Konna

~Chapter 17~

Tears unwillingly spilled from my eyes, blurring my vision. Resentment bloomed like a red flower inside my heart. I clenched my hands tightly into a fist. I was powerless and weak. All I could do was run away like a scared rabbit every single time. It was frustrating. When would I become strong enough to protect myself and my loved ones? I shook my head to dispel my rampaging thoughts. Right now, I was being hunted. I needed to survive.

I darted into the dense forest. Tall trees reached out towards the grey sky. Thick tree roots sprawled across the ground before burrowing down below. Stray twigs snapped under my bare feet. Wild brambles cut into the sides of my legs, drawing fresh blood. Wind whipped against my skin as it howled.

I sprinted forward with all my might. I grasped for each breath. My heart thumped loudly in my ears like a drum. My whole body was on fire. Waves of dizziness assaulted me. However, I dared not slow. I could hear the angry yells echoing across the forest in the distance. Vile words escaped from their mouths.

As if crying for me, the clouds above let down tears. Water droplets splattered onto the ground. The pitter pattering of the rain drowned out the voices. For a brief moment, it felt peaceful. The rain caressed my head as if comforting me.

The sound of galloping behind me brought me back to my senses. I could hear the sound become increasingly closer. I shivered uncontrollably from fear. In front of me, the sky opened up to reveal a cliff.

Pew! An arrow whirled towards me, sinking itself into my right shoulder. I howled in pain. I yanked the arrow out. The arrow tip, which was coated in my fresh red blood, coldly glinted. Horrified, I threw away the arrow. A warm stickiness spread across my back.

A soft chuckle was carried by the wind. I looked back. My heart chilled upon seeing the prince. He rode valiantly atop his chestnut horse. His fur cape fluttered in the wind. His bow was drawn, aiming it at me. An eerie smile hung on his lips. He then let go of the bow string.

My body reflexively dodged to the side. As I dodged I lost my footing and tripped. The arrow sunk deep into the bark of a tree of where I once was. I tried to stand up again but realised I had twisted my ankle. Desperate, I began to crawl my way towards the edge of the cliff.

The prince finally caught up with me and fired several arrows like a machine gun. I quickly rolled to the side to dodge. However several arrows hit me on my forearm and my calf. After exhausting all of the arrows, the prince sighed. He discarded the bow and marched towards me. He looked down condescendingly at me and kicked me hard in my stomach. I rolled away from the impact like a ball and clutched my tummy.

"Stupid dog. You dare to run away from me?" growled the prince. I glared back at him, etching his appearance in my mind. In the future, I'd make him grovel down before me and then kill him ruthlessly. That is, if I could make it out of this predicament alive.

"You're bold aren't you? To look at me with killing intent. Tsk. I'll look forward to breaking you into submission." A smile spread across his face. However the smile did not reach his eagle eyes. He kicked me again in the stomach causing me to vomit.

The clanging of metal rang in my ears. I looked up to see a group of guards rushing over. They had finally caught up and were all breathless. They took of their helmets to breathe in the fresh air. I watched them coldly and remembered their appearances. It was never too late to take revenge.

"Your highness! What are your instructions?" A guard bowed respectfully.

"You useless pieces of trash. You couldn't even catch a stray dog," sneered the prince. "It seems I need to increase your training."

After hearing the word 'training', the group of guards involuntarily shivered. They all plopped onto the ground and pleaded.

"We're terribly sorry your highness. It won't happen again."