Rise of The Fallen (unedited Version) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 23

–kora–

It's been hours. I've been sitting here for hours, by myself alone at this strange pool, in the middle of the forest.

Pouting, I hugged my knees to my chest and watched the water trickling down the rocks into the pool. Elazar has been gone all day, I'm not even sure if he's planning on coming back.

He told me to stay here…i think. But how long am I supposed to wait? It won't be much longer till nightfall, and as much as I enjoy the beautiful glowing springs, it gets cold here at night and I don't exactly feel the safest when I'm so vulnerable and out in the open. I don't have my disguise and making charcoal powder would be a pain in the ass without a mother and pestle. 

Reaching out for a stick I started doodling random shapes in the dirt. Should I just go back to my cave and forget about all this? Continue on with my extravagant life trying to survive on my own? Or do I wait here for a man who might not even come back?

For all I know he might just be bringing his buddies over to kill me and have a feast. That food he gave me might've just been to fatten me up or something…

Ugh… why does my mind always come up with these stupid and ridiculous scenarios. 

If the big dummy alien doesn't come back before tomorrow morning then I'll go back to my cave of solitude. I'm not gonna sit here for days waiting like some damsel in distress. 

Tossing the stick away I grabbed my bag and scoured through it for my notebook. Might as well practice some translations while I'm sitting here. I flipped through the pages, passing the map and plant dossiers to find the alien vocabulary that Elazar provided me.

I wonder if I can make a compass…or–would a compass even work on this planet? I mean there's two suns and seven bloody moons in the sky. I'm no scientist but I feel like the magnetic field would be a bit different here.

The subtle movement from the trees behind me made me freeze and glance back at the forest. I didn't move or make a sound as I started at the treeline looking for any sign of movement Or sound.

"hello? Elazar?" I called out, while slowly standing to my feet and closing the notebook. 

There was no response, only silence as I looked all around me for any signs of any creatures or intruders. The sound of a distant branch snapping unsettled me as I reached into my bag for the dagger I had. 

"Elazar?" I called out once more but there was no response. Only then did I realize just how quiet it really was, nothing was making any sound, the tree critters were silent and as I glanced up into the branches I also took note of the fact they were gone, possibly in hiding. 

Something was wrong here, something was very very wrong. Elazar would have responded if it was him, he is always so careful not to spook me. I could feel my stomach sink as I stared ahead in the direction the sounds came from.

More rustling in the bushes had me backing away even more as I could just barely make out a dark figure hiding among them. 

That's not Elazar… before they could get any closer I turned and booked it through the treeline.

—--

–Elazar– 

She's…gone. I stared at the burned out fire on the ground and over to the place kora had been sleeping just this morning. There was nothing. No warm embers, no items left on the ground for her to come back and retrieve. Even the fur from the feline that I skinned, cleaned and hung up to dry was gone.