Becoming Ambellina

Chapter 10

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The forest itself seemed to give way around the giant golden owl that soared deftly through the tree tops. His shimmery wings flapped almost silently even as he shot through the sky at impossible speeds.

            At the edge of the forest, nose to the sky, stood a young bear; His black eyes barely visible beneath the moon. Brown crinkly fur covered his small frame and he held his muddy paws together in front of him, in an almost human-like pose. He appeared anxious, and would stand like this for quite some time before dropping down onto all fours and pacing back and forth, stopping only to stand and sniff the sky.

            A sudden flash of gold on the very edge of the woods gave the bear a start and he spun to face the large owl as it dropped lightly upon a stubbly bush, flicking the tips of its feathers outward as it landed. Instantly the cub broke into a gallop, ripping up chucks of earth as he barreled towards the seemingly unalarmed bird. He slammed on the brakes only feet in front of him, and everything seemed to grow a little bit quieter as the two of them stood, holding each other’s eye contact. Their stare-down ended quickly, as the owl dropped the T-shirt he had been holding in his beak, and began to stretch his wings for take off.

            Grabbing the T-shirt in his mouth, the bear took off at a dead run in the opposite direction. The owl followed suit, taking off a bit slower and gathering speed in the direction from which he had come.

                                                                                                                                  

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It was completely dark in my earthy hiding spot. However, I’d done a pretty thorough job checking out my surroundings to find that it consisted mostly of slimy roots, what I hoped was moss, and more than a few spiders. I wasn’t able to see out the hole, and there wasn’t anything I could climb on to get out. I was able to find a couple small cracks, but it was too dark to see anything through them anyways.

Lark better have a good reason to have left me here. Curiosity was pretty much killing me. The air around me felt like it grew more and more dense, and though my eyes had long since adjusted, the darkness seemed to claw at my consciousness.

My brain whirled as I tugged on the chain around my neck. Lark must have taken my clothes for a reason. Maybe him and Teague were creating a diversion? But why would two strangers put their necks on the line for me when they could simply walk away?

            I shifted uncomfortably against the root which I was leaning. Something was digging into my side. I reached back to feel nothing on the root’s surface. I did however, feel a large object from inside my pocket, jabbing into my side.

            Though not visible, my eyes widened as I smiled in spite of myself, finding the opening for the pocket. This would be the ultimate snoop! My fingers closed around a soft bag with a drawstring. As quickly as my joy had come, it vanished, leaving a gut dropping guilt.

            I had no right to look through his things.

            They were keeping something from me though, I knew it. They probably thought I couldn’t handle it, but they didn’t know me at all.

            So, for the sake of my mental health I thought it better that I prepare myself.

            Inside the drawstring bag was a small notebook, a pen, and a jar of liquid.

            Of all the things to find!

I crammed everything back into the bag and stuffed it back into the pocket, searching the rest of the coat for hidden pockets. In a hidden pocket in the front of the jacket was another pouch that contained an assortment of different sized coins.

Sighing, I patted the remaining areas of the coat, still hoping to find some good stuff. There wasn’t anything in either of the other jacket pockets except a pair of soft sheepskin gloves. Unbuttoning the jacket, I probed the thick sweater.

What did I think I was going to find?

Sewn into the fabric that would rest right against Lark’s chest was a tiny square pocket, secured with several small buttons. Eagerly I worked them open and cool metal touched my fingertips. A ring, thin and with no stones that I could feel, rested securely in his secret pocket.

My hands were shaking as I stuffed the ring back inside and struggled with the tiny buttons.

            Why would you keep that there?

            My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a noise, faint at first, and growing louder.

            Hoof beats!

            I knew that sound anywhere. I stood up quickly and pressed my ear to the crack, listening. I could tell it was a horse; by the way its feet hit the ground in a one-two-three rhythm. I began to feel the pounding of it’s hooves against the hard packed soil on the trail that I could have sworn was further away.

            It galloped right by and I almost breathed a sigh of relief when I heard its hooves suddenly all stop. The silence that followed was sickening and I felt myself slowly starting to give up. They were going to find me.

            A branch cracked right outside my dome of roots and I bit my lip hard, trying to stay completely silent and still. A rustling of branches sounded just inches away, closer this time.

            Suddenly a big warm horsey breath blew right through the crack by my head. It drew in several deep breaths before it let out another, and I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to.

            A single tear dropped down my face. He knew I was in here. He could smell me.