Escape from Cirices Part 1

Chapter 16

When Abigail heard a distant howl, she gasped.

"What was that?!" Magda asked suddenly.

Jade neighed and bucked. Mervis and Noctus did the same, neighing in response. They weren't happy. Something was wrong. Abigail would generally climb a tree when a pack of wild dogs came across her, but there were the horses, packs and her friends to worry about. Another, closer howl answered the previous one. Wolves. Wolves had found the travellers. And then, Abigail heard a rasping, rough, voice. A human voice. Wood Inhabs. Wood Inhabs rode wolves (generally) in carts. Like Ciricians rode horses, and (apparently) the Pixellans rode huskies.

Abigail tried to move Noctus forward, away from the rasping voices and howls, but he wouldn't budge. Mervis and Jade were doing the same. Noctus bucked and stood on his hind legs, Abigail holding on for dear life.

Suddenly, dozens of wolves sprang from behind the trees and a single horse, hooves pattering loudly against the ground compared to the velvet wolf tread. Abigail heard a yell of delight and raised her loaded bow. Wood Inhabs, at least three dozen people, riding in carriages, lead by wolves, which were about four dozen. A man with a short beard and hair cut close to his head rode a huge, chestnut draft horse. He held a sword in one hand, two others at his belt. As Abigail, Lokeyia, Magda and Sara (shakily) raised their weapons, dozens of arrows pointed at their hearts.

"What're you doing here? Why are you trespassing our land?" demanded the man on the horse. " Why do you, red head, even dare raise a Tarabian bow against the Tarabian soldiers?"

Wood Inhabs called themselves Tarabians, because the person who stared the Wood Inhab society was a originally Cirician woman named Tara. Now in Cirices, it is a disgrace to give the name 'Tara' to a daughter. Whereas in the Wood Inhab society, it is an honour to name a daughter Tara.

"My bow?! No, my bow is my father's, from an archery shop." exclaimed Abigail.

"No child. We can see you are Cirician from a mile away. We know what happened to Cirices." he said. This angered Abigail, being called a child and having him say she was a red head. Abigail's hair was auburn, not red! Were these people too stupid to notice the difference?!

"Cirices! Oh no, what happened?!" exclaimed Sara. The man gave a despicable sounding laugh. Some of the people in the wolf drawn carts joined in.

"Where is that knife from?" he asked suddenly.

"Asteria." Sara said boldly. Silence fell among the Wood Inhabs.

"Oh. We really have our hands on some rich Ciricians." said the man. "What a good day we will have!" The people laughed and let out excited trills.

"Why are you here?" he asked when all the laughing and trilling subsided.

"We wanted to move away from Cirices." Abigail said. A growl of anger raised from the crowd and many eyes fastened on her bow.

"No we didn't. We wanted to join the Tarabians. We want to be away from the despicableness of Cirices and Merope." Magda said quickly. Everyone fell silent.

"Sounds interesting." the man said. " What can you do? What can you offer us?"

"I can gather! I can fight with a dagger!" said Magda

"I can dig roots! I know which berries are safe to eat! I can fight with a sword! And a staff. I can work with a bow and arrow... well..." said Lokeyia, looking at Abigail.

"I can hunt! I can fight with a sword, though I prefer a bow and arrows." Abigail said. Again, a growl emitted from the wolf riders, but the man held up a hand to silence them.

"Lower your weapons." he announced after some considering. "Get ready for you tests which will determine whether you lied to us or not."