"We're being hunted."
These words were cause enough for panic, let alone what came to pass very quickly afterwards.
"What? By who?"
"Not who - what."
She had never seen her father like this before - chilled to the bone by fear, not even trying to hide it for her sake. A feeling of dread fell over her.
Papa stopped his horse, but only for a moment.
"Papa - what do you mean?" What do you mean what?
"I don't know, but something's out there..."
"What? What is?"
"I don't know," he admitted. He always seemed to know everything. She knew that he couldn't possibly know everything, but he always seemed to. She was sure that every child thought their parents knew everything there was to know in the world, and it brought a sense of comfort.
However, there in that moment, that comfort was no longer there, gone, suddenly dashed away.
Something was definitely wrong.
"How long has it been tracking us?" He didn't answer. "Papa, how long?" She pressed on, feeling no more reassured by his silence.
"Too long."
She felt her throat constricting out of fear, leaving her breathless, her heart thundering in her chest, hammering within her.
This was in total contrast to the conversation they had been sharing just mere hours ago.
"Soon we'll have a moment to settle down, to rest," Papa had said. "In the next village while I make some more wares to sell."
She was glad to hear this, the length of their travel causing her to grow weary. As much as she loved traveling, it was nice to settle down at the end of it, even if only for a short time, a short while, for they never stayed put in one place for too long. That she had founded out from an early age.
But now, keeping them moving was what was keeping them safe - for now, at least. But she didn't want to think about that.
"Keep going," he urged. "We are nearing the forest - there we can find cover."
They journeyed the rest of the way in silence; she was so afraid she had nothing to say. Besides, it was too difficult to speak or hear over the sound of the beating of the horses hooves against the ground and her own thundering heartbeat.
Once deep inside the forest, nestled within the thick trees, Papa drew his horse to a halt, dismounting. He withdrew his weapons. "Stay here." With that, he disappeared.
She was only becoming more and more nervous, scared, on the verge of panicked, and all the more aware of their dangerous situation. Sure, they had come across their fair share of dangers during their lives on the road, but none such as this.
Hours ago she had had visions of a warm fire in a cozy inn, their temporary home. Now, she could not keep the images of what may be lurking in the trees and behind the shadows from her mind.
Suddenly, she became aware of it: the forest had fallen silent, plunging into deep, dark quiet. All too quiet.
"Papa?" she dared to whisper, her voice a mere squeak, unrecognizable even to her.
A distant cry sounded through the night, startling her. That was her father's voice behind that cry. Her whole body gave a painful lurch.
And then silence, again, more deep silence...
That was when she saw it, out of the corner of her eye - a flash of green.
It happened so rapidly she almost missed it, but then it came into full view, the creature, the monster.
She didn't know what else to call it, how else to describe it.
It was about the size of her, four-legged, with green, scaled skin. It had a long nose, piercing little eyes on either side of its head, and the most fearsome fangs she had ever seen.
Bloodstained fangs.
She had never seen anything like it before.
She was going to die.
She pressed her back against the rocks, trapped. The creature had cornered her, tricked her without her even noticing. It was smart, and that made it all the more fearsome.
But suddenly, a shrill sound carried through the night, making the creature pause. Then it bowed its head, closed its eyes, and the skin, like a fin, at the top of its head began to tremble, creating another shrill sound, like a cry. Then, without another look at her, it bounded off into the trees.
Her feet fell out from underneath her, and the next thing she knew she was crashing to the forest floor in a trembling heap, a sobbing mess.
Papa... He was gone.
She was alone.
And there was something terrible out there.
-----------------------------------------
Perhaps by some miracle, the creature did not return for her.
She'd had no time to mourn, let alone fully absorb what had happened and the tragic loss she had so suddenly endured, for she was too scared by what she had seen, and the now constant fear that it would return for her.
At first, part of her wondered if she had imagined it, her panic making her mind play cruel tricks on her.
But that was no fragment of imagination - even she with her wild side could not have come up with such a creature as that. Whatever it was, that had been real, very real. All too real.
But now she could sense something else approaching - she was not alone in this part of the woods.
Her father had always taught her to be aware of the signs, and now her senses were ringing like a warning bell, the sensation blasting all the way through her body.
The next thing she knew she had spun around, releasing the arrow she had notched, prepared. Always be prepared, even for nothing, Papa had said.
The arrow shot behind her - the two men emerging from the trees ducking out of the way as it sailed right past them.
"Whoa there," the one man, also holding a bow, said, holding up his hands.
She notched another arrow. "Were you following me?"
"You're a girl," said the other man, in a different accent from his partner. He held two swords, one in each hand.
"A woman," she shot back. "What, have you never seen one before?"
"Not in the middle of the forest, no."
"Easy," the first man said. "It's not safe for a woman to travel out here alone."
"That's why I have these." She raised her still ready-to-fire weapons for emphasis. "Were you following me?" she asked again, demanding an answer.
"We were nearby, sensed another presence," the bowman explained. "We've been evading several mercenary groups along the way, we wanted to make sure we were not in any danger. We do not mean you any harm-"
"It's not safe for anyone out there," she cried.
"What do you mean?"
"W-we were being tracked - hunted-"
"Who was? By what?"
"A thing, i-it killed my father..." Suddenly, the realization came crashing down upon her like a wall of stone crumbling to pieces, but no less heavy.
"What did?" the swordsman pressed. His friend held up a hand to silence his questions.
The next thing she knew, she had fallen to her knees in a sobbing heap, the tremendous grief and fear of the past several hours overwhelming her.
The two men exchanged a glance. The bowman cleared his throat. "Will you allow us to help you?"
(This chapter took longer than I'd hoped, but here we go!
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))