Rebellion

IV [Edited]

Anna's eyes bolted open lightning fast. She sat up and scrambled away from the rotting piece of furniture, knife drawn from underneath the tattered object. The knife was jagged and resembled a shiv rather than cutlery. Stablery was a great interpretation of the weapon.

Anna relaxed as she realized it was Kammi who was blacked out on the couch until she remembered her demolished back. Anani then lifted up the small girl and laid her on her stomach. She pulled the back of the slightly bloodied shirt. Scores of X markings from the thread marked her back from being sewn back together could be seen through the loose fitting material. A breath of relief exited the tense girl as she stood up, knife still poised like a viper about to annihilate its prey.

A small thud brought the brunette back to her sense as she witnessed her childhood storybook fall onto the grey carpeted floor from Kammi's hands. She picked up the flimsy, dainty book by the front cover and sat it on the end table after seeing the page Kammi was on. The page containing her favorite poem.

A strand of a lightning bolt of fear pierced Anani's heart. 'What was she going to do? Is this why she screamed? Who is the guy she was crying out about?' All of these were questions that were running rampant in Anna's mind.

Suddenly, a guttural bellow shook the house. The ferocity in the noise sent Anna into a panic. Dust and minuscule wood chunks rained down upon the girls. 'Oh no... God no...' Anna thought. Kammi jolted up from her slumber, eyes wide with fear of the realization of what had attacked her.

"WARP Hunters," Anna yelled. 'Of course! Why didn't I think of those?!'

Warp Hunters were a rare specie. They were a wolf-hound with solid black eyes and stood five feet tall. Their teeth were four inches long and tore flesh like a serrated blade. Their spines had sharp bones protruding through their skin; two inches long when passive and three inches when angered or aggravated. There are holes in the bottom of the jaw, since their head is merely a skull, where the tongue hangs when they were about to maul something and when defensive, the tongue is rolled back up. Their gaping maws excreted a vile, acid-like substance that would cause whatever flesh it touched to deteriorate at an incredible speed. WARP Hunters also have claws about the same length as their teeth- four inches. They hunt in packs of three to five. These creatures are rare because they are genderless.

Kammi looked fearfully into Anna's eyes. "Hide. I'll go after them," Anna whispered to the girl. "In the pantry, there is a hidden cellar door behind a bin of books. Make sure you slide the bin back into place before shutting the trapdoor." Kammi stood, grabbed the storybook, and ran to the location and did as she was told, ending up in a small basement full of rations, a couple of flashlights, several boxes of batteries, and plenty of novels.

Anna closed her eyes, imagining the monstrous creatures. "I'll need... A bow. Definitely some arrows. A spear and a bag of rocks to distract them. I'll get one of my buckets of blood to dunk the damn rocks in... That oughta be enough." She sighed and opened her eyes; determination filling the green marbles.

She ran around the shack and gathered up materials. A sling back of rocks went over her left shoulder and to her right side for easy throwing access. A small bucket of blood sat outside, sealed tightly so the Warp Hunters couldn't smell the vital liquid. A spear was attached to a sling on her back, along with her quiver of arrows. A handmade bow was in her hands. "Okay. Let's do this," she looked into the forest as another bellow let loose a flock of crows into the sky. "That's where you are.... Let's go."

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Leaves crunched all around her. She pet the King Dryuk she was riding to calm him. He stood nine feet tall at his yellow eyes and twelve feet with his massive horns adorned with feathers and beads on strings. She laid her head on top of his and he nuzzled her face. "Calm down, Smok. We'll be okay. I got my bow and you terrify the shit out of those damned hunters," she whispered into her pet's ear.

"Get them."

She lurched forward as the furry beast bounded silently through the forest, sending out the pack of Warp Hunters. Her black hair flew out behind her as she clung to the back of Smok. His padded feet made no noise as they looked for the small monsters. A screech from behind the two meant a lone hunter. Smok turned back around to face the five foot tall, pain-in-the-ass creature. Smok then leaped upon the other animal and growled lowly in its face before sinking his large teeth into its throat and ripping it out. Blood dripped from his maw as he bounded away with his owner on his back.

The other four Warp Hunters rushed to their ally's aid but alas, they were too late. It took them three minutes to get there and the pair of hunters had vanished without a trace.

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An arrow from Anna's bow sunk into the eye and pierced the brain of a clueless hunter, the now, more or less, hunted, target. More arrows zipped through the tree opposite of her into the creatures; all of them falling dead before her. "Who goes there," she called with her now poised to shoot another arrow. Then, Smok and the black haired girl walked through the trees side by side.

"I said, who goes there! Who are you and why the fuck are you here?" She kept her bow up and so did Smok's owner. He growled and bared his teeth. "I am just a hunter. You are," the unknown girl asked. "Anna. You are near my home and I don't like it. Take your kills and leave or I'll take the pelts for myself." Both girls lowered their bows but Smok kept growling. "Calm, Smok. This is her territory," whispered the girl. "Damn right it is. Now, I'm gonna be nice and invite you to my house but if you make one fucking move to hurt me or my other guest, you're dead." The black haired girl nodded. "Alright. My name is Winnie since you're wondering. Winnie Okan."