Militant (Sequel to Warrior)

Pay Back

**Alex POV**

I started in the direction where Jill pointed and headed upward until I reached a point in the mountain where the boy's tracks became more visible.

There were three of them. All different foot prints, all different balancing methods for their walk. One of the boys who seemed to lead the pack, Slim, walked almost on his toes and his foot prints were light on the ground. Obviously he knew how to make almost no tracks in the dirt unlike the other boys with him.

The second boy was more on his heals then on his toes making his foot prints deeper, but pretty much the same normal foot print of any person. The third boy was just a mess of foot prints. He must have been a heavy kid or never learned how to walk properly because his foot prints were deep and he placed more pressure on his heels then the other boy. He seemed to drag his legs slightly as he walked making me guess that he was injured.

I looked up from the foot prints and thought. If a kid was injured by either Jack or Jill, there should be blood which means once I hit the path with leaves and shadow, I don't necessarily need to follow the foot prints, I just need to follow a blood trail.

Stepping lightly away from the foot prints, I continued to follow the prints down the mountain and into the forest. Once I hit the forest I was right in seeing the boys' foot prints being messier and less visible. But I also found the start of a blood path.

The boy who was injured must have bumped into one of the bushes while running because a small dash of red laid flashing like a light on one of the large green leaves.

I followed the trail a little longer until it became so dark in the forest that I could barely see the ground, let alone the foot prints. That's when I hit a split in the forest. One way lead into the darker but faster side of the forest to the river. The other made the forest go lighter but it took longer to get to the river to get back to camp.

I looked down at the ground but the foot prints were not visible and the blood trail was not helping out either.

I looked at the longer path and shook my head.

Only wimps go into the light.

I turned away from the longer path and headed straight into the darker path of the forest.

**Lottie POV**

I started sprinting full out through the forest right next to the river. The group was way behind me now and the thought of Rumpelstiltskin nodding to me to go still made me slightly amused and just light and happy feeling. He knew what I was up too and he was letting me do it.

I must be doing something right for once!

As I continued down the river I started to slow my pace and head a little deeper into the woods, but still close enough to hear and see bits of the river.

This must have been a smart thing to do because I was not paying attention to anyone around me when I tripped on a root and feel down to the ground.

"What the heck Lottie, get a grip!" I said quietly to myself, slowly getting up. But then I froze when I heard voices.

"Did you see how scared he looked when I started pushing them off the cliff?" One voice asked.

"Yeah I know, and the girl! She looked pretty scared too!"

"Don't be a dumb wit Will! Jill was not scared. She is one of those types of girls who doesn't show fear not even when she is being tossed off a cliff." Another boy said. My ears perked up at the words.

"Jill.." I murmured quietly. I slowly went to my knees and grabbed the dagger resting on my hip.

"What Slim, You've seen another girl who didn't show fear when falling from a cliff?" The first boy asked.