Of the Wild

Bees

*Jessa

Crap! Instantly I was wide awake and on the move. Panic and anger filled me, but I kept calm, like stilled water. I scrambled from my tent and ran over to my remaining clothes, the pebbles smooth under my feet. I looked up at the long, black missile headed this way. I could barely make out a silver symbol on it. I managed to grab my things and drop to the ground in time to not be beheaded by the missile. Little rocks and sand dug into my flesh. The missile exploded and sent me flying backwards. I watched the ground go by under me before slamming down near my fire pit.

"Oof!" I wheezed shaking my head. Time to go. Flames and now a smokey gas wafted up from the three missiles on the bank. Curses, the Corvati were clever, but not clever enough.

I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out a small silver breath mask and strapped it over my mouth, clenching my teeth on the mouthpiece. I rolled to my feet and started running into the jungle.

'Six for six,' I thought dryly. 'They've never been this proactive about my death/capture before. Huh.'

I heard someone barking orders to, "Stop that now" and "Go find the girl!"

I would have grinned if the mask wasn't in my mouth, it was Bacchus, he was after me again. We went way back. He was my main problem maker, always on my tail.

As I ran I pulled my shirt on over my tank top, no need to be practically commando. I had gotten the mask on in time, I was only dizzy from the gas. The back of my throat felt dry and tasted of plastic, side effect of the gas.

It was still dark, the fires giving off only enough glow to light the path a few hundred feet. It took a few minutes for my eyes to fully adjust to the dark. When they did I was set, I had been trained for this. I figured if I got a mile or so away I could stop and put my pants and shoes on. I lept over logs and rocks, I grabbed at trees and vines to pull me up when needed.

I only got a few hundred yard away before another arrow whizzed by me. I gasped and kept running, doing speratic evasive maneuvers this time. I could hear someone running behind me crashing through the forest. 'Again?!' I thought exasperated.

"Come back here!" My pursuer growled. His voice was deep and slightly familiar. I judged his distance from his noise and voice, he wasn't too far behind me. I could probably outrun him, but he would follow my trail and tell the rest of the Corvati where I was headed. We couldn't have that.

'Here I come,' I thought dryly. I came up with an odd but workable plan. After a moment I suddenly dropped to my knees, he had no time to stop or slow down as I twisted around and kicked the bow from his hands.

He gasped and blinked as me as he stumbled to a stop. I gave him no chance. I spun around again coming to an upright position and kicked him in the jaw with my heel. I heard a huge crack and a cut off cry. The man spun around and dropped the to jungle floor. I muffled my own cry of pain, holy crap that hurt! My heel went painfully numb which was odd. I paused and listened to hear if there was anyone else coming after me. Nope. Not yet.

I sighed and knelt down next to the man. He was big and tall, muscular build, dark hair, obviously a man who was used to hard work. He was a Agorian hunter, well known for being great trackers and well, obviously hunters. Like all people in the jungle, he was covered in sweat and now because of me, blood. I ran my fingers down his cheek and jawbone, it was broken.

Suddenly he twitched. I jumped back a few feet and eyed him suspiciously. His body shuddered and twitched more.

At first I wondered if the Corvati had put some kind of human kill switch inside him, they were evil enough to do that.