STICKWAR(On Hold)

9: A New Foe

Kytchu and Egil continued to live together, Egil teaching her all he knew about the bow. She'd picked it up quickly, and now could hit a bullseye with little difficulty. Seeing her talent for the weapon, Egil took the time to teach her 'DuckShot'. In a day, she was able to hit the ducks. Within a week, she was hitting them in the head consistently. It was a joyful feeling for her, something she'd never experienced with a club. It made her feel free.

Egil also taught her of the Archidon ranks, the militia(Egil said every village had a few volunteer soldiers to guard them in case of an invasion), the Archidons(the main army), the Castle Archers(incredibly dangerous Archidons who defended the Archidon palace), and the Golden Archidons(The elite forces, only under General Archis in skill). He also taught her how to move through the woodlands, how to make makeshift shelters from nature, and other minute things in everyday Archidon life.

The two had grown a bond over the weeks, which turned into over a month. Kytchu was certain that this would be her second month in this village, and about the end of the third month of the Archidon/Order war. While the village was peaceful, the war had not evaded it. She would see Golden Archidons give a scroll to a family, and watch as the family broke into tears. More and more Stickmen and women were taken off, surely to join the ranks of the Archidons.

It made her feel guilty, seeing the damage the war was having on just this one village. It made her realize that no one was right in this war, at least, not truly. But it also made her think of her brothers, and her parents. Even Zilaros(though he was the annoying old uncle sometimes). She wished she could see them again, but she didn't know if she could return to Order the same stick-woman that left it. She'd seen her enemies in their most peaceful place, and couldn't bear it if she was pitted against them.

She was just waking up now, these thoughts lingering over her as she rested on Egil's shoulder. It was small, but strong and warm, literally a "shoulder to lean on". Egil was still asleep, and Kytchu quietly and softly got out of the bed, careful not to move him too much. She went to the closet, throwing on her bow and quiver in a second. She needed to think, and believed she knew how to. She quietly opened the door, and left the hut.

She waved to some Archidons who were starting to set up for their daily chores and activities, who waved back at her. She quickly descended a ladder, and walked off into the woodlands. Upon entering the woodlands, she drew an arrow and crouched, softly trekking through the woodlands. There were dangerous wild creatures within the woods, one needed to be armed. As she trekked, she lost track of time as she looked around, tightly gripping her bow.

She began to wonder what her brothers were doing right now. She'd asked Egil about the war, but he said Archis had forbidden her any knowledge of the war. It frustrated her to not know what was going on in her nation, but she had taken the news stoically. She was sure both her brothers were alive, and that they would come get her eventually. She sighed. She'd been out here a while, she had better start heading back before Egil freaked out. As she turned, she suddenly heard rustling.

Out of instinct, she rolled into a bush, her bow taught as she pointed it out into the open. As she was looking around, there was a sudden sound, like a blade being sheathed. Or drawn. Before Kytchu reacted, there was something cold and sharp against her neck, and a gravelly voice stating, "Get up, Archidon, or your head will roll." Kytchu rose, loosening her arrow, and turning. There, standing with a dull steel blade in hand, was a SwordWrath. 

Kytchu had heard stories of SwordWrath, how they were a brutal army that favored overwhelming numbers and extreme violence to win a battle. This SwordWrath fit the general description of them, a hard face and muscular build, but this one in particular had a scar across one eye, two slashes that went from just above his eyebrow to his chin, a light pink in color. He looked Kytchu over, before grumbling out, "Come with me, quietly. One sound, and you die."