Chapter Three: Human Girl

My body ached as I ran through a dense and dark wood, my legs had never run so fast and far before, but I couldn’t slow down, unaware if those creatures still loomed behind me. Tears continued to stream down my face, a mixture of sadness and fear concealed within, I didn’t dare turn back for even a second, the unlevelled ground below threatened to trip me at any moment.

The path I once followed seemed to disappear within the fallen branches of the many trees that towered above my small structure but still, I didn’t stop, I couldn’t, what if those things were behind me?! As I reached a clearing off to the side, I had neglected to look at ground and soon tripped up on an old fallen tree branch, my hands going out in front of me and taking the brunt force of the impact.

Now it was no longer fear filled cries that rumbled from my chest, but pain from the wounds that now littered my tiny hands dripping blood down my forearms. I was now lost, cold and injured, even in my young brain I knew the odds were stacked against me as I lay on the ground sobbing.

“What are you doing all the way out here alone?” A male's voice asks from somewhere around me, instantly, I shoot my head up and find the owner of the voice, a young man but much older than me stood by two trees looking over as I lay on the floor.

But with the situation I had found myself in not hours before, I begin to crawl backwards away from him as much as my beaten hands would allow. Whilst the man held his out as though he didn’t want to startle me.

“There is no need to be afraid of me little one, I’m not gonna hurt you. I was collecting some firewood when I heard your cries, where are you parents?” He asked taking another step closer to me as I had somewhat given up on my attempts to escape, my hands prevented me from putting pressure on them.

“T-they’re g-gone.” I began to sob even thinking of my parents and all that had happened to them, where it was as though this man didn’t need to hear anymore, he knew what I meant.

“How about you come back with me, we’ll clean your hands and get you into the warm, after we can figure out what to do?” He asked much more softly knelling down to be at my level as I lay a few feet away from him.

“We can’t leave you out in these woods alone at night, anything could get ahold of you.” He continued to say looking side to side at our surroundings in case what he mentioned appeared, where with what I had just witnessed, that thought scared me deeper than anything.

Nodding my head giving him the chance to walk closer to me and help me stand, I’m picked up into his arms and carried back to his house deeper into the woods.

That was the day I met Markus.

Taking a sharp breath of air, my eyes shot open within a second looking around the unfamiliar surroundings I had landed myself in, my mind drew a blank on what had happened and what was going on around me.

The first thing to break through my confused and still quite foggy mind was the constant noise of some machine beeping, taking a look around the area attempting to find the noise, I discovered a heart rate machine next to me and with the wire that led from that very machine to the odd clip on the edge of my finger, I knew it was my heart rate it was measuring. Now I had taken a look down at my body, I discovered I was laying on some kind of hospital bed in a completely new outfit.

The longer I looked, the more wires and tubes I found sticking out of me, the heart monitor to the side of me beeping even faster indicating the silent panic I was feeling the more I looked around the small hospital room I’d found myself in. I knew one thing for certain, I wasn’t back home at the village, we didn’t have a hospital such as this, ours were either in another village down the road or a little shed. But here it seemed as though it was a proper hospital, as I went to sit up to get a better look, a sharp pain in my shoulder causes me to freeze.

Instantly, the pain seemed to kickstart my brain and the entire day played out in such great detail, my goodbyes to Daniel, hearing the distress call, entering the battle, learning of Daniel’s death and strangely the one thing which clung to my mind, those eyes.

My lip quivered as the memory of Daniel became clearer in my mind, it was as though I couldn’t accept what had happened to him, each time that section of my brain thought about his death, the other side would scream at how foolish I was being, Daniel was one of the most skilled fighters I had ever seen, there is no way he’d allow himself to get surrounded and eventually, killed.

But the more I thought of the battle, the more this hospital room and where in which it was located began to appear in my mind. If this wasn’t the hospital room back in our camp or village, does that mean…?

With this frightening thought in mind, the desire to escape and get as far away from this place as possible until I was able to find home was all I could think about. These animals have hurt and killed so many people I love; I refuse to be added on to that statistic. Ripping the thin white blanket from my legs, I swing them around the bed having to hold onto my shoulder a little, even though I was still in very much pain and the sudden movements only amplified that, I would be in more danger if I stayed put.

The issue of not having shoes on didn’t matter to me much, but what did, the wires and tubes that were imbedded into my skin raised a problem. Throwing the wire which measured my heart rate from my finger where the loud beeping soon turned to a long and deafening stream of noise, knowing this could only alarm the people around of my escape, I wasted no time ripping the tubes which were in my skin out to dangle from the various liquids that were being pupped into my body, the slight pain from when I ripped all the needles out didn’t matter much to me either.

Now I was free from any restraints, I get to my feet and begin my escape plan, my head spinning slightly due to how quickly I had gotten to my feet but again, I had more issues to worry about. Rushing towards the two white doors which led out of my private hospital room, I slowly push at them revealing a very sophisticated but busy hospital type hallway, many nurses and patients alike walking down the halls too engrossed in all they were dealing with to notice me.

Taking a deep breath in, I push the doors open a little wider and managed to slip my small and injured body through the gap hoping to somewhat blend in with the people around me.

Walking barefoot down the shiny floors of the hospital, I ensure to keep my head down as to not make eye contact with anybody, it wouldn’t take them much to see me in this state and begin to raise suspicions of what was happening with me. I didn’t know where I was headed but I ensured to follow the signs to the exit, once outside, it’ll be easier to hide until I worked out what to do.

Automatic doors opening into the blistering heat of the height of summer hits my skin, this allowing me another sense of freedom, but I knew I was not out of the woods, taking a deep breath in, I walk outside in hopes of finding home.

~~

King Baron stood in his grand office with his hands placed onto his hips, some insufferable officials of his had called him into a meeting regarding the recent attack from the group of humans. He had requested to push such a meeting back to ensure he did not need to leave the hospital, but such officials persisted that the matter was of a sense of urgency and gave him no other choice.

“We are aware sir that you did not want to attend this meeting but with this growing threat of these humans, we must do something.” One of the officials who sat in an old chair in the corner insisted, where Baron simply shook his head not sharing the same sentiments as those men.

“I believe with the counterattack we delivered this group showcased our capabilities and strengths; due to this I do not think such a group will attempt an attack again.” He spoke in a bored tone hoping this meeting would not run over, he had someone he needed to see in the hospital who mattered to him more than these unbearable men.

“In most cases sir, yes, I would agree with you, but this group seems to only be getting stronger, Alpha Curtin expressed how deadly such attacks from this group has been and the W.M.O have recently placed this group in their most dangerous category. I believe if we do not do something, this group will only strike again and especially, with that human girl you picked up.” Another of the men explained his viewpoint before he looked to the side in disgust thinking of the person Baron brought back and rushed to the hospital.

Baron was sure to catch that sick expression on the male's face when he brought her up, which caused unbelievable anger to ripple through him at the thought of this man disrespecting what was his. But before Baron had the chance to respond, a panicked voice from a nurse in the hospital echoed through his head.

“Your majesty, I went to check on you mate but she is gone!” The nurses worried voice disclosed all that had happened while Baron was forced into this fruitless meeting, such a greater feeling of anger but also, a hint of worry spread through Baron upon hearing the news.

“I demand all guards begin a sweep of the palace grounds and any area surrounding it immediately, my mate has wandered off and needs to be located. Do not approach or touch her in any such way, inform me immediately, if she is found.” He quickly orders to all his available guards with a deep growl; this should never have happened as he should have never left his mate.

“That human girl is my mate and your Queen regardless, of which group of people she originated from, if I catch any of you disrespecting her in the slightest, your mates will soon receive word of your gruesome untimely deaths, have I made myself clear?!” He demands already furious due to his mates escape but now watching each man sit in their seats passing judgement, he wanted to rip their throats out.

“Now as I stated, I will have men watching this group from afar, but no action is to become of them until I give my order! Now, you must excuse me.” Baron growled watching all the officials either shake with fear and avoid eye contact or sit in a shocked manner staring at their King.

But Baron did not have time to sit and discus any further matters with these men, his little human mate had slipped from under him, and he was more than determined to locate her.