Worlds Apart

Abduction

The snap of a branch, that is what wakes me tonight. My eyes dart open immediately upon the disturbance to the seemingly abandoned region I have come to reside in, my back leaving the once again cold, hard ground of the cave as my hand braces itself over the hilt of my sword. Slowly I rise, my trek cautious and form crouched as I find a space within the covered mouth of the cave to peer through.

Nothing. I make out nothing. Even with the illumination of the moon seeping through some of the gaps of the heavy tree line, all I see is the same undisturbed plain. The same shallow pond revealing the only patch of land not covered by thick branches decorated in fresh leaves. Nothing is out of place. I continue to wait however, my eyes narrowing on their own accord when a deer suddenly darts out into the clearing.

I release the breath I had not even realized I had been holding back into the bitterly cool air as I slump against the wall of the cave, relieved. But I am still on edge as I take a few more moments to observe just to be sure. Honestly, it is probably time I leave this dwelling anyways, travel even further East despite that doing so brings me closer to the Dropship and Superior. At least that is true if Eadric's words regarding the map of this world are correct. Somehow I doubt he would have cause to lie to me about it.

Slowly I tread with caution back to the unlit fire, my senses still on high alert as I slowly gather my few belongings, including the shawl which I wrap over my belts, before putting my boots back on. The sound of a final, sharp tug of the laces bounces off the walls of the cave before I can finally rise with finality. By the time I am back at the mouth, I find myself kneeling once more to check through the peephole one final time, or rather just in time, that is, for a wave of dread to course through me upon discovering the presence of a human silhouette now kneeling before the small pond only yards from here.

"Shit." I hiss bitterly, my back practically slamming into the wall of the cave behind me. I take a moment to try to compose myself, taking even but silent breaths as I try to calm myself. I need a plan. After a moment of observation, I see that whoever this person is must be a man judging by his broad frame, and yet the sound of splashes coming from the lake he is currently rinsing himself with can barely be detected by the time they reach me.

"He isn't armored." I note after some time, then slowly reach into my right boot, pulling out my hunting knife I had started to hide inside of there.

The boulders come down with relative ease as I shift and maneuver them in such a manner so as to provide me with just enough space to get through them, and as soon as I can, I carefully make my way outside the mouth of the cave. My treat is near silent, my form hunched and knife armed with the base of the blade pressing firmly into the crease of my palm as I time my steps with the sounds of his splashes to keep them well concealed. My heart is beating in my chest with nothing more than anxiousness by the time I am less than a couple steps behind him, and that is when I realize how huge he is. The height he reaches from just his torso puts him at least to Lakote's height, most likely meaning he must be a guard of some sort, and his stocky build practically confirms that. His skin is darker, but it is a cool tone dark, meaning there must be some exotic origins there, not just tanned from lifestyle like those from Nocte Cantavit are. His hair also hints at such origins as well given its ebony shade, and the damp strands come just past his shoulders. I give it a moment, taking a deep but silent breath before tensing my muscles expectantly, then in seconds have harshly gripped the hair atop his head, yanking his head back so it is held taut next to mine with my blade pressing firmly into his neck.

"Deorum-"

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing so far east, Grounder?" I hiss, trying to ignore the sound of his throat objecting as he attempts to swallow from such an angle.