Adventures of a Little Sister

Part Fourteen

The night had been uneventful, dinner being just the three of them. Énna mentioned that Ivaylo was out longer than he should have, but that he might return the next day. Little Sister did look a little sad about it, but said nothing. The girl was too busy trying to hide the fact that she was planning how to get out of the forest. She was going to visit her home, just to see if her brothers were there. The girl would be back within the same night and the two girls would never know. 

Soon, it was bed time and Little Sister was placed in her bed along with Maimu. The two quickly closed their eyes and pretended to fall asleep. Énna, who had put the two to bed, left soon after, leaving them alone in their room. After waiting a while, thirty minutes at the most, Little Sister sat up in the bed. Miamu perked up as well and made a squeak, as if to tell the girl this was a bad idea. Little Sister placed a finger over her lips to tell Maimu to be quiet and the fluff ball said no more.  

The girl slowly slipped out of bed, leaving her feet bare so she would make even less noise. She quickly slipped on her jacket, pulling the hood over her head to hide her cat ears. They twitched a bit, fitting into the ears on the hood. Once set, she reached for Maimu, who jumped onto her palm, and she slipped it into her pocket. 

They would have to be quick, two hours at the most. Little Sister peeked out through a crack in the door. Seeing no one there, she slowly opened the door, making sure it wouldn't creak. Once a big enough opening was made, she slipped through and into the bush that was next to the room. She watched her surroundings carefully, not wanting to be caught. For the most part, the forest dwellers wouldn't bother Little Sister during the night, so no one would be around at this time. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she quickly made her way to the closest shadow and slipped back, making sure the darkness hid her. She continued to do this until she was near the edge of the forest. She saw a couple of creatures around, but they didn't seem to notice her at all. If they did, they didn't do anything to raise alarm that she was escaping. The girl would be back, so maybe they knew this? Either way, Little Sister had made it and her home wasn't too far off. She remembered the way her brothers had taken to get from the house to the forest, so she knew she wouldn't get lost. 

"We're almost there Maimu." She whispered, letting the little guy climb out of her pocket and onto her shoulder. "Just past this field and we'll be home. Once we check to see if they're there or not, we'll come back." 

The little thing squeaked and she gave a chuckle before stepping out of the bushes and into the field. Glancing back, she felt as though someone was watching her suddenly. Did they actually know? No, she snuck by every one of them. They didn't even look in her direction as she passed by. She even made sure the be down wind of anything, just in case. So why did it feel this way? Shivering, she pulled her arms together in attempt to keep her warm, turning back to head for home. 

She thought she had lost her way, the walk taking longer than what she remembered. But then again, her brother was running, and could take bigger steps than her anyways, so it would've been a quicker trip than if she walked herself. Still, the surroundings seemed to have changed a bit since then. She wasn't sure how, but it looked different. It was like something was trying to stop her from getting to her home. But why? She just wanted to see if her brothers were there. If they weren't, she would grab a doll and leave. If they were, she would take them back to Laerorneth so she would no it was alright.  

Near the point of giving up and heading back, she saw something in the distance. It was smoke. Grey smoke, the kind from a fireplace. Getting a little closer, she could see the chimney the smoke came from and her eyes held hope. It was her house, standing there alone on the road. Perhaps they were finally home. They had to be if the fireplace was burning.  

"They came back Maimu! Come on, let's go greet them!" She cried happily, rushing towards the home as her pet squeaked. 

Running up to the door, she stopped. She could hear them inside, but then she heard something else. She heard four males, but then, a female. Why would a girl be there if she wasn't? She didn't understand the boyfriend, girlfriend, concept, but even if she did, it would still be strange. Slowly, she opened the door into the main room to see who it was.

They weren't her brothers.  

"Well, look what we have here." 

The little girl looked up at a tall man, muscular, a scar on his left eye. He grinned at the fear the girl had in him as she slowly started to back away. 

"Who...who are you?" She asked, trying to sound brave but failing miserably. "Why are you in my home?" 

"Oh, so you're part of the family that use to live here?" The man chuckled, holding up a little doll. "I was wondering who this thing belonged to." 

Little Sister wanted to reach for it, but was stuck in fear and couldn't even move. A woman walked up from behind him. She looked beautiful, her skin tanned, her blue eyes shinning brightly in the dull light of the fire. She hardly wore anything, but Little Sister could see twin blades on her hips. She knelt down to the girl, holding her chin to get a better look at her. Little Sister gulped in fear, shaking as she looked into the ice cold eyes. 

"She's a lovely little thing." The woman spoke, her voice smooth but stone. "But you're hiding something, aren't you child?" 

The woman reached for the girl's hood, Little Sister's eyes growing wide but not being able to do anything about it. Her ears were reveled as the woman pulled the hood back, the other men coming closer to look. 

"Well, woucha look at dat." One said, a skinny fellow who had a problem with his face. "She'sa kiddy cat. She make a good fortune in da kingdom." 

"She would." The woman replied, starting to smile. "She would need some training though." 

Little Sister didn't know what they were talking about, but she knew it was bad. Maimu, who was still on her shoulder, made a sort of growling sound. The woman picked it up by the tail and chuckled. 

"Why don't you boys give her the first lesson." 

"Kinda young, but dey can't start too early." The skinny guy chuckled, slowly reaching for Little Sister. 

Little Sister quickly shut her eyes, trying to let out a scream for help. However, she was too scared to do so. Right as one of the men grabbed her arm, she heard a howl. Like a wolf was howling. Her arm was released and she fell back, blacking out. All she remembered was the howling of the wolf, and screams of the people who had tried to come after her.