Aella (manxman) - ON HOLD

Struggle

Ithel

I felt ill at ease in my sleep. I groaned slightly and became aware of a pressuring weight on my chest. When I peered between my eyelids, I saw my lover's eyes staring right into mine. I went to smile, but his hand was blocking my mouth. Confused, I removed his hand and he put a finger on his mouth, signaling for me to remain quiet. By the time I saw the fear in his eyes, I already heard their voices.

"Shit, you're getting mud on my clothes again, you stupid rat!"

"Just move away so I can drink!"

"You could wait a fucking minute!"

"And you could move away."

A silly conversation. It would be uninteresting as well, if it weren't two men from the ones we've left on the ship conversing at the foot of our tree. I was alarmed for a moment, but they didn't seem smart in the least and they didn't feel our presence at all. They continued bickering and making noises while pushing at each other. Ceri was practically trembling. I put a hand on his heart and found it hammering in his chest. I gave him a confident nod, and he returned it.

A very long half an hour of waiting ensued.

"Ithel," he whispered, "we need to leave this place!"

Once they left, Ceri and I escaped from our temporary hideout. I guarded the place while he drank and he did the same for me. Then I snatched some small branches with fruits and we took off, going deeper into the forest that was getting thicker the more we ventured.

I noticed immediately that Ceri was still limping. I motioned for him to climb on my back. He shook his head stubbornly. He smiled and whispered, "I want to be strong, like you Ithel." My heart filled. My dear Ceri, you are so strong, the strongest person I know. I wanted to tell him that as I helped him move around the rocks and roots, but I decided to stay silent and focus on our surroundings.

The forest reeked of age. Dark-brown trees surrounded us, larger and taller the more we explored. I tried my best to listen carefully; the complex branches made our movements even more difficult. Birds were screeching from a distance, and twigs were crunching under our feet.

We were walking side by side, as fast as Ceri could. Suddenly, I found myself knocked off my feet and falling forward.

Before I knew it, I heard Ceri's alarmed cry. I looked over my shoulder to find a man holding him with a fat arm around his throat. He was one of the men we escaped from on the ship. Precisely, the one who always stole our food and I never retaliated in fear his clan could hurt us. Now he had found us again, and he was slowly choking Ceri who thrashed and kicked in his arms, but the man snickered evilly.

"Told ya I heard something," another voice said.

The one holding Ceri laughed and added, "You really are the least lucky bastard on the planet."

"The Captain will be happy to see ya."

"Don't touch him!" I pushed myself off the ground and went to stand, only to be stomped on and pressed against the harsh ground again. A voice from above me scoffed, "Just wait for your turn tribe man, don't rush your death." There was three of them. How did they find us? Why did they get to us so quickly!

The one holding Ceri leaned in to brush his filthy mouth against his ears. "How about we fight now, huh? You were angry at me each time for taking your shitty dinner. You almost challenged me if your friend there didn't make you see reason. Too bad you always listened to him."

The man beside them put a hand on his hip and sneered at my boy. "Remember me, ya little weasel? I kept your secret. You should be grateful I didn't tell on you. I've been waiting to fuck you over since the day you pushed that barrel on me, soaking me to the bone."