Clouds of thunder had filled the sky, raindrops showering down upon the forest below. It was a heavy rain, easily penetrating the canopy of the trees. A worn out and tattered carriage clattered across the water-stricken forest road, the horse pulling it drenched to the bone from the rain. It looked weary after pulling its load for such a long time, yet the driver seemed to not care in the slightest. Instead, the decrepit old man who drove the coach was urging the horse ever faster, the fear of death reflected in his eyes. The horse knew what was required of it, and wished to fulfill that request, but the poor beast had already acknowledged its fate to die. The growls from the woods surrounding the coach only stoked that notion.
They had been running at top speed for hours now, hoping to reach the next town before it was too late. While the rain had dampened their pursuers’ approach, it only hindered the coach’s progress. The mud formed from the downpour often stopped the carriage in its tracks, while the raindrops themselves hindered the driver’s already declining vision. All of that coupled with the pre-existent wear and tear was enough to make any normal driver break under the pressure. But the driver, although shivering in fear, stayed resolute in their task, regardless of the terror the products behind him exhibited. He was experienced in this trade, and while he wasn’t proud of his job, he did find pride in his ability to perform his task well.
That stalwart pride then broke, as a brilliant flash of lightning filled the forest road, blinding its inhabitants. As the thunder soon followed, the illuminated forms in the back of the wagon shivered and hugged each other, fearing for their lives. The dread in their hearts multiplied by the loud thud that broke through the pitter patter of the rain. The horse’s heart had stopped, the lightning being the weight upon the scale tipping towards death. The carriage and its inhabitants stood stock still, but the carriage's pursuers did not.
The old man was the first to notice the enclosing forms as he raised his lantern, and although his hope of survival had been lost, he knew there was no way out but to fight. The town guards would not save him, so he could only rely on himself. He drew a dagger from his coat, its brown sheath looking almost crimson under the lantern light. He sighed, tears forming in his eyes. He didn’t want to die, but the reality of it all was whispering to him; those whispers of which he wanted to hear the least. This was the end for him, or so it would seem. “Maybe, just maybe, this is not but karma…” He looked behind him once more, giving a silent prayer for the children who resided there. If they managed to survive, their lives would be far better than if the carriage hadn’t stopped. With that, the old man hobbled down from the carriage towards the wolves, drawn dagger in hand. The sound of his footsteps faded; That was the last time he was seen alive.
A girl sat weakly in the furthest corner of the carriage. Her bone–white hair was stained with dirt and sweat, and her pale skin was covered in bruises and lesions. She wore tattered clothes made from a sack, and even then the clothes were too big for her. She could have been no more than eight years of age, yet that is not certain. Malnurishment showed as her skin stuck to her bones. She lacked nearly any muscle mass, and fat was essentially non-existent on her. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say she was just skin and bones, nor was it to call her a living skeleton. She was undoubtedly on death’s door, practically knocking on it at this point. The worst part was that her eyes clearly showed she understood her situation, as despite being two different colored orbs, they shone dully. She had accepted her fate. She understood what was happening outside what she could see.
The other kids in the carriage were almost just like her, with minor exceptions. They still were brimming with life and vitality. They thought this was their chance to escape… such fools they were. In particular, a boy with burning red hair and flame-like eyes stood amongst the mass of approximately twenty kids. His passion for freedom had burned strong ever since his capture, not even the collar around his neck could keep him down. Oh, had I forgotten to mention that? Yes, every child in the carriage was wearing a collar made of some sort of metal. Engraved upon it were symbols unknown to the girl, but she could feel its power. It made its wearer subservient and docile… usually.
The Boy, who called himself Keaton, exhibited a wild level of emotion uncontrolled by what he wore. That enthusiasm even spurred the other children into action… well all except two. These two included the aforementioned death bound girl in the corner, and another slightly older girl. This older girl was the one who had kept order in the group since they had been gathered together. By all of those around her, she was called Big Sis. She opposed the notion of escape, knowing that they would probably all die to the wolves outside, or so the girl in the corner thought.
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“Big Sis!” The boy named Keaton cried. He held his hand out to the older girl, who just looked at him in pity. “Come with us, we can escape together!” He put his fist to his chest, a pose that inspired confidence from those around him. He truly was not scared in the slightest. Big Sis just shook her head to his request though. Although she knew he was right, *they* could escape… but not everyone could.
“What about Tina? Keaton, do you think we can all really escape?” Big Sis grimly smiled. She knew what they thought, all of them. They were going to use the poor, barely alive, girl as bait. It’s what she would do herself, if her conscience allowed it. But she couldn’t accept it.
“If she wants to come as well, that’s fine!” Keaton claimed with a dashing smile. He truly had planned for everyone making it out. “But does Miss Doll even want to escape? She hasn’t moved in a while…” They stared at the girl who sat in the corner, her glazed eyes stared back. She barely had the energy to stay conscious, let alone move. Barely, to the point that it seemed like a flicker of the light, her head shook, saying no.
The howls of the wolves rang through the rainy night, indicating the time to make a choice had come. “Please, come with us!” Keaton cried to the older girl, who hung her head in dismay. But it soon raised back up, her eyes filled with determination.
“I will stay. I want to protect her… even if that dooms me to death.” the one called big sis smiled, her eyes filled with tears. All of the children around Keaton teared up as well, they knew this was farewell. As the howls got closer, the children led by Keaton steeled their resolve. With one final wave, they were swallowed by the rain and the mist.
The girl in the corner had watched it all. She was confused by the exchange, as she could not understand why the older girl had wished to stay, dooming her to die. Big Sis had been protective of her since the start, often sharing her meager food supply with the death-bound girl. To Tina, it made little sense why, as she herself wanted to die. Yet, this girl persistently kept talking with her, sharing with her, and protecting her. After all this time, she felt like Big Sis was truly a sister to her, and that made her all the more confused and worried as that sister chose to stay behind.
As the others left, Tina watched with her dead eyes. She wanted to tell Big Sis to go with them, but she couldn’t speak, her throat had seen little use in the recent years. She could only wait… and wait. The howls got closer, till she could even hear the footfalls of the beasts through the rickety wood walls. Big Sis had crawled over to the corner, and had embraced Tina. Her body was shaking in fear, the fear of death which Tina had accepted long ago. Yet the warm embrace stirred something inside Tina, and she felt fear for the first time in a long while. Not fear for herself, but fear for her sister. Using every muscle in her body, she hugged her sister back, hoping it would bring some sort of safety to the one she wanted to protect.
Claws upon wood could be heard, they had made it into the carriage. She could feel the vibrations of the footsteps through her body. This was it, the end of it all. “Don’t worry, everything will be okay… Just live for me…” Sis patted Tina’s head, trying to calm down the trembling figure in her grasp. The sound of teeth cutting through skin, a warm pool of liquid leaking out from Sis’s stomach area, and the feeling of a body falling on top of her. That was all Tina could understand at that moment. She looked at the figure in front of her, a brilliant emerald green aura started to envelop the body. Tina looked at her hands, which were covered in a dark red substance, looking almost black in the night. “Si- Sis? Wake up…” She murmured, hearing the footfalls of wolves getting closer. Life had been brought back to her eyes as a feeling enveloped her. She did not want to die, not when her life had been saved by someone she cherished. Something compacted itself inside of her heart. It was anger, it was grief, it was hope, it was a hurricane of emotions. She saw the wolves creep closer, and one lunged. With this feeling inside of her, she yelled, “STAY! AWAY!” Everything faded to black, as a bright light filled the forest once more.
A woman dressed in a long dress and a pointy, wide brimmed hat stood before a wrecked carriage. She had heard the scream, and quickly found the source, a rickety wagon stuck in the muck. She picked her way through the bodies of the kids, weaving to the opening in the back. On the floor of the wagon lay the bodies of five wolves and a girl, all bloodied and mutilated. Upon inspecting the carnage, she pulled out a bottle. That bottle was opened and closed in quick succession, something intangible flying into it. After that, the woman approached the body of the girl, and looked beneath it. There lay a fragile girl who still breathed; she was battered and bruised, yet she still lived. The woman smiled, and with a flick of a small piece of wood, the body rose. Without a shred of surprise, the woman walked away, the floating body following behind.