Rewrite the Star

Chapter 1 - Hunted

Chased by a beast in the middle of the woods, the woman ran quickly with her barenaked feet. Her long straight silver hair was blown by the wind leaving her bosom uncovered. She could hear her heartbeat racing rapidly. She did not want to look back for she did not want to be caught until she sprained her ankle as she leaped over the root of a Balete tree, then landed on her bare hands. The beast succeeded to pull her up and tore her saya (loose skirt). With her other arm free, she found a rock above her and threw her hand onto the beast's head. The beast reeled by the strong blow; however, before she could escape, the beast grabbed her ankle and she stumbled. On top of her, the beast seized both her hands and strangled her. She struggled but she was defenseless and weak. She feared that it would be the end of her that a tear from the sky fell to her cheek, and without a clue, the beast suddenly fell to the ground with an arrow behind his back.

She coughed and coughed as she broke loose from the beast's hands. Feeling grateful, she looked towards the man who was holding a torch.

"Are you alright, Miss," a man asked. He had two (2) men behind him. "Did he do something to you?" However, as soon as the flambeau appeared in front of the lady, his eyes went frozen. She was familiar in an unusual way. Then he saw her remarkable paintings on her arms and legs and -

"I am alright," she replied. "He was one of the nobles in the village I just visited, and he insisted on taking me as his slave." She jerked and felt goosebumps as she remembered how the man tried to ravish her.

The man noticed her olive skin twinkled like a star in the sky. "Is there something wrong?"

"I am fine, but I don't think I can walk. My left foot hurts." She tried to compose her posture.

"Let me see." The man examined her foot and saw her ankle was swollen. "We better need to see you a babaylan (shaman). Where do you live?"

"Oh, please don't. I lost my home." She answered right away. There was trepidation in her tone as she spoke. "-and please don't send me back to the village where this beast came from."

"Were you one of the survivors in a raid?"

"Yes. I've been wandering days to find someone who could help me, yet no one seems to welcome me."

"Then let me take you to my village." The man gave her a cloth to conceal herself, and then he carried her onto his back; however, before they left, he peeked at the dead man whose red eyes were wide open looking towards nowhere.

As they reached the seashore, there was a man waiting in the baroto (wooden vessel), and they all rode into it. As they sailed towards the horizon, they encountered a group of villagers sailing passed them.

"Have you seen a woman with silver hair and tattoos on her arms and legs," the leader asked.

"We are sorry, comrade, but we haven't seen the lady you were looking for," the gentleman replied calmly.

The leader noticed a cloaked lady behind the man he spoke to, "Who is she? We want to see her face." Then he signaled to his subjects to take a look at the woman, but the gentleman answered still composed, "You may, but I am warning you. She has a skin disease. It may not be pleasing to your eyes and if you would touch her, you might get infected. We need to expel her or else we will all die."

Everyone was taken aback. The leader then replied, "Very well, take her away from here, and then starve her to death." Then they all sailed off.