I opened my eyes slowly. "Where am I??"
I felt myself laying on a soft bed, looking around me, I could see that I was in a small room.. but not one I had seen before. It looked nothing like my mother's cabin in the woods. I tried to sit up but a jolt of pain caught me off gaurd and I let out a small cry and felt back onto the bed. I looked down to see that my side was bandaged. How did that happen? I tought.. trying to remember what had happened the night before.
I heard the noise of someone entering and looked up to see an older windian women walking in with a bowl of warm water and some cloth. She smiled as she saw me.
"Awake are you?" She said quietly and sat down on a small chair beside the bed. "You've been asleep for a while now.. I was wondering just when you would come to."
Her voice was soft, like a mothers. It was nice to listen to.
"What am I doing here?" I said quietly, not really sure where I was or just why I was here. The women frowned.
"I found you out in the woods near Windia. You had a nasty bruse on your side, and you looked like you had been unconcious for a while."
Unconcious?, I thought, then... what happened last night?
"Your a brave girl," she continued, "to be out there. Many higher Windian's would give a lot for a good Woren skin..."
I felt a lump in my throat... Now I remember....
My mother and I had been out in the forest and it was starting to get dark. We were heading back home, talking cheerfully to each other. Suddenly a shot rang out and my mother stumbled and bend over. Startled, I tried to ask her what was wrong. She looked at me and shouted to run. At first I wasn't sure why, but then another shot sounded and I saw her fall. I took off running.
I streaked through the forest like a mad cat, suddenly I heard a weird noise.. it sounded like barking. No.. it was barking... my mind screamed. What was happening.. one moment, my mother and I are doing fine.. next I running through the forest at night being hunted by who knows what. I was begining to run out of breath so I did the first thing that came to my mind. I went to the nearest tree and climbed. I sat on a high branch and struggled to catch my breath as I heard the sound of barking dogs come closer.
How fitting, I thought, of course.. a woren girl.. stuck up a tree like some game animal, being hunted by men who had dogs and guns.. the shock seemed to all come at once. I felt like I was in a daze, like it wasn't even real... it still hadn't struck me that I had seen my very mother die before my eyes.
I stiffened as I heard the sound of men and tried to flatten myself against the tree. Then I saw one of them.. a Windian noble. He came up to the tree and stared straight up into it. I couldn't move, let alone breath. I wasn't sure what to do. I could go down or they would catch me.. but if I stayed up here they would catch me anyway. My mind was racing. I came to a sudden conclusion.. I sprang from my spot, raced to the edge of the branch and jumped.
I heard a snap followed by a shot, and then it all went black.
I must have gone completly pale. I felt like I was going to be sick.. just last night... I was being hunted like game for a trophy to some Windian noble.. As if reading my thoughts the women smiled kindly.
"There there, child." She said soothingly. "As long as you are with me, no one is going to hurt you. You should sleep now, you look very tired. Perhaps tomorrow, if you are feeling better, I can take you out and show you around." She smiled.
I could see that she jsut wanted to help me.. she didn't seem like to much of a threat.. and besides.. I felt very tired. I rested in the bed and closed my eyes slightly.
"Thankyou...."
"My name is Carrie. Carrie Harlow." She smiled.
"Thankyou Carrie." I closed my eyes and slept.
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