novelraw Chapter 165: The High Leaf Tribe
Chapter 165: The High Leaf Tribe
Felix shook his head, his tired eyes blinking in an effort to focus his blurred vision. Wherever he was, it was dark and stuffy as he found himself lying on a makeshift cot stuffed with grass for comfort. He sat up, lifting his arm and rotating it around for good measure.
"Hey, how's your arm?" Janette called out to him.
He looked up, finding her curled up at the corner of this wooden room with her knees to her chest. Her dress had been removed, leaving her in just her top and underwear. She looked vulnerable, blushing as she hugged her knees to regain a tiny bit of modesty.
"Where are we?" He gathered himself, standing up only to realize he was undressed as well. His tunic and pants were gone along with his shoes, leaving him in just his underwear. "Where are our clothes?"
"They took our stuff and searched us over." His friend explained, a trickle of sweat running down her forehead. "They've kept us here for several hours now."
"Several hours?" He staggered back, looking around. He felt around the wall, scratching at its rough texture and inspecting the mud he scraped off. The room was constructed with wooden and leaves, using mud and clay as a glue to bind it together, wrapped in stems acting as ropes. He sighed, fanning himself as his body glistened with a small coat of sweat on his chest. When he took a step forward, the floor groaned under his weight. When he paced to the other side, the room shook slightly.
He held his arms out against the wall, keeping himself up as Janette nervously scooted against the opposite wall. "I-I wouldn't move around too much here."
Felix scanned around, this room had one small opening tiny enough to peak through. It was compact, circular in shape, and when he shuffled his weight around causing the room to jiggle, he nervously stepped up to the tiny opening.
Facing them was a small wooden cage, hanging by a few ropes like a decoration, where he spotted movement inside. "Reta? Nyitzcha?"
To his relief, Reta's eyes pressed up against the opening to meet him. "Felix!"
"Hey, is Nyitzcha there with you?" He called out.
"Oy, right here!" He chuckled, recognizing her accent. "Got us trapped tighter d'an a ring on a fat finger."
"Hold on." Felix stepped back, turning to Janette. "If they're... wait- The Rangers!"
"Have us strung up like birds in a cage." Janette filled him in, realizing that their cages hung beneath large wooden structures high up in the trees. "Even if we manage to break out, we'd break our legs in the fall. Then what?"
"Damn!!" Felix slammed his fist into the wall, causing their cage to jolt and startle Janette. "We can't be having this now, not when we were close to finding them."
"We lost our carriage too, and the horses." Janette sighed, sulking in defeat. "They wouldn't let me hold onto Vardare."
"Do they know about him?" He turned around to face her.
She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I had him go inside his book before finding those Rangers."
She slid her feet out, gazing at him while seemingly distraught. "Felix, I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" He muttered, his hands dancing around the walls, searching for any means to break free.
"I'm sorry for holding you guys back." She admitted; her hand pressed on her tummy. "I should have been smarter about this then to join you guys."
"What are you talking about?" He frowned back.
"Y-You got that determination and training thing with Reta, I have nothing," She explained, "Nothing to offer to this team. You told us to hide and I-I panicked. Took to hiding under a blanket like a frightened child. I couldn't even help fight back against those Rangers."
"Shut up, don't talk like that." He argued, kneeling down to be at face level with her. "You have Vardare, and you have someone you're doing this for. I'm glad you came with us Jay."
"You're only saying that-"
"I mean it." He stated, holding her hand and looking into her eyes. "Hey, come on now. I thought I was the worried one of the group?"
"What, not like I can't be worried?"
"You can, but it helps when you're not so worried. When you're-" He paused, his eyes trailing down and gazing at the mark on her neck. "Jay, your neck."
"What?" Her eyes widened as she clasped a hand over the mark. "It's nothing!"
Felix shook his head, calmly reaching out for her hand. He hovered it above her arm, raising his eyebrows to get her permission. She shook her head, but he didn't budge despite the pleading look in her eyes. With a sigh, she reluctantly slid her hand down her navel, revealing the mark imprinted on her since the first night she shared with Syri together.
"Jay." Felix hung his head, rubbing the back of his neck. She watched him, believing he was upset only to listen to him chuckle under his breathe. When he lifted his head to meet her, he was smiling. "I didn't realize how close you two became."
"I-I try to keep that stuff private." She explained, scooting her legs up and hugging them. "I didn't account for this; it wasn't what I had in mind. No, I wanted to study them!"
"Looks like you got more than just that." He beamed. "You're bonded with her now, you're her mate."
"No, no!" She growled, her anger rising as he laughed against her denial. "Stop laughing, it's not funny!"
"Does this mean you'll inherit her traits like I am with KuliKuli?" He asked with genuine curiosity. "You know it might be scary for you, but I for one am happy for you."
"Happy? Why!?" She cried, baffled by his reaction.
"Because it's not like I didn't see the signs." He explained, sitting back. "The way you two looked at each other across the dining table, or how you kept close. I think I remember you two setting out together the night we arrived at Kershin Market. And she was following you before revealing herself to you, right? I mean when you thought she was a stray cat and not a Nekomata."
"Felix, this is serious!" Her voice cracked as she hung her head. "I-I don't know what this means, or what will happen to me. What if my parents find out? What then?"
"We've got bigger problems on our hands." He answered shyly, gesturing at the cage they were in. "For what it means, I'm glad you found someone to be happy with. I don't know what happens to you or how your parents will react, but for now let's focus on getting the girls back so that you two can go home."
He stood up, offering her a hand. She looked away, a look of hesitance washing off her face before she accepted his offer. When he pulled her to her feet, she groaned and clutched her belly.
"You're wound." He guided her to sit on the cot, checking her stomach. The scar was still there, but one of the stitches tore off with a trickle of blood oozing through.
"Yea, stupid thing. That happened because of the wild ride we had earlier, heh." She chuckled, laying down.
"Maybe they have something to help close that wound." He mentioned, raising his head at the sound of footsteps looming over them. He froze, eavesdropping on a pair of voices conversing together. "Right on time."
He stood by her side as a latch was pulled open from above and a rope ladder was sent into the cage, offering them a way out. The pair traded looks, neither knowing what would happen but feeling they had no choice. He sat up, offering her to hold onto his back as he climbed the ladder with her. Once he left that cage, he looked around and noticed Reta and Nyitzcha were leaving their cages too.
Once he reached the top, they entered into a large wooden hut built around one of the large forest trees for support. They were met with more Rangers, this time without hoods and masks, revealing themselves as Woodland Elves. Felix counted six of them, each with similar curved daggers holstered into their sheaths as their primary means to defend themselves in close quarters. They were escorted down a rope bridge and onto another tree hut, with Felix looking around and finding numerous other huts built between trees connected by these wooden bridges.
"This isn't just a treehouse." He stated, looking to his friends. "This is some sort of village."
"Ay." Nyitzcha grumbled, picking up speed to keep up with her small size. "D'ese tree huggers prefer living high above within the wilderness. Some folks call 'em Wild Elves, I prefer sticking the name Woodland Elves."
"I thought these were Rangers?" He asked, spotting several elf kids pointing at them and gasping from another hut.
"Rangers are scouts with a keen eye for archery," The dwarf explained, "Skilled hunters that live in the woods and track their prey through tracks and smell."
Felix glanced back at Janette. "Does that make the Monster Hunter a Ranger?"
Janette shook her head. "No, not exactly. Monster Hunters are a Guild that specialize in killing Monsters of any kind. They're good at tracking, sure, but they have no home and travel often. Think of them like exterminators."
"You call for a Ranger to track wildlife or survey through hostile lands, but Monster Hunters specialize in killing Monsters only." Reta chimed in, eavesdropping behind them. "Is that right?"
"Just about." Janette confirmed, stumbling forward to keep up with Felix.
The group were taken to a larger hut where multiple bridges connected to, serving as a sort of central hub of sorts. The flooring was made of wooden planks just as the other huts, only this one had steps to a raised platform with a blanket over the floor. It resembled a sort of arena, with a large sigil at the center of the blanket depicting what looked like a large leaf sending ripples of water around it.
"Nyitzcha, can't you do something about these guys?" Janette asked as they were forced to kneel down with their wrists tied and bound behind them. They drew a large crowd of elves varying in age, some of them were children nagging at their parents and pointing at them, while others were dressed in that odd style of leather and leaves carrying a bow and dagger with them.
"Wha-What makes ye think I can do anythin' 'ere?" Her friend snapped back, shuffling around testing the tied knot that bounded her wrists together. "I can't make no boom without me goodies. I'm near bare-arsed just like you!"
"True." Janette glanced at her friend, looking her up and down. "Brown underwear?"
"It reminds me o' home." She muttered back.
"Shh!" Felix shushed them as a trio of Elves stepped onto the platform, accompanied by the large Grizzly bear that attacked them. He recognized the younger elf as the same man he sent crashing through the carriage roof before, and offered an apologetic look when their eyes met.
The elf smiled back and waved.
"Spi!" The female elf snapped, causing the man to jump and drop his hand.
"Sorry mum."
The woman sighed, gazing at them with matching teal eyes just like her sons. Her light brown hair was tied back into a bun, leaving a few strands off the sides which brought attention to her face. Her cheekbones looked pronounced, accentuating the serious glare from her eyes and her soft pinkish lips, with a few cuts tracing down her right cheek. This was a woman who demanded respect and compliance, a leader. She cleared her throat and raised her hand, causing even the children to quiet down.
"You stand before us as intruders of the Faehorn Forest. You ignored the signs as trespassers and ventured into our home uninvited."
"Not needed, not wanted!" A mother elf yelled out from behind them.
The leader raised her hand again, silencing her. "We give you one chance. Explain yourselves and think wisely. These words may be your last."
The group exchanged nervous looks, with Felix clearing his throat and sitting upright. "We came here to save our friends. A man and his followers kidnapped them and brought them here, we were on our way to rescue them."
"This kidnapper, what is his name?"
"Perdilius." He spoke softly, hearing the numerous whispers exchanged from the elves watching them.
"And do you work for this Perdilius?" She asked him, glaring with focused eyes, almost like if she were scanning his face to read his reaction.
Felix blinked and shook his head. "A-Absolutely not!"
"More like enemies to him." Janette joined in, "He burned my house to the ground! Set it ablaze while preaching to his men and sending them to kill us!"
More murmurs came from the elves, with the one in charge keeping her eyes on them. Her son leaned in, whispering to her and passing a small bag wrapped in string. She opened it and checked its contents before angrily glaring at Felix, leaving him uneasy.
"You do not work with Perdilius then?" She asked calmly.
"No, never."
"You've nothing to do with him?" She pressed.
"He took away people that we love, I already said this."
"Your name."
"Huh?" He blinked, licking his dried lips. "It's Felix."
"Tell me Felix, why did we find you carrying this sigil in your pockets?" She questioned him, pulling out the half-torn sigil baring Perdilius' colors and banner. "If you claim to be his enemy, why carry his symbol with you?"
"Wa-Wait, it's not like that!" He stuttered, looking around as the other elves shook their heads with angry scowls. "I don't work with him, I have no relations to that man! I only took that banner to help me find someone else."
"To find Perdilius?"
"No, we've met Perdilius before, we know how he looks." He croaked, realizing how this made him look. "But not like that! Look, he took our friends by force, burned our home and murdered someone close."
"Then why take his symbol, who were you after?" She pried further. "Perdilius is cruel but cunning. He wouldn't kidnap unless he needed them for his interest. These friends of yours that he took, name them."
"KuliKuli," He answered calmly, sucking in his bottom lip.
"I don't know anyone by that name." She replied. leaning back looking disappointed.
"Wait, do you know Syri?" Janette leaned forward with wide eyes. "Syri and Dimyri?"
"A-And their mother, Emyri!" Felix mentioned, thankful for his friend's help.
This provoked a growing volume of gossip and words exchanged throughout the elves, with the son looking to his mother in shock. She kept her composure, but Reta spotted the subtle twitch of her eyelid. She put on a cold face, but their names brought a strong reaction to her. An idea began to form in her head as she sat upright, wiggling her wrists around with careful precision.
Once more, she calmed the noise down with the same hand gesture, demanding absolute silence before she could continue. "We know people by that name, yes."
"Then you must know that we are friends with them, allies." Felix explained, feeling a sense of renewed hope.
"They wouldn't know of you, how did you come to know them?"
"I knew their sister, KuliKuli. She went by another name, Nityri. I found her stranded and wounded during a storm and took her in. I raised her back to good health, and we grew close. We formed a bond, and later her family found us. They told her to flee with them, warned us that Perdilius was looking for them. We chose to stand and fight instead."
"And he won." She answered in a bitter tone, a scowl forming across her face. "So, you were given the chance to save her and yet you condemned her."
"What?" He recoiled, "No, no."
"You held them as an offering for the mad priest to pluck them from your hands."
"Not like that, no! We tried to fight-"
"When you were told to run instead!" She raised her voice, slowly walking toward him. "Stupid boy. You thought you could best that man when you've only these three to join you? Or are there others we have yet to find? Answer truthfully, Felix."
She knelt down and tilted his chin so that their faces were inches apart. "The truth, now."
"It's just us." He muttered, tilting back.
"You four came in a carriage, traveled into Faehorn Forest with the intent to rescue them from Perdilius alone?" She sneered.
"Not alone, we wanted to find help."
"Some help." One of the elves cackled in response, eliciting laughter from his friends.
"Your arm is wounded, your friend is hurting, and you bring in a foreigner and a halfling to join you?"
"Oy! I ain't nu halfling, I's a dwarf!"
The Elf turned around, glaring at Nyitzcha in disgust. "Then you're a dwarf of a dwarf if I ever saw one."
"Prickly bitch!" She spat in return, both women trading looks that could kill. "How bout's ye let me outta d'ese binds an' I show ye what d'is dwarf can do, ay?"
"Please, you serve better as a footrest."
Reta giggled, amused by their squabbling. "You Woodland Elves are a disappointment."
This took the woman by heart, directing her icy glare toward Reta. "And who are you to speak, foreigner? I've heard tales of people inhabiting colonies far East past the sea."
"You've heard of us, what about?"
"Not much, only that they can be spotted by bright colors resembling the deep waters they worship." She reached out, tracing her fingers through Reta's bright blue hair.
Reta snapped her head away from the Elf, locking eyes with her. "I heard of your kind as well, Ranger. Elves, cousins to Man, inheriting ancient gifts of Magic which herald their bond to nature centuries in the past. Wild Elves of your kind have a strong attunement toward wildlife. You're a territorial group, but I never thought you to be cowardly as well. Kept up in your huts up high, choosing to stalk around and ambush a lowly group of peasants such as us instead of fighting back at the real enemy."
"You dare call us cowards!" She hissed back.
"I do more than call you a coward," Reta grinned, shocking everyone as she calmly slid her hands free from behind her. "Your work towards confinement and imprisonment is sloppy at best, which tells me that you lot are no fighters. This is why you hide rather than fight, isn't it? All this time amongst the trees, and yet you find yourself helpless when a mad priest pushes through."
This brought a loud roar from the Grizzly bear, stomping its claws down when the woman in charge sprung to her feet and threw her hand back, warning the bear to back off.
"You come to our forest, claim to be victims in pursuit of Perdilius, then mock my people and our ways." She listed through gritted teeth. To their surprise, she removed her dagger and bow and handed it to her son.
"Mother, don't." He warned her.
"If you see us as cowards, then you would have no difficulty accepting a duel."
"A duel?" Reta raised her brow, interested.
"Best me in combat, and your friends are pardoned and permitted to leave."
"And if we lose?"
"Don't." The elf grinned maliciously in return.
Felix hunched over, staring with his jaw hung open. "Reta, what are you doing? Don't!"
"This isn't the time to be all high and mighty!" Janette lectured her, shuffling in her knelt posture. "You're gunna get us killed!"
"Fuck it, teach that tree-hugger a lesson." Nyitzcha urged, nudging Reta in support.
"Nyitzcha!" Janette hissed.
"What? She don't like us already, may as well 'ave at it!"
Reta stood up proudly, locking eyes with the woman. "I accept your duel."
"You'll regret doing so," She replied back. "Your name?"
"I am Norowa Reta, the Wolf without a Home."
"Lovely title. You have challenged Alma No'dori of the High Leaf Tribe, the last mistake you will ever make." She hissed, walking away.
Felix stared at her with wide eyes. "Did she say... Alma?"