Race to the end

RaceTTEnd11

Sorry I havn't uploaded in AGESS! I've been really busy with exams and everything... so probably won't upload anymore till i'm finished with them! Sorry and please enjoy COMMENT/VOTE/FAN!!

I awoke in the damp cave. I sat up quickly banging my head on a low protruding rock. I rubbed my forehead and grumbled under my breath, leaning back down again. I looked around me, my eyes adjusting to the dark. I could see the outline of Sadia. Her figure rose up and down with her breathing. She must trust me if she is so sound asleep, I thought.

I sat up again, careful to mind my head. The walls were wet with moisture and some collected in a dip in the floor. I watched it slowly drip, plopping into the water. Careful not to disturb Sadia, I wriggled out of the cave.

The air around me was heavy with vapour. I took in a deep breath and looked down at the remains of our fire. The water had destroyed the wood, so we would have to collect some more. I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the glowing sun; down part of the mountain was a large group of trees.

I made my way down towards them. I noticed that the ground was damp. The weather confused me. We were supposed to be experiencing a drought. That’s what our weather experts are telling us. Maybe there is a shift in the earth’s alignment with the sun? Or simply that the drought is over for the time being. The sun still beats down upon me, and sweat clings to my neck.

 Reaching the first tree, I grab a hold of the first branch that I see. I pull hard, my muscles tensing and my feet begin to slip on the ground. I let go and stand up straight. I looked at the branch and then pull even harder, I hear a few cracks in the wood, but otherwise the branch stays as it is.

I sat down with a huff, my knees bent and my hands splayed on the ground. I raised my face upwards and let the sun colour me. I hear a shuffle of branches, and look sharply to my left. The wind, it would seem has disturbed a bush. I turn back, gazing at the branch which refuses to break. I hear a misplaced stone and turn back to my left. Yes there is definitely something there. Maybe a wild animal? A wild person? I stand up slowly, pretending that I have not noticed very much. I start towards the tree again, and upon hearing a sharp rustle behind me I turned quickly and release my claws.

Standing there holding a bone knife was a grinning Sadia.

She lowered her knife and crosses her arms. I look at her closely; my body still crouched in a defensive position, claws still out. She raised an eyebrow at me, and showed that she means no harm by returning her knife to her belt. I stood up slowly and smiled at her.

“You need a knife to cut the wood” She told me, pulling a larger knife from her belt and passing it to me. I took it in my hands and looked it over carefully. It had a brown dotted pattern on the hilt, and the blade itself looked very sharp. It looked as though it was made of ivory. I pulled it above my head and turned towards the tree and stood in front of the branch. I brought the knife down quickly, hacking at the branch until it finally fell with a loud crack to the floor.

I turned to Sadia, a grin proud on my face. She smiled at me. A strange surge of emotion swelled inside me. I think it was called pride. I walked to another branch and began to hack away at it as well.

Soon we had enough firewood, so I passed back the knife and gathered the wood into my arms. Sadia followed me back to the cave, having been silent the whole time.

-----------------------

Ribo’s POV

Fino paced in front of me. He was deep in thought as to where Tami may be.

Truthfully, she filled my thoughts.

All I could think was of her face and her smile. I could tell that these emotions had affected me earlier. I just didn’t want to say anything. To be with Tami I could deal with a few pesky emotions. Where could she be? We saved her from that hoard of demons, the green people that Embri had decided to lead, but she vanished. We searched the scene and found the cage she was carried in, empty.

A pain in my chest overwhelmed me at the thought that she might be…

No my mind refused to think the word.

She will be ok.

Rasha sat in a corner of the tent, curled in a ball rocking back and forth. She was worried about Tami, and about the weather. It had taken an odd turn, becoming humid and damp. The suns heat was less blinding and the sand had begun to turn to mud. We were all worried. Raffy was making food: it was his way of dealing with the stress.

Me?

I just sat here and waited for her to walk through the door.

For her to come and tell us what we are going to do with Embri.

They’re still heading for the mountain. From what we heard, they plan on tipping the other blue skinned person into the volcano. That must be Tamu. Raffy was distressed to hear of his death. I stood up, wanting to stretch my legs and leaned against the door and looked out towards the mountain. My eyes grew accustomed to the light.

There out by the side of the mountain, was smoke.

My words caught in my throat. Tami. Could it be her? There was only one way to find out.

-----------------------

Sadia and I sat around the fire chewing on her latest catch, a weird looking pig with a purple snout. It was delicious though. I munched happily on it, thankful for the warmth of the fire. I talked to Sadia about her life with the green people.

She told me that they were once a peaceful people, harvesting the land and growing food. They learnt to hunt near the woods by their village. They had a small religious belief that we did not just appear on this planet, that someone created this world. I told her that it sounded a lot like Christianity. She listened to my description and nodded her head, her braid bobbing. It was exactly like that. I told her about my Hubbard, the advances in every field we had made and the society and how it was run. She seemed intrigued with teenagers running everything, smiling at the thought that she might be a leader in a field.

“We haven’t got a lead hunter” I told her seriously. She smiled at me, her cheeks growing slightly red. I smiled at her.

“So you are the leader” I nodded once. “What do you do?” I explained my role. I had to organise everyone, be the centre of information. Most importantly I was the first to start a family. Sadia frowned at this.

“Our breeding programme only works if children are conceived by young adults, it is a strange way of extending our race, but it works” I sighed “When I return and turn 18 I will have to mate with Ribo” I twisted my fingers together “I think the minimum is three” Sadia gaped at me, shocked by what I had just said.

Before we could say anything, I heard a silent coughing sound. I looked at Sadia who had already turned to the noise. There was no wind in the air, yet a bush clearly rustled in front of us. I stood up slowly, grabbing a lit branch. The fire crackled. I moved forward and nodded at Sadia who had drawn a knife. We stalked towards the bush. My claws pushed through and brushed against the branch. The rustling stopped as we approached it.

I chose then to pounce.

I leapt onto the bush, pushing it aside and bringing my branch down upon whatever was making the noise.

“Ouch” I heard someone yell “Tami stop, it’s me!” I freeze about to bring the branch down in a fatal attack. I lower the branch slowly to catch a glimpse of the shadowy face hidden in the shrubbery. The light catches the features and I let out a small gasp.

It’s Tamu.