The Maiden's Mystery

Chapter 3

"Get. Away. From. HER!!" the man shouted and shot in the air. The cougars snarled at him as they ran into the bushes. "Are you alright?" he asked Emily, as he walked over. Before Emily could reply, she saw the cougars coming back from behind. "LOOK OUT!!" she screamed, but her warning came too late. The stranger struggled against the wild beasts. Emily was frightened, but she decided to try to help the man. She picked up some rocks and threw them at the cougars. "Hey! Get off of him!" she called out. "Why don't you pick on some one your own size?!" The animals looked over at her and slowly made their way towards her. "Uh oh..." she thought in terror as the got closer and closer. "I-I said pick on s-some one y-your own s-size.." Emily's voice trembled as she realized the danger she was in. Just then, a shot rang out. The cougars looked behind them and back at Emily. Another shot sounded. Emily looked and saw the man. He was badly hurt, but he was firing the shots, trying to get the animals away from her. The cougars didn't acknowledge the shot this time. Instead, they continued making their way towards their prey. Immediately, the stranger shot at the cougars. He hit one! The other saw this and looked behind him. The stranger fired another warning shot and the cougar ran away, not wanting to meet his fate like his friend had. The man looked at Emily before passing out. Emily ran over to him. She knelt beside him and smiled. "He may be mean and cold on the outside....But surely, deep down, he's a kind hearted man.." she thought to herself. With some difficulty, she finally managed to bring him back to his cabin and put him in his bed. She cleaned and dressed his wounds before bandaging them. After several minutes, the man regained consciousness. He looked at his wounds, which were now carefully wrapped in bandages. "I see your awake, sir. I'm glad. How do you feel?" Emily asked with a kind smile, as she carried a tray of soup for the man. "Um..Ok...Thanks.." he answered. "But, why did you help me? Why are you so kind to me? I have been nothing but rude to you." Emily sat on the edge of his bed and put the bowl on the nightstand. "I've learned, that you should love your enemies. And treat others the way you want to be treated.  I've had a lot of practice in this field, trust me. It's not always easy. Sometimes, I will admit, there are times I just want to lash out. But I know it's wrong. And I think, that people who are very mean and rude, like you, they're the ones that probably need kindness the most. They're the ones who need a friend the most." He looked at her curiously. "Now here, you should eat something. I made you this soup." She picked up the soup bowl and handed it to him. "I'll be right in the kitchen if you need me. If you need me, just call." she said before getting up and walking towards the door. "Wait!" the man said quickly, making her turn around. "Um...Thank you, Miss Emily.." he said quietly. "Of course, sir." she smiled. "Um..Please, just call me Zaiden.." She nodded. "Alright, Zaiden. If you will call me, Emily." "Ok...Emily..." he mumbled. With that, Emily left the room. Zaiden gave a small smile. This girl was....different. She was so kind, and so special.

 Over time, the two got closer. Zaiden's wounds healed with the careful and gentle care of Emily. The maiden enjoyed her time with Zaiden. And Zaiden likewise. There were still times she missed her town and her friends, but she had a lot of fun with Zaiden. 

 Anna and Robin arrived in the town. They went to her house, but there was no answer when they knocked on her door. They asked around but no one had seen her in several weeks. They began to grow concerned. They checked into a motel and thought about what their next move would be. They had to find their friend. They went into the woods, but they couldn't find any clues as to her whereabouts. When they got back, Robin told Anna about the text she had gotten from Emily. When she felt like she was being watched and followed. Both felt that this surely had something to do with their friend's disappearance. "How do we find out who was following her? Do you think she was kidnapped?" Anna asked. "I wish I could answer those questions. But for now, I think we might just have to wait.." Robin replied. Neither girl liked that answer. But, it was all they could do. They had looked everywhere Emily could possibly be and hadn't found her. They went to the woods everyday and looked around. Sometimes, just sitting under the tree and enjoying the scenery. "Emily was right. This is nice." Robin thought as she sat under the tree. "I hope we find her..I hope she's ok.."