[Dylan]
I led Avira back to the shrub, and made her hide behind it, after which I told her everything she needed to do, which was not much. All she had to do was run as fast as her feet could carry her the moment the guards left the borderline.
I left a few minutes later, after repeating the instruction to her, and ensuring that she understood everything I told her.
The forest was dark but my eyes had become used to it. I was heading for the left side of the forest, in the opposite direction from where Avira was hiding. I continued walking until I came across the pack's moonhorn. An ancient instrument made with a horn with symbols of a fiery moon inscribed all over it. It was placed on a raised platform, like an altar. Warriors use it to call on each other when there is danger, or to summon each other to an assembly.
I looked around me to be sure that no one was within me, and reached for the moonhorn. I brought it close to my mouth, and blew enough air into it. The sound it produced was way louder than I had expected, and it made me flinch.
This should make them run down! I said in my head while I hopped impatiently from foot to foot, and listened closely for the sound of footsteps. I would go into hiding once I heard the sound, and while they searched frantically for the person who had raised the alarm, I would sneak back and cross the border to meet Avira. But there was not a single sound of footsteps approaching or retracing which was strange. Is the moonhorn not supposed to be a summon instrument between the warriors?
I brought the horn back to my mouth, and blew more hair into it. This time, the sound it produced was louder, and I was sure that they would come running this time but they didn't.
Strange!
I needed them to leave the borderline so as to grant Avira free passage, and as it seemed, the moonhorn wasn't helping. Without stopping to think about the consequences if it went wrong, I headed for the borderline myself.
I stopped a few metres before I got to the borderline, and from where I stood, I could see the men even though they couldn't see me as I was covered by shrubs and trees.
"I have seen Avira," I shouted in a loud voice, and when I saw them rise quickly to get their bows and arrows and clubs, and matchets, I dashed farther into the forest while they followed in hot pursuit.
To them, I was running after Avira, towards the spot I saw her run into, but in truth, I was luring them farther away into the forest, and ensuring that they wouldn't find me suspicious or realize that I was not a part of their group.
After running nonstop for quite some time with the others running after me, I stopped running. There was a road before me, leading to God-knows-where.
"I saw her with a knife, heading towards this direction," I said, looking fearfully at all of them while desperately hoping for them to be braver.
It turned out I didn't have to hope so much as every last one of them raced past me, and headed for the direction Avira had supposedly gone through. Some of the broad-chested men brushed me aside slightly as they ran past until every last one of them had gotten in. None of them looked behind towards my direction until they were all out of sight.
Quickly, I ran back to the shrub where my backpack was. Avira was gone, I noted with relief as I lifted my backpack from the ground, strapped it to my back, and headed towards the borderline, all the time wondering how stupid the men could be, and thanking the Lunar goddess for their stupidity as it had saved both Avira and me.
"What are you doing?" A voice called suddenly. I was only a few feet from reaching the border.
I thought of ignoring him, but he was coming after me with the speed of someone ready to strike so I stopped. I didn't want to be caught unaware, and I was grateful I did. He was running towards me with his club raised, ready to strike.
I waited for him to get close, hoping for his sake that he would change his mind at the last minute but he did not. He came at me with so much vigor, and then landed the club on my head. Well, that was his intention but I ducked at the last minute, escaping the hit.
The force with which he landed the club on the spot where my head had been was so much that when he missed, he became unsteady, and needed a little more time to steady himself. I saw my chance just then, and pushed him roughly to the ground. Before he could steady himself, I got on him, and delivered several punches on his sorry face. By the time I was done punching him, his face had become a bloody pulp.
"Fuck!" I cussed, dragging his almost lifeless body from the borderline, back to the shrub where Avira and I had hidden. I returned to the border after wiping my bloodstained fist on his shirt, and hurried away from the pack's territory. I wasn't sure if he would be discovered before he died, and I wasn't sure if I wanted him to. I did not plan to hurt or kill anyone but this was a kill-or-be-killed situation, and I did what anyone would have done.
I hurried down after I crossed the border to the other side, looking around for any sign of Avira. I had told her to only make a stop after covering a reasonable distance in the neighboring pack's territory but there was no particular spot where she would stop. I continued searching for her, as I moved farther into the territory until I saw some men from a distance who appeared to be warriors.
They were closing in on a figure I didn't realize was Avira until she spoke in a trembling voice. She had my cloak on, and had the hood pulled up as well.
"She's with me," I said in a loud voice that absorbed Avira's, making her and the others look in my direction. I recognized some of the warriors, just as one of them mentioned my name to the others. We had an encounter some years ago but back in my pack.
Avira ran towards me, ignoring the warriors, and enclosed me in a hug. I hugged her back, enjoying the feel of her body against mine.
I did not realize that my hand was wrapped around her waist until she shifted a few minutes later, so I withdrew it. She must have gotten uncomfortable with all the stares from the warriors.
We followed Seth, the leader of the group who offered to take us to the borders himself. In a bid to move away from Avira, I stepped into line next to Seth while Avira trailed behind me. I didn't know how she felt about my hold on her waist or how to face her.