The Bandits of Infinity Forest

Chapter Eleven

Hey guys, thanks so much for reading this! But sorry I took so long to get it out, I've been a bit distracted with League of Improbable Riders. (Though it doesn't look like I've done much work on it, I know lol)

Upon waking, I slip out of my tent into the crisp, early morning air and feed Black Robin a few carrot pieces. From the position of the moon and slowly appearing sun I judge the time to be about five in the morning.

Suddenly Black Robin pricks her ears and tenses slightly.

"What's up?" I pat her neck reassuringly, but she only grows more agitated, until I finally release her from the tree and leap astride her back; she gallops into the trees.

I suck in a sharp breath and duck close to the horse's neck to avoid a low-hanging branch; feeling her silky mane brush against my face.

"Woah!" I shout: she's going to get me killed.

But instead of listening, she wheels around and trots in the opposite direction!

I push myself up into a proper sitting position and heave a sigh of relief, At least she's heading back to camp.

But then she stops before a small bush, lowers her head to peer underneath it, and whickers softly.

I start as a feeble, familiar whine meets my ears, and, jumping down, lower myself onto hands and knees to see a half-dead dog. "Yelena!" I cry, and immediately gather her in my arms, as she attempts to lick my face in a flurry of joy.

She has several infected wounds, plus an ugly looking thorn in her paw, so I'll have to clean her up once we get back to camp.

Glancing back under the bush, I afterward scan the woody horizon, but Flint is nowhere to be seen. I sigh, as, with a sinking heart, I realize that the jaw-bone I had seen in the clearing was his. Flint is dead.

I focus on the task at hand to distract myself from the dog's fate and remount Black Robin—a difficult task to accomplish with a burden—and she gallops back toward the campsite.

As we emerge from the forest, I wind my horn twice, our signal for embarking. "Clear up!" I shout. "We're starting in two hours!"

Black Robin stops outside my tent and I quickly dismount, setting Yelena gently down on the grassy turf. Slipping briefly inside my tent, I locate a few supplies and back out through the loose flaps.

Murmuring condolences, I deftly extract the thorn from Yelena's paw, smear a healing salve over her wounds, and patch her up. As I start tying a last bandage around her leg, I hear a step nearby and look up to see Sa'an, looking slightly ashamed.

"W'a's up?"

"I'm just sorry about the way I acted yesterday; everything's just—so new and overwhelming! I don't know how you've managed living like this for all these years. So... sorry."

I grin. "That's okay. Believe me, I know how you feel!"

He chuckles, then eyes Yelena curiously. "That your dog?"

I nod. "Yip, I lost her during the battle; forgot to ask Jack about her; and only just found her now, in the woods."

I pat her side as she lets out a small yelp of pain, and quickly loosen the bandage. "Oops, sorry.

"Go recruit someone to help you 'n' Lexie pack your belongings," I address Sa'an, trying not to seem too commanding to a prince who isn't used to being told what to do. But, to my surprise, his reply is neutral, and slightly excited.