Dealing With Consequences

Chapter 12

        T'ranthiom pulled Amara's lifeless form to his secret hiding place, a cave with a giant rock in front of it. It was primitive in imagination, yes, but it served its purpose well. When he was upset, it was the perfect place to run to cool off. He had hidden quite a few things in there in the past and no one ever discovered his hideaway.

        He gently laid Amara's head down on the cold ground before pushing the boulder. There was a loud rumble as it rolled out of the way and T'ranthiom smiled with pride at his own strength once again. He glanced down at Amara and frowned at her unresponsiveness. Not that he was expecting applause or anything but come on. It was a big rock. He pulled her inside and propped her up on some extra bags of seeds he had obtained in trade.

        The cave was shallow and there was a small leak that had one small drop of water that decided randomly when to drop. It always picked the most annoying times. The plopping noise used to drive him insane as a younger lad. Try as he might, there was no way to patch it. The rest of the cave had been customized to T'ranthiom's preference. A small seat made of the very rock and a softer area to sleep that he had shoved anything in just to get some comfort.

        T'ranthiom glanced down at Amara briefly with a sigh and turned to leave. He stopped with a groan. He rushed back to her and pulled her to him in an embrace. How did she get to him so quickly? To think he was getting used to something so weak and ignorant with the world. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

        "I'll save you, Amara," he whispered. He set her back down.

        He pushed the boulder back in place. The shadows traveled across Amara's face encasing her in the darkness he was feeling. He prayed she would be safe before securing the boulder. He really could have used Amara's force field right now. She was too weak to even consider for assistance though. He wasn't comfortable with leaving her here alone.   

        He turned and started making his way around the peak. He slid partially down the mountain and landed safely on the pathway he would need to follow to get to his destination.

        He easily ran down the pathway now that Amara wasn't weighing him down. The dense forest slowly became less and less as he traveled. Soon, there were no trees in sight, just the horrid rocks of the mountain pass.

        He wiped the sweat from his brow as he stared up at the setting sun. He didn't like his options if he tried the pass now, but he needed to continue on. Climbing wasn't an option with the human soldiers so close by. They would easily spot him and he didn't want to slaughter an entire group of humans just to save one.

        "Though it would be easier," he chuckled to himself. He sighed as he looked at the ground, "But what would Amara think?" With a second glance up at the sky, he begrudgingly started into the pass quietly. Hopefully, he could sneak past without the attention of the Turncoats or their leader.

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                "Idiot," he spat as he hung upside down inside the Turncoat's cave.

                "Is that anyway to talk to your brother," a figure came into view.  His light ring of red shone in his eyes as he took pleasure in T'ranthiom's position. "Hello again, T'ranthiom. It's been a little more than a day; to what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

                "I don't have time for this Bethruios," he argued.

                "Another task for your master," Bethruios mocked.  T'ranthiom scowled at his insinuation. Bethrious pushed his brown bangs to the side to look up at T'ranthiom. "No, it's not for him. Then, who? Hmmmmmm?" He pulled T'ranthiom closer to him so he could stare into his face. T'ranthiom glared at him refusing to respond.