The Girl Who Runs

Chapter Five: Geir Arnik

Chapter Five: 

Geir Arnik

UPDATED & EDITED

I QUICKLY AND QUIETLY plucked the red berries from the low hanging branches of a nearby tree. Rui and I had gone to a river on the other side of the village, away from the wolves, so that I could fix her up. At the moment she was bathing and I was preparing her hair dye. I needed to change something about her to make her different from the wanted poster so I decided to dye her hair a vibrant red.

Hopefully that would be enough to keep attention away from her as we lie low, until I can secure us a boat to another continent. Grabbing the bowl I stole while in the village I sat at the bank of the river. Once I poured all of the berries I had collected into the bowl I grabbed a nearby stick and grinded them into a mushy liquid like substance.

"Amelia?" I glanced over at Rui, notifying her I was listening. "Why do we have to dye my hair?"

Looking back down to the bowl and continuing to grind the berries I responded quietly. "The man you married put up wanted posters of you, and for a high price."

She only hummed in response.

Now that the berries were completely ground up I poured some water from the river into the bowl, mixing them together. After I added water the gooey substance became more liquidized; something that could be used as a hair dye.

"Come here kid, the dye is ready." Rui quickly splashed over to me, before showing me her back.

Setting down the bowl beside me I gently grabbed her wet hair and combed through it with my fingers. Once her wild tangles were tamed I scooped up some of the red dye and lathered it into her hair. Massaging her scalp with my fingers I made sure to not miss her roots, I was trying to make the red look like her natural hair color.

After a few more minutes I had lathered all of the dye into her hair and we let it sit for another couple minutes as I washed the bowl out in the river.

"How's crushed berries going to dye my hair? Doesn't dye need ink or something?" Rui asked as she lightly kicked her feet in the slow moving water.

"Berry juice stains, so it'll stain your hair if you leave it in long enough. Once it has enough time to stain you can wash out the berries. Then you'll have red hair that smells faintly of red berries and you'll be fine to go into the village." Looking back at her hair I could tell it was time to wash, as her hair was becoming dry and slightly crusty due to the berries in her hair. "Go wash the berries out now, Rui."

She complied, diving into the river and not resurfacing for a couple of minutes. I could already tell that it had worked; her wet hair had a red tint to it even as it was a dark brown from the water.

"Come on kid, dry off and grab some clothes. We've got to get into town and figure out where we can get a boat out of here."

"Why do we have to leave?" She asked as she dried off her hair, already having slipped on her clothes.

"You can't evade an Alpha just by hiding in other territories. It's just not possible." I speak from experience, was what I didn't say.

Now that she was dressed we traveled back to the arch leading into the village, as it was now the next day the sun shone through the green leaves that swayed in the slight breeze.

"Halt! Who goes there?" Called out one guard, raising his sword in our direction.

Rui and I walked out of the shade of the trees, letting the guards see us. "My name's Jade, and this is my cousin Lela."