Rise of The Fallen (unedited Version) (COMPLETED)

chapter 37

 She was a panting mess, some dried leaves and maybe even a few twigs stuck out of her hair as she backed up, as if waiting for something to come out of the bushes after her. Taking a few deep breaths she hunched over placing her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

Moving a bit lower in the tree I quietly perched myself on a sturdy branch  right above the small female. Hooking my legs and tail on the branch I leaned back over the edge reaching down towards her, causing a few loose leaves to fall on the ground below. As she stood upright her eyes locked onto a single falling leaf and I quickly grabbed hold of the upper parts of her arms to haul her up into the canopy with me.

As soon as I was able to secure her with one arm around her small frame I slapped my palm over her mouth to silence her surprised shriek.

She squirmed only for a moment in my hold, clawing at my hand with her stubby fingers, before realizing it was me and visibly relaxing a great deal. I removed my hand from over her mouth and got us both situated on the branch before glancing down to see if we had alerted anything in the area to our presence.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you-" Kora spoke breathlessly, placing her hand over her erratic heartbeat.

Looking back at the female, my gaze moved to the knife in her hand and I immediately took notice of the dried blood on the blade. I snatched her wrist holding it up to look more closely and sniffed the air. Sure enough it was xandisian blood. My stomach sank as my tail whipped around. 

"What have you done?" I hissed quietly, taking her by surprise. 

"I- there was a man and i- I just wanted to help, he attacked me! Then this thing-" Kora rambled but I quickly cut her off. 

"Did they follow you?! Did he see you anywhere near the cave?!" I questioned her frantically, keeping my voice low. 

"N-no I think he is dead but I didn't mean to i-" the sound of a branch snapping in the distance caught my attention and I quickly pulled Kora to my chest, covering her mouth once more to silence her as I waited and listened for anymore movement. 

On the outside I'm sure I looked  composed and alert, watching our surroundings for an unknown threat but on the inside was a raging torrent of panic and worry.

We weren't safe out here. I need to get Kora back to the hunters cave safely and quietly without alerting anyone to presence. I'll deal with the aftermath and my raging emotions later. 

Kora was silent, watching me with concern as I faced her. I tried to reign in my frustrations. Getting angry at her right now wouldn't help either of us. 

"I need you to listen to me and do as I say. Be silent and climb on my back. Do not make any sounds. Do not speak. Not until we are back inside the cave and I know it is safe."

She seemed hesitant as her hazel eyes stared at me, filled with worry but she quickly relented and nodded her head in understanding as I removed my hand from her mouth. 

Offering her my backside she carefully climbed on, securing herself with her arms over my shoulders and her legs hooked around my torso. "Hold on tightly." I spoke once more before jumping down from our perch. 

I briefly felt koras grip tighten as we fell but paid no mind to it as I landed in a crouch. 

Surveying the area I made sure nothing was watching us and dashed back in the direction of the cave, doing my best to conceal my tracks. The hunters may not be looking for my prints but that doesn't mean it's not dangerous to leave a trail that leads straight to koras hiding place.