The Hidden

Chapter 1 - [The Man in the Mask]

Meenu ran as fast as she could, only turning back to see if Knight was still behind her. She couldn’t believe what she had gotten herself in to. This was the worst mistake she’s made yet.

  “Hurry, Knight!” She yelled.

  The large, three-legged, black and grey wolf barked back at her as he sped up.

  And as she turned to run faster, her foot got caught in a tangle of roots from one of the trees in the never ending Feyran Forest.

  She gasped as she tumbled onto the floor, ripping her trousers and scraping her knees.

  Knight stopped running immediately, turned and ran back to her. He used his head to turn Meenu around and try to help her up.

  But as she turned around, trying to get up again, her eyes widened.

  The gigantic grey ogre had caught up to her and was looming over her, drool dripping from its mouth.

  It stared at her with its white eyes and growled, revealing its large fangs.

  Meenu lifted herself up quickly and tried to make a run for it again, but as she turned, she felt the ogres’ massive hand smash into her back, making her fly forward and back onto the ground.

  She turned herself and stared at the monster that was going to kill her any moment now.

  It was fat and ugly, its grey hairless skin oozing with filth. Its ears were pointed and its head was small in comparison to its body. And it stunk. It stunk so badly that it made Meenu sick.

  The ogre lifted its hand up to hit her down again and Meenu closed her eyes.

  She thought of how sad her father and mother were going to be when she didn’t return home that evening.

  That made her feel bad. She hated upsetting her parents.

  But suddenly, she heard the ogre growl in pain.

  Meenu opened her eyes and looked at the ogre, she then grinned in happiness as she saw her hero, Knight, biting hard on the ogre’s neck.

  Meenu quickly got up and pulled her prized bow off of her shoulder, and then she took an arrow out of her quiver. Now that she could face the beast, she finally had a chance to shoot it.

  She quickly loaded the arrow into the bow and shot the beast right in the heart, making Knight jump away and return to her side.

  And just to be sure, Meenu shot it again. And again.

  The ogre let out a wail before it collapsed onto the ground and died.

  Meenu stared at it before she sighed in relief.

  She quickly turned to her savior. “Knight, thank you! Good boy!” She grinned at him, petting him and hugging him.

  Her frightening, but loving red-eyed wolf licked her face.

  Meenu then let go of him and ran over to the dead ogre. She examined the body and pulled out her knife. She then quickly sliced off the pinky finger of the ogre, its longest finger, to show her villagers so they would believe that she really killed yet another monstrous ogre.

  Meenu put the finger into her leather pouch and tied it tightly before she started to run towards her village. “Let’s go home, Knight! Father will be so proud!”

  Knight howled happily as he ran after his mistress.