Eladea: A Hopeless Age

Chapter 31: Liam

Chapter 31: Liam's POV

Heyooooo- anyway um yeah uh this one was kinda difficult and kinda painful to write just because I really didn't want to but it's whatever-

Anyway have fun

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"Do you hear that?" Kate whispers harshly into my ear. I grumble an unintelligible answer as I roll over onto my back. "Get up!" She whispers again, shaking my shoulder. I groan, pulling myself into a sitting position and try to wipe the sleep from my eyes.

"Kate the suns not even up yet…" I complain as she moves on to wake up the sleeping form of Reid, my voice gravelly and low.

"I heard something." She says in a low voice, flicking Amber's ear in frustration when she doesn't react.

"So? Why'd you have to wake us up so early? I'm tired." I yawn, stretching my arms above my head. Reid slowly sits up, and Amber just rolls over onto her other side.

"This is serious!" Kate whispers harshly. "Amber, get up!" She hisses. Kate clambers over to her bedroll and grabs her sword, unsheathing it carefully. It's then I realize that there wasn't just a noise, there's a threat.

I try to wake myself up as I climb to my feet, my limbs stiff and sore. Reid does the same, realizing the situation as well. Kate doesn't draw her sword for just anything. I see Amber raise her head groggily, and let out a long groan before moving to get up.

And then I hear a sharp snapping sound. It comes from the forest not too far away. I whip my head around and slowly back behind Kate, who's wielding her sword defensively, her whole body tense with the anticipation of a fight. Amber draws herself up to her full height and watches the woods with her sharp eyes, her ears twitching at every small sound.

A moment later birds shoot into the air, disrupted by something. Kate shifts her footing, rolling her shoulders. Getting ready to fight, Amber coils back, flexing her claws. I grab Reid, ready to make a bolt towards Amber for a quick escape.

Kate stares forward, her legs wide in an attack stance and her sword gripped in both hands. There's a tense silence for a few, long moments. No one breathes, it's as if the whole island groes still, listening for any small sound. It's almost long enough for me to convince myself it was just a fox or some other small creature. But that was right before a man comes stumbling out of the forest.

He's lucky he stopped walking when he did, or else Kate would have taken his head clean off. Instead, the razor sharp tip of her sword appears a centimeter from his throat a split second after he showed himself. It takes him a few moments to register what happened before his hands go up in an attempt to appear friendly.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Kate demands, her sentence punctuated by a low growl from Amber.

"My name's Lucian. I live on a tiny island near here. I came here to hunt." He raises his head to shrink back from the sword. Kate just stares at him. "May I ask why I'm being threatened?" He asks, his short beard brushing against the shiny metal. The only answer he gets is Amber's growl as she moves slightly more in front of me and Reid.

"I guess not? Well what's your name? You can at least tell me that." Once again he's met by silence. His eyes wander towards us, and they find mine. Something changes in him, though I don't know what. "What about you? What's your na-" he's cut off when Kate jabs her sword closer to him, making him shut up immediately, his ridiculous sunhat falling off his head, revealing his thinning dark hair.

"Do not. Ask them. Questions. You got me? You answer to me, and only me. Okay?" She speaks through clenched teeth and I watch in wonder. I've never seen Kate so threatening. She's really scary. Even so, I figure this has gone on long enough and I step out from behind Amber. She tries to stop me but I weasle my way around her and walk up to Kate.