Sisters in Arms

8

Annabelle POV

I rocked a little in my saddle, fiddling with the simple brass hooks on my reins. I was more than a little embarrased at my lateness. I had arranged to say goodbye to James in the stables before dawn, and couldn't tear myself away from the conversation. Thinking of James made me fiddle with my reins even more. I couldn't let this show, I already suspected Rilla had noticed the dirt from the stables, from when James pushed me over because I said I was more powerful than him. Well, I am, just in a different way. I straightened up and atempted to rub the dirt off my nose. We were coming to the edge of my hunting grounds. The trees thickened, the woods shifted to an eerie sort of twilight and I felt the tension mount in our trio as Josephine's attempts at idle conversation melted away. I could sense from the temperature that it was roughly midday. Time to hunt.

I nodded at Rilla. Though we hadn't exactly hit it off, we were both hunters, and hunters can communicate instinctively with other hunters. I dismounted my horse and tied it to a tree. Rilla and I stalked through the trees for a minute before spotting a rabbit, a good sized one. My arrow flew through its paw, and Rilla's quick sword meant it was all over. I wasn't sure what to do with it, I didn't want to risk a fire, but immediately to my left I saw a spark of gold in Josephines eyes. I looked at the rabbit in Rilla's small hands. She was staring with fear at the now perfectly cooked rabbit.

"Guess we wont be needing a fire" I said shakily.

We ate our shares of meat in silence, as day turned to night and we were forced to camp in adjacent willow trees. Day one was over. We were now too far away to go back home.

"So" said Rilla, to everyone's surprise. "The weather."

"Yeah" I said, eager to keep conversation going. "It's, umm, so.. Dark."

Oh dear. I was about to change the subject to Josephine's magic, but the crack of a branch sent an arrow to my shoulder. It was no rabbit, not even a deer.

"Bandits" I warned my fellow travellers. The bandits moved quickly, but not silently, and Rilla had already unsheathed her sword and I had an arrow ready. Our reflexes born from hunting were impeccable and we were taking them down with ease.

Unfortunately, more came charging down into the valley towards us. They had the advantage of numbers. Majorly.

Suddenly, they were all blown backwards and at least knocked out or dead.

"Run." Josephine muttered. "Run!" she said more impatiently. "There might be more."

So we took the horses and ran until we came across a fairly shallow cave that we set up camp in once again. Rain patterned down, I was immensely grateful for the shelter.

"So," I began. There was really no avoiding this...