Guns And Crowns

Chapter 4

'You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from' -  Cormac McCarthy.

Natasha's POV

"Now I know why hiking is a type of exercise. How's my little body supposed to endure all this movement. I hope I'll achieve my goal. Otherwise, I might just cry to death ," I granted, just a few steps from the top of the slope.

It's been a few weeks, and my life has been uneventful. It had been eating me up. So today I decided to go for an adventure in the Aberash forest under the guise of visiting my uncle. Of course, I did visiting my uncle, but since he and his wife aren't home, I sneaked out to the forest. The forest is so close to the Residence that it can be considered a neighbour.

I also convinced my nanny to go back home since my uncle would bring me back home, which made sneaking out just a little bit easier. I locked the door to my play room for backup if things went awry. It would be a great excuse if asked about where I'd been.

Now it's been half an hour since I sneaked out. If I can find the river, then I can definitely find the area of emerald deposits since the mine was built a few meters southwest of the river.  I'm definitely glad that it's winter cause I wore some  boots and  trousers and a coat as well, which is ideal in case I come across a snake or a troublesome insect and the likes.

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like whimpering and sobbing, which made me pause and look around cautiously.  After some hesitation, I walked towards the sound as silently as possible.  Wondering what the source was, I peeked through the bushes.

Through the bushes, I saw a boy who looked to be around 10 years old. He was beaten real badly, and he was bleeding a lot. If left alone, he could die. I stepped out of the bushes and walked toward him.

"Hey kid, how did you get like this?" I said as I walked towards him slowly so that he wouldn't be startled.

"What are you doing here?! Run! There's a wild dog around here, "he said, trying to be brave even though his face was full of tears.

"Keep quiet and let me look at your wound," I said, ripping a piece of cloth from his already torn shirt to at least staunch the bleeding.

Since I only had water, I first cleaned his wound as much as possible and wrapped him up with the pieces of cloth I  ripped from his torn shirt. I then gave him some water to drink in readiness for the journey back.

"Come on, let's just go before it it comes back. Can you try to walk? If you can't, I'll go and look for an adult, but what if the wild dog comes before I get back with an adult?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"No, don't go.  I'll be able to walk," he said hurriedly.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the other way to motivate someone - through fear. I do feel guilty, but do you seriously expect me to carry a boy who is or twice my age and size when I'm having trouble carrying a bag with only a bottle in it. Anyway, it worked out for both of us, so that's that.

"Come to think of it, how come the wild dog didn't finish you up before I found you?" I asked curiously, looking into his honey brown eyes.

"What? Did you want the wild dog to finish me up? Is that what you hoped for?"he retorted angrily.

"No, that's not it. I'm just asking 'cause I'm curious, "I answered softly because the kid looked close to tears.

"It ran away after I stubbed it," he replied, calming down a bit.

"By the way, what was a kid like you doing in the forest all alone?" I asked, stupefied, wondering why I didn't ask that question first.

"Stop calling me kid. I'm older than you are!" he exclaimed before continuing. "I was trying to prove to my Dad that I'm brave and strong," he said, embarrassed,  whispering at the end.