STRANDED

21

Theodore had now started to back himself up. He hurried to me and grabbed Shelly. He pulled me back to a very distance that placed us to the other end of the lavish land.

Just as we grouped up with Lavender and Tom, the predators started walking savagely towards us. But, something very unexpected happened.

As one of them pawed into the lush soft carpet-like land, his reflexes withdrew his hand away. We saw him as he backed away, grring at us. The other one continued to rush. The beast didn't seemed that he'd now walk to us.
He made a leap that positioned him right into the centre of the lavish. But, just like the first one, his rude expressions drowned and he started panicking. His body had started to release some sort of virid smoke. It hurried back from it's origin with a typical guttural voice.

We stood observing the happenings with a mystery in our minds and thinness of our hearts.

"This is the right time. Run." Theodore whispered to us. As he was about to pull Shelly away with him, Tom opposed.
"No wait. I don't think we should."

"Why? They are busy there. Let's just le.."

"Shut up. Don't you see what's happening there. I think that this place is safe for us than the dense out there." Tom made a point interrupting Theodore's idea of running.

Theodore didn't seemed satisfied, yet he obeyed and stayed.

The beast that seemingly got burns had ran away cowardly into the wild. The first beast was still pacing around on that side. He didn't seem to dare enter in the lavish.
I sighted his paw that had now turned albicant.

We stood there in silence for a minute or two, expecting the beast to retreat like the other. But he kept grring at us and pacing around there.

"They'll burn if they enter. It's better toahh.."
Before Tom could complete, all of us experienced a heavy push in the front.

I fell on my face by the pond. I twisted my head and located that it was Theodore who did that. That became obvious when I saw the only him, standing. My mind didn't derived conclusions immediately. But Lavender's did.

"Why did you.." She paused barking when all of us had our eyes on the very reason.

Another beast was now pacing outside the lavish. He was too grring and pacing aggressively.
I later realized that Theodore had noticed the beast so he pushed us to safety.

Now there were two savage predators on the either side, ready to devour us anytime. But the fact that they wouldn't be able to get in, was relaxing. Not relaxing enough; we didn't knew their next move.

"I guess we are safe here." Tom said again. He whispered down my left and Lavender's right ear.

The beasts had their sharp dual eyes right on us as they paced outside, waiting for the moment to devour us.
We didn't dare make unwanted moves. That could tantalise them, and we didn't want them to stay by us long.

"How long is it been?" I muttered in Lavender's ear. She slightly tilted her head to me and said,"Just 25 minutes."

"When are they gonna leave?" I questioned again.

She low-glanced me and gave an annoying look. "They did not aquaint me yet. I'll let you know when they tell me." She sarcastically whispered.

I tilted my head slightly to Theodore. He glanced at me and then said, "I don't think it's safe for us if we sit here long."

I gave him a blank look, so he continued. "They get burns due to the sun. What if the night falls." He alerted my senses and my mind processed. "They surely are waiting for the night to fall and then devour us."

"He's right." Tom interrupted. "We gotta distract them somehow."

"But how do we do that?" I whispered my question.

Nobody replied, which signalled that they were thinking. I tried to force my brain but no ideas. With the beast eyeing me, I couldn't make out anything worthy.
The unwanted thoughts of brutal death conquered my mind. Somehow I tried flushing out the negative thoughts.
Just then my eyes caught a thick piece of wood lying at a distance. It hit me.

"Why don't we threaten them?" I put forth my idea in a bit loud voice.

"And how do we do that?" Lavender questioned back.

"You see the wood piece there. Maybe we can take a help with that." I explained in a jist.

Tom seemed to give a second thought to it before he violently got up and grabbed the wood towards the beast who was now sitting like a lion, facing us.
It jumped up on his fours as he saw Tom approaching him.

We saw Tom as he heroically made a safe distance and hit the beast hard on his head. The beast got reluctant to get in but his limits forbidded him. His eyes turned fierce crimson as he jumped, groaning, outside the lavish.

Tom dropped the wood and shook his arm. He approached us and sat, massaging his right arm. "He's tough to be wounded." He said,reluctantly.

I switched my head and peered between Theodore and Lavender to make a glance at the other beast. To my notice, it wasn't there. I pushed away Lavender's head slightly to perfectly view. But the result was the same.