CHAPTER 4 A New Toy
Cora's POV
On the other side is a massive staircase with shallow but long steps, it could fit a car in here because it's so wide. We climb to the top of the stairs and just as I'm about 2 steps from the top, Peri stops in front of me, she turns to me and holds her finger to her lips, then points just through the bush to two figures walking through the trees.
I pull on Peri's hand wanting her to not be seen or smelt by the two men, knowing they are rogues. She comes willingly towards me, and wrapping my arms around her, we wait to see what the men do.
"I can smell something. It smells fresh," says the one.
"Boss always likes fresh meat, track it," says the other.
I and Peri look at each other, she starts shaking, and I rub my hand up her back.
"Don't worry we will be fine," I whisper.
She nods her head and we go back to watching the men. They walk towards us and stand close to the bush we are in. They are both wearing black shorts and black t-shirts with shaved heads. Almost like twins. Both look very thin but still would be able to overpower me.
"The smell goes this way," the first one says pointing just behind our bush. The men walk off, I look through the bush in the direction they went and see their backs slowly disappearing.
"Peri, we need to leave now and quickly. That one seems to be a tracker so the sooner we get away the better," I rush out.
She whispers back, "Mam, they are dangerous men. They took people from my Village. Can we stay here instead?" She asks.
Peri saying that heightens my nerves. Solidifying the fact that we need to move.
"I wish we could but I need to get home and I'm not leaving you alone here, so please come with me," the desperation in my voice must convince her, as the next thing I know, she's up on her feet checking the surroundings then grabbing my hand and pulling me through the bushes and into the trees. We run as far and as fast as we can.
We come to a medium sized grass clearing in the forest, the long golden grass reaches above my hips it's that tall, I know little Peri wouldn't be able to see over it. crouching behind a large tree on a slope, I scan the area. It looks safe but the fact that there isn't any movement in the grass or any noise from birds worries me.
I feel a small tug on my hand and look at Peri next to me.
"Grandma always said to stay away from here miss Cora." She voices, her grey eyes moving in every direction across it. She can only just see above the grass now.
"We're going to have to try Peri, it's the quickest way home," I say, pulling her attention from the grass back to me.
"Please can we go another way?" she looks around the forest but it all leads back to this meadow unless we go around which will take at least a day.
"We can't, it will take too long. Come on you with me, we will be fine," I reassure her.
walking towards the meadow I push aside the long grass, waiting for Peri to join me. She comes behind me and grabs the loop in my trousers, holding tightly. nodding her little head we start walking through, I keep an eye out for any movement in the grass.
We get half walk and that's when I see the two men from before, coming out of the trees just to our right.
"Peri! We need to run now." I whisper and start running through the meadow.
The men notice the movement and look directly at me. They start running in my direction.
"Faster Peri, it's the men!" I squeal, running for my life. I stop looking backward and focus on the forest.
We get close to the end of the meadow when I hear a scream from Peri, I feel myself being pulled backward.
"CORAAAA!" She yells.
The men had grabbed Peri and with her holding onto me I was also pulled in the process. I end up falling down onto my back. Peri is being held by one man, while the other comes towards me, grabbing onto my arm.
"Hold on Peri, I'm coming!"
I yank my arm forward as hard and as fast as I can, sending the man sprawling in the grass.
I look back to Peri and see her hitting and kicking the man who's holding her around the waist with both arms, I pull myself up and go to help her. But before I can she head-butts the guy in the nose, he releases her immediately stumbling backward, blood spewing from his nose, he screams in pain. She drops to the ground just as I get to her.
"You ok?" I ask, and she nods.
"C'mon Let's go," I say.
I quickly grab her hand and turn us back to the forest ready to run. But stop short, standing before us is a black wolf.
The wolf is snarling and snapping its jaw together at us, Slowly taking steps toward us.
"Cora, what do we do!" Peri asks.
"I'm not sure," I whisper.
Just as I'm about to make another rung for it, the man with a busted nose appears and pulls a knife to Peri's neck.
"Now, now, no need to panic. I won't harm the child if you behave." He grins.
"Let her go! She's just a child!" I plead, dropping to my knees.
The man laughs. Then looking at the wolf behind me he says, "Brody shift man"
The wolf growls once more then shifts, standing before me once again is the man, he goes to the side and grabs his clothes.
"What do you want with us?" I ask.
"The boss needs a new toy and you will do perfectly," he sneers at me, "now this little one could be our little slave," he says while grabbing Peri's chin and pulling it up to look at him. She whimpers.
"No, I won't let you!" I shout.
Getting up I run at the man holding Peri, kicking him in the thigh and then punching his face. He stumbles from the hit and the knife against Peri's neck digs into her, cutting her skin, the blood trickles down her neck.
"Ahhh" Peri whimpers, the man Brody, grabs both of my wrists from behind me and pulls them back up my back, towards my shoulders. I scream in pain, bending forward.
"OK! OK! OK." I shout.
"Carl, fetch the girl, this one will soon follow willingly," Brody says while sniffing my hair.
Carl, the man holding Peri, grabs a handful of her hair and drags her along into the forest. Brody shoves me to the ground and follows after them. I can't let them have her, and since I don't know where they'd take her, I have to follow them. So that's exactly what I do.