Thule; The Feeder
Batya remained outside of the hut for the rest of the evening. She was scared the sword of Caden might fly again and attack her in case she comes into contact with it and she didn't want to die cursed, no, she wouldn't accept this fate.
Who would have thought that the person sent to protect her will be the most dangerous of all her enemies? Funny, fate was playing a trick on her. Now this barrier set by Sarah protects her, but for how long, what if this barrier is broken when the portal is opened and they go back to their world and continue their journey?
At this point, she couldn't help but think of the voice that guides her once in a while, who is he? Will they ever meet in this lifetime?
Who then will protect her? She hasn't been blessed enough to wield special skills like her mother or brother, she wasn't good at defense against attack, she only knew how to cower in silence when the enemy approached and waited for her knight to come to her rescue. For years she believed she was capable of protecting herself from the danger that lurked in the dark, she had no idea that warding off angry wolves was just something powerless people like her did, so back to her question, who will protect her? Against those who wish her dead, of course, her knight is there to finish the course but who will protect her against him, who will protect that sensitive sword from lighting up on its own and attacking her?
Batya who was still lost in her thoughts and scared for the hard times ahead, got startled when she heard a sound in the bushes nearby.
Naturally curious, she got up and moved towards the bush, it was dark yet the fireflies tonight decided not to come out and play, not even the cries of crickets or the tweets of birds were heard, everything was just quiet, as if something had scared them off.
She moved towards the bush and drew her scarf tighter around her face in case a person appeared and saw her all scalded, if Caden was here he will rebuke her and tell her to call for help whenever she felt something funny happening about her, well for one, nothing funny was happening, it could just be an injured animal seeking for help, nothing to run from.
She ventured nearer to where the bushes kept moving unnaturally, the atmosphere turned eerie but she wasn't scared, not when her curiosity had kicked in. With the moonlight guiding her, she was aided by her ability to see better at night, a weird skill though, but it was helping her.
She was lost in her search for a supposed injured animal that needed help that she forgot about the only code Sarah had told them in Thule, do not venture out alone especially at night and more especially into the woods. She turned behind her and saw the hut hidden behind the bushes, she should get back now. She didn't know what had caused the shake in the bushes but it certainly wasn't what she had thought, she hadn't seen an injured animal so far, so she had been mistaken.
She turned to go back when she spotted not far from her, a small white rabbit lying on its side, her heart went out to the little animal and moved towards it, turning it carefully she saw that the left of her tiny foot was bleeding, it was an injured animal after all, not a bird but a rabbit. She picked it up slowly and it winced, she felt her heartache...
"Oh, poor you. Who had done this to you?"...she said to the animal in her softest voice and patted it, rubbing the spotless fur, and she promised to nurse it back to health…
She carried the animal to her chest and turned to her left where the path to the hut led to go fulfill her promise, Sarah will be glad to help her. However, she noticed something else move, farther where the bushes got thicker and it led to the forest, her curious part kicked in again and she furrowed her brows hoping there weren't more injured rabbits, she thoughts frustrated already, she didn't know how she will feel about seeing more than one injured animal.
Then she heard it, a low growl, she hadn't heard wrong, then she heard it again, a growl. Low and long and very terrifying, her heart skipped a beat, she started to regret her decision for coming here, do not go into the woods alone, those were Sarah's words, especially at night, she had added but she had dismissed that code and she has succeeded in rescuing a wounded rabbit but faced with a hiding wild animal. What could it be, what animal, was it even an animal? Thule wasn't like the outside world, she wasn't familiar with the things in Thule or the dangers they brought, and she hadn't heard Hagar telling her about wild animals in the land, so it was natural for her to conclude, that the only danger they faced here was from their king and none else, then she hears a growl, a human couldn't possibly make such a deep and scary growl like that, it was not possible.
she looked deeper into the darkest part of the night, right ahead into the forest... and she almost screamed when she suddenly met a pair of red fiery eyes.
She looked again and this time she saw it, a pair of fiery red eyes, those eyes don't look friendly, she tried looking further, trying to see what hid behind those eyes, but nothing just pitch black her sight failed her and then she saw those eyes, moving closer to her...she felt her feet moving on its own back towards the hut where she will be safe from this unknown danger...
Another growl, this time louder and fiercer, she screamed and quickened her steps, clutching the whimpering rabbit to her chest, she made a run back to the hut...her heart beating so fast she feared it might burst...
'Caden'...she thought, her mind calling for her knight.., 'Help me!'...