Sokan ran into the woods with his prize. He had finally found the Mora camps, and even better, Rune was crippled from their fight. He found it so easy to sneak in, grab Rune, and go. The only problem was that Kyron, a big brute, had seen him leave and had tried chasing after him. His trap had slowed him down, but he was sure that some of the Mora would be there soon. He got far enough away from the Mora's mountain homes before he stopped, flinging Rune to the ground.
"So, this is what the Chief of the Mora has been reduced to. Don't worry, I'll take much better care of you than your weak tribe has. It's too bad that you're this damaged, since I would have given you the same kind treatment that I gave Jayson and Jade. Yes, I know that they got away. Honestly, it was probably for their own good. I think if they had seen us torture your little 'Love of the Mora' one more time, they would have lost their sanity completely."
Rune laid on the ground where Sokan had thrown him, his eyes flashing in anger. He felt his breath coming in short, shallow bursts, and everything around him started to grow fuzzy. He was going to pass out, but he knew he had to keep fighting for as long as he could. A sharp pain flared in his side, and he looked to see that Sokan had kicked him.
"You're weak. You never could have amounted to more than this. You never will. It's a blessing to the Mora that their weak chief is now here, at my mercy. You don't have to worry about your people anymore. They'll be much better off without you." Sokan brought his leg back to give Rune another kick when a branch hit him on his head. Rune looked up to see Chaiia, Jayson, Jade, and Ryuu jumping down from the treetops. Ryuu and Jade charged Sokan, each of them holding a homemade staff, and Chaiia started running to Rune.
"I know you probably are too weak, but you have to get up. They might not be able to hold him off forever." She handed Rune her staff. "Use this to help you. We need to get out of here."
Rune got up, leaning all of his weight onto the staff. He slowly took a step forward, almost falling, when Jayson ran over to his side.
"Chaiia, this will take too much time. Get on his other side, and we'll carry him back." Jayson pulled Rune's arm around his neck, and Chaiia quickly did the same for the other side. They started to run with him out of the clearing, never once turning back.
Ryuu loved her staff. All of her time she had spent with Kyra outside, playing a game called Stick Wars, had really paid off. She could maneuver a staff better than most pros. She used it to vault over Sokan before sweeping him off his feet. She spun it over her head a few times before standing above him, smiling.
"Next time, don't mess with my cousin. I'll know if-" Ryuu was cut off as someone covered her head with a bag. Lucas pulled out his knife, putting it against her throat. Jade quickly grabbed Sokan, pulling her staff as hard as she could to keep him trapped.
"I'll give you him if you give me her. One time offer." Jade's expression was steely calm. She pulled the staff even harder, making it impossible for Sokan to move his arms.
"You're in a worse position than me. I could kill your friend right now, but here you are, threatening me. You really are dumber than you look. Have fun with Sokan." Lucas started slowly backing up when Jade released Sokan. She hit him on the head, hard enough that it made him pass out, and then she used her staff to flip the knife away from Ryuu's neck. As soon as the threat was gone, Ryuu ripped the bag off her head and grabbed her staff again.
"Wait. Don't attack." Jade's expression was dead serious. "He's mine."
Jade ran at Lucas, holding the staff with two hands. Lucas had picked up his knife and was waiting for Jade to reach him, a smile on his face. When she was close enough to him, Jade hit the ground in a softball style slide, using the staff to knock Lucas's feet out from under him. She got up and on her feet, flipping around to see Lucas laying on the ground, his knife stuck in his leg down to the hilt. He started getting up, ripping the knife out with a grimace of pain.
"It'll take more than just a knife to take me down, little girl. You'll have to try harder." Lucas had a look of taunting in his eyes.
"You think that's all I have in me, you pathetic piece of trash? Try again. You won't be leaving here in one piece, that's for sure. You're nothing more than a waste of breath that only finds pleasure in harming others." Jade and Lucas started circling each other, their eyes locked. "You'll learn just how much pain you've put her through."
Lucas laughed. "You think you'll be able to lay a finger on me without me doing ten times the damage? Good luck, niñita"
"Don't start demeaning me in spanish. We all know that you quit freshman year." Jade continued circling, waiting for an opening. Lucas was much less patient. He lashed out with his knife, leaping at Jade. She dodged and smacked him as hard as she could with the end of her staff. He landed on the ground, but before he could get up, the butt of Jade's staff was slammed into his stomach. He coughed wetly before Jade smacked him one last time.
"Let this be a lesson to you. You might seem all high and mighty, but in the end, you got wrecked not once, but twice, by girls. If you so much as touch Kyra again, I will kill you. I know Rune has threatened that same way many times over, but I'm serious. I will kill you if you so much as cause an ounce of pain to my best friend." Jade turned around right as Sokan got up and threw a punch at her. She was fast enough to dodge him and give him a smack with her staff.
"Um, go Jade! Beat them up! Can I join in yet?" Ryuu was standing awkwardly to the side, her face full of confusion.
"Sorry, Ryuu. This fight is for me and only me. Maybe next time!" Jade ducked as Sokan recklessly threw another punch. She hit him in the stomach with her staff, causing him to double over. He was almost all the way down when she hit him as hard as she could in his nose.
"Ryuu, we're done here. Let's go!" Jade grabbed Ryuu's arm before running out of the clearing and into the woods.
"Jade, that was amazing! I didn't know you could fight so well! Why didn't you tell me before?" Ryuu ran alongside Jade, occasionally using her staff to vault over rocks and logs.
"I didn't know. All I knew was all the hate and anger I felt towards them. I felt like I had to punish them for all they've done to Kyra. They-" Jade's voice cracked, and tears started running down her face. "They don't deserve to live."
Ryuu looked at her with a concerned expression before stopping next to a tree. She was silent for a minute, regaining her breath before she said anything.
"Jade, what did they do to my cousin? What did they do that deserves death? I have to know." If fire could come out of eyes, Ryuu's expression would have caused an inferno. Her face had transformed from concern to fury faster than a rabbit running away from a hawk. Jade staggered back a few steps, afraid of Ryuu's pure rage.
"Ryuu, I really don't want to talk about it yet. I never want to talk about it. Never, never, never." Jade had sat on the ground and curled up into a ball, crying. She started rocking back and forth when Ryuu calmed down again.
"Jade, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you remember. I just wanted to know what they've put Kyra through. I'm really sorry for bringing it up." Ryuu sat by Jade, holding her until she calmed down again.
"Ryuu, we need to go. They might be here at any time, and we have to start getting the defenses set up back at camp." Jade stood up, wiping tears from her eyes. She kept running until she reached the base of the mountains, the only area that led to the Mora camp. They walked up the narrow path until Jade reached out and grabbed a branch.
"Ryuu, this is a perfectly natural branch, right? It's been here the whole time." Jade looked at Ryuu, carefully examining her expression.
"Jade, why are you asking? Does it have some special reason for growing there?" Ryuu sighed and sat down on a rock.
"Ryuu, get up and stand behind me. Help me push this branch to the side of the mountain." Jade started pushing with all her might, and Ryuu quickly joined her. It wasn't long before the branch gave, causing a giant avalanche. Jade and Ryuu ran as far up the path as they could until the rocks stopped falling.
"I set that up the first week we were here. It looks like it worked perfectly. They'll have a heck of a time getting over that now. Come on. I have a few other surprises to show you." Jade walked up the path with Ryuu following her closely. They got to their main camp to see that all the caves had disappeared except one.
"Dang, they already did it. I guess they were nice enough to leave one cave for us. Get inside and away from the mouth." As Ryuu went deep into the cave, Jade pulled another natural-looking stick from the side of the cave. She ran back as a huge rumbling sounded, and soon all the light was expunged from the cave.
"Okay, that was pretty cool, but how are we supposed to- Oh." Ryuu stopped her question as the inside of the cave filled with light. "What are those?"
Jade smiled lightly. "We call them cave lights. They're these little insects that only glow when there is no light in a cave and no drafts. It's a pretty genius discovery, especially when an invasion happens. That way, we can be safe and be in light. There's one more surprise, though." She walked to the back of the cave and felt along the wall. "Here it is. Ryuu, come here. Help me move this rock." They worked together to roll the rock away, and they stepped into a different cave full of their friends. Rune was in the center, his breathing so faint almost no one could hear it.
"Chaiia, how is he? Did you find anything to help him?" Jade ran over to her friend's side.
"Jade, I've tried everything I can think of. Nothing has been working. I can't seem to get him back to normal. It's hopeless." Chaiia's face relayed her emotions perfectly.
Ryuu started rummaging through a bag of dried leaves she had on her. "I gathered a bunch of herbs and edible plants the first week we were here. I know some that help speed up the healing process in people, and I also know some others that can help mend bones in just a few days. Here's some. Let them sit in some water for a bit before squeezing them out into that same water and giving it to him to drink. I went to a summer camp a few years back that taught me all about plant identification. They should work." She grabbed a small wooden cup from the corner and went to the small water drip, holding the cup under it until it had completely filled the cup. She placed the leaves in the cup and let them sit for about five minutes.
As Ryuu walked over to Rune, she slowly squeezed out the leaves until the water was a dark green color. She crouched down next to Rune and had Chaiia help him sit up. She placed the cup to the edge of his lips.
"Hey, Ryuu, if you gathered those plants the first week we were here, then why did you wait so long to use them on Rune?" Chaiia seemed confused.
"I guess I was just panicking so much trying to figure out strategies to save Kyra and the others that I didn't think about it. Rune, I need you to listen to me. Drink. I know you heard me before, but I'm telling you anyway. This will help you. It does taste horrible, so be prepared. Please, just drink it already." Ryuu tipped the cup back, and Rune slowly drank all of it, lightly grimacing after he finished. He feebly brought his hand to his mouth and wiped the remaining liquid from his lips.
"The initial taste isn't bad. The aftertaste is what gets you." He laughed quietly, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "I do feel a lot better already though. Does it work on cuts or scars at all?"
Ryuu looked down. "I don't think I can make anything that could heal scars. Scars are a natural part of the healing process, and my plants only make healing go faster. They can't really do a whole lot to erase things like burn scars or deep cuts." Ryuu sighed. "I mean, if someone's leg was about to fall off, I probably could save the leg, but they would have a scar forever. Or if someone was severely burned for some reason, I could help the burn heal, but the scar would never fade. That's the consequence for using my plants to heal: if it's an external injury, it will most likely leave a scar. Internal injuries heal up just fine, for some weird reason. I don't fully understand why, I just know it works. You should probably sleep now. It'll help speed up the plant's abilities even more."
Rune nodded and closed his eyes. Ryuu waited a few minutes before snapping by his ear.
"He's out. I didn't tell him this part, but he would have fallen asleep either way. He'll probably be out for a couple of days, and he should be fine when he wakes up. The natural world can do wonders for your health." Ryuu stood up and stretched. "He should be fine without food or water. The plants will keep his energy stores up enough. Now, we wait for the Boka to find our camp buried in rocks and then they'll leave us alone. Good day to you all." She walked to a remote part of the cave and laid down, falling asleep.
* * *
Sokan got up after about 20 minutes. His head had finally stopped spinning, and he was out for blood. He saw Lucas not too far away from him, also just getting up.
"We have to find them, Lucas. Vengeance will be ours. They won't escape from us anymore. All we have to do is get up that canyon and kill Rune and Jade." He brushed himself off and grabbed Lucas by the hand, hoisting him up. They had just started walking when they felt the ground shake a bit and heard a rumble in the distance.
"I wonder what that was, Sokan. Maybe it was a landslide?" Lucas had asked Sokan, but Sokan didn't hear him. He had started running towards the Mora mountains. Lucas ran to keep up with him. They didn't say anything until they had started up the path.
"It better not be a landslide that will conveniently block the only path to the Mora. I mean, based on my luck recently, it probably is. Let's just go now." Sokan continued up the path until the pile of rocks that Jade had released was blocking the path.
"Well, it looks like luck isn't in your favor today, Sokan. At least we can climb it easily." Lucas tried to find a bright side of the situation, for he knew Sokan was quick to anger and slow to relax.
"Yeah, until it all comes sliding down. Let's just get this over with." He quickly scaled the rock mound, followed by Lucas. After 10 more minutes, they got to the Mora base, only to see that many smaller rock slides had erased the camp.
"You have got to be kidding me. That huge rock slide back there must have shaken these mountains so much that it eliminated the Mora from existence. I'll never get my revenge." Sokan grabbed a rock and threw it as hard as he could at one of the mounds, causing the mound to slide down even more. He looked inside to see Kyron stuck with his legs trapped under the rocks.
"At least one of you survived for us to take back. What on earth happened?" Sokan, who was usually so hateful and angry, had shown the side of him that only comes out when total frustration takes over. Kyron looked around, remembering the emergency story Jade had told him, and started talking.
"Jade and Ryuu came running into camp saying that there had been a huge landslide in the ravine on the way up here. It had already caused one cave-in up here, so most of the people ran. They didn't get too far before they were crushed. I thought it was smarter to go in one of the caves, but I guess I was wrong. If anyone else survived, they're probably somewhere in the woods." Kyron sighed, slightly adjusting himself the best he could. "I know we aren't friends at all anymore, but for old time's sake, could you please just get me out of here? I'm pretty sure my legs are broken. I already passed out once earlier."
Sokan laughed briefly, the happy, carefree laugh you would expect from a high school senior. "I guess we'll get you outta there. I mean, I might not agree with you that you should have joined the Mora, but we'll take you back to our camp and fix you up there. Since you said it yourself, some of your tribe is probably still alive, we'll still keep you as a prisoner, but you'll actually be able to walk around and be a part of a tribe. You just would always be under surveillance until we can trust you more. Sounds good?" Sokan started carefully moving rocks away from Kyron's legs.
"Well, it doesn't sound like I'd have much of a choice, but it's better than being stuck under a pile of rocks." Kyron laid down, resting his hands behind his head. "It hurts so bad because it's hundreds of pounds of rocks just sitting on my legs. I did kinda get used to the pain though, you know? For the first 30 minutes, all I could do was cry out in pain. But now, I can actually talk and I'm honestly pretty chill. I know it's probably adrenaline or shock or something, but at least I wasn't crying like a baby when you found me."
After about twenty minutes of hard work, Kyron's legs were finally free. Lucas and Sokan put their arms in a way that Kyron was sitting up and began carrying him down the mountain. They had some trouble getting over the rock pile, but eventually they got back on solid ground.
"Can I ask you guys for a favor? Can you set me down over by those trees? It's not that you guys are doing anything wrong, it's just that my legs really are hurting and probably would feel better if they were extended." Kyron winced as they gently set him down.
"Better now? I really hope that we can get a move on fast. Night is coming soon, and the wolves have been out a lot recently." Sokan looked at the sun's position to judge about what time it was.
"Yeah, we can. Please forgive me." As Kyron said that, Ryuu and Jade came flying out of the trees, smacking both Lucas and Sokan on their heads with rocks. Both of them crumpled, and Jade ran over to Kyron.
"You idiot! I told you that you have to stand clear of the rocks after you pull the branch. You almost blew our cover!" She used two long sticks and the rope she had with her to make a stretcher for her and Ryuu to carry Kyron on. They made quick progress through the woods and through the ravine. When they got to the landslide, Jade showed Ryuu a secret.
"You know how this path was the only one clear to the camp, right?" She slowly walked up a small, rocky staircase that looked impassable. Ryuu carefully followed, making sure not to tip the stretcher too much.
"Jade, I appreciated you and Ryuu coming and getting me, but can you please try not to tip and shake me around so much? Also, you are a genius. Sokan and Lucas didn't even notice these stairs, or this other path." Kyron sat up, looking around.
"Kyron, if you want us to be able to hold you steadier, you need to lay down. Mostly because when you sit up, I can't see a thing in front of me. Also, your weight is less evenly distributed. So stop complaining unless you do your part and lay down." Ryuu sighed as she carefully maneuvered her way around a rock. Kyron listened to her, laying on his back. It wasn't until they got back to camp that anyone said anything.
"You should be able to get back into your cave now. We already cleared most of the rocks. Jade had come up with a plan to make the rocks easier to clear when she made the traps. She is amazing, I tell you." Ryuu's tone showed her massive respect for Jade as she went into detail about how Jade came up with the plan to clear the rocks. As she and Jade slowly set Kyron down, Chaiia and Jayson came running over.
"Oh my gosh, what happened? What did you do to yourself? Ryuu, please tell me you have some of those magic plants to help heal his legs up." Chaiia had the tone of a concerned mother.
"They aren't magic, they just are really, really amazing. Yes, I have some that would help, but I have to set his leg first." Ryuu glared for a second. "I wish Kyra was here. She's so much better at setting bones and first aid stuff than me, especially since her dad's a firefighter and her mom is an elementary school nurse, and her brother is an EMT. They did all teach me a bit, so I should be able to do it. Um, this is going to hurt. A lot." Ryuu quickly set his left leg, and Kyron flinched so bad he punched Jayson in the stomach.
"Dude! What the heck? That hurt!" Jayson was holding his stomach, but he was laughing. "Hit me a little harder, why don't you? Ouch!" Kyron hit him again when Ryuu set his other leg. She quickly put both legs in splints before pulling out a few leaves.
"Eat these. Most of my plants are used as teas, but these ones, in order to work as a group, have to be eaten. These plants are an acquired taste, so please don't spit them out. If you do, they won't work anymore." Ryuu quickly shoved the leaves into Kyron's mouth, covering it with one hand and plugging his nose with the other. He chewed and swallowed reluctantly, right before passing out.
"Crap. I forgot that one of the plants always works best when they're asleep, so it has tranquilizing properties. Good thing we didn't take him off the stretcher yet." Ryuu grabbed her side of the stretcher and Jade grabbed the other, carrying Kyron to the same cave where Rune was sleeping. After they had set Kyron down, Ryuu ran over to Rune, listening to his breathing and putting a hand on his chest, feeling his ribs to see how they were healing.
"His lungs sound good, and his ribs are healing pretty nicely. I do have to do one more thing to help him heal faster. I'll be right back." Ryuu ran to her cave, and Jade turned to Chaiia.
"I can't believe how brilliant Kyra's cousin is. I mean, she just came to Perryhill this year, and was kinda a misfit at first, but we learned to like her as she was around Kyra and the rest of us. I didn't really understand just how brilliantly smart she was until now. I mean, her fighting with those staffs she made? Or all these plant things? I mean, what the crap?" Jade shook her head. "I wonder what else she has to surprise us, or what Kyra does. I mean, Ryuu's our best first aid person, and she said that Kyra is even better than her. What does that even mean?"
Chaiia smiled as Ryuu walked in, chewing something as she went. She held a small stone bowl that was empty. She gave whatever she had in her mouth a final chew before spitting the slimy, green glob of goo into the bowl.
"For your information, Kyra is good with the actual first aid things, like CPR and tourniquets and splinting bones. I'm decent at some of those things, but I'm a lot better with plants. Kyra has a little bit of talent there, but I'm a lot better than her." Ryuu grabbed a small leaf out of her pouch hanging from her waist and crumpled it up, throwing it in the bowl. She added a few drops of water and grabbed a little bit of the dust off of the ground and threw it into the mix. She combined it all together with her hands before looking at Jade, her face serious.
"This is going to get awkward. I need one of you to take off his shirt so I can put this mix on his chest. It'll absorb into his skin, helping his lungs to heal faster and to get repaired back to perfection. I would do it, but my hand is currently covered in leaf pulp." Ryuu looked between Jade and Chaiia, wondering who would be the one to do it. Chaiia got up and took off his shirt, and Ryuu proceeded to smear the paste all over his chest.
"Now, we wait. In about 20 minutes, I'll take it off. In the meantime, we should talk." Ryuu sat down on the ground. "How are we going to save Kyra?"
Jade looked at the cracks in the floor. "I really don't know. I mean, the Boka think we've scattered into the woods since they found our caves in shambles, so at least they won't look for us here. Honestly, all of our plans we've had as of late have all failed because of Laila. She's too smart. We need to find a way to beat her. Get around her brains and find the most unpredictable way possible to save her. We need to do it now."