Survivors

SURVIVORS

I felt a mixture of emotions on seeing Lorin. I felt angry because I knew he was the one who had saved me and that I was indebted to him, but I also felt relieved at finding one of my villagers. Lorin looked at me with an expression of disbelief, as if he couldn't understand how I had made it here or how I had even survived the Bone tribe's attack. I wondered how he had found this place, whether by accident like me or on purpose. 

"How?" He asked me, staring deep into my eyes trying to find the answer before I could say it. 

"By accident. Plus, my tiger led me here," I told him, sitting down as my leg started hurting.

"YOUR TIGER??" Lorin said in disbelief looking around. The moment he spotted Sillas he turned on me in fury. "YOU KEPT HIM!?? I thought he was but a free beast who had wandered into the cave in search of food. I gave him food thinking that he was a simple child and could do me no harm!" Lorin stopped, turned around, and grabbed for Sillas. 

"No! What are you doing?!" I yelled at him. I pushed myself onto my feet and ran after him seeking to at least cause a distraction for I knew with my wound I could not beat him. I pushed him roughly away causing him to fall down and let go of Sillas. 

"BOY! YOU DARE FIGHT WITH YOUR ELDERS! YOU DESERVE TO DIE JUST LIKE YOUR WHOLE WEAK FAMILY!" I froze in the act of picking up Sillas. Now Lorin was going too much over the line. I turned around slowly, channeled all my anger in the last few days, all the pain, the worry whether my family was safe and leaped at Lorin without any regard for my leg.

We scuffled with each other, rolling on the ground. My wounded leg hit a rock, sending spasms of pain up my body. I punched Lorin, trying in vain to beat him. He put his arm around my neck and began strangling me. I hit his face with my elbow and rolled off. Lorin rubbed his face and stood up, a look of fury on his face.

 "Chenzi! You shall pay for this! I shall destroy you just like I destroyed your village!" he yelled at me. I didn't have time to process the words. I just ran as fast as I could, Sillas chasing after me. When I reached the small pool of water, I scooped up Sillas, hoping to find a way to escape. I spotted an old moss-covered rock leaning against the wall. I managed to move up it slowly. I finally understood what he had said only when I reached the top of the slope. Lorin. An elder in my village. Had brought about the destruction of his own home. Why? I almost turned back, my body nearly consumed with fury, but I managed to stop myself before I was killed.

I ran up the mud slope and into the huge cave. I climbed up the slope to my small hole and crouched inside panting with the effort of doing gymnastics with a broken leg. I lay down, hoping that Lorin would not notice me. I grabbed my spear in one hand and Sillas in the other. I stayed quiet, waiting for Lorin to go. 

After a few minutes I heard some panting and Loring came into view, sweating profusely from his exertions. He limped slowly forward holding a sword in one hand and leaning on the wall with the other. He looked around trying to spot where I was hiding. He came up to the hole. He stopped for a second and peered into the hole. He must have thought I had run further because the next second he moved on still turning his head from side to side. I watched warily as he sidled past grasping onto my spear and ready to fight at a moment's notice. I almost let out a sigh of relief when he moved past but stopped myself at the last second in fear of him hearing.

A few moments later he walked back in the direction he had come from looking very unsatisfied with himself. Again he stopped in front of my hole and looked into it. Suddenly, he made a clicking sound followed by a banging of his sword against the wall. The moment he finished, I heard a hissing sound. I turned my head slowly, filled with curiosity and fear.

A long green snake almost twice my length slithered on the floor heading toward Lorin. I wished that the snake would bite Lorin, but I knew that was just a wish. The snake crawled up Lorin and dangled around his shoulders. Lorin petted the snake slowly and looked around. AND THIS WAS THE GUY THAT DIDN'T WANT ME TO HAVE A BABY TIGER???

Lorin slowly turned back toward the entrance of the cave and walked away muttering something. The only thing I heard was "I'm coming for you Chenzi. And when I do, you will regret ever trying to fight me."