Norbert pushed off, feeling the wind whip through his hair as he scanned the area, thinking of who first he should get. Seeing the kids appear before him, Norbert rushed forward, tapping the first one he saw; with the anger of having been caught, the girl made her way up the hill with the gate and sat down.
As he jumped forward to the next child, Norbert quickly caught the next five, as a group they all slowly made their way towards the gate on the hill. Scanning the area, Norbert saw no more targets in his vicinity; knowing they would now be hidden the true challenge had begun Norbert stalked the town.
Under benches, within bushes on top of trees, Norbert looked around everywhere, making sure not to go into anyone's houses, hoping the kids would do the same and he would not need to traverse the properties to find them.
As Norbert began his journey on his own, looking at the sights around town, Norbert tried to look around, his view of the town was always being broken by the houses which made it up. Looking at the roofs ether if only he could get up there. Remembering the drink, Norbert squatted down, thinking about pushing with all his might with his legs, breathing in deeply. With the muscles engaged, Norbert jumped.
As he saw the roof shoot past him Norbert finally started to fall with an extra meter in the air to land on the roof. Landing on the roof Norbert looked down at the ground, then back up at the sky. Not believing he could jump that high, he looked down, seeing he was about two meters in the air. He could now quickly become a basketball player with this insane vertical.
Chuckling to himself at the thought of him throwing shots and doing slam dunks pushing through anyone there. Turning away from the drop, Norbert looked at the wooden roof, made of logs from the forest placed together and strapped and nailed together with cords. Jumping on it Norbert confirmed the construction. Thankful that it wasn't a thatch that would give out under him.
Walking carefully to the centre of the roof, Norbert looked around finding his next target. On the left, a flash appeared next to the houses; Norbert panned his face over, watching the area. Further up ahead, Norbert saw a kid running, grinning at having found another Norbert sprinted forward, feet hitting the roof. Norbert looked ahead, not hearing anything break or go through, seeing the next house he wanted to jump to.
Pushing off with his foot on the ledge, Norbert hopped over, surprised at the ease as he landed on the next roof without breaking his stride; before going to the right, Norbert looked around, confirming his route forward. Jumping from roof to roof, with each leap getting more and more confident, Norbert tracked his prey.
Finally, the kid stopped, Norbert standing on the roof above him, puffing as hard as he could and looking around and looking for Norbert. Looking down, Norbert realised the kid had started the game in the first place. Placing one foot over the edge, Norbert stepped off the roof, landing right next to the kid.
In a puff of dust, the sound of his backpack landing on his back, the kid turned around, horror on his face. Norbert went and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Back to the hill for you," Norbert said. The kid looked freaked out and ran away toward the hill. Norbert laughed after him even after he was lost between the houses.
Norbert looked around, ready for his next one to hunt down.
***
After many hours and rounding all the kids Norbert could find. Norbert walked to the hill, seeing all the kids playing and talking to each other in groups. The silence fell over the group as Norbert hiked up the hill.
As he walked towards the gate, the crowd of kids parting, Norbert jumped and landed on the top. Looking around the town from the vantage point, Norbert did one last scan of the area, trying to spot anyone else. Tilting his head down, Norbert asked the kids underneath him, "Is there anyone else I haven't found yet?" only receiving a nod from some kids. Norbert nodded his head sagely as he looked towards the town again.
Cupping his hands over his mouth, Norbert shouted as loud as he could, "WHOEVER'S LEFT YOU'VE WON!" dropping his hands, Norbert sat on top of the gate, hearing a cheer from the kids underneath. Knowing that he hadn't gotten all of them, Norbert watched down the hill and waited, trying to see where they crawled out from.
Over the next several minutes, Norbert saw five kids run up the hill, smiling and shouting to their friends. Unable to see where they came from, Norbert smiled at their tenacity to hide from him.
When all the kids returned, they looked up at him, some with grim determination. Looking down, Norbert asked, "What's with that look? Do you want to play another game?"
The boy that started it all spoke up. "Now it's our turn to tag you?" he questioned, hoping for a response.
Norbert just looked down at them, "Ok, let's play b-" Norbert was cut off by the screams and cheers of the children. Looking down, Norbert waited for them to die down before continuing. "But there are three rules. Rule number one I won't run along roofs. Rule number two is no going inside people's houses or stores." Hearing a sigh and whine in response, Norbert waited again for the rumbles to die down. "And finally, the third rule, whoever tags me gets to ride on my shoulders. Now let's begin in three," Norbert took a step back " two," Norbert took another, now standing on the other side of the gate ", and one" at saying the word Norbert ran forward, leaping off the gate and over the crowd of kids.
Landing on the ground, Norbert began running down the hill, untying his bag slightly to make a bit more sound as he ran. Instantly behind him, Norbert heard a cheer and feet following him. Once more, the game had begun, and the hunter had become the hunted.
Sprinting forward, Norbert looked around, trying to find the first place to go. Knowing that the start would be easy, Norbert tried remembering what he had seen in the village when searching for the kids. In his mind's eye, he crossed off the dead-end alleyways as he could not escape without breaking the rules.
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Slowing down to a walk, Norbert spun to look behind him, walking backwards through the main street. Seeing the kids far away make it down the hill, Norbert knew he only had a bit of time before the streets were filled with them.
Quickly running around the town, through the stalls and houses, over yards, Norbert looked for a path he could run around where the kids wouldn't be able to jump out at him. Norbert made a town circuit by ducking under low-hanging clothes and leaping over fences. Not the best path that he could make, Norbert knew around the town, making his way back to the hill each time of the circuit to look out at the kids and see what they were doing before running back into town again.
As Norbert did circuit after circuit, occasionally seeing kids jump out at him from behind houses or fences, one even getting close by jumping out of a bush, Norbert could scrape by without getting touched by ducking or swerving out of the way. Now confident in his route and knowing all the other alleys he would need, Norbert stood by the gate again, looking at the sun, seeing it was at its highest point in the sky. Not believing he was still going, Norbert headed into the village again.
Down the main street, or what Norbert called it, he waited until he went past the seventh house, sliding on the ground in case somebody was waiting for him. Seeing a kid leap above him, Norbert knew he had made the right call; getting onto his feet again, Norbert took a hard left and burst through between the seventh and eighth house, looking up at the windows to ensure nobody would jump out of them.
Running between the lines of houses, jumping over the fences of the yards when needed, Norbert saw the row of stalls before him. Ready to take a right immediately, seeing the people bustling, Norbert hoped there wasn't a child within the crowd, for he would not be able to see them until the last moment. Getting to the riskiest part of the route, Norbert looked around first, not seeing anything in the way of the entrance to the street, just the people walking by about their day.
Running through the street, making sure not to touch anyone, Norbert made his way to the outskirts of the town before making another hard left and running through the open fields with the forest to his right, knowing that there would be nobody there, Norbert sprinted as fast as he could go, with each step feeling like he was sinking into the ground before blasting off again.
Seeing the houses once more ahead, Norbert made his way through the town again. Seeing the kids ahead of him, all teaming up, making a wall, with smiles on their faces, thinking the path was blocked.
Continuing to run ahead, Norbert looked behind them, making sure the path was clear, when he jumped over them, tucking his feet up. Hence, they were quickly out of the kid's reach as Norbert went and continued running afterwards, laughing in his delight and hearing the groan of the kids behind him.
Cutting through between a few more houses, Norbert rounded the gate from behind and steadily made his way up the hill. Looking down at the town again, Norbert prepared to enter it again. Taking the first step, Norbert bent down, ready to run again.
"Got you", came a call from behind him; Norbert slowly turned around, still in the half crouch. Norbert looked behind himself, seeing a little hand reaching out and clasping his backpack. Turning around, Norbert stood up, it breaking from his hand, looking down at the little girl, one of the youngest he had seen, not even up to his knee.
"I don't think", Interrupted as the girl came forward and hugged his legs, knowing he had been caught. Looking down at her face, scrunched up tight, trying to hold on as hard as she could, Norbert just looked down again before leaning and picking her up, placing her on his shoulders.
Hearing a squeal of delight, Norbert again cupped his hands again, shouting, "I'VE BEEN CAUGHT, GAMES OVER FOR NOW!" across the town. Norbert watched as people stopped what they were doing, looking in his direction. Raising his hand in apology, Norbert looked down, seeing the sea of kids make their way back to the hill.
"You should hold on tight", Norbert said to the girl on his shoulders, instantly two little hands clasped against his forehead. Jumping forward, Norbert ran down the hill, heading towards where he came from and most of the kids were.
Seeing them ahead, Norbert jumped onto a roof, hearing a cry for joy from behind him. Running and jumping from roof to roof, Norbert called out to them from below; looking up in awe, they cheered again; Norbert continued to run again.
Heading right, Norbert made his way to the hills, knowing the territory well enough that he would not get lost and that there wasn't anything around. Out in the open, Norbert tried to run as hard as he could, looking down as he went down the hill after each step feeling weightless before the ground came up to him again, and he pushed off, feeling the ground fall beneath him before meeting it again. At the bottom of the hill, Norbert made his way up the next, running once more forward until reaching the top.
Doing this several more times, Norbert made his way back to the town, still running as fast as he could, getting looks and shouts from the adults he disturbed, shouting his sorries to them as he passed.
Making his way to the hill, Norbert found the kids gathered together. Reaching them, Norbert picked up the little girl and placed her down, running off and talking to her friends about what had happened. Craning his head to get a view, Norbert found Obsius in the centre, getting patted and praised by everyone.
"Now, what are you doing here, hmm?" Everyone looked around, Obsius looking the worse, like he had been caught. Leaning down to the level of the bird, Norbert said, "Be good", before standing up and continuing ", Now, who else wants to have a go?" Hands flew up in the air, Norbert picking up the closest kid, looking at the age of ten from his size onto Norbert's shoulders, feeling hands instantly on his forehead. Norbert took off again.
Continuing this throughout the day until the last kid was picked up, only a few left as the sun dipped into the sky. "Now, this will be the last one; best go home before your parents get worried." Receiving nods in response, Norbert looked as they descended from the hill, Obsius flapping into the air and landing on the boy's head on Norbert's shoulders.
Taking off through the town and out onto the hills, Obsius flew above and behind, unable to keep up with Norbert as he made his rounds. Making his way back into town, now walking as the street lamps one by one light up the place, Norbert received directions on which house to go to.
Walking up to the door, Norbert knocked on it, opening up a worried-looking mother; when she first saw Norbert, a look of shock on her face until her eyes panned up, seeing the boy on his shoulders.
"What are you doing up there, Flance? Get off his shoulders and get inside; you had me worried." The mother said to her son. Picking him up, Norbert lifted him off his shoulders and placed them down, feeling the next one wanted to sit on them.
Patting Obsius, Norbert replied, "It's all good, mam, just entertaining the kids, that's all.".
Receiving a look of criticism on her face asking "Is this what The Frontier does on duty? It's good to see our resources going to good use." With a huff,? It's called the child through the door.
Not wanting a bad word getting out on his behalf, Norbert replied, "On no, today was my off day, like I said, just having a bit of fun with the kids." Instantly the woman spun on her heels, her demeanour changing.
"Oh, what a nice young gentleman; they don't make them anymore. If you head over to the Leaky Tapper about five blocks that way," She said, pointing to the left, further into the town centre. "Tell them that Cassie sent you" With a nod, she closed the door, wondering what this would lead to Norbert making his way and following the directions given.