Lost Memories

Chapter 5 - Onix

Onix's POV

Well, this was unexpected. There I was, hunting for a decent meal for tomorrow night that could fill seven fully grown men and two boys, when I stumble across something much more delicious. Not one, but two! Two beauties, just waiting to be poached. It was a sight for sore eyes.

It had taken nearly half the day to get to this spot, on foot of course. I'd been coming here for nearly a year and a half and nothing this...interesting had happened before. If I had a lucky star, he would have been looking down on me today. There they were asleep in the brush, as if they were hiding from something. Two girls alone in this neck of the woods was not a good sign, especially with that prison so close by. Maybe they were runaways after working in the prison or just avid hikers, I hoped it was the latter that would have been a lot less trouble to deal with. I wasn't planning on actually talking to them, just looking then walking away before I got in to deep, but I just had to step on that flipping twig didn't I and wake one of them up. I watched, as she looked around startled, her eyes piercing the wood around her in fear. She shook the other girl awake, covering a hand over her mouth to do so; maybe to stop her from screaming or something, I could see the other girl tense but relax again and sit up. The first girl pressed a finger to her lip as the international code for 'be quiet', then slowly stood up with the second girl and squint into the forest, towards where I stood. I couldn't hide forever, so I silently cursed to myself, and then emerged from my hiding spot. The first girl studied me in a sort of judgmental way, that you she was pulling you inch by inch apart to make sure she noticed everything about you. Creepy. The other girl just stood there shaking, her fear of me was obviously apparent in her timid eyes, stance and especially the shaking. It felt a bit awkward to be honest, so I took this as my opportunity to defuse it and break the ice.

"Well, hello ladies. What would to fine women, like yourselves, be doing so far away from civilisation?" I asked, seeing as though civilisation was at least five days walk north from here, over the other side of the hills and because I was curious as to whom they really were.

"I could ask you the same question, though you're not a girl and you look like you live round here. By the smell of you it seems like you've been here a while and you need a wash." The first girl replied, her snappy, sarcastic tone made me chuckle internally and admit to myself that I really did need to wash.

"Your assumption was correct and I do need a wash. Who might you be? Why are you out here so late in the night?" I needed to know who they were so I could get on with my life without fear that I would be hunted down and shot by those damn prison guards, who were always running around cause problems, just for socialising with them.

"I'm sorry but I was always told not to talk to strangers." Seriously, did she have a come back for everything? Well, I guess it's time to test the waters.

"I'm not too strange am I? I thought I was a pretty decent guy." I chuckled. "I'm obviously not up to your standards."

I had almost forgotten about the girl standing next to, but slightly behind the first until she spoke up.

"P-P-Please don't hurt us! We didn't mean to escape the prison, it's just, Alice has never seen the outside world before and I wanted to show her. We'll come back quietly!" She obviously didn't realise I wasn't wearing one of those individuality-sucking uniforms that the prison guards wore, and this did tell me they were runaways. Not good. I should get out before I got in too deep, but how could I resist.

"You're from the prison? I never would've guessed. But if you can't tell, I'm not a guard. I'm a lone wolf at the moment, living out in the wild. I do whatever I want, whenever I want."