Ways Of Reality - The Untouched Scenes

A New Home

The leaves crunched under falling feet, but it was otherwise silent. They couldn't make much noise, or they would be caught. They were so far into this journey, almost to safety now, getting caught would be the worst.

Jasper still marveled at all the nature around. He admittedly was scared of everything going on, he knew how dangerous this was, the chances of actually making it out being small, but he couldn't help but to actually enjoy the scenery around him. Who knew the world was so big? That trees could be so tall? Books could never amount to the real thing- as great as he thought they were. The basement of the little Wanderer shack he lived in for so long was all he knew, that the real world– all this? Was as magnificent as it was overwhelming.

They had been going on for weeks now, and they were close. Edith predicted they'd be there by nightfall or the next morning if they were lucky enough to not get caught before then. The security around the wall to the Otherlands was always strong... just like the security along all the borders– Hunting sector or not. That meant an increase in traps, hunters, whatever they could use to help catch people.

Thomas stopped, not bothering to tell the others why. Jasper stopped as he would have run into him otherwise, but it took a minute till Edith realized the boys had stopped, to which she made her husband stop too.

Irritated, George had moved his hand in a motion which was to encourage them to hurry up and come with them. Still, Thomas didn't move, and Jasper watched him with confusion.

"Something's up." Thomas whispered to Jasper, but from the way he kept turning his head, it was clear he couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from. Being from the hunting sector himself, his senses were extremely sensitive, an adaptation to be able to hunt better. He wasn't a fan of it normally, but he had to use it to help them– at least for one more day.

Jasper's wings pressed closer to his back as if he was shrinking in on himself, and George and Edith could tell something was up now too, starting to make their way back to the boys.

Before they could make it, an elk that must have been 40 feet tall bounded out of the brush between two trees and charged madly out into the woods- thousands of pounds it was, leaping away and shaking the earth with it. Shaken, the boys immediately crouched down after having been so close to the beast. It could have crushed them in one step!

Then, out of the brush the elk came from, three hunters darted out, running swiftly as they could in the direction the elk was running. The animal could surely outrun them, but they probably hoped it would tire out and they could kill it easier then. Realizing the hunters were there, George and Edith instinctively hid as quickly as possible in order to not be seen. Thomas and Jasper were almost as fast, pressing against and into the giant wall of the dark foliage.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Jasper let out a shout, and out of fear, Thomas leaned over and muffled him with his hand, trying to keep him still and quiet.

"What are you doing?" He whispered at the other angrily, grabbing his wrist with his one free hand and pulling him down further in hopes they'd be out of sight from the hunters. "You'll get us killed!"

And, like it was straight from a nightmare, Thomas felt a pair of eyes land on him, and he couldn't help but look back. Out in the field was only one of the previous three hunters that had lingered behind, but she was just a child. She stared curiously and looked around for a moment, like she had lost what she was looking at. Her attention changed from him and Jasper in the brush to another hunter in a moment, who she looked up to. Thomas could hear their conversation from where he was.

"What are you waiting up on, Fran?" He squatted down next to her to be on her level.

"I thought there were other people out here." She told him, searching again for them across the way.