The Rising of A Leader (Book 1)

Chapter 5 ~ A New Start

"Mark stop! Don't kill her!" Star screamed.
Mark held his bow tightly.
"I'm sorry Star."
Mark whispered and shot.
Mark looked away a little ashamed as Star started crying over the loss of her dead friend. Will let go of Star and she rushed over to her dead friend. But only she wasn't dead, the arrow that Mark had shot landed inches above her head. Star stopped crying and jumped up and hugged Mark.
"Star.... Can't.....Breathe!"
"Good!" Star laughed.
"I couldn't kill her even if I wanted too, one look at her eyes made me think. There is more to this world than revenge." Mark said coldly.
Star smiled and sat down next to Tala, she tried to smile but her eyes were turning gray as if she had been poisoned.
"Mark, Will she's dying!" Star called.
Mark bent down and looked at her wound and Will came over investigate the scene.
"What color were the wolves that attacked you?" Mark asked.
Star tried to think back but crying and thinking don't help each other.
"Um.....b-black and g-gray, but a black one bit Tala." Star remembered.
Mark muttered something under his breath and looked back at the wound.
Mark started to rip Tala's leggings when Star stopped him.
"What are you doing?"
"I need to see the wound better." Mark answered.
"Oh." Star felt stupid for asking.
Mark finished ripping and he could see the wound perfectly.
"She has been poisoned." He said after a while of examining.
"Poisoned........" Star choked.
"Can you help her?"
"Yeah but you're not gonna like it."
"Me or her?"
"Both." Mark answered.
Star nodded slowly and grabbed Tala's frozen hand and squeezed it gently and comforting.
"Tala, this may hurt a little but it will help." Star said calmly.
Tala slightly nodded her head knowing she didn't have the energy to scream in pain at all, she had lost too much blood.
Mark and Will grabbed Tala's leg around the would and started squeezing it. Tala instantly closed her eyes and you could see the strain in her face as she squeezed Star's hand.
A purple liquid started draining out of the wound, there wasn't much though.
As the last bit of liquid drained out the boys stopped and Tala stopped squeezing Star's hand and reopened her eyes. They were back to their normal pale blue color and some color was returning to her very pale skin.
"That was like instant! She looks 10 million times better already!" Star rejoiced.
"The poison was called sillícon, it slowly kills its victims but if it is extracted then the victim regains health very quickly." Will spoke.
Mark took Star's sock and tied it around Tala's wound tightly.
"We need to get her to our village." Star stroked Tala's red hair.
"Yeah, but we can't carry her all the way there." Will stated.
"Way ahead of ya man!" Star smiled.
"Vespera!" Star called.
The unicorn stopped grazing and trotted over to Star and nuzzled her shoulder.
Will started in pure awe (he has a thing for animals).
"A silver one too! Could this day get any better?" Will was overjoyed.
"Can one of ya boys put Tala on Vespera, I'd probably just drop her!" Star went a little red in the face.
Will gently picked up Tala and put her on Vespera and patted The unicorn on the shoulder.
"You're name fits you perfectly." Will whispered to Vespera.
Vespera snorted and adjusted to the weight of Tala on her back.
Tala was too weak to keep herself up and kept slipping off but Star pushed her back up.
"She's too weak, she can't even keep herself up." Star said worried. " I'll ride with her."
"No that's okay, you should walk with Will," Mark said nudging Star and she went deep red in the face. "I'll ride with her."
"As long as you don't kill her." Star warned.
"I promise." Mark promised and smiled.
"I'm watching you......"
Mark chuckled to himself and jumped on Vespera.
He put his arm around Tala's waist so she wouldn't fall off.
"I don't like this anymore than you do." Mark whispered.
Tala promised herself, 'I'm gonna kill him if he keeps his arm there.'
But before she knew it sleep took her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tala opened her eyes to a bright light. Blinking a few times to fully wake herself up, Tala slowly sat up but stopped when the slight pain her thigh hit her.
"Ouch!" She squealed.
Tala looked around the room which consisted only of a pile of wood, 4 chairs around a table, two beds, a furnace, and cupboards for food. In one of the chairs was a woman about the age of 31 with blonde hair and very pale skin.
Tala pulled the blanket off her legs and swung them over the bed, the pain in her leg was barely there but it still hurt.
Tala looked at the woman, she was asleep peacefully, but her eyes were red and puffy. It looked like she had been crying for a long time.
"Um, excuse me." Tala cleared her throat.
The woman's eyes popped open and when she saw Tala she jumped up and swiftly walked over to her.
"Are you felling better dear?" The woman asked.
"Yes much better, thank you, but could you tell me where I am?" Tala asked.
"Oh, yes of course, I'll call for Star and she'll tell you darling." The woman smiled.
The woman walked over to the door and called for Star.
"She is coming." The woman said.
Star came bursting through the door and hugged Tala.
"Don't ever do something like that again!" She said.
"I'm sorry." Tala patted Star on the head. (Tala is a bit taller than Star.)
"Does your leg hurt?" Star asked.
"No, not really. But can you tell me what happened?" Tala asked.
"Oh yeah! Do you remember the two boys that we meet in the forest!"
"Yeah."
"Yeah that's Will, and Mark. You can tell them a part because Mark is tough looking but he's a real softie if ya get to know him." Star smiled.
"So he's the one who almost killed me?" Tala smirked.
"Yeah........ Anyways, when we got you here my mom took you inside and told us to wait outside, she just put some medicine in your wound and put some gauze around it. After that you were out for two days." Star explained.
"Well then......eventful day I guess." Tala laughed.
"Definitely!" Star laughed too.
"Is Vespera okay?" Tala asked suddenly.
"She is just fine! Will won't leave her alone for more than 2 hours!" Star smiled.
"Where is she?" Tala questioned.
"Come with me I'll take you to her." Star got excited.
Tala got out of bed and saw her bow and quiver next to it and sighed in relief. Tala was a little wobbly but she managed to walk.
Star lead Tala to a small paddock in a clearing of trees. A happy silver unicorn was grazing in the middle.
"Vespera!" Tala called.
And at the sound of her name, Vespera trotted over and nudged Tala's head.
"Well she can walk!" Will came over to the girls.
Tala turned around and smiled and Will smiled back. Behind him Mark stood but didn't look at her.
Tala tried to think for something to say.
"Thanks for saving my life, I thought I was gonna be a goner."
"No problem." Will said joyfully.
Mark didn't say anything but did have a mean look on his face but wasn't looking at her.
"I don't think he likes me." Tala whispered to Star.
Star shot a worried look to Will and he just shrugged.
"Just give it some time. He is still upset with your father." Star whispered back.
"Hey Will, Mark you coming over for lunch?"
"Yep, what 'bout you Mark?" Will leaned over.
"Yeah, I'll be a bit though." He answered.
"Oh Tala you're coming too!" Star playfully punched Tala.
"Oh I couldn't! Your mother has done already to much for me!" Tala stepped back.
"To late!" Star smirked.
"Let's go inside to help mom."
"I'll catch up with later, I need to clear something up first." Tala called.
"Alright!" Star called back heading back into the house with Will.
"Why are you still here?" Mark asked coldly.
"Because I need to clear something up." Tala replied.
Mark shifted uncomfortably but still didn't look at her.
"Look I'm sorry about your family......my father never told me anything. All he ever did was lock me in my room for 10 years. He is always telling me lies, making the world seem prefect when it obviously isn't! What he did to your family and people is unforgivable! I may be his daughter but I am nothing like him! Sometimes I wonder if he really is my father. But please don't take your anger out on others." Tala pleaded.
Mark stood there quietly and took in Tala's words.
"Do expect me to believe you?" He asked but the sharpness had left his voice.
"What have I done to make me untrustworthy?" Tala started loosing her cool.
Mark turned to look at Tala but turned away.
"Prove to me that you are trustworthy." He said simply.
Mark walked away and left Tala there.
Tala was a little speechless, but who could blame him? He had gone through a lot.
"Tala!" Star called.
"Will ya go with me to get water for tea?"
"Yeah!" Tala called and ran over to her.
"Take this bucket and come with me." Star seemed excited.

___________________________

Mark sat alone on a bench behind Star's house.
"Something seemed to be bothering you." Will came up behind him.
"This Tala girl, she seems very uneasy, and it makes me more cautious around her." Mark answered.
"So you've been think of her." Will smiled.
"Ya........Wait not in the weird way!" Mark said shaking his head smiling a little.
"Oh okay." Will laughed.
"She is just so uneasy, and different." Mark looked up at the sun closing his eyes. The wind picked up and blew threw his blonde hair, it was peaceful out here.
"Man she is a real looker." Will looked over at Star and Tala.
"Star?" Mark asked confused.
"Star is really beautiful, but what did you think about Tala?" Will smirked.
"Tala?" Mark seemed even more confused.
"Yes didn't you hear me the first time or are you trying to avoid the question?" Will couldn't help but laugh.
Mark looked over at Tala, with that smile on her face and her red hair.
"Yeah, she is."

A/N ~ The picture at the top is Mark. Should there be romance between Mark and Tala or Will and Star? ❤️ Sorry this chapter was quick but it's been a long day...:(