Blood and Betrayal

-01-

Anthrea Charan narrowed her eyes as she pulled back the bowstring. In a few seconds, the pheasant would be out into the open.

"Babawwgu! Beebaguu!" The pheasant squawked as it tottered out into the clearing.

Fshhhhh- THUNK! Oh, the satisfying sound as the arrow hit true.

Anthrea lowered her bow, allowing herself a grin.

Her companion, Leila Dabbids, snorted. "So you aren't completely hopeless, then." Marilela stretched like a graceful cat and stood up from where she was sitting on a flat gray boulder.

Anthrea punched her in the stomach, right above her navel.

Leila choked, pretending to hold her stomach like she was in severe pain.

"What sort of best friend would injure me?" She gasped.

Anthrea rolled her eyes. "Pick up the goddamn bird, Leila"

Leila slung the fat pheasant onto her shoulder and picked up her bow, which was lying in the grass, and followed Anthrea back to the village.

The evening air was cool against Anthrea's cheek, murmuring quiet whispers into the silent forest. Anthrea strolled across the bridge, water lapping at the riverbank beneath her.

"Peter! Stop this instant!" The silhouette of a short, plump boy racing out of the village closely followed by a middle-aged woman greeted Anthrea and Leila.

Anthrea laughed, swinging her nine-year-old brother around as he leapt into her arms.

"Rea! Rea!" He squealed, giggling with delight as he flew through the air. Leila looked on nearby with a pouty expression on her face.

"Rea! Rea!" She mimicked. "That's not fair, Peter. Why does she get all the attention and I'm just a garden decoration standing here? Hmm?"

Peter made a face at her. "Too bad you don't have a sibling, Leila." He stuck out his tongue and scrunched his nose.

Marilela made a face back at him.

Peter hopped down and raced back into town, laughing.

Yvinna Charan shook her head disapprovingly, but her eyes were gleaming with amusement.

"Next time come home earlier, understand?" Anthrea's mother chided. "Your father's been waiting for you a long time already."

Anthrea brushed her dark brown hair out of her face.

"We would've been earlier, if Leila here hadn't been so wooden-headed,"

Leila snorted. "You're the one to talk- if we'd taken the shorter route back it wouldn't have been so late!" she retorted.

"Well-"

"That's quite enough, girls." Anthrea's mother stared at them reproachfully. "Is that how you act in front of Peter?"

Anthrea and Leila looked down, embarrassed.

"Ah, nevermind. It's late, you shouldn't be out here anymore."Anthrea's mother headed back towards the lights of the village.

Anthrea was about to follow her mother back when she noticed her friend staring at something in the distance.

"Leila? What's the matter?" Anthrea asked worriedly.

She shook her head. "Sorry. I just had a strange thought. It's nothing, we'd better go before Mrs. Charan reprimands us again. C'mon!" She bounded across the bridge with a playful shove on Anthrea's arm.