A Taste Of Freedom

Part 11

She had supposed that all of this running away and escaping was rather easy; then again, she had no idea if it could have been any harder. She was not in the same occupation as he; actually she didn't have an occupation at all. Of course, she still felt a bit wary as they continued on. The noises of what she had heard earlier were getting louder and she was put at a bit of unease. She monitored him with a curious and steady gaze; she noticed how he remained rather tense throughout their escapade in the forest though she was sure she knew what had been bothering him. Perhaps he did not enjoy the company that she provided him. A slight frown touched her lips as she thought of her being unsuitable in the presence of another. She wondered if she would be suitable company for anyone else rather than the greedy men who lived in her village. She was sure that she would have a hard time integrating into the society around her once they got to their destination.

Fear struck her heart but she resisted the urge to stop. What if they found out? What if they knew that she was an Oni? Would they disregard her or would they attack her? She was sure it was the latter of the two options. She glanced back over at the male, wondering if he knew. Then again, he seemed to be pretty wrapped up in his own thoughts seeing as how he disregarded the questions she asked him. This only made her feel that she was unworthy of knowing anything. She certainly was beginning to have second thoughts about leaving the village, she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle the idea of more humans afraid of her. She couldn't bear to escape from one nightmare only to be brought into another. The optimistic side of her mind, which was very tiny, decided to speak out. Perhaps, they would not even recognize that she was an Oni. The male before her seemed unaffected by her appearance; then again he was a foreigner. He would not know anything about the appearance of her kind. Verily, she would be safe for now.

Through the trees, she could faintly see and hear things but she couldn't understand what they were. Vermillion hues looked around with mild curiousity though when he had stopped she followed in suit. She looked over at him as he began to speak, taking in all the information that he was allowing her. She nodded her head slowly when he proposed a question her way and much to her delight he gave her his name. Azrai is what he is called. She smiled a bit to herself, cherishing this moment. She had never had someone tell her their name upon request; it was something that held great meaning to her. She felt normal for the first time in her life. She had finally received some kind of trust from another person, even if he had no idea of her bloodline; she had formed some kind of trust with this stranger. She blinked a bit as he spoke once more and nodded again. "Yes, Shizu is my given name," she said gently, bowing her head in a formal manner.

He fell silent and then her sensitive ears picked up on the faintest of noises. They were being trailed naturally and it seemed as if Azrai had picked up on it as well. He let out a curse that would have normally made her feel embarrassed, but she understood the circumstances. Her eyes widened as he pulled out his metal contraption. She could smell gunpowder from it, realizing that the man who had died in her village had been killed by that same object. She was puzzled a bit about all these new things that were about to happen, but he said he would explain everything later, and she was counting on it.

She immediately followed at him, keeping pace with his quick strides. She noticed that every so often he would look back at her. Why would he do such a thing? Verily, She would not run off, not after all of the trouble that they had both been through. No, she wished to continue on with this journey. She had no desire to be thrown back into that life of torture, though she was still nervous about this New World. She had to be brave now or else she would never be able to obtain freedom.

That was all that she had ever wanted.

As they neared the forest line she felt her heart quicken its pace. This was it. She was about to enter the New World. She noticed how the other seemed to slow down, as if trying to ease her into the transition. She stepped out of the tree line and glanced around, this village was certainly different from her own. The buildings did not look quite as old, and they had they lights that illuminated the walkways. She tilted her head a bit wondering how such things could exist. Questions popped up in her mind but she could not voice them. The scent of dogs hit her nose and the color drained from her face. The hounds have been sent for her!

"Verily, I believe more haste is required," she said, wincing at the sound of the canines howling into the night. "A complication has been raised and I suggest with great urgency that we find a place to hide ourselves." She became a bit anxious, fidgeting around and moving towards the center of the village with a bit of haste. She did not feel like dealing with those bloodthirsty hounds nor did she want Azrai to deal with them. Those canines were not of the domestic kind, they smelled of disease. She glanced back over at the male, ushering him towards her. She did not care if he could handle himself or if she was an inferior gender. She would hide until things were clear.

"Quickly," she whispered out before slipping into an abandoned shrine. The wood hardly creaked under the light weight of her feet, the dust that covered the place seemed to have built over years. She moved around silently, moving window to window assuring each one was boarded securely. In the modern day, it would be as if she were a spy or something else looking for a place to make a hideout. Once she felt satisfied, she moved to secure the door, the sounds of the canines entering the village made her blood rush with adrenaline.

"I believe this should be a rather excellent place to hide from them," she said aloud. "These grounds are sacred; there is no chance that they could cross." She then nodded to herself as if agreeing before looking over at the male. She placed herself on the floor, feet tucked underneath her bottom and hands folding in her lap. She kept her eyes to the ground though her ears were listening to even the tiniest of sounds. "I apologize, these... creatures are not like what one would expect of the canine family. It is best that we steer clear of them for now. You should rest, I presume we have a far way to travel."