Han Chronicles

Han Chronicles Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After much licking and slurping of knives, paws and the sort, I laid back under the morning’s sun blazing down the earth warming up the cold ground the night had left allowing myself a wholesome burp exploding into the environment around me. Animals nearby looked at me with disgust as ignored their glares. Anyway I am used to such glares and even worst ones. Living alone with these hunks of junk is the least of my worries. I had faced worst than this.

“What are you looking at girl?! Come to make yourself a nice meal?” jeered one of the many drunkards of that tribe.

“Don’t make me.” I warned him sneering mentally at him. Besides, who am I kidding? I am like a scrawny looking little kid with muscles hardened under my skin hidden from plain sight by my filth of a dress dropping just below my knees with a penknife that was my father’s before he tried to killed me strapped on my left thigh and a spear as tall as me on my back. Is that enough to fight off a big guy like these men? I wouldn’t know. So far, either fate or luck just hangs beside me during fights and escapees, each having a little debate of their own deciding if I should live for another day.

Thanks to them I’m still here today, 15 years and counting only wishing for peace. A peace of mind...

“Ooh,” he chuckled. “This girly’s tough, huh?” he is definitely mocking in his tone. “Come-“ Before he could put his hands around my back, I took up my penknife and moved away hastily. Relying on my agility and my smaller body compared to his bulky built one, I turned to face him preparing for the worst. His face scrunched up in a hunger frenzy barely anticipated my nest moves.

Chance had moved a chess piece ahead.

Seizing the opportunity, I bowed low and sprung up with a swift motion and stabbed his shoulder. Pints and pints of blood came spurting out form the wound as I tried to pull my knife back out from his body. His yearning seems to fade slowly realizing the agonizing pain that hit him suddenly. Eyes turning into anger, he tried to scream but only a groan escaped his dead lips.

Finally, I got my knife out.

He swayed for a moment and then came tumbling down in a soft splash of his own pool of blood. I knew where to strike. I stroked near the heart but not enough to kill it leaving a few main veins and arteries damaged enough to weaken the body as tons of blood came oozing out therefore making the victim pass out for some time so I could escape. Of course it didn’t kill him but I couldn’t bring myself to be like them. I may be a hunter but I’m not a murderer. I had found this technique useful for escaping unscathed but not for stopping them to continue their habits.

Knife in my hand, I landed with a thud on the dry land scattering a few grains of sand in a mist. I let the knife glimmer in the sunlight half giving myself a victory smile before straightening up and heading off on my way as my hand automatically pushes the knife back into its safety place: under my dress.

I sighed deeply reflecting on those moments as I sat leaning against a rock, eyes sagging from the sunlight and sleepless nights, nothing but worries all the way. I bet no one else could survive that bloke. Standing over 6 feet tall, he had proved himself to be quite of a challenge even for me. But I blamed it on the constant energy I had to waste unnecessarily just to keep a look out for any predators after me. And the worst ones, also the smartest, are the seven tribes of The Plains: all being cannibals in their own way.

“Han... be brave, my sweet baby. Never give in no matter what...”

A tear decided to fall on my oily coal face running down ever so smoothly. I had to shake my head a few times to remove those words away, the words that kept haunting me ever since I left home.