When Robin lost his Hood

capitol seox; stuck

CHAPTER SIX;

Heavy rain drops arch the leafs of trees and what was supposed to be a forest ceiling becomes a leaking house.
A twig snaps, then another, and the mud inches upward their legs with each step. Sherwood Forest was cursed, that's what they all said. At daytime, it didn't live up to its name, one would thing it beautiful if it wasn't a mask.

When the rainfalls and the night cloaks the sky and no light is found even from the moon, Sherwood awakes like a two eyed monster. And its mouth is the ground, clamping it's teeth down at our feet.

"If we walk much further the ground will swallow us." The boy shouts. Behind him, the monks priest dress is covered in mud up to his knees. My eyes take in the sky grazing tree peaks and the wet feathered birds pressed against each other in spite of the storm.

"We don't have much further, we have to get to Caen." The storm is deafening, the monk shouts back.

The boy takes another step forward and as he does the mud pool opens up and sucks his leg shut. We stop our forward motion. His grip on me weakens. He pulls once, then twice then when it doesn't work at the third try, he screams in frustration.

"I'm stuck!"

"No shaet," the monk says. "The whole country heard ya. Get out will ya let's just leave her under a tree. We're close enough to the edge of the woods as it is. Some king's soldiers have to scour these parts sometime."

"They.. don't." I croak out. The monk stops talking whipping his eyes down at me where i meet his. One can get used to the darkest of nights, in spite of the pitch black, i see his bushy gray eyebrows raise in surprise.

"How can ya kno?" He asks.

"Because," i breathe, splitting open my lips so rain water waters my desert dry throat. "I know."

Silence.

"Oh wow, i think she's stupid." The monk says. Finally, the boy pulls his foot out of the mud. "Okay, let's go."

Plop.

Silence.

"Is your foot stuck again?" The monk asks. "Yes." The boy answers quickly.

The older man huffs, "okay drop her here will ya, and I'll help you out."

They place me on the mud gently, as if i weighed less than a feather, the ground did not swallow me up. The fat bellied monk however sunk like a stone with each step he took towards the boy.

Right before reaching him, he stopped. The mud now up to his hips. From somewhere above us, i swear i could hear a woman's laughter.

"Aesh! Ye fat bastard, all ye do is read in that monastery now look at us. This is all ye fault."

"My fault?!" The monk exclaimed. "You're just a babe yet you sink like man."

"And I'm bloody proud of it!" The boy shouted back.

If they could reach each other, they would pull each other's hairs out.

The ground solidifies underneath my spine, the rain keeps falling, and like sunrays, i am Awakened by its coaxing. Get up. The forest whispers. The winds bringing spices of some old memory I've forgotten. The food my mother used to make to make me strong.

Get up.

And my body twitches, chest heaving to a sitting position. I blink, bringing my wet hand to the sewn bump at the back of my head, and feel it healed though i still feel it raw.

Getting up i expect the mud to swallow me like my helpers. But the ground solidifies underneath me. I look up awaiting to see the woman who i heard laugh but she's gone.

"Aye, aye, girlie! Help us out." The boy shouts. "You're not supposed to be standing up, lie back down." The monk says. The boy gives me his hand. Without thought or worry that I'll sink, i grab it and with three and more heaves, he flies out grabbing me around the waist and pressing his tiny body around me. In spite of his growth he still barely reaches my chin.

He lets go, and nods. "You're stronger than you look, Bricteva."

"Now, help me out!" The monk shouts, extending his arm. The boy raises his chin, "You're too heavy-" before a smile breaks out when he hears the old man curse. He winks at me, "see, even old monks sin."

I take one hand while he takes another, at three we pull and as if the earth spits him out, he tumbles out the hole.

We breathe heavily, catching our breath. The monk on all fours before knocking on the solid mud. "This is impossible. The ground only does this for one person."

I don't understand what he's saying and neither does the boy.

"There's no chance we'll make it to the edge tonight. The ground will swallow us if we continue. We have to seek cover." I say, feeling renewed.

They nod. "We know a place but you'll have to be blindfolded."

"Okay. What about Gaderian?" I ask.

They go silent, tension suffocating the air.

Before, "He'll know."