Finding Peace

Chapter 3

Everything in my world slows down as I watch the arrow I just shot soar through the air. My aim was perfect and the arrow went straight through my target's skull. One down. Two to go. It takes a few moments for the other two orcs to realize what had happened, gosh they were such stupid creatures. By the time they looked in the direction my arrow had come from, my second arrow was already zooming through the air.

My stomach churns slightly as the arrow pierces the left eyeball of the second, slightly larger orc. It brought its large hands to the bleeding wound and began grunting in pain. "SHOW YOURSELF DOG!" shouted the last orc. He started to walk towards where I was. And the poor thing didn't even know what was coming. Bane flew at him, growling loudly, teeth bared. The unmistakable crunching sound of bone breaking shot through the sky as Bane snapped his jaw closed around the orcs leg.

The deep, booming guttural shouts of pain that escaped the orcs mouth shook the earth and trees all around. Birds flew out of trees in emergency escape. The orc swung his large arm but Bane was too quick for him. I took advantage of Bane distracting the vile beast and ran to aid the wounded elf. I raced over to him and saw just how injured he was. His skin appeared to be a deep crimson due to the high amount of blood that had already left his body from injury. His eyes were closed and his breathing very shallow.

My mind was working over time. I was not sure what I could possibly do to save him. There was just no way possible for me to carry him. Lifting his body was out of the question. I may be a strong woman, but lifting dead weight and escaping, even with Bane distracting the orc, just did not have odds that I considered favorable. Trying to analyze and weigh my options against each other, I realized that best chances I had, was to kill off the orcs and then tend to the boy. I had been hoping the boy was conscious and could run to safety, but I never backed down from a challenge.

I ran off past the orc and Bane in the opposite direction of the boy. The orc saw me and tossed Bane a few yards. Bane let out a yelp of pain. I looked over my shoulder and saw him getting up. I was relieved to see my pal was not hurt. The orc started chasing me. The ground was shaking with each of his harsh steps. His loud grunts shooting through the land kept my heart racing. While running, I grabbed an arrow and strung it into my bow. I turned quickly, took aim, and shot the arrow at the orc. I did not wait to see if it had met the target but instead began running again.

It was not shocking to me that my last arrow was not fatal. Instead, it had pierced the orc's left shoulder. I whistled a short sound and Bane ran at the orc, growling fiercely. Bane got near the orc's feet causing the foul beast to lose his balance. The orc fell, face first into a huge mud pile. Resisting the urge to laugh, I charged at him. Bane was ripping into one hand. I took the long blade from its holder that was strapped to my right thigh. My father's dagger forever providing me with courage, I plunged it into the orc's neck. His screams of pain could be heard for miles. It kept writhing in discomfort but I held onto the blade's handle with both hands, pushing it into the rough skin. Blood was oozing everywhere. When the orc with the injured eye realized Bane and I had just taken out 2 of his buddies he began running. I knew I couldn't take off after that one until the one I was stabbing fully stopped breathing. And so that one got away.

After what felt like an eternity, the orc stopped struggling and lay peacefully dead. I could feel blood and sweat dripping down my face. I absentmindedly wiped my forehead with the back of my arm. "Good boy Bane. You were amazing." Bane wagged his tail, clearly happy with the approval.

We walked over to the elf. I checked to see that he was still breathing. I took off the strangers pack and gathered up his belongings that the orcs had thrown about. Once his things were secured along with mine, I lifted his body carefully. He was much lighter than I had expected. Now that I was looking at him closely, I realized just how beaten up he was. His cheeks had a sad, shallow look, like he hadn't been eating for a while. He was badly bruised with cuts all over. I would have left him there and cared for him, but this place was not safe. I had to get him to some kind of shelter. I could feel the winds changing and knew that a storm would be rolling in.

"Bane,we gotta get him back home. Can you help?" Bane made a whiney sound and leaned into a bow. Slowly, with Bane leaning in a way that minimized the distance I would have to hold the elf, I placed him across Bane's back. I held on to the elf boy as Bane slowly rose to his feet, keeping him safely centered. "You okay boy?" Bane nodded and we began walking back up the hills.

Using the sun position as a reference, it took us around 3 hours of climbing into the thicker part of the wood, to finally get to the rocky mountainous region. It took another hour to get to the small cave that Bane and I had been living in for the past few days. I laid the elf boy in a soft pile of leaves on the inside of our cave. I pulled out the jacket from his pack, folded it nicely and put it under his head for a pillow. I thought about going through all of his things, but decided not to be a snoop. A sense of urgency was bubbling beneath the surface for me, knowing very well that the rains would be starting soon.

Bane and I went off into the wood. We didn't go too far and we worked quickly. I gathered up more sticks and dry leaves to use to rebuild a fire, Bane at my side listening for signs of trouble. I brought all of the fire supplies back to the mouth of the cave and checked on the elf boy. Next, I headed out down toward the river. I checked the small netting that I had left that morning. Three large fish were waiting for me. I scored a handful of clams as well.

The clouds started moving in. The sky began darkening and winds picked up. The temperature was dropping rapidly, so I knew it was time to get back. Immediately when I got back into my cave, I got to work on rekindling the fire. Within minutes, the crackling sounds fill the cave with light illuminating the inside as the skies open and thunder begins.

Rain comes down with an angry intensity. I have always loved rain. The sound of it has always been incredibly soothing to me. The fresh smell as it first starts to wash away the dirt on rocks is something I always stop to enjoy. Bane comes in, freshly soaked but looking happy. He stretches out by the fire and lets out a loud, slow yawn.The fish were cooking on the fire when the first sound of thunder filled the night.

Bane and I ate happily together. After our bellies were full, I took off my hiking boots to make myself comfortable. I tossed another handful of sticks onto the fire to keep the blaze going. I laid down on the ground and Bane curled up next to my head. I used his side for my own pillow. His breathing was steady and he kept me warm. I always felt so safe when Bane is next to me. I stretched a bit all of my limbs to their fullest extent and snuggled into Bane. The three of us slept through the night undisturbed, even with the rain and wind picking up.

Little did any of us know that we were being searched for. Not by any Pack member, but by Swampies. We were safe for the night. The storm was too rough for anyone to travel through it. But our peace, would not last much longer...