Dies Veneris came and Sous found herself sneaking out the window of her dorm. She extracted her claws and slid down the brick building, and landed softly in the grass.
She ran toward the front courtyard and across the bridge that eventually led her into Fornik. It was late, about ten in the evening and students were supposed be on campus because of curfew.
Sous walked by the pet store where she smiled thinking about that day she purchased Little Poop. She missed Little Poop. She was taking care of her kingdom now.
Fornik was busy that evening because it was Dies Veneris. Couples and families were out and about. They were eating, drinking, and over all just having a good time.
Sous walked toward the exit of Fornik toward the forest. She was to meet Randali over by the phoenix pond.
It was difficult to see the trails that led deeper into the forest but she used her wand to light the way and eventually came to the pond.
She saw Randali standing there with a phoenix on her shoulder. Sous ran up to her. She reached out to pet it but the bird flew into the trees.
Randali laughed, "Its shy. Alright, you ready?" She led Sous around the pond where there was another trail that led them down an embankment. "Alright, go catch you an elk."
"Do I have to kill it?"
"Of course you have to kill your hunt."
"Hmm," Sous said unsure. "I don't want to kill it."
"How are you gonna give it to Kara?" Randali asked. Sous shrugged her shoulders at the question.
Randali shook her head and chuckled. "Alright, just go catch one then."
Sous stepped forward and listened. Her ears twitched this way and that way and she felt her antennas moving as well. This was the first time she felt that. She soon came to realize her antennas acted like a sonar, telling her where certain warm spots were such as from animals.
It was like she was able to see infrared images in her mind because of the antennas but the images were blurry. That was probably because they were still growing.
Sous took off into the forest and jumped onto a branch. With her speed, she was able to cover a significant amount of distance within a short amount of time.
She slammed into the male elk and tackled it to the ground. She picked it up by the four legs and ran back to Randali using the branches of the trees.
The elk landed on the ground with a thud. Randali looked it over and picked a few ticks off of it.
"You know vampires are really into these little parasites. They go for a good don at the stores. I think they're disgusting." Randali popped the parasite, blood getting on her hands.
The elk ran off back into the woods. "How was that?" Sous asked.
"It was good-"
Shoosh!
An arrow landed on a tree right passed their heads. The girls looked at the arrow. Sous pulled it out from the tree.
Shoosh!
Another one soared right passed her, clipping her ear. Randali and Sous got back to back, Sous covered her ear to make sure if there was any blood, she put pressure on it.
They heard galloping and stomps on the ground and then they saw them: centaurs.
"You're in our territory and you're hunting our meat?" One of them said.
The centaurs varied in color but they were all men. They circled around the two girls pointing their arrows at them.
Sous and Randali jumped into the air and began to jump from branch to branch. The centaurs fired shots at them, one of them went through Randali's arm but they kept going.
They jumped off the trees and landed back on the trail toward the bridge back to Fornik. The arrows were still being shot at them and they had to use their hearing to dodge them in time.
Sous rolled on the ground to dodge three of them that were coming at her at different heights.
Another one was shot and it hit Randali in the side. This arrow was different though. It had a string attached to it and it clawed its way into the victim.
The centaur began to pull on the rope and Randali began to be dragged back into the forest. Sous ran after her and grabbed her by the legs. She jumped forward and used her claws to cut the rope. Sous helped Randali up and the two continued on their way.
They managed to cross the bridge back into Fornik where Randali collapsed onto the ground. People that were around rushed to their sides to help...
Sous sat in Headmaster Fanu's office. He sighed as he looked out the window, seeing that black bird that seemed to be eyeing him.
"You know," he started. "Ever since you came, that black bird has been sitting on that branch. So for three years."
"That's Icarus," Sous said nonchalantly. "He belongs to Tany."
Fanu rolled his eyes and slammed his body into his office chair. "We just got rid of your snake and she has a bird." Fanu scratched his long white beard and stood back up. "Sous, don't go back into the forest."
"I didn't know we had centaurs living out here."
He walked over to the window and opened it. He shooed the bird away.
"They only been here for about fifty years, chased out of their home in Canas and no one offered them sanctuary. Most of them have been wiped out so theres only a few hundred left. That forest belongs to the school for educational purposes."
"Canas? Let me guess, Apex?" Fanu gave Sous a look confirming her suspension. She shook her head.
"Sous, this is a warning. Don't go back into the forest. Don't be starting trouble."
Sous walked down the hall to her room but she was restless so she went to a window about to open it when Fanu appeared beside her within a cloud of smoke.
A sweat drop appeared beside her head.