Wild Tribe by Crystal Chen (ebook reader library TXT) 📖

Oh no! She or he might have been the one shooting at me and Amber! The questions poured into her mind like flowing water. I gotta get this stupid rope off me! Mica thought frantically. That thing might come back for me! Maybe even with its cousins! She knew she couldn’t stand a chance against weird creatures living in the Forlorn, especially with her hands tied behind her back!

“Arrgh!” She seethed, almost fighting back tears. “That stupid Amber!” Mica just wanted to explode, tear up the trees and rip up every leaf because of this. She thought she was gonna die, a horrible, painful death. But on the other hand, she was infuriated with herself for running away in the first place. Without a thought, she grabbed a rock with fury and stabbed it into the palm of her hand. Mica’s hand grew warm with blood seeping from the fresh wound. Somehow this seemed to calm her a bit, because her face softened by just a fraction. Then an idea popped into her mind.

I’ve got it! Mica thought excitedly. Maybe I just might not turn into a bear’s supper!

Grabbing the rock, which was now red with her blood, Mica twisted into the position so that she could try to saw through the ropes. She tried for a little while, but her patience was limited, and no avail.

“Ugh.” Mica groaned out loud. She dropped the rock and twisted around to see what progress she was making.

When Amber had tied her up, she had wrapped the rope three times around Mica’s skinny wrists. Mica was able to saw two of the three apart. The third was still securely wrapped and tied.

Mica kept sawing, but no avail. The third rope was thick and strong as the first two together. Tears bursting from her eyes, she let out a low, terrified wail. Help me! Someone! Please! 

Calm down. Mica's concience whispered in her head.

"How?!" She exploded, tears streaming from her eyes. "Tell me, how on earth am I supposed to calm down? I'm stuck in this stupid forest filled with hungry creatures that could come out and rip me to pieces any moment! And your telling me to calm down?!"

The voice didn't answer.

Mica flopped onto her back, misery cloaking her like a dark thunder cloud. Please. she cried silently to the could above. Please. Help me. Salty tears scorched her face as she cried herself to sleep.

Her heart felt slightly lighter and calmer when she awoke uncomfortably. Strength renewed, Mica continued to saw, but the rope just wouldn't budge. Her arms ached from being forced backward for so long, and she longed for sleep or unconciousness.

“Ugh. This is torture.” Mica groaned."I might as well sit here and die.” But in her head she knew she would have to die trying to live. So, she grabbed that rock again and continued sawing. Her hopes plummeted as she realized, she would be trapped like this forever if that rope never came undone.

“Ugh!” Mica finally threw down the rock in disgust. “How in the world can this be possible? I had a safe family, safe house, and now I’m here! How? Why?”

Calm down. Her conscience came again. Calm.

This time Mica tried to listen to her mind. She thought of peaceful trees swaying in the breeze, birds chirping happily…

Tsss! Mica yelped. An arrow! She twisted around to grab it, just while another arrow whizzed an inch away from her arm.

Mica flattened herself to the ground. She knew it would be harder for the enemy to shoot her when she was buried in the leaves. Mica used her legs to swivel her around so she could get at least one of the arrows. Then, opening her mouth wide, she clamped her teeth around the thin stick.

Eww! Mica almost spat out the leaf crumbs in her mouth, but thought better of it. If the leaves went out, the arrow would come out too. So she just lay low and clenched her jaws on the arrow.

******

“Shh!” Willow whispered sharply, aiming her arrow at the human’s head. She shot, but the girl moved right at the right moment and it whizzed past again.

“How come she always does that?” Pepper whispered, excited to be there at the scene.

“Because she does.” I pushed her back to Chive, who was crouching back behind a bush. “Let me try.” I said to Willow.

Willow nodded yes, and I set my bow in place. This human was struggling with something, I could tell. She kept squirming in the leaves so we couldn’t see her, just some movement.

I gripped the wooden handle and strung an especially sharp arrow Willow and I had made two moons ago. Pulling it back to my ear, I stared intently at the rustling leaves straight ahead. When I was satisfied with the aim, I shot the arrow where I believed was the humans heart. Unfortunately, I was a bit off.

******

“Aaaiiiieeeeeek!” An ear-splitting scream pierced the air. It was Mica’s. She felt the sharp point slice right by her wrists. Panicking, she twisted around as fast as she could to inspect the wound. There was none, just a little bruise by the rope. But, where was the rope?

“Oh, joy!” Mice cried, seeing that the arrow had sliced the rope clean in half. “I’m free!”

But she felt like she was being watched, so, getting up quickly and rubbing her sore wrists, she darted behind the big oak she had rested on.

******

Willow gasped. “You hit her! Didn’t you hear the scream?”

“Yes.” I replied, “But didn’t you see her stand up and run behind the oak tree?”

“No.” Willow answered, looking a bit confused.

“Well, she did, and she’s there now. I saw her. Trust me.”

“I know!” Pepper piped up from her place by the bush. “I saw her too!” Willow nodded. Chive and I rose.

“We’d better go get her then.” I spoke for all of us.

******

Mica looked around her. Leaves were scattered, and her heart pounded loudly in her head. She had heard whispers around her. Shivering, she sat, leaning against the oak tree. Suddenly, there was a faint rustle of leaves, then a hand, reaching for her face…

Mica instinctively started kicking and screaming. The figure in front of her grunted then brought out a long vine. Quick as a viper, the rope wrapped around Mica’s sore wrists, once, twice, three times. Then it was tied tightly in a triple knot.

Meanwhile, a different captor tied her legs, and yet another two shoved a gag in her mouth, and put a blindfold to her eyes. Without the strength of her arms and legs, her eyesight and teeth, Mica was pretty much helpless. Her heart filled with dread as she realized she was just this close to freedom, but yet so far.

Chapter 6

“We’ve got her!” The triumphant shout rang in the air as we lugged the human to our teepee.

“Be very careful.” Willow warned as we pushed her into the firelight. “She may be dangerous.” We all went in and sat down.

Using a pole attached to the teepee, I took another strong vine and tied the human’s wrists and stomach to it. Surprisingly, she didn’t struggle much. Perhaps she already knew we were too powerful for her.

The thought lifted my spirits. I wrapped and tied faster, then stepped back to my seat. Willow came forth and gently eased the blindfold and gag from her face.

The human blinked once. Then opened her mouth. We allheld our breath.

“Who—where am I?”

Willow exchanged surprised glanced with me. “You are in our forest.”

“Wha—?”

“You have trespassed. Humans are a great threat to our society.”

“But, the Forlorn doesn’t belong to anyone, does it?”

Willow hesitated. “Well, this part of the forest does. The part you trespassed in.”

The human knit her eyebrows and pulled against the restraints. “Why do you put me in these bonds?” she sounded angry.

“Because, as she said before, you are a threat to us.” I spoke up. She tugged and pulled, while we all waited anxiously.

Suddenly I saw tears brimming her eyes, but she blinked them back quickly. I glanced at Willow, who just shrugged. In a wobbly voice, the human said, “Who are you?”

“We are us, we are a family. I am Maple, my older sister is Willow, and our younger sisters are called Pepper and Chive.” I gestured to them. The human’s expression softened. “So, did you guys live on your own, for all this time?” We all nodded, and then Chive asked, “Who are you, then?” The human hesitated, and Chive gripped her javelin. I glanced at my bow nearby.

“My name is Mica.” She whispered.

******

Mica felt the four pairs of eyes watching her after she said her name, and they all had stiffened. She felt uncomfortable revealing her identity, and growing panic started expanding in her chest. What were they thinking?

The one called Maple was the first one to speak. “So…Mica. That is a nice name, but what were you doing trespassing in our forest?”

Mica swallowed. She knew this part would come. So, since she knew she had no choice, she told her story.

“I ran away.” Were her first words. Then others started pouring out of her mouth, words of her story. All four of them watched her face intently the whole time, even the younger ones, whose faces were stone hard. When Mica finished, Willow nodded.

“You are sin free for this wrong doing. And you didn’t know.” She tapped her chin. “But according to forest rules, every trespasser must pay the punishment.” Willow made a half-nod to Maple, who spoke, “Every trespasser must serve ten lashes along with a moon of no food in the gnarled cherry tree, top branch. Just water from the stream.” She turned to Mica, “But since you did this wrong with no intention, you will serve five lashes and only a week upon the cherry tree.”

Mica tried to take this information in. Five lashes. She wondered how much that would hurt. A week without food. But couldn’t she just jump off the top branch or climb to lower ones to escape?

Willow seemed to read her mind, “We will bind you to the top branch, so there is no escape. We’ll just leave your arms free to move. None else.”

Mica’s heart ached. She knew it and would admit it. There was no escape. Tears pushed against her eyelids, threatening to spill out. She blinked them back quickly, wishing she could reach out and wipe them. The vines were bound tight and strong, so she knew that she couldn’t escape them unless they untied her.

“I am a good person, I swear. I could not hurt any of you anyways, so could you please let me out of my arm bonds?” Mica asked nervously. She saw Willow glance at Maple, then shrug. Maple stepped forth and worked on untying the vine. When she was done, Mica stretched her sore wrists and rubbed the red marks made from the vine and rope. Sighing, she knew there was no way out of here, but at least she could try to make friends with these strange people. She held out her hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you—people.”

Maple looked at it with a blank expression. Then Mica realized. These people actually were living in the Forlorn. They’d have no clue what to do when she stuck out her hand like that!

“You’re supposed to shake my hand.” She explained. “That’s what we humans in the modern world do to greet each other.”

Pepper eagerly stepped forward and grabbed her hand, jerking it up and down.