Demon

Chapter 31

My eyes were focused and every muscle in my body was completely frozen so that no noise disturbed the noises I was listening for from the woods. I waited for footsteps, I waited for breathing, for twigs snapping, for anything at all. All the while, the previous glass decorations swayed and glimmered in the small amount of moonlight.

The forest seemed to grow darker the longer I stared past the thick leaves and deep foliage. It was a far less magical place than the night I had managed to explore briefly. From the trees, I felt a sense of impending danger; that there was something beyond the line of trees that was watching me from afar and it had no good intentions. I ignored my feelings, as I felt that I was safe behind the bars of my cage.

My mind continuously drifted away from the foreboding woods and I drifted in and out of conscious thought like a dancer sways in a waltz. Every upbeat is when I remember my goal and every graceful turn and glide is when my mind drifts away once again. The pattern repeated over and over for hours and it was only when I heard a strange noise were my thoughts interrupted.

I jumped when I heard the oh-so-quiet noise, yet it was loud enough to differ from the usual forest ambience that I was used to. Upon turning to see the source, I was startled by the sight of a tall man leaning against the bars of my cage.

Even more startling, though, was that I immediately recognised the man. It was TomCat! He had returned! As excited as I was to see him back, I was a little put off by his sudden appearance. I guessed, maybe I was expecting him to show up in the middle of the day, or maybe he would be found by someone else. I, frankly, didn't know what to expect, but the sight of him leaning against my cage in the dead of night with a drained look on his features was not on my list.

"Tom!" I called, scooting closer to the man and wanting nothing more than to hug him as tightly as possible and never let go. He gave a deep exhale and reached into his coat for the key to my cage. Tom let himself in and he spared no time in sitting down to relax and rest his weary body. He was definitely off; everything from the way he moved, to the way he looked at me was different.

The poor man had dark black and blue bruises around his eyes and cheekbones. His skin was red and swollen where scratches had scabbed over and been irritated by dirt. He sat cross-legged in front of me and slouched over tiredly; however, he didn't sway, nor did he quiver. He was tired but he wasn't exhausted nor was he drunk.

"Tom, I missed you!" I exclaimed in a tone that was no more than a whimper as I came to him and hugged him around his neck. He wrapped his arms around me as well and I revelled in the warmth that I missed so badly.

"I'm sorry..." I heard him mutter quietly, his voice was hoarse and almost nothing but air.

I looked down at him and sat down in front of him to better see his beaten face, "why?"

"I worried all of you, didn't I?"

I nodded slightly, "FatCat called the police."

Tom let out a deep sigh, "he didn't need to do that..."

"We didn't know what to do," I defended FatCat's actions. How else was he supposed to know that Tom didn't want the police to be involved in his own disappearance? Was he afraid of something?

"That's okay," Tom assured, petting my hair comfortingly, "I appreciate the concern..."

"What happened? Please tell me!" I insisted, looking back up at him again. Tom sighed deeply again and closed his eyes for a moment. I feared he wouldn't tell me what happened because I might've been "too young." However, to my relief, he opened his eyes again and, in a sombre tone, said, "I was attacked by a group of men... they left me a little way out of town and I had to walk back..."