A World Found--Book 1

Chapter 9

Freya wrinkled her nose; she was picking up a strong scent. It wasn't a bad sent, but it wasn't Zoe, and it wasn't the Monkins. Her eye lid cracked open. 

The young man from before face was leaning right over hers. He pressed his face closer. "Hello." Freya shouted out "Oh my god!" She kicked him in the stomach, and he stumbled backward. 

She jumped to her feet and swung her leg at his face. With the fastest reflexes she had ever seen, he grabbed her foot and pushed her backward. She rolled away as his foot kicked at her face. She climbed swiftly to her feet and pulled the gun from its holster. 

She cocked it. "Don't move." She blew a strand of hair out of her face. He sighed. "I've seen one of those before. Alright" he held his hand up. There was a growl and then the largest wolf Freya had ever seen jumped into the mouth of the cave.

 Freya trained the gun on the wolf. "Call it off, call it off!" she yelled. The wolf lunged at her, and she pulled the trigger. 'click' no, she had made sure there were bullets! That man! He must have taken the bullets before she woke up! 

She leapt to the left and the wolf slammed into the wall. Freya scanned the cave, Zoe and the Monkin was gone. The man grabbed for her tackling her to the ground. "Sneaked out, did you? Midnight walks?" 

He slammed her face into the ground, Freya groaned in pain, tasting the blood dripping from her mouth. Freya kicked her legs as she tried to roll him off her back. He twisted her arms behind her back. "Humans, so typical." he grabbed her hair and pulled her face up, he leaned in. "I don't care if you're a mix." "Uzu! That's enough!" 

The man let go of Freyas hair and her head smacked back to the floor. She groaned as blood started to dribble down her nose. "Get off her Uzu, you're the best they say, and yet you're treating a lady like this?" 

Freya felt the weight leave her back and she struggled to her feet. She pressed her palm to her nose to stop the bleeding. Two more wolfs had joined them in the cave, an older man bowed his head to Freya. 

"Captain Uzu does not know his own strength." his wrinkled face smiled. "We have found you at last, you travel fast Fey." Freya glared at the man. "Where is my friend." she spit out. The man chuckled "she was a fisty one, you do not understand how dangerous it is for you to be out here. She is safe with the other men." 

The old man held up Zoes rifle. "Nearly killed one of my men." he chuckled and slung the rifle around his shoulder. Freya did not trust them, and this Captain Uzu was worse. "Leave us alone, give me my friend." 

The old man's smile disappeared. "Please, we only want to help, we saved you from the Yeth, did we not? We followed you through the city, on the roof tops making sure they did not kill you." Freya stared at the old man. 

"You were there all along? What about the others?! Huh! you saw them die right!?" The old man winched. "I am sorry, to be truthful we were going leave you as well, that is till Captain Uzu showed up."

 Freya glanced sideways at the man to her left, he stiffened. The old man bowed his head again. "Please, we are trying to make it up to you." Freya bit her lips to keep for lashing out at the man. Really, she didn't have a choice, three large wolves guarded the entrance to the cave and they had Zoe. 

But why? Why did they care? "Okay, I'll come with you." Uzu held out his hand "The weapon." Freya pulled the knife from the sheath and placed it unwillingly into his outstretched hand. Freya walked back to her bag and her rifle; she slung the backpack over her shoulder. She handed the rifle to the captain. 

He shouldered the strap. The old man nodding gave a command to a wolf and it knelt. He pulled himself up and the wolf leapt out of the cave. Uzu pulled his hood over his head, pulling the mask over his mouth and nose. "Hite!" one of the wolves knelt and he jumped onto it's back. 

He nodded behind him. Freya gritted her teeth. "I'm not riding with you." The captain jerked his head behind him. "let's go, I won't wait." Freya took a flattering step toward the large beast. It wasn't that it scared her, but heights, that was another thing. The wolf's head whipped around, and it snarled at her as she reached its side. 

She sighed and patted its head. It dropped the snarl and whimpered. It lowered its head and allowed Freya to pet it. Uzu stiffened, then he held out his arm. Freya gripped it and was swung up behind him. She folded her arms across her chest.

 "Hold on.' Uzu muttered. Yeah right. Freya nearly fell off as the wolf leapt off the cave's ledge and down into the crater. Freya yelped and wrapped her arms around Uzu's waist. Wind rushed past them as the wolf leapt from rock to rock up the side of the crater. 

Freyas grip tighten as she looked back down into the crater. They reached the top and the wolf stopped. More men atop wolves greeted them. Freya slid down the wolf and swayed a bit on her feet. 

"Fey!" Zoe threw her arms around her friend. "I am so sorry. They jumped on me! I looked away for a second! The Monkin ran off and I can't find him!" Freya patted her friends back weakly. Zoe pulled back. "Are you all, right? Your turning pale."

 Freya traced her scar; it had started to become a habit. "I'm fine." A man tapped Zoes shoulder and nodded toward a wolf. Zoe smiled at him and nodded. She turned to go, she stopped and turned back around "We are going with them, right? Now that we can't get home it might safer." Freya shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I guess." 

Zoe smiled and clapped her hands. "I feel safer already!" the man helped her up onto the wolf, she leaned into him, and Freya watched as her mouth opened and closed nonstop. She was chatty. 

Uzu's wolf trotted up behind her. He held out his arm as the other wolves started to dash off across the prairie. Freya took a deep breath; she could do this. But Freya seemed frozen to the spot. 

Uzu grabbed her under her arms and set her in front of him. He placed her hands on a bar of leather that came from the wolf's thick white fur. He gave a command and the wolf leapt forward, speeding up to catch up to the rest. 

Freya bent over and gripped the handle tightly as the wolf sped up. How could this get worse? Her breath came in quick shallow breaths, and she could do nothing to control it. How could this scare her? Just then the wolf started to leap up and down as it bounded through the tall grass. 

Freya felt the vile raising in her throat. "Make it go slower!" she yelled over the wind. The wolf only sped up. Freya's knuckles turned white as she clenched the thin leather bar. "Please stop it scares me!" she opened her eyes as the wolf stopped leaping and it slowed it sped to a trot.

 She took a shaky breath and knelt her head to her chest. She heard Zoe giggle next to her, another wolf trotted next to them. Zoe had her arm wrapped around the man's waist, but the grip wasn't as tight as Freyas was on the bar. 

"Isn't this fun Fey?" Freya closed her eyes. "Sure." How was she so carefree? The moons shone brightly over the rolling hills of blue grass. 

The wolves trotting through the grass made a rhythmic song, and Freya realized how tired she was, Freya had realized years ago that spending too much time in the sun she'd get tired, and her skin would blister, the woman at the Children care took her to a doctor, but the doctor told them she had sensitive skin, and to keep sunscreen on at all times.

 Freya sighed how could she had known a few weeks ago she'd be on a planet, surrounded by death but also beauty. Freya's head nodded and she blinked, trying to stay awake. She'd fall off the wolf if she fell asleep. But sleep called to her, and she came without knowing. 

Uzu let her head rest against him.