Wolves Of The Hills

Untitled Part 3

I stop to rest at a stream when the first rays of sunlight sweep across the woodland, combing the darkness out like a mother waking her sleeping child. Though the sun coaxes me to continue on my way I set down my thin mat to sleep, knowing that I will need my energy for the coming night. She gives in and lulls me to sleep with a rolling golden song, whose lyrics are on the tip of my tongue but unable to be spoken by a mortal voice. 

Silence. That is what greets me when I wake. It is also what woke me. The forest, formerly abuzz with the sounds of waking, is now deathly quiet and I feel the instinctual need to still my body and quiet my breath. Moving my head as little as possible I scan my surroundings for any sign of danger. When nothing catches my eyes I slowly sit up and slide my legs off the mat. Crouching low to the ground I pack up my things and move into the shadow of the trees. Keeping my ears open for any sound, I carefully find a tree big enough to hold me and has limbs fairly close to the ground. I swing my pack up and leap into the air, just able to reach the lowest bough with my hands. Using the momentum from my jump, I pull myself onto the branch. After settling in a bearable position close to the trunk I hear voices slide like oil through the trees. Familiar voices.

"-could't have gone this far. A young female like her wouldn't survive out here. I say we turn back and search for the mutt closer to the wall." One voice complains. I knew this voice from my time in the market, a young guard who hated his job and hated the town more. I bristle at the harsh tone and derogatory words but keep quiet nonetheless.

"Tenke, if you cannot abide by the orders of those surpassing you in rank I will have you thrown out of the guards. You were told to patrol the Hidden Forest so the Hidden Forest is what you will patrol, if that proves to be too difficult a task for you to handle then you are of no use to the town." Hisses a second voice.  Annoyance is clearly laced around each word, causing a slightly amused sympathy to arise in me. I quickly brush it away after remembering that this man, though having to deal with such an incompetent partner, is still hunting me. 

"Yes sir." Tenke responds quickly.

" 'Yes sir' what? Yes, that the Hidden Forest is too much for you to handle or yes, I will stop being a useless slacker?" The man, who's name I still didn't know, stiffly question. The note of sarcasm that was evident in his speech was lost on the other guard.

"N—no sir! I meant 'no I will listen to those of higher rank!' I meant no disrespect!" Tenke rambles on in this fashion for a few more sentences, causing me to almost laugh at his desperation.

The other young guard lets out a impatient sigh and glares at Tenke, "Well you were right about one thing. The girl won't be near here." Tenke proudly raises his chin. Until the guard continues. "—Because she would have heard you wailing and fled before we could find her. Now stop your incessant chatter and put your training to work."

Tenke snapped shut his mouth with an audible click. The two men passed by my hiding spot and are soon hidden from my view. Slowly and cautiously I lower myself to the ground and am relieved to feel the soft layer of leaves and grass on the forest floor. I need to move farther away if there are already guards this far into the forest.

As I walk, the Hidden Forest gradually yet noticeably gets thinner. The trees are fewer and the forest loses some of the bushes it previously had covering the earthy terrain. Along side me is a small stream that I discovered while I was walking. I had nothing else to follow so I began to walk along side it and by the time it is a few hours past midday I can see a beautiful, vast, rolling green land of hills and  thin forest reaching past where my eyes can see. Relief courses through my body and before I can stop myself, not that I would, I am running as fast as I can down the slanted ground that leads from the forest and then suddenly cuts downward at a sharp slant. Halfway down I feel my  tired legs give out and with a yelp that is only part fear and mostly carefree excitement, I tumble the rest of the way down, landing in a tangled heap at the bottom.