The Fox and Her Bow

-14-

The trees sway in the evening breeze around me, cutting through my jacket. My hair flies back behind me. After a minute of running, I reach the tree with the note for Addison. I slow down to look at it. Nothing had changed from the last time I had seen it. I keep running.

In another minute, I reach my cave. It feels like I'm home again. I look around the cave with a new pair of my yellow eyes. I have been in a real house very recently, and it wasn't mine. The cave still has all the things I need, more arrows, bedding, food and the food bag, along with the ashes and leftover logs from the fire. The curtains I'd made were still there, and everything was still in place. I may have to come back over here more often. I don't think I can leave the cave, even if I'm living in a different place.

The sun slipped behind the horizon and left the sky a deep shade of orange. I scramble up to the roof of the cave. I sigh. Looking at the sky, slowly turning darker and darker, I think about the war I wanted to fight.

Danger, death and violence is waiting for me, and in only a few days! And I still have to learn to fight with a sword, and there is only a few more days until it's too late. I rub my eyes and get up. I jump off the rocks and start jogging through the forest back the other way. Along the way, I shoot some arrows, aiming for hard places; flowers on the ground, thin trees, everything I can to take my mind off of what I'm walking into.

As the moon slides up the sky, the village comes into view. People still wander around, doing chores and cleaning up for tomorrows workload. Glancing around, I see some people I knew from when I was allowed in; Fredrick, from the meat booth, Erica from the seamstress's store, and a few others. None of them saw me as a good person, but more like an outcast, or someone who should be. And now that I am, I don't suppose they'd be eager to invite me in again.

Turns out, that's exactly what they thought.

"Hey, it's that Foxblood girl!" A harsh, yelling voice snaps me back from inside my head. Fredrick's pointing my way, and not with a happy look on his face. His yell stirs up commotion around him and within milliseconds, everyone is yelling, glaring, some are even running at me, pitchforks and torches in their hands.

"What's she doing here?" "I thought she was banned!" "Get her!" "Alert the Chief!"

And that's my cue to leave. I think, trying to keep the panic from invading my thoughts. No amount of freaking out will help me in this situation.

Though I cant stop myself from mumbling "No, no, no, no, NO!" under my breath as I turn and run back into the woods. No one could catch up to me, let alone outrun me, I'd known that since forever, yet I keep a lookout behind me, in the unlikely event of one of the villagers developing superhuman strength.

Back at my cave again, I run behind it and catch my breath a little.

"Great." I whisper. Great, now they'll tell the Chief, and they'll all be looking for me. He'll send scores of teams set on slaying my head and presenting it to the whole village. I hesitate before adding in my head, What about Mary and Torsten? Panic washes over me, but I try to fight it. They're good thinkers, they'll come up with something if they're questioned. I'm sure of it.

Casting them out of my mind, sure of their survival, I lean around the rocks. No rustling of the leaves, no shouts or screams, no torch fire crackling. The coast was clear. Not buying a minute of it, I slowly walk around the cave, my Fox ears twitching at every sound.

Slipping into my cave, I think there is no way I'm going back out there anymore. At least not for a long while. But still . . . there's no way the townspeople will forget my passing in their village. And surely the Chief will know of my coming back by now. The curtain swishes behind me as I push it back to enter my home. I look around the cave. My bag of food is just a lump of brown fabric in the corner, and my fireplace was running low on wood. But, as much as my stomach might protest, I can't go into the village now. Not with a bounty on my head.

Ok. What to do now. I think. I start pacing back and forth. My food source is gone, my training mentor is left behind, and people will no doubt be looking for me. I sigh. There's no way out of this, is there. I ask myself. What am I going to do now?

After a few more minutes of pacing and worrying, I slip under my only blanket, and try to shut my eyes. Every shiver of leaves puts me on edge, and every scurry of animals moving around in the dark makes my eyes snap open and I can't help but to pull my blanket closer to my chest.

You are a warrior, Kalaya. You must be strong. Especially strong for what's coming next. I think about the war.

Things were going to change, bigtime. Nothing is going to be the same, after, during, or before the war. People were going to be in danger. Torsten and Mary are going to be threatened if I don't come and fight by their side . . . As much as I knew of Torstens natural talent with a sword, I couldn't help being worried. Swordsmen fought in the front lines. They were the ones in danger the most. The archers were way in the back, safest among the fighters.

I sigh. There's no way I'm going to fall asleep in this condition.

I get up and push the blanket off me. Getting up, I take my bag and sling it around my shoulder. The least I could do is check on the village . . . then again, maybe not. It was only about an hour since I had left the village in haste. People were surely going to be on the lookout for me.

I open the curtain just a smidge, just to see if anyone was out there. Nope. The coast was clear. I open the curtain the whole way and take a step out. Nothing yet. Taking a deep breath, I walk forward. I needed something to distract myself. Yet, as I started walking, I find myself heading to the village.

I decide not to stop myself and go where my feet want to. In just a few minutes, the village comes into view. I can see the Chief, standing out on the stairs of the Great Hall. I could hear him too.

"Find that Fox before the war. I don't want to be dealing with two bounties while defending my people."

'Before the war'? He said it like it was coming soon. Regaining control of my body, I try to stay a safe distance from the furthest road in the village and away from eyesight. There was no way I would get caught twice, whether it was in one night, or in one lifetime. I had to stay away from them now.

And that includes Torsten and Mary.

I creep around the edge of the forest, concealed by the trees and big bushes. The villagers all wore worried expressions. The armored people wore hardened expressions, though I could see the bags under all their eyes. Seems like they had been up all night. And I doubt the Chief would let them sleep long enough to fully restore themselves.

Maybe it was just because he dislikes me, but I thought of him as an enemy. There was no way he had our best interests in mind.

I hide behind empty shops, houses and huts. I don't know where I'm going, but I go where my feet tell me to.

My feet lead me to the Chief's house. The window's open and I slip through. It appears I came in through the bedroom window. His desk is stacked full of paper, pencils scattered around the area. I looked through a few of the papers and come across a paper, full of drawings and words, like a battle plan. Looking closer, I realize it is a battle plan!

Lines and swirls, words and symbols surrounded pointy triangles and misshapen circles. Dotted lines cut the paper in half, over and over again.

I pick up the paper and look at it more closely. He's never going to make it like this, I think. I pick up a pen and make a few changes. Then I turn tail and slip out the window again.