Hannah tried to understand why it was so hard for this male to just say 'I am Salem' and she frowned in half exasperation. She realised its hard to refuse Kayla of anything because the child had a mouth that had a mind of its own. She was like a summer breeze and she looked at the grown-ups in anticipation . . . she deserved to be given a pat in the head for figuring this out.
"You have a very sharp and perceptive mind for a child" Salem gave the child the deserved praise before deciding on the matter at hand. He had other pressing matters to attend to.
"Thank you, Salem" Hannah said as if testing the name on her tongue.
"Are you sure this is where we were?" Salem asked to receive a perplexed face from both the females.
"I am sure we were here, why? Hannah gauged his stem of concern.
"I thought we left your slingbag on the ground" it was only then that Hannah's head whipped around to the distance behind her to notice the vacant spot where the slingbag had been. She ran to the spot to make sure and the bag was indeed missing. All their robes were inside so if someone or something took the slingbag, all they had left was the robes they had on their bodies. Hannah swept the area with her eyes and couldn't find any trace of it anywhere. She crouched low and placed both her palms on the ground to trace the direction whoever took it had gone but for the life of her, she couldn't find it.
She turned around to find Salem and Kayla behind her and took a step back, her mood dampening considerably. Were they too late? Who can aid them with robes without being suspicious of the nature of their journey.
"Is mama still coming? What happened to papa?" the anxiety Hannah tried so hard to supress was brought to life by Hannah's unsettled heart.
"Mama and papa will come for us Kayla" she tried to ease the girl's uneasiness which did her own uneasiness no justice.
She felt a tingling as if someone was standing behind her and she turned around to find no one so she brushed the lingering feeling off.
"How long should you wait for your parent's arrival?" he asked in a nonchalant voice.
"They should've been here as soon as the brwaking of dawn . . . at sunrise but . . . I just-" she couldn't bring herself to allow the seed of doubt gnawing at her subconscious to grow fully. She had to be hopeful for they were going to be at the mercy of complete strangers if the ominous feeling at the pit of her stomach proves to be the bearer of their fate.
"Did you have an alternative?" he askedsuppressing the real question he wanted to ask to avoid seeming like someone who likes to pry.
"I shouldn't have left them. I shouldn't have agreed to any of it but then I have Kayla to look after. Mama insisted that we go ahead of them albeit feeling the potence of the incoming threat" she felt tears welling up in the brink of spilling so she reigned on her emotions.
Salem felt an inexplicable kinship to the troubled little female but he couldn't humor any strange feelings where he stood. He was also an outcast and he wouldn't have it any other way. How could he bring creatures as fragile as females to his world and he had no one that he could refer them to because now he had assessed the situation and found it unfavourable to such young females. The shadow valley was no safe haven especially the cliff where they stood now and they had to move from here but the elder witch had told the children to wait for her here. What threat could have driven the pure witch out of her residing village to a den of vultures? He let out a troubled breathe and hoped for the best while knowing the worst was yet to come.
They spent the morning searching for small hunts to kick start the day which didn't take with their new male companion and soon the day was coming to an end, bringing darkness in its resting beauty.
"Maybe you should start thinking about where to go from here little female" Salem thought out loud, not liking the idea of spending yet another night out in the open.
"I did mention that I am Hannah. My name can't be that difficult to remember" she half pouted half scowled before she addressed the issue at hand, "Mama made me promise no matter what happen I will not take Kayla back to the village" she thought sourly, but what other choice did she had now.
"I can't say how far the stretch of the situation has gone so I can not conclusively say what you can do but I'm sure your mother had a reason for saying such"
"The danger was imminent and seemed to stem from a bottomless pit that wanted to swallow us whole . . . I left without even trying and now we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We can never go back Salem" she sounded devoid of emotions to his ears and that rang an alert bell to him but he knew better than to scare her so he decided a day with the two females won't change who or what he is so he took them to his cave just a little bit in the outskirts of the Shadow Village.
"You didn't have to do any of this, for that we are eternally grateful. May your ancestors remain watching over you Salem" Hannah extended her profound gratitude to the hulking male who had come across as mean and impolite at first.
"I doubt my ancestors share your sentiments where watching over me and blessings are concerned but this is no courtesy that needs a pattern little female, I don't like company" he said plainly.
Oh-kay, definitely not the answer she was expecting but it was fine. She was taught to be polite to people who show humanity to others especially in desperate times so his rejection or whatever it is that he was doing in contrast of her courtesy was not a problem. The male simply lacked manners! He gave them a room to rest for the night but Hannah couldn't sleep. Her mind kept turning the same question over and over again.
What went wrong?
A question that was not only bothering her but also Adela, Melcan and now Salem which remained a woven ball of mystery that not all of them will live long enough to untangle.