Tales of Nyandor: Hunted

Chapter 8

The rain kept pouring down on them. The group took shelter underneath the trees, watching the raindrops fall from the sky and crash into whatever was beneath them.

Eldarin and Elena stood tight against each other trying to share the space underneath a tight gathering of branches forming a roof of leaves over their heads.

'Cant you make this rain go away?' asked Rebecka obviously inpatient.

'I'm a mage not a weather witch' replied Rainar calmly.

Rebecka let out a sight of boredom hoping this rainstorm would pass soon.

The thunder echoed across the sky further away this time. The middle of the storm had passed on. Hopefully the rain soon followed.

'Am I taking up to much space?' Eldarin asked with concern for his old friend.

'No its alright. This is enough.'

She obviously was freezing he could tell. But then again so did he. They had been out in the rain for hours. Mostly stuck under the trees waiting it out. Elena looked down on the ground.

She had that sad look in her eyes again. Eldarin hated seeing her like this yet he could do nothing for her. She lost her whole family. Something he understood all to well. But he could not talk about it. It was far to painful.

And it was not the same as what she was going trough. Eldarin sighted and tried to think of something else.

The forest was beautiful in the rain, shame that the tall trees above them provided little cover. The the bushes and grass covering the ground underneath them with green except for the few spots of brown mud formed by the rain.

'Eldarin. Are you doing alright?' Elena's question took him off guard. Why would she ask such a thing?

'I'm fine all things considered. Why do you ask?'

'Well I...' she wasn't sure how to reply to that. 'I'm just wondering. So much as happened to us lately and I wanna make sure that you can keep going.'

She was worried about him? She lost more then anyone. If nothing else its he who should be worrying about her!

'You will tell me if there is anything bothering you right?'

'Yes..of course I will.'

Yet he could never tell her 'that'. It went silent for a long time. The only noise heard was the rain. He wanted to ask her if she was doing ok. He really wanted to. But no matter how hard he tried he could never get the words out.

His mouth refused to open. He felt his eye lids getting heavy. He wanted nothing more than to lay down in a warm bed and forget about all of this. The castle, the traveling, the rain, everything.

But not everyone took shelter from the rain..

Further away in the forest the orcs all gathered around the mud covered arena. A circle of green skinned warriors and hunters all cheered on the ongoing battle.

A female one slowly rose from the ground, her bruised face covered by her black hair. She pulled it back and spit out a loose tooth. A small splatters of blood followed it that quickly washed away in the rain.

The large male one roared with all the strength he could muster. His battle cry echoed trough the village further rallying the others.

He charged at her raising his mighty fist ready to strike.The female just charged back and jumped at him landing straight at her target plummeting into the mud.

She landed a series of punches to his face. He eventually managed to grab one of her arms and returned the blow making her fall of him.

She lifted her head from the mid trying to shake of the dizziness but only to be lifted of the ground. He held her high in the air walking towards the dug trench surrounding the arena.