"Why would she kill us?"
"Because she doesn't trust people." Tigreal stated "She's aggressive and fierce, and we can expect danger from someone who's raised by smilodons" He explained.
"Is it possible for us to talk to her? She might spare us once we inform her of our purpose." Freya suggested.
"You should've thought of that idea before running scared the moment you saw the smilodon." Chiron argued. "Anybody would run though, but that made us more suspicious"
"Smilodons are territorial, Chiron. They don't recognize us which means we are unwelcome in their territory." Hylos explained.
Freya noticed that Hylos and Chiron start to breathe heavily. Unlike horses, centaurs are not accustomed to be used as a mean of transportation plus the fact that Tigreal weighs heavier because of his armor suit.
"Who"s that woman? Do you know him?" Hylos starts to get more serious; preparing himself for a battle in case fate forces them to.
"Irithel, they call her Jungle Heart. I never knew that this place is their fortress. We could be in grave danger." Tigreal said as he tightened his grip to Chiron who suddenly increased his speed in running.
"We can't continue running anymore, Grand Warden." Chiron said with a sullen look on his face. They haven't fully regained their energy and now, they are running again to save themselves.
"We need to find a place where we could hide and rest. We can't simply relax here knowing that danger's chasing us" Hylos answered. Chiron followed the path that Hylos takes. When they reached the denser part of the forest, the centaurs slow down.
Darkness failed to shroud them with fear for they know that they can take advantage of it to conceal them from Irithel. Hylos and Chiron lowered their body, allowing Freya and Tigreal to get off in their back.
"We need to get out of the woods before the race of smilodons feast on our flesh." Tigreal said. "We need to do this carefully"
Freya observed the place with the help of the moonlight. She saw large trees and high bushes that they can use as a hiding place. She picks up the fallen branch of the tree in the ground. "I miss playing hide and seek" she uttered.
"Hide and seek? That's absurd Freya; we don't have time for games." Tigreal immediately refuses with her idea.
"I think the goddess has a point. Hiding together will make us easier to find" Chiron understood what Freya is trying to imply. "I want to add rules that when the 'it' is about to find us, we are free to change our hiding place."
"That's a good idea that'll help us survive for the night I suppose." Hylos joined the conversation about Freya's little game. Tigreal is still confused; he doesn't want to agree with what they are planning.
"So, does that mean that I'm the 'it' because I don't get it?"
"Don't worry Tigreal, the 'it' is not among us."
"This hide and seek is like an escape game, Tigreal. We'll try to seek for a way out and hide when we felt her presence."
All of them start to observe the place with their eyes, finding for a suitable hiding place that Irithel won't suspect if ever she found out where they hide. "Everyone knows how to play this game, am I right?"
Hylos prioritize finding a path that will lead them out of the woods. He continued to walk without minding his distance from them. However, he quickly shifted behind the tree when he heard a roar accompanied by sound of footsteps, making all of them more nervous.
"She's near..." Tigreal warned.
"One more rule" All of them looked at Freya with tense in their eyes. "Don't get caught." She added and quickly diverted her gaze to the large trees in her right, aiming to hide in there.
Everyone nodded and Freya gave a hand signal for them to start looking for a place to hide. Chiron choose the bush where he stood earlier, Tigreal headed to the eastern west direction, and Freya runs to her desired hiding place and relaxed herself under her cloak the moment she reached it. All did their best to remain hidden while moving carefully and swiftly to find a way out.
Freya knows that her hiding place will work. Bushes and trees with a wide trunk can help her make escapes. Also, she's aware that there's always a good chance for her to be found so she's not letting off her guard. She cannot help but to imagine a non-stop siege of horrors. The part of the forest seemed to be quieter than how she thought it could be; no presence of animals can be felt nor ominous howls can be heard.
The strumming winds allowed the moon to provide a little light in the shady forest. It gave her a chance to see dark silhouettes, not so-far away from her spot. She held her chest and remained silent while watching Irithel and Leo's movements. They stopped at the nearest tree to Freya's left, leaving a 7-feet distance between them. Her heart beats like a sound of growling thunder. Leo starts to sniff the ground as if tracing their scents to find them faster. Leo grunts and Irithel follows where her smilodon will go.
'T-they'll find me any moment now' Freya spoke through her mind and prepares herself to face her fate. She closed her eyes and waited for an attack but few seconds had passed, she heard a descending sound of footsteps which means that they didn't noticed her presence. Freya sighed as she opens her eyes to observe their movement.
'What are they up to?' Freya closely watches them. They proceed to take the west trail towards the direction where Tigreal headed earlier.
She stands up slowly and quietly dusts herself off, and thought of one dangerous thing: to follow Irithel as they waded in the forest, thinking that they may be the key they need to get out of the place.
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"We don't have much time" Hylos said in soft voice. He's furious to get themselves out of this place being chased by saber tooth tigers.
As he drifted through the long trail of head-high thicket, he saw a faint arctic glow of light and heard a rushing sound of waters. He suspected that there may be a river or lake but he doesn't care what body of water it might be. What concerns him is if they can find a route to the Elven Kingdom.
Hylos spun to see what's the source of the light, until it brought him to a wide low cliff, where a narrow river is seen below. Across the river, faint glow of lantern lights can be seen. There's also a path that will lead them to the village that extends to the mountains afar. .
Howls in distance. Someone is making a brushing sound in the bush, using it as their passage. Hylos willed himself forward to reach the others but he saw Chiron walking towards him.
"Grand Warden, I've heard screams and I suppose it was the goddess."
"What? Quick! Let's find them"
Before they take another step, Freya and Tigreal sprinted in front of them. They heard roars from behind. Setting aside their confusion, they immediately rushed and followed Freya. Hylos doubles up his speed to reach Freya. "Turn to the west trail, Go! We will escape." He leads the way to the cliff, he manage to look at their back and saw Irithel and Leo getting closer to them.
"Strafe!" Irithel fired crossbow arrows in their direction. They managed to dodge her attack but it slowed down their movement speed, helping Irithel to catch them.
"Hold on, W-we're almost near." Hylos caught the glimpse of the lantern lights.
"You cannot bear my wrath!" Irithel exclaimed. "You dare invade our fortress, now bear the consequences! Though shall be punished."
Hylos decreases his speed when they reached the clearing. He made sure that Freya and Tigreal can see his face clearly so they'll understood what the Grand Warden wants to say. He lowered his back and nodded his head, inviting them for a ride. Chiron imitated him.
"We're here. Chiron, can you jump?" Hylos turned his worried face to Chiron.
"I think so." traces of confusion flushed through Chiron's face
"We'll see about that. Freya, hold on tight..." the Grand Warden starts to step backward and he began to accelerate. He focused his mindset on reaching the other side of the river as he leaps with full force. Freya held tighter to Hylos, heaving for air.
"Now where are you going?" Irithel grinned. She almost reach Chiron and Tigreal and held her crossbow arrow, aiming at Chiron's hind legs to ensure that they won't be able to run any further. Chiron was lost for words, not knowing how to react correctly but he felt a gush of panic and he quickly leap forward to follow Hylos who just landed on the other side.
While in the air, Chiron and Tigreal let out a laugh of victory, and prepare themselves for a freefall. The moment they landed, Tigreal and Freya decided to walk on their own feet.
Meanwhile, Irithel hates herself for failing. She gets off at Leo's back to check where they are headed.
"Iga?" she wondered. She paused for a while to catch her breath and notice that the smilodon is tired as well. Let's rest for now Leo, it's almost dawn." She starts to caress Leo's head and they walk towards the forest. "I'll find them tomorrow for sure. I need to know their purpose. They might be a threat if we let them off without investigating."
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"The temperature's pretty cold, isn't it?" Chiron and. Hylos lay down their body on the ground.
"Well, at least not like how cold it is in Nost Gal" Freya's team succeeded in finding a place to stay; a spacious rock cave. All of them aid themselves. Tigreal immediately ignited a bonfire to keep them warm.
"Man, we're running for 8 hours straight." Chiron complained. "I never joined marathons, never knew it would be that tiring."
"We need to rest and regain our energy. We can ask for help in the village nearby." Hylos stated, he leaned his head on the wall and gently closed his eyes.
The team managed to find a comfortable spot to rest, they eventually fell asleep after a while. Except for Tigreal, who's relaxing his back on the cave's entrance as he patiently waited for sunrise.
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Rays of light starts to fill the rock cave and it awakes them. They are welcomed outside the cave by the sound of birds as they chirped. A breathtaking image of forest as the sun rays passes through the gap between the leaves as well as the bright, clear morning sky.
Freya was next in line after Tigreal. They cannot walk in one horizontal line for the trail is too narrow. She enjoyed combing the high stalk of grass. The carriage made by Queen Aurora was destroyed by Leo, leaving them no choice but to walk on their own, slowing their progress.
Hours have passed; they reached a couple of distance and decided to take another stop. Hunger tore at their stomachs and they have nothing to eat except for some fruits they picked up along the way and limited water to drink.
"Still far? The sun will set completely anytime." Tigreal seated on a big rock beneath him. "If only that scroll transforms into a map instead of some upgraded level with encrypted runes."
"Well too bad, it is-----" Freya looked at her waist trying to find her messenger clutch where she placed the scroll but it was not there. She starts to rummage her clothes which made them think that she's acting odd.
"What is it?" Tigreal approached her and she starts massaging her temples.
"Tigreal, the soul scroll! My messenger clutch ..."
"What? Don't tell me... "
"Probably and yes, I'm very sorry but we need to head back. This journey will be pointless if we don't have the scroll." Freya stormed out of the forest, neglecting how near they are to the clearing. For her, even though they are already at the gates of Elven Kingdom, she will still insist to go back and find her messenger clutch. As she was about to take another step, a man faced him, he is hanging upside down using his legs to grip on the branches.
"Are you looking for this?"
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