Helper or hunter

The ground seemed to be a hollow feeling. Yes, a feeling! It was nothing but a feeling as Scarlett spiralled through the unknown. She felt like she was moving in space, but the reality was, she was sinking into a cage. She flared her hands once more like a beacon, but nothing happened. She didn't grasp anything, and no form of magic greeted her.

Her breath knocked off her body as she hit the floor with a thud. She could rarely see anything, just shadows in front of her. She tried to focus her hindsight, but a migraine throbbed at the back of her head, making her give up, shutting her head tight

"Oliver," She whispered breathlessly, as she embraced the dark.

The sun slowly retreated to the sky, casting shadows over her body. Scarlett laid unconscious in the cold dilapidated cave, which was murky at best. It almost felt like she might never come out of there. There were small grasshoppers, which were a sight for sore eyes, moving around her without a care in the world. In a normal occasion, she would have jerked up from her unconscious state, but this time, she hardly knew what was happening, for her body was there, but her soul was gone.

Ten steps from where she lay, a man who seemed to get pleasure hunting for grasshoppers late in the night, was busy using his aesthetically made traps to catch the little grasshoppers. He barely made a sound for fear that it may alert the animals to hide. A couple of the grasshoppers, and long slender worms climbed his bare feet. He occasionally wriggled his feet to drive them off.  

He glided his trap sideways, as the animals fought to flee but ended up in his sack of many colours which he'd bound with some fresh rites to make them completely meek. He smiled at his achievement. He was actually quite smart, if only people knew this, and gave him the respect he deserved.

The man straightened up his back. He sighed as his muscles creaked. 'Damn! I shouldn't stay stooped for long. My baby is right, I'm indeed getting old,' he thought to himself.

He grabbed a hold of the bag, and dragged it along, causing some of the grasshoppers around to flee. They weren't so fast, as the weight of the sack crushed them. He was half way down, when his eyes caught the shadowed skin of a... 'Who was that?' He wondered.

He let go of his colourful sack, and took quiet steps towards the shadowed creature. On closer inspection, he figured out to his greatest chagrin, that it was a girl. Why? How did she get here? Could she be a demonic clild? No! She looked completely harmless to be termed as one.

Slowly, and carefully he stooped down to her height. Her cheeks were steered with mud, but it wasn't so awful that he didn't know how soft her skin seemed to be. She could be his daughter's mate. He couldn't afford to leave her here, alone, to be eaten by animals. He would have to do something.

Scarlett felt someone breath on her. She tried to move, as a fear so cold engulfed her insides, but she couldn't. She felt trapped in her own body. She opened her mouth to scream, but it felt like rubber band, which had been long overuse. 'Oh! Moon Goddess! Oliver!' She chanted frantically for help.

Suddenly, she felt her body being dragged, and then in a bad enough turn, she hit her head on the slab. Her eyes darted open immediately. She gasped in shock, but whomever the man was, he didn't stop. Was he Elder Quinn? She tried to look using the powers, but she felt like it only made her hungry. Not a good thing, so she gave up momentarily.

Scarlett licked her dry lips. "W..." She wanted to say, but nothing came out, but echoes of the W.

No! She couldn't allow this to happen. No matter how weak she was, she couldn't let this man harm her. What if that evil witch had sent him too completely destroy her? What would she do then? No! She couldn't let this happen. Her eyes peered around the cave, and she was stunned at how many grasshoppers were around her. She could barely see the beginning and the end of the cave. 

There were no stones too to make this a bit easier to do. Then, suddenly a shiny object caught her eyes. She focused right on it, and willed to her palm. Despite how fast she was being dragged, the object landed easily on  left palm. 

Oliver used the last of her energy to pull herself up, scraping his neck once. There was a grunt of pain. And, then she was slammed right to the floor. A gasp shot out from her lips, as her eyes spun in circles. This was too much! She couldn't believe this.

"Who are you?" She cried.

There were no response from him. Instead, he kept dragging her forward. She flailed her hands around, and tried to make the journey as difficult as could be. But, she was too weak to make any damage. Her fingers scraped the  muddy, making the mud stick into her fingers. The grasshoppers stayed away from them so quickly.

"Let me go!" She cried once more.

"Shut..." The man said in response.

She noted that his scarf was soaked in blood, merging down with wear his neck met. Unable to control herself, she threw up. Despite all the fits she threw, the man wouldn't stop. He continued dragging her through. Her eyes dilated as she found herself battling sleep.

'No! Be alert, Scarlett!' She scolded inwardly.

The man seemed to climb something, something Scarlett could not see which took him up, and up. She found herself tousled left and right. Her head spun at the heady entails of it all. With clattering teeth, she tried to speak. "Stop," She managed.

The man barely paid heed to her as he climbed up the steep. Then, suddenly light shone directly at her, blinding her. And, in a cruel twist she lost consciousness. There was nothing to protect her from him, and that made her completely vulnerable to him.

The man looked right at her, and sighed. She had been too difficult to handle, and he was grateful he still carried his grasshoppers with him, that was the only consolation he had. But despite all this, there was a question foremost in his mind, that made the hair on his back, stand. 'What next?'