Shadow Dancer

Chapter 3

"Celestria?" I look up from where I'd been about to chop another log to see my mother looking at me worriedly. I'd been at it for hours and had barely noticed when the sun had come up. "Have you slept at all? Look at your hands! They're covered in blood!" I look down at where my hands had blistered and bled from chopping wood for so long.

   "I'm okay, Mother. No need to worry," I say, swinging the ax down on the wood. It splits and I place the pieces in the pile. She storms over and yanks the ax from my hands. She cradles my hands in her own to look at them.

   "This is hardly okay. Your hands are a bloody mess! Inside! Now! So I can fix these." She drags me inside and pushes me down into a chair while she boils water and gets everything she needs to mend my hands. Ida comes up and falls at my feet, giggling. I smile down at her as she yanks on my cloak, trying to get me to pick her up. I shake my head and waggle a finger at her. Mother comes over and my smile disappears. She sits next to me and takes my hands in hers as she starts cleaning them. "Why were you out there?" she questions after a few moments of silence. Other than the twins, we're the only ones awake. I shrug.

   "Couldn't sleep," I mutter, not meeting her eyes. It's true, technically. I've never lied. Not to anyone. I won't start now. I can tell by the look on her face that she doesn't believe me, but she doesn't push any further. When she's done, I stand up and walk out the door without another word. I grab a brush and call for Blue so that I can brush him down.

   "Hey, bud," I murmur as I rub the brush down his back. He whinnies and I smile, leaning my forehead against his side. "I'm a murderer, Blue. I've killed these people, but they tried to kill me first. Of course, they wouldn't have tried to kill me if I hadn't stolen from them in the first place." I sigh into his hair. "Does that make me a bad person, Blue? Am I evil?" He snorts and stomps a hoof, making me smile. Sometimes I feel like he can really understand what I'm saying. I pull back and continue brushing him down. When I'm done, I go and grab my bow. He goes over to his tack, ready to be saddled up. I laugh. "Not today, buddy. I'm going solo."

   I don't like taking Blue out for hunting. He's getting old and I don't want to risk him hurting a leg. We can't afford to get him treatment or to put him down and get a new horse all together. I pat his neck before heading for the Dark Wood.

   I yank the arrow out of the dead fox and stuff the animal into my satchel. I've been out here for hours and it's the only thing I've found. I sigh as I lean against a tree and reach up to pull a brightly colored fruit down.

   Fruit that grows in the Dark Wood doesn't grow anywhere else in the world, as far as we know. It's unlike anything we've ever seen. Some of the animals are odd looking, as well. This one is particularly strange. It's yellow and almost shaped like a pear, but it has ripples in it. Like when you dip a toe into a still lake. It has green ball-like things all over it that kinda look like grapes, but darker and not as squishy. I pull a green ball off and toss it into my mouth. I'd learned long ago what you could eat and what you couldn't from the Dark Wood.

   The sweetly sour taste bursts over my tongue and I let out a low moan. I've always preferred the Dark Wood fruit to anything else. I quickly finish off the green balls and take a bite of the actual fruit. The first time I'd tried one of these, I'd thrown the green part away and had just eaten the yellow. I learned very quickly that something in the little green balls prepares your taste buds for the rest of the fruit. It tastes dreadful otherwise. I roll the fruit around in my mouth before I swallow, tasting the slight cinnamony and spicy flavor. I smile and close my eyes as I lean my head against the tree behind me.

   I hear the familiar sound of an arrow being let loose and my eyes go wide before I dive to the side right before an arrow lodges itself in the tree I'd been leaning against moments before. I feel the shadows rise up, but fight to push them back down. Not again. Please, not again.