too tight, and she ended up falling forward.

She braced for the impact for the ground, but she was snatched by the leader before she could hit the ground pulling her back to her feet holding her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes taking notice of her fear. She stared right back at him seeing his own eyes black as night and without a soul within. The Sub-Human in front of her and as it now stood all had to be virtually lifeless only husks of their former selves made to the bidding of the one who ruled over them with only a very little root of intelligence left in them only to how to fight and hunt and survive.

The Leader rubbed the woman's shoulders for a moment before pushing her back into the one in charge of guarding her. The Guard smiled gratefully as he collapsed onto the ground pulling Vikki down with him sitting her over his laps with her legs off one side and her upper body across the other. Licking his lips lustfully at her, Vikki could only look away in disgust. His strong yet cold hand gripping the side of her waist while his other hand caressed her legs. It would almost feel nice if she was either in the hands of her boyfriend or even, Bathsheba who proved trustworthy and faithful. At least in either of their holds she felt warm and safe but here she was anything but safe.

She wondered if the Guard was going to go further with her. He gripped her skin and caressed it admirably. The Way he felt upon her it was as if he never had even touched a woman before like a child that had found something of interest and wanted to play with it, but the Leader gave the guard a warning snarl. He was free to do some things but nothing more. Vikki was thankful for it but that didn't make her predicament any less worse. She was again a prisoner of a hostile group. How could this constantly happen to her? She believed herself capable of anything. Always on the move and willing to do anything to prove she was worthy to stand among others as an equal, but it seemed all the time she only got herself captured which called for her rescue but with, Bathsheba presumably dead and her being lost to the other world she was not expecting anyone to save her now. She would have to save herself but the answer to that was not here in the moment. All she could do was bear with her captors until she figured out more of where they were taking her and what could be done then. Even with the ropes on her neck were removed it only allowed her captor to take advantage of her neck next and she could only wince and moan at his touches.

Climbing the side of the precipice where the fight against the ambushing sub-humans was lost, Bathsheba painfully climbed the rocks. When thrown from the cliff she hurled downward towards the jungle below hitting the side of the wall as she went but a rocky edge hung out just a short distance below and she collapsed on it so hard that she was knocked out on the impact.

Waking up her ankle was dearly sore from having the rock walls hit hard as she fell, and her body ached badly from the impact. She didn't know how long she was out but the near silence of the jungle with only a few roars and cries of the local animals proved that the sub-humans were gone. With no time to waste knowing her friend was alone above, Bathsheba made a very painful climb up the wall.

Every step was painful. Gripping onto a rock made her seethe through her teeth nearly chipping one of them as the pain was immense. But the pain meant little as her friend was in trouble above. There were too many of the sub-humans and last she remembered, Vikki was being subdued.

Normally Bathsheba was a quick climber but her sore body especially her foot that sprained badly it was very hard for her to put any pressure on it without it hurting so much that she nearly lost her footing and grip but by the time, Bathsheba managed to get up to edge of the cliff she only found a horrible sight. A Few dead sub-humans and, Vikki's bow and quiver laying in the dirt.

"By the spirits, no!" She pleaded climbing up over the edge dragging her sore foot behind her. "Vikki!?"

Bathsheba called out to Vikki, but nothing replied. She shouted again and again only managing to send a few frightened birds out of the trees. She looked around the area limping about trying to see if she could at least find, Vikki's body. It would destroy her to see another friend had fallen to the slave army of that witch but thankfully she didn't find any trace of her around but that worried her more. If they didn't kill Vikki then that meant she was taken.

"Oh no!" Gasped Bathsheba seeing prints across the ground most of them leading into the jungle southward. No doubt Vikki was taken a prisoner and already the sun was nearly down in the horizon and with, Bathsheba's foot being sprained it would be suicide to give chase this close to dark and with the sub-humans already having made a distance with her friend it would take at least a day or two to follow their trail. With no choice she had to see to her wounds and get a fire going. She would leave at first light and follow the scent and the trail the sub-humans left.

"Be safe, love. Spirits watch over you I will come for you. I promise!" Vowed Bathsheba as she started to tend to her foot removing some of the materials and clothing from the deceased Sub-Humans what little they had on them could be useful for her recovery and in the morning she would go on the hunt to find her friend before the worst could happen to her.