An arrow drove into a thin tree.
Sable smiled at her accomplishment. Twenty feet away from my target.
The ranger sprinted toward the tree to retrieve the arrow. The flint arrowhead, which she had knapped with an antler tine, was buried several inches into the bark. Sable twisted the shaft around slowly, careful to pull it out. It was coming out… almost… snapped.
Sable frowned. "What a waste," she muttered, sighing. It wasn't her first time she snapped an arrow though.
Sable had been warming up for the hunt ten minutes so far. Turning away from the tree, she was about to head to the glade where she hoped to find a deer herd until shouts grasped her ears.
Someone is coming this way, Sable thought quickly. Grabbing the branches of a thin tree, she hoisted herself up by stepping on the broken arrow. Sable positioned herself on the branch and climbed higher to see where the sounds were coming. Searching through the foliage, she made out three men in burgundy cloaks carrying wire cages.
"Rogues," Sable muttered, wincing. She hadn't seen any rogues in the Ajar Forest for a while. What are they doing with those cages? All she knew was the rogues were up to no good.
"Let go!" a deep feminine voice shouted.
There's a woman? Sable pushed back the thinner branches to get a better view.
One of the rogues was dragging her behind with some sort of string. By the leather armor she wore, Sable assumed the woman was a warrioress. She had short sandy hair and was nearly as tall as the men. It seemed her hands were tied behind her back. Sable strained her eyes.
What are they pulling her by? Oh! It was a long rope wrapped around her neck; a leash.
Unease what to do, Sable wondered if she should help her. She could try to shoot one of the rogues with an arrow, but if she missed, the rogues could discover her presence. However, Sable was not sure if she should be involved in the situation at all. Rogues could be dangerous depending on the associations they had. If one of them managed to escape within her grasp, he could report on her, and it was possible there would be revenge.
Sable's eyes wandered back to the weary woman.
But what if she is innocent? Maybe I should stalk them.
"Ye think we gonna do that, huh?" asked the rogue cockily who was dragging the warrioress. "After we trap those cats, we gonna sell ye once we get out of this forest!"
"Shut up, Joseph!" the rogue in front of him barked. "Don't tell that girl anything, ye hear me?" Turning around, he smacked Joseph with the hilt of his blade, hoping it would teach him a lesson.
Joseph yowled from the pain. "Ye think ye the boss, Tim?" Dropping the rope and cage he was carrying, he withdrew his sword from his sheath.
The warrioress, who had been looking for an opportunity to escape, took her chance now. She bolted off heading to opposite direction.
"Ye fool!" Tim shouted. "Get her, ye ass!"
The first rogue who was leading the party, spun around furiously. Staring at them icily, he said, "If you two don't catch her, I'm going to gut your brains out."
Intimidated by him, they dropped the cages and immediately spun around to chase after the warrioress.
Should I help her now? Sable thoughts swam frantically in her head. Maybe she will tell me what they meant by trapping 'those cats'. She wondered if they were referring to the alacats. If they were, what were they going to do with them? Then she remembered the cages they were holding. Why would they want to trap alacats for?
Deciding her final decision, Sable quickly climbed down the tree.
~~~
Elia's heart pounded rapidly against her chest. She had no idea where she was going, but hopefully it would lead her out of the forest. All she knew was she had to outrun those idiots.
Tripping on a tree root, Elia crashed toward the ground. Stupid rope! She scowled. If only my hands weren't tied! She pushed herself back up and continued running.
Leaves and twigs snapped behind her, making her heart beat faster. The rogues were getting closer, and she was running out of breath. Her throat burned like fire, and her saliva tasted like blood. She desired desperately to collapse on her knees and pant for air, but Joseph and Tim were only a few feet behind her.
"Ye can't get away, girl!" Tim's mocking tone hollered after the exhausted warrioress.
I can't run anymore. Elia dropped down to her knees and sobbed for air.
An arrow zoomed through the air, piercing Tim's chest. Blood soaked from his wound, darkening his cloak. Joseph ran over to help him, bewildered where the arrow came from.
"Run… fool," Tim choked out. Before Joseph could take his advice, an arrow sliced through him. Joseph gasped, clutching the arrow from his chest, and then silence took over him as he collapsed to the ground.
Elia traced the origin of the arrow's direction, but she could not make out the mysterious rescuer among the trees. Trying to stand up, Elia bellowed out, "Who is out there? Come out!" Whoever it was, the person saved her from being recaptured.
A young woman swooped down in front of her, startling the warrioress. She regained her momentum and stood up. Strands of solid black straight hair were tied back into a ponytail. Youth depicted her facial features and slender muscles traced her toned body. A gleaming shortbow was clutched in one hand which she had used to shoot the rogues. Although the young woman was probably more than a head shorter than Elia, her strong physique was unmistakable for a small young woman. What the warrioress noted curiously were her feline-shaped eyes, displaying her foreign racial origin.
"I am Sable," she replied firmly, presenting herself with a slight bow.
Surprisingly, she could speak the common tongue without any accent. Perhaps the young woman was raised here. Elia was in lost for words for a few seconds. "Thank you for saving me," she finally said. "Do you happen to be an archer?"
"I'm a ranger," Sable replied, shaking her head. "I live with the forest. What makes you think I serve the land's monarchy?"
"Your archery skills," Elia remarked. "I just assumed you were probably some elite archer. I am Elia by the way."
Sable laughed softly. "Nope, I'm just as any other huntress, Elia." She moved her eyes toward her tied hands. "I should help you with that."
Untying the rope from Elia's hands, Sable was thanked by the warrioress again. Elia removed the uncomfortable leash around her neck and tossed it across the ground.
"Is the other rogue taken care of?" Elia asked.
Sable shook her head. "Not yet. What were the rogues doing with those cages?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but I kept hearing them talk about trapping these cats called 'alacats,'" Elia replied. "I unfortunately do not know the purpose though, but it probably has to be about economical reasons."
"Ahh, I see then," Sable replied a bit disappointed. She wanted to know what exactly was going on. "How were you captured?"
Elia briefly flushed. "I was caught trying to rob one of the rogues yesterday in town, but I'm not a thief. I just needed money for food."
Sable nodded understandingly. Living in towns and cities was just as tough as living in the wild; food and shelter was not free. "I'll take you to my home now," Sable replied. "It'll be safer."
Elia did not hesitate as Sable led the way. They passed the oak tree Sable had climbed earlier, and the warrioress took note of the broken arrow curiously. The walk grew long and silent as they trudged through the forest for who knew how long. Soon, a gigantic tree beheld their direction.
The tree was so unusual that Elia could not refrain from gawking. Vines curled around the branches and bark that was speckled with moss. The thick roots not only grew into the ground, but above the ground creating a cave-like dwelling that measured almost the height of an average door.
Elia carefully went inside for she was almost as tall as the entrance. They both settled down across a fire pit which was surrounded by a ring stones covered with ashes. The ground was free of forest debris but not of dust. She noticed there were three woven baskets carrying certain items.
One of the baskets carried empty shafts of an arrow. Next to the basket were two antlers sitting on top of piles of flint. I see she makes her own arrows, the warrioress observed.
"What do you think they would do with the alacats?" Sable asked suddenly, receiving Elia's attention.
The warrioress shrugged. "I'm not too sure, but they would probably plan on trapping them in cages for their fur. It's not unusual to see fur traders in town."
Sable shook her head with disgust. "I have to stop them." How could human beings sacrifice these majestic creatures' lives for their coat? It felt so morally wrong to her. She respected the predators of the Ajar Forest, and there was no way she would let them invade her home and batter the alacat population for currency.
Elia raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you a ranger, though? You shouldn't have an issue of hunting animals for their fur."
"You probably do not understand the importance of alacats in the forest," Sable snapped. "My grandmother told me that if a certain animal population gets extinct, it will interrupt the cycle of life. Not only the alacats would be gone, but other animals will slowly disappear too, including us. We need each other to survive or else the Ajar Forest will be imbalanced."
Growing up from a town, Elia had a less connection with nature compared to the ranger. However, she could see why Sable found it important to stop the possible inhumane trade.
"I'm going to continue to look for that other rogue," Sable said. "You can stay here tonight, but I'm sure you probably want to leave tomorrow."
Elia nodded. "I am indebted to you. Do you want my help? I can possibly recover more information about the alacats in town."
Sable liked the sound of the idea. "I would greatly appreciate it. Is escorting you out the forest at dawn sound good to you?"
"It's early, but it's good enough," Elia replied. It would take her some time to travel back to town and get information about the alacats.
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