Fighting For Her Heart (gxg)

5

The night was quiet I was first on watch Calvin was the one to relive me I set down on a mat next to Vanessa to my left and then Noelle to my right I slept peacefully before waking up to a barely rising sun as whoever was on watch last went to get everyone up.

"Vanessa get up time to move," I said giving her a shake.

"Why what is it bandits, monsters," She said.

"Sunrise," I said with a chuckle.

"So early," Vanessa said.

"Early isn't safe out here," I said.

"She's right in the early hours of the morning you don't want to be caught out here alone or with your guard down, particularly in this part of the forest," Calvin said as he got up.

"Why," Vanessa said now looking scared.

There was then a shrill and early scream from something that I recognised I just couldn't remember where but I knew it was bad.

"Because whatever made that scream isn't friendly, I know because I have heard it before," I said as the men who heard what I said began packing up faster.

"Before we go any further you each need one of these" Noelle said handing us each a hooded brown cloak.

"What are these for," One of the guards asked looking at the cloak.

"There enchanted with a spell that will help you handle the heat of my lands you'll need them when we get to the Neko territory, I hear your race had problems with the heat there," Noelle said.

"Thanks," I said.

We were all on our horses and making our way down a thorny yet clary marked pathway everyone seems to be fine yet I was on edge I got the feeling we were being watched yet every time I checked the forest around us I saw nothing. The more we walked and the more on edge I was getting my mind kept returning to the shrieking sound we heard earlier it was pissing me off that I was unable to remember where I had heard it before. It was like every time I tried to come up with a mental image of the creature but just as I draw a blank I was beginning to give up when I saw it the creature but not in my mind it lept from the trees and was sinking its teeth into Clavin's horse only barely missing his leg. The other horses freaked and we were all thrown off and landed on the ground I was quick to recover sadly others were not and I got up just in time to see the huge spider dig its pincers into a man's chest. His armour was useless the pincers went through his chest and out his back the spider then shook its head and the man was thrown off into trees. He was then dragged off by yet another spider. While seeing him being dragged off I realised why this place made me on edge it was crawling with these things it was their natural habitat.

"Clavin we have to leave" I yelled.

"Where" He yelled back I mean there was a huge spider between us.

"Back the way we came" I yelled.

"But that will take days off our journey" He retorted.

"It won't matter how long it takes to get there if we don't make it there at all" I yelled.

"Fine but how," Clavin said.

"I will keep it distracted while you sneak around from behind it," I said readying my sword.

"You may not have to," Noelle said who I now only realised was right next to me.

"What," I said.

I barely had enough time to get another word out as another huge spider easily twice the size of the first bashed through the trees and sank its own pincers into the first. As the first one shrieked in pain and thrashed at the bigger one I saw the opportunity for the others to run and yelled and they moved toward me and when they were all on my side of the battle we ran out of the thorny trees we had made our way in one. We all made it out well except for one of us as we caught our breath out of range of the spiders I walked up to the Neko I had a big question one that needed an answer.

"How... How did you... How did you know that the other one was coming," I said.

"My Neko eras can hear up to 400 meters but using them slows down my reaction time," Noelle said.

"Really, that's incredible," I said Noelle nodding.

"Well looks like we'll be making the journey on foot from here on out," Clavin said.

"Then let's quit wasting time," Thomas said and the others nodded.

We made our way around the spider-infested forest and soon were well on our way to the land of the Nekos but we first had to make it through another problem we were dangerously close to the land of the Elves and they didn't like us humans that much. We were doing a good job at the beginning of keeping ourselves out of sight and not ruining into any Elves but sadly that was short-lived as I was about to take another step but I was stopped by an arrow that was too close for comfort.

"We normally shoot humans who wander too close to our borders but we noticed you have a Neko with you and would like to know why," An elf said as he appeared from behind the others.

"We are here on a journey that does not concern you we have no quarrel with your people if you will allow us to leave then we will go and there will be no bloodshed," I said.

"And who are you to address me in such a way," He said.

"Isa of the mountain region and princess of the mountain kingdom," I said stepping forward asserting my power.

"I see well how about this Neko, a slave, I am prepared to buy her off you," He said and was quickly hit in the face by Noelle.

"I would be more careful when addressing a royal Neko if I were you," I said.

"Fine get out but know that if you tread on to our land upon returning to your kingdom you will be shot," He said and the elves all lowered their bows before parting to let us pass.

We had been walking for another few hours before the sun began to dip again and we set up our camp as far away from the elves as possible before we bunked down for the night I was on the first watch and felt better knowing that we were closer than I had realised to the Neko homeland.