Page 72 of Ruby
“It…” She hesitates, searching for the word. “Affection. It means I like you.Careabout you.”
I study her expression for deception and find none. My skin still feels warm where she touched me. The sensation lingers in a way not even a strike from my brothers would.
“Could just say,” I point out.
“I did,” she says lightly. “But this better.”
It is.
There is a strange tightening in my chest, not unpleasant. Not painful. Something steady and expanding at the same time. My instincts do not categorize it as threat or submission. It is something else.
I do not understand the mechanism. But I know I want it repeated.
She takes a long breath. “Did you…”
Before she sings the end of her sentence, a large shadow crosses our heads. We watch something akin to a large ball of mud and stone whiz across our head before landing on a tree, tearing it apart. I shield Ani with my body, weathering the rest of the tree. But that isn’t the end. We hear something and it drives me sharply to my feet, my drums straining to listen closely. Something is approaching, very quickly and briskly.
The tremor on the ground is enough for us to both know it isn’t Azoeul so we quicken our steps. I abandon the bundle and therest of the fruits, picking Ani up so we can run. If the hunters find us and take Ani again… I cannot even imagine what would happen then.
The tremors grow closer and soon enough, they will outmatch my pace. My eyes dart around, looking for something. Another projectile flies over our head, crashing into another tree. I fold Ani into my arms and shield my eyes with a free hand, so the flying debris won’t affect my vision.
“You need hide,” I whisper to her, still searching for the best place. Somewhere she can stay so we will not be found easily.
I can’t lose her again.
Hope is sometimes useless… but only if you give up. When I lift my eyes, I find it. It’s a tree, thicker and sturdier than the others. There’s a hollow in it, covered by surrounding trees. If someone as small as Ani hides in it, she’ll be hard to find. I dive for it, going the fastest I’ve ever gone on land. When I reach the tree, I push her in and she tumbles in, complaining.
Before I can dart off again, she moves faster than I have ever seen her move, daring out her grip to the hand closest to her, tugging me back. “Do not leave.”
“I must,” I sing solemnly, pulling my hand away. Her grip is strong but I’m stronger, soon gaining the upper hand. I don’t have much time left to run so she can hide.
“Please stay. I return,” I promise her before I run out again, feeling the tremors growing closer.
The familiar squelching sound from the hunters reaches my drums before I see them. They’re faster on land than I am but they are much smaller. Another projectile flies over my head, hitting a tree.
They’re tracking just me. Good.
I maneuver my way through the trees, making sure to circle around some other trees to confuse them. However, that doesn’t last for long. Soon, I’m ducking through smaller projectiles, fired by their weapons. They pierce the trees and smaller branches, bringing them down.
I cannot continue running like this. I need to fight back.
Without thinking much, I reach for the smaller branches, listen for a bit and toss it through the trees. I don’t have much hope of it working but surprisingly, I hear a screech behind me.
There are more branches either fallen by their projectiles or by other predators. I pick them up with all four hands, throwing consecutively toward my attackers. They’re shot down by their weapons but the debris from it gives me more time to pick up others.
I was lucky with the first shot, I know that much.
But luck is not enough to keep us alive. I need something. Something bigger and better. It’ll be more logical to hide but finding something like that would take more time.
Grabbing on another sturdier branch, I swing up the tree, climbing it. I scale up fast but one glance down reveals that theyhave caught up. They crowd around the tree, probably trying to take it down. More of them gather and it doesn’t seem like they know Ani isn’t with me. I am relieved they did not find her.
Living atop these trees is a horde of predatory birds. They will be protective of their eggs. There is a crowd of them gathering amongst the trees, drawn by the commotion, hoping to catch prey running from the hunters.
Unfortunately, on the tree I’ve climbed, there is no egg. But I don’t give up and glide to the next tree. My gliding has drawn the predatory birds to me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I finally locate a brooding spot and a few eggs. I swoop down and claim one, scrambling back down the tree.
Angry squawks accompany me to the ground as I hop toward the hunters with the egg cradled in one arm. Every muscle in my body is protesting this intensive movement but if I stop, I will die. The hunters spot me a second too late as I drop the egg on the one in the center. I tumble to the ground, making a rough landing.
Every part of my body wills me to stay down, but I lumber to my feet, running back to Ani. The birds catch up to the hunters at that exact moment, descending on them angrily. They shoot their weapons and try to disperse, screaming as sharp claws rake against wet flesh. I’m back wading through debris and uprooted ground, making a new set of tracks they can’t trace. I spot a new path we have not traveled before and dive toward it.
