Breaking the Cage

7.

Chapter 7

Sarah

"I am so very glad to see you awake. Hope you slept well." Willow looked at Sarah as she rose from the ground dusting dirt and debris from the thin dress she had been put in the day before.

"The night is noisy. How do people sleep with the forest talking to them all the time." Sarah could hear the mice scurrying from one place to another, and the flapping of wings from creatures in the air. It had been exhaustion that had finally claimed her. Still her night had been fitful without the quiet of the cage.

"It's not like the camp or the cage was exactly quiet through the night." Willow laughed as she stirred something in the pot that sat in the fire. Sarah felt Hunger nip at her and she reassured herself that she would eat as soon as it was ready. The cage had not been quiet every night, there were nights that she could hear the wails and screams of the other occupants even from her own cell. She missed the cage, the certainty of day to day life there. She knew what to expect every day when she was in the cage. Here she was surrounded by a world she didn't understand. Sarah sat on the ground next to Willow and watched as she continues to make their food.

"We should have enough food to last a few days. I have no idea what Grant's plans were once we were out of the camp but between what he packed and what I was able to get we only have about a week." Willow didn't look at her as she talked about the fallen wolf. Sarah felt sorry that the pack healer had died just to get them out of camp. The sky turned a light pink and Sarah looked up through the branches of the trees in awe at such pretty colors.

"Where are we going? Will we be safe?" Sarah had been so excited about getting away that she hadn't thought to question where and how.

"Grant said there was a place up north that was packless. He said it was in the mountains and may be hard to reach. I think we should stick to that plan." Willow dished up and handed her a bowl of soup. Sarah sat quietly and allowed the warmth to seep into her chilled fingers. The earthy smell filled her nose and Hunger complained once again.

Sarah stretched her sleepy muscles as Willow cleaned up breakfast. The sun had begun to climb in the sky and once again Sarah found herself staring up watching the colors change and melt into each other. She couldn't have imagined seeing such beauty in the cage, it was full of shadows and secrets and pain. Out here there were bird songs and dancing leaves that fluttered above her head. In the cage, there had been distant weeping and the screams and the sound of dripping water and mice chatter.

"We have to clean the camp." Willow was bent over her bag stuffing the blanket back in then the pots, bowls and spoons. Sarah looked around and could see nothing to clean, the ground was bare of any trash or treasure. "I can see where we slept, and where the ground was burnt by the fire. We need to make ourselves untraceable." Willow pointed to where they had settled at the base of a tree the night before then the ashes of the fire. True enough the leaves were scattered and pressed into the dirt right where they had laid that night. The ground under the fire burnt and scattered with ashes inside a ring of rocks.

She watched as Willow gathered leaves from spots in the nearby forest and spread them over the bare spot where they had slept. They put the ashes from the fire in the cooking pot and carried them into the forest before dumping them under a rock. Willow picked up one of the rocks that had made up the fire ring and bearing it over her head threw it with a loud grunt. Sarah watched as it soared through the forest to land with a dull thud.

Sarah rubbed her hand against the burn in her eyes as she sidestepped a tree root that lay in the path. Willow had said something about making sure that they put as much distance between them and the roaming pack as they could. By the time the sun had reached the tops of the trees Sarah's head ached and her eyes burned. She considered putting the cloth back on but knew that having to have Willow guide her would only cause them to slow down. Neither of them knew if the warriors were after them. Sarah didn't know how to fight, nor did she have the strength to do so even if she had to. She had done little more than dance in the cage for over the past decade.