Batya ran with all the might she could gather, she didn't know if it was safe to go back to the hut or not but she had rather die by her knight's sword than become some monster's food.
She still clutched the injured rabbit to her chest and protected it more than she was protecting herself, if there is one thing she had learned from her mother, it was to run when the need comes and never look back only do when you think you are safe, back to the hut she stopped before the door and looked back. It was still there, the growl was low now and barely heard but those pair of fiery red eyes still blazed with purpose right in the darkness, it lurked as if waiting for the opportune moment to attack, what was that? Batya found her thoughts and asked.
'The Feeder'... the voice replied in her head and she frowned, so it had been there all the while and it hadn't warned her of the danger ahead?
'He is not here for you'... the voice told her and she frowned deeper, puzzled. He?
'If not then...'
'What do you think, your friend told you about the feeder, you should know who he is here for...' the voice replied...
She stood outside the the door, still waiting, it wasn't here for her, she had no reason to run from it. Him? Hadn't Sarah promised to seal off his scent, how come he could sense it so fast? The old door creaked open, startling her, she sighed with relief when it was only Hagar who came out. she was still a little scared of how that sword had flown over her head a while ago and decapitated her.
The young woman looked at the princess with worry...
"What's that?"....Hagar asked when she saw her choking the poor animal to death, Batya noticed her cruelty and she quickly released it... she looked towards the bushes into the dark where she had seen those pair of eyes... horrified she nervously handed the rabbit to Hagar.
"I saw something in the dark when I was rescuing this poor soul..." she informed the Thulian and the latter frowned with confusion.
"In the bushes? Did you go out into the dark at the hour Batya? That was dangerous, this place isn't as harmless as it looks during the day, and that forest isn't all green and wild..."
"I saw something..." Batya calmed her nerves and tried to speak... "I saw these pair of eyes, they were fiery red and very unfriendly..."
"red eyes?"...Hagar stretched her and a slender black sword appeared in her hand with a swish...she looked determined to find out whatever that was hiding behind those thick bushes, further into the forest...
Hagar signaled Batya to wait whiles she checked it out...she walked slower, her steps calculated, she needed to find this thing and destroy it if her abilities made it capable, if not Sarah should be here in a minute to help.
Batya watched as she disappeared into the dark, she waited, one minute, nothing, two minutes still nothing, she even called her name but no response, she needed to call for help if only she was powerful enough or she had the guts to act, she did not want to use the curse's power, she didn't want it to consume her for the more she used it the more she was preparing her body to be familiar with it...
She found Sarah still seated in the same position she had left her, and so was Caden, his eyes still closed, though the flying sword lay obediently by Caden's side, the atmosphere was still the same and the circle of fire was still alive, judging by the situation, it will be dangerous to interrupt...maybe fatal especially for Caden since his blood was drawn... having no other choice, Batya went back out and waited in front of the hut for Hagar, she waited for a while. She had run out of patience when she saw her coming out. She walked in a slow, unnatural manner, something was wrong...alarmed she ran towards her friend to meet her, but to her dismay, she bled through her mouth and in her stomach was a hole, that went through her back, she was hurt...
"Sarah!"...she called out, her heart beating fast as she held bleeding Hagar in her arms, her eyes glued to the pair of fiery red eyes that stared back at her, still hiding behind the bushes, still in the dark...then the low growl...
This was getting out of hand, the feeder or whatever it was called had attacked Hagar and hurt her, she didn't know the side effects of using the curse's power but she had to try. Laying her friend gently on the grass...she proceeded to treat her. Till now she found the idea of her mother teaching her the healing technique to be useless, she knelt by the patient and laid her hand gently on the wound, and focus her uncorrupted essence into the body, it took quite a lot of time for the treatment to start, she noticed her natural essence had fought with the dark energy in her and thus made the process slower, but it was working.
She focused the small light that filled her palms on the wound and poured it into it, her skills at healing weren't as powerful as her mother but with the little she had learned, she should be able to close a wound.
'Retract!'... the voice, guided her again, it seemed to come to her aid when she was in need of it and not at her disposal.
'The feeder's essence is similar to that of the curse, extracting its essence into your own and the wound will heal'...
She followed the instructions, she hadn't thought of this, both were dark energies, if she extract the feeder's energy from the wound to her own body, it shouldn't do her any harm. She retracted and did as told, marveling at the result, she felt the dark power surging through her veins until she absorbed all the dark essence in the wound, she saw Hagar, writhe and fights the dark energy, and when her body laid still, Batya knew it was time for healing, she was sweating profusely, she didn't know how long she knelt there by Hagar's side but the wound closed up, all was left was for to wake up.
Drained, she couldn't hold herself anymore, Hagar was out of danger that was all that mattered, she gave in to the darkness that welcomed her as her eyes closed, and she fell unconscious by Hagar's side.
Unconscious, she did not hear the low growl even as it got closer to her, those pair of fiery red eyes, looked directly at her body as it lay vulnerably on the grass.