Beyond {UNDER EDIT}

S1-10- Over the Woodlands- II

Ojas popped a blackberry in his mouth, while Abhay hacked more bunches.

"You guys full?" He asked, popping another one.

"Yes" came the reply from Abhay, Rohak nodded his head and Panav said something, but his mouth was full of berries.

Their feelings were elated, like caged birds who had just been released. Their future was undefined, and their bodies were rugged. They ate what they liked and slept whenever and wherever they wanted. Just the life they had wished for. Makara gave water and the scrubs gave food; the heath between the waterway and the woodland was an idyllic place to live in.

Plus being outside the forest gave them enough security from the wild beasts dwelling inside, and moreover, there was always a fire burning.

"Ah! What a blissful life! All alone with none of those ungainly Surya town citizens or their protocols!" Rohak exclaimed, gulping cool fresh water of the Makara.

"All alone!" approved Ojas as he stood up, climbed atop a rock and waved his hands in the air, trying to mimic Devarishi. He mouthed 'om namah shivay' and started dancing like a seductress. Abhay laughed.

But Panav missed the library and its books. "All alone." He whispered, praying that he would once again get a chance to grip a book and read it. He missed the ancient smell of the yellowish pages, he missed the tales. But now, on the brink of wilderness, they were all alone.

But they all were critically incorrect.

Not far away, on a heavy branch of a deep-rooted tree sat a tribal. The opening gave him clear view of all four. The black in his eyes leapt from one end to another, inspecting them.

'Daggers.' He noticed. 'The boys have daggers.'

Then he jumped onto another branch, and then another as he made his way to Praveg's stronghold, to inform the King of Praveg.

***

The parched leaves broke with a cracking sound.

"YOUR BLOODY FAT BEAR IS SLOWING US DOWN! DUMBASS!"

The bear grunted in response, and the cold air carried it to the animals concealed, and disturbed their premature hibernation.

"Ah! Don't worry, we aren't far away, if positions be true, then they are just round the corner, in the fell between the river and the primary woodland."

"STILL, YOUR BEAR-"

The man gave him a stern look. A look of final cautioning. A look of boldness. The other man whizzed his lips, and continued to walk mutely. The man walked to his bear and patted three times on his back, a communication that they were about to hunt now, the bear was well trained and experienced, he recognized what his master meant, and abruptly he started walked swifter.

Hunting was his favorite amusement. And this time his prey was four young warm blooded boys.

Something cold landed atop the masked man's head. He grumbled and looked up.

The first snow of the season had arrived to greet them.

***

Quite remarkably, Ojas was the first one to notice the arriving footsteps.

"Must be a herd running away from a hungry snow leopard!" was Abhay's theory.

"Snow leopards don't come this low !" corrected Panav.

And Rohak was too busy enjoying the snow fall on his bare hands to hear anything.

But then when the figures were seen, far away in the depths, running towards them, horror gripped them, for only one tribe dwelled in this part,