Athyyah

Chapter Seventeen In their midst

Anthieyah stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Her head was swimming and she felt damp, from sweat she guessed. As she looked down she realized that her right arm was covered in blood. It was fresh so it had occurred recently or was not healing. Her heart sped up as she also realized that she was tied up against a tree. The ropes were crude, more vines than anything, but tied up nonetheless and done up tight. They dug into her skin as she tried to move causing her only pain.

Anthieyah looked at herself as best as she could, trying to figure the extent of the damage. Her right leg was also covered in blood, she could feel intense pain as she tried to shift, which was a good thing she supposed. Unless it meant her leg was broken. Her skirt was badly torn and all her exposed skin appeared to be badly scraped. No doubt the result of being dragged away.

Anthieyah tried to remember how she had gotten there. As she looked around, it all came back to her in a flash. She was attacked by a vorlixx. In her attempted to get away she had tripped and hit her head against a rock. The rest she didn't know, but she guessed that the vorlixx had dragged her here. Looking around she started to see that the whole area was filled with the reptilian creatures. She had only seen one in her lifetime. Now here she was and there were a lot more than a few of them. There was possibly hundreds.

What she couldn't figure out though was why she was still alive, or how they managed to tie her up for that matter. She knew that sometimes they would drag their prey away, but never did she think that they were capable of tying knots, et alone smart enough to restrain her as a prisoner. What Valerie had told her just before her attacked came back to mind. She found it easier to believe that the vorlixx could have once been created by the great beings. The thought may have been easier to accept, but it also churned her stomach. She no longer felt very good. The overwhelming urge to throw up swept over her. She new that the vorlixx were much more intelligent than she and everyone else had thought and she intended to use this to her advantage. If they were truly smart enough to know how to tie her up, she just might be able to communicate with them. She hoped.

As she thought of how to get the attention of the vorlixx and what she would do once she had, her thoughts began to wonder. Strangely though, the one thing that continuously came to her mind was the wedding night. Her mind drifted back to the time when she and Kris had walked off on their own. That was the most magical moment of her life. Never before had she felt how she did that night.

Thinking about this she knew that even if she could not reason with the beasts, Kris would come looking for her and wouldn't give up till he did. This was normally a foolish thing for a man to do. With so few men, they were generally not encouraged to go out and do foolish things on the great chance that they may lose their lives. Even the loss of one man greatly impacts everyone in the town. Yet the Earthlings were different and Anthieyah was filled with powerful faith in Kris. Somehow, she knew that he would come.

Taking a deep breath Anthieyah called out to the nearest of the vorlixx.

"Hey, you."

The nearest vorlixx turned its head to look at her. For a moment it just stared at her with its black eyes. Then it let out a bone-curling hiss like roar and walked off.

"So much for that," Anthieyah muttered to herself after a moment of shock. She could feel the shiver going up her spine as Goosebumps broke out over her arms.

The Vorlixx around her all seemed to be just wandering about the clearing going about their business. Only then did Anthieyah realize that there were dozens of small domes that appeared to be little huts, made out of various animal furs over wood, or possibly bone supports. The sickening feeling settled in Anthieyah's stomach as she thought that that might be what will happen to her. She would be eaten and her bones used to make a hut. She shifted uncomfortably at the thought. The rough bark of the tree scratching her bare lower back, causing her to stop, afraid that she may have just injured herself. It felt like she had just badly scratched herself but was unable to tell as long as she remained tied. A sweet scent from an unknown source lingered in the air and made her mouth water as she began to realize her hunger.

By the presence of the dwellings, the vorlixx just proved once again that they must be more intelligent than she had been raised to believe.

Vorlixx were constantly coming and going from the clearing. After a minute one came running in, real fast, faster than Anthieyah would have imagined. She knew that they were fast, but had never seen one actually run before. She only knew of their speed from tales told by the hunters. Such as once they decide that you're it's prey, there is no possible way to out run it. Escape wasn't an option either. If it's after you, the only chance you have is to fight. The beast that had just arrived walked up to one of the vorlixx in the center of the clearing not far from where Anthieyah sat bound to her tree. The one it approached was slightly larger than the others and had some brown stripes starting to show along the length of its back indicating it was older, possibly the leader of the pack.

The two beasts hissed and growled at each other for a moment. When they seemed to have stopped snarling, the larger one straitened up to its full height. It threw its head back and let out another of their hissing roars that churned Anthieyah's blood and caused her face to go colourless. That was something else she had never witnessed before. She had faintly heard it in the distance on the occasion since she lived at the edge of town. The fact that the vorlixx seemed to communicate with each other had distracted her and she almost snapped out of a trance when it let out its roar. The other vorlixx in the clearing immediately began to clear out of the area, disappearing into the surrounding vegetation. One came towards Anthieyah, mouth half open and gazing at her with a hungry look in its black eyes. It was only two feet from her, it's warm breath of decay caused Anthieyah to gag. It was about to take a bight when the leader came out of nowhere and knocked the other aside. It hissed at him and after a moment the one that had attempted to eat Anthieyah slowly walked away to join its kind in the bushes.

Anthieyah let out a sigh. Her heart had skipped several beats, though she could not get the taste of the Vorlixx's breath out of her mouth. She looked up at the older vorlixx that was still stand before her. It looked back at her locking its eyes with Anthieyah for a moment before walking off too. She almost felt as though it was protecting her, but then she thought that it might have just been saving her to eat itself. Perhaps her kind was considered an exceptional treat amongst the vorlixx. This just sent another shiver down her spine.

Within a minute all the vorlixx in the clearing had completely disappeared into the surrounding underbrush. She knew they were there, but even knowing that she still could not find any of them. She had to give the animals credit. Even with such numbers they could disappear. What bothered Anthieyah was what would cause them to go into hiding. In their home with such numbers, what could have them, nervous? The forest was silent except for the sound of birds in the trees. All seemed normal and serene, except that she was tied to a tree. But if the vorlixx were hiding, it concerned her; she didn't know anything that would scare them. Unless of course they weren't hiding out of fear, but rather lying in wait. Anthieyah then realized that they might know that there may be people coming.

She gasped. They were setting a trap and she was the bait.

This gave her hope that rescuers were on their way, but was also afraid that whoever was coming would not be prepared for what lay in wait for them. After seeing them communicate with each other, Anthieyah had no doubt that the vorlixx could set a well laid trap. Even a poorly laid one would do if the rescuers were not prepared for an ambush. Everyone just believed them to be mindless beasts that interfered with their hunts. It was certain none would expect it.

She swallowed hard and hoped things did not turn into a bloodbath.

The only thing she wanted to know now was who or what was coming. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but the only thing that a vorlixx would likely need to ambush would be people. She had never heard or seen an large creatures that could pose any kind of threat, just food. So she had a feeling that some of the warriors were coming their way, possibly to rescue her. Maybe even Kris. The thought alone made her heart race and made her feel warm. In either case, they would be walking into a trap and there was no way she would be able to warn them in time. All she could do was try and wriggle free of her bonds that tied her to the tree.

It was no use, the vorlixx had tied the ropes good and tight and the vines they used were fresh, they would not be easily broken. Her not being that strong and tied up, made it a near impossibility that it could have been done.

An hour past, she had given up on trying to break free and there was still no sign of anyone. She didn't know just how long it had been, but the vorlixx had been out of sight for some time. A small part of her hoped that they may have actually left.

"If there is someone coming, where are they?" Anthieyah wondered looking around the abandoned clearing.