Tamed

Chapter 32. Pitch Black

Natalie looked behind her shoulder and gasped. It was pitch black. Small movements on the ground could be heard and the chirping of wee insects echoed throughout . She was walking briskly towards the tree they were sleeping on. At midnight, she had felt thirsty and had stupidly went in search of some water without even telling Aiden. But now, even the moonlight was blocked by thick dark clouds and she was totally lost. She wasn't sure where she was headed to. Something she and Aiden had discovered a few hours ago was that as they came closer and closer to the dwellings of these tribal people, the power of their wands got weaker and weaker. It was so close to being just a piece of wooden stick. Nevertheless, she had her wand at the ready.

"Crucio" someone shouted. It was familiarity that struck Natalie and not the curse. She stood glued to her feet. Whoever was cursing her was alien to the powers of the mountain, she thought. A fat shadow approached her. "I am armed. Don't move" they said. Natalie rolled her eyes in the darkness. "Really Owen? Crucio?" she huffed.

"It's what I could think of... what? wait? Scott?" he shrieked "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same"

"Looking for my  beloved buddy Aiden of course "

"and not me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't go looking for trouble" Natalie could picture him pulling faces at her, even though the outline of his face was the only thing she could make out. "Fine then. Good luck. Go ahead"

"Wait... What did you do to him? Is he okay? Is he alive?" Owen shot questions at her

"What is really wrong with you Owen?" she shook her head. "Tell me, I won't tell anyone" she mocked. "So whiny and irritating" Nat muttered under her breath.

"Don't change the topic. Tell me what you did to Aiden!!"

"huff!! " she let out a sigh in frustration. Oh Come on! for Warlock's sake!! I am not you, Owen, I don't eat my friends when I am hungry. So he's just fine, sleeping on one of the billion trees here" she said and started walking ahead.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Anywhere away from you" she said loudly. Owen quickly followed her, looking around him with wide eyes.

"I thought you didn't like to follow trouble" she smirked.  Owen didn't utter a single word but followed suit. It was not the best time for arguments, he had understood.

"Where's Char...?"
  Before she asked Charlie sprang up from nowhere. "Natalie, Owen!! Thank Merlin! I found you! You are safe!!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah Charlie, now we have got to find Aiden too for this reunion to be complete" she grinned.

"Wait, he is not with you?" Charlie asked

"I guess it would be pretty obvious if he were" Natalie rolled her eyes.

"Charlie, She did something to our friend, I am telling you" Owen cried

"Not this again!" Nat slapped her palm against her face. "Owen, trust me, I am capable of kicking your ass if you keep on behaving so childishly" she threatened.

"See Charlie? she is threatening me! She would have threatened Aiden like this too and Merlin knows what happened to our poor chap"

"Oh Shut it Owen, what's up with you? You have been behaving very weirdly since you ate that bloody fruit" Charlie snapped.

"I bet he had been behaving very weirdly since the day he was born" Nat muttered.

" Not another word Owen!" Charlie warned him, sensing that Owen was about to open  his big mouth again to counter argue. "And both of you, please be quiet! Let us concentrate on something which is important okay?" He pleaded. Nat and Owen nodded their heads.

The three dragon keepers walked slowly with their wands out. The leaves ruffled in the gentle mountain breeze. It was cold. Owen's teeth began to chatter. He was trailing behind Charlie like a wounded puppy.

"Trying to find warmth under mama goose's feathers, are we Owen?" Nat scoffed.

Both Charlie and Owen scowled at her remark.

"I am just trying to diffuse the tension" she shrugged "Fine then" she sealed her mouth.

They looked up dozens of trees, tried calling Aiden every now and then but he was no where to be found.

"Why did you leave him alone?" Owen asked

"I was thirsty" she said

"And you were just roamed around in the creepy forest at an ungodly hour all alone? Not a very sensible thing to do" Charlie commented.

"Well hello? I can do whatever I want okay? I don't need to report to anyone and I don't need to be escorted to anywhere I go" she grimaced.

"What if something had happened??!!" Charlie asked, as he came striding towards her and shook her shoulders "What if you were attacked? What if .." he bit his lips to control his anger and sighed, pushing Nat away. She stood there, staring at Charlie in shock. Why did he care so much?

Charlie angrily walked away from her, followed by a confused Owen. Natalie shook away the conundrums forming in her head. As she slowly set her foot forward her left leg gave away and she fell on the ground with her face down, screaming.

The two boys who were ten feet away from her, stopped dead on their tracks and quickly looked behind their shoulders. Nat was struggling to get up.

"I told you to be careful" Charlie gritted his teeth as he walked towards her.

"S..some...something pulled my leg" Natalie stuttered.

"Nah you must have stumbled upon a rock or something" he said, approaching her.

 "Charlie" She extended her hand toward him. As he looked down, extending his as well, he saw the horror in her eyes. Her wide blue eyes, pleading for help.

"Na.."

"Heeelpppp!!" she cried loudly as an invisible force dragged her behind.

Before Charlie could reach her, Natalie vanished into darkness.