The Flames of Tantgovin

Chapter 6

Waking up I frowned, my head pounding as I sat up and looked around. My back ached from sleeping on the tree stump. Tree stump? Immediately my senses were alert, how did I get back to the tree stump? What happened to the clearing? Where was the old man? Where was Miles? Standing up I winced as pain shot through the nerves in my back, I couldn’t afford to rest through. I had to find Miles. Rather than focus on my sore back I chose to focus on the fact that I was alone in the woods with no one to help me out, no one to protect me and no company. Pushing vines out of my way as I trudged through the forest I focused, my senses on high alert ready to attack at the slightest indication of threat.

Within a few minutes I had begun to feel exhausted, my stomach rumbling with hunger. If only we hadn’t lost our bags when the Snatchers had appeared. Sighing I paused and narrowed my eyes seeing something orange hanging from a tree, Firefruit. Startled I went over to the tree and picked it, odd usually it only grows in hot places. Shrugging I opened my mouth to take a bit before pausing, looking around I didn’t see any other Firefruit. Narrowing my eyes I paused, a trap. Of course, a Snatcher trap. Sighing I shoved the fruit in my pocket figuring I could use it later, probably poisoned. Turning away from the tree I continued my search for Miles and Theo.

　

An ant moved across the ground slowly as I sat on a rock watching it. I had given up searching for Miles and Theo, deciding that staying put would be the best thing to do. The sky had darkened and thunder was echoing in the sky. Fat rain drops fell hitting my head and sizzling before evaporating. Sighing I stood deciding to find shelter.

Every step I took was a struggle as mud sucked at the bottom of my shoes, trying to force me to stand in the rain. The rain was falling hard enough to make it hard to see, causing me to squint my eyes. Wind accompanied the rain making it sting when it hit my skin.

A faint howling sound echoed behind me and I turned slowly. Squinting my eyes I frowned searching for the source of the noise. Suddenly I was on my back, a heavy weight on my chest, making it hard to breathe. Hot sticky breath blew in my face, carrying the scent of raw meat. Trying to focus my eyes saw a mouth full of sharp yellow teeth. The creature suddenly shrank back as flames erupted on my arms causing it to howl in pain. Getting to my feet a ball of fire manifested in my hand as I prepared to fight. Nothing tried to eat me, and got away with it.

It sank low to the ground, and I squinted to see it was covered in scales, murky brown scales that blended into the mud perfectly. Damn I was lucky I hadn’t stepped on the thing. I frowned, where had it gone? Suddenly something rammed into my side and black spots danced into my vision as my head and a rock suddenly got acquainted.

“Don’t move!” A voice off to my left said, their voice proud and fierce sounding, who was it? It wasn’t Theo or Miles that was for sure.

A loud screeching sound pierced the night causing me to wince and cover my ears. The sound stopped, leaving the world strangely silent, with nothing but the sound of rain. Looking around the black spots began to leave and I frowned seeing the creature dead as my feet, but nothing else. Where was the person? The one who killed the creature and saved my life? The one who smacked my head against a rock?! Shakily I got to my feet, leaning against a tree for support, my head throbbing.

Looking down at the creature I saw it was roughly the size of a small bear cub, with scales covering it’s body. I’d have to ask someone what type of creature it was later, right now, right now I needed to- what did I need to do? Frowning I wrinkled my brow as I tried to remember what I had been doing before something had tried to eat me.

“Oh right, shelter.”

Sighing I started to trudge along looking once more for shelter, and hopefully a shelter that nothing was living in.