Chapter Eleven

The next day, Haru leads everyone to a nearby river where they can fish for their next meal.

The entire group fell asleep through the long, cold night; the fire still burning bright before dieing down to low flames. Rose, Gina and Asha slept in a row by the fire; Drake slept with his back against a nearby tree, a few short feet from the fire and hut. Not one of them had noticed Jade as she crept through the camp, careful not to disturb their sleeping forms.

"Should you be walking about after such wounds?"

Jade stopped short. Sitting before the fire watching her, was Haru. She narrowed her eyes as she looked around the camp. "I am not the one to be worried about." Her gaze then fell back to him. "I assume you will be telling us the reason you are hanging around once Tygra is up and about again."

Haru nodded before looking to the flames of the dying fire. "It will be simpler that way I believe."

Jade looked off to the side. "Seems like everyone wants to do the simpler things."

Haru looked back to her intrigued. "And you?"

She turned from him. "I do what is necessary."

Drake's eyes slowly opened as he brought his head up, taking a look around the campsite. The three girls were still fast asleep from where they laid the night before and Haru was sitting up by the fire, looking into the smoldering smoke emitting from the pit. It was brighter now; the sun had rose and the moon fallen.

He looked back to Haru. "Did you stay up all night?" He questioned as he stood to his feet.

"No, I slept most of the night." Haru motioned towards the front of the tent. "I had a brief visitor." Drake followed his gaze, seeing Jade leaning against the hut, her gaze downward. "I believe she's asleep; surprising in a way."

Drake looked back to him with a smile. "Not to us." He walked towards the hut stopping before Jade and taking a close look at her face. Definitely asleep. He placed a hand to bottom of her shirt, lifting it up slightly to see the wound underneath. A smile came over his worried features once he saw her clear, smooth skin beneath. So she did heal herself…

He pulled the shirt back down over her stomach before stepping to the side towards the hut entrance. After taking a deep breath, he pulled back the cloth covering the entrance of the hut; no one was inside. Drake quickly turned back towards Haru, a worried expression upon his face, but before he could say anything, Haru pointed up, just above the hut.

Puzzled, Drake turned back and looked up to where he pointed, having to back up a few paces in the process. There, sitting on one of the lower branches of a tree, was Tygra. Drake shook his head as he made his way to the bottom of the tree behind the hut. "What are you doing up there?"

Tygra smiled. "I just felt like coming out for fresh air."

"So you went up into the tree?"

She shrugged. "It seems clearer up here."

Drake shook his head once more. "I assume this means you are feeling better."

With a quick nod, Tygra allowed herself to slide off the edge of the branch landing only inches from Drake. Pain ran up her legs as she tried to stick her landing causing her to stumble forward, right into his arms. "Well, I feel better anyway." She allowed him to help her stand upright and smiled. "Thanks."

He blushed slightly. "No problem."

After returning to the camp, the rest of the group began to awake from their slumber. First Jade who sat next to Tygra who took her place beside Drake before the distinguished fire. Then it was Rose, followed by Gina and lastly Asha who woke with a grumbling in her stomach and sleep still in her mind.

She yawned. "Morning already?" She placed a hand to her stomach. "I'm hungry; what are we going to do about food?"

"Yeah," Rose chipped in. "Our last visit here didn't last long so we didn't have to worry about food. I don't feel like starving out here."

Haru stood to his feet, brushing off his clothes.

"What are you up to?" Drake questioned looking up to him.

"There is a river not that far from here. There's a lot of fish within those waters."

"Really?" Asha said in delight. "How do you know such a thing?"

Haru turned to her with a smile. "As Lady Katrina's guard, I am expected to know the surrounding areas of the castle."

"Wait, you're Katrina's guard?" Jade questioned looking up to him in doubt.

He switched his gaze to her. "For the Guardian of Earth, you are not as observant as Lady Katrina said."

Jade remained silent as she looked off to the side. He was right. Before, she could spot an ally a mile away, now she couldn't be sure what to think. Everything was just so confusing right now to her…but why?

"Hey buddy, Jade is very observant." Asha said in her defense. "She's just hitting a little hard patch right now. You'll see; she's always right when it comes down to the nit and gritty of things."

Haru laughed slightly before turning away from the group. "Come now, the river is this way."

Asha looked back to the group baffled by Haru‘s reaction. "What'd I say?"

"Oh it is beautiful here!" Gina gushed as her eyes fell upon the river's crystalline waters. She rushed to the river's edge scooping the water up in her hands and taking a cool refreshing drink. "I thought I would never see water such as this again!"

"Alright," Haru began turning back to the rest of the group. "Who here knows how to fish?"

"Fish?" Rose said with widened eyes. "I-I don't fish." She looked to he ground looking at the different plants. "Maybe I can find something else to eat."

Gina stood to her feet, walking towards her. "I would not eat any of those plants. Some are quite deadly."

Rose swallowed hard. "Then I think I'll pass. I-I don't want to gut or even touch the inside of a living fish."

Drake placed a hand to her shoulder. "Don't worry about it Rose. I'll take care of yours for you."

Rose smiled up to him gratefully. "Thank you."

He turned back to Haru. "Let's go I'll help you."

Haru nodded at he turned to Asha. "Would you mind starting a fire for us?"

"Sheesh, start a fire, start a fire. Why don't you people learn how to start your own damn fires?" She grumbled under her breath but began to gather wood for the fire regardless.

Jade stood off to the side, watching the rest of the group as they prepared for lunch. Food was the last thing on her mind. Right now, nothing was really on her mind. She didn't feel the need to do anything right now. She didn't feel the need to do much of anything at this point. What is going on with me?

"Jade?" She looked up to see Tygra watching her with careful eyes. "You alright?"

Jade nodded slowly, putting on a fake smile. No sense on worrying everyone with this nonsense. "Fine. Just hungry I guess."

Tygra returned her smile. "Well, it won't be long now. Look, they already caught one!"  She turned to see Drake holding up a fish wriggling on some sort of string they used for fishing. Tygra laughed as the fish slapped him in its desperate effort. "He's such a goof sometimes…right Jade?" She looked back to Jade who was staring off into the distance once more. Something's wrong.

 

After everyone was finished eating and full, they began to clean up, each picking up their own share of the mess and helping the others with theirs. Drake was now bent down by the river, washing his hands clean. Behind him, someone slowly crept up, taking advantage of the groups business. Once close enough, ice cold hands were placed upon his back before he was pushed roughly into the water.

"Bath time!" Tygra squealed as she quickly backed away from him and to the group.

Drake sputtered through the water before he was able to turn. He sat upright in the water, his legs bent and his arms put back for support. He spit out a mouth full of water. "Very funny!"

Asha, Rose and Gina couldn’t help but laugh at Tygra's triumph. "Way to go!" Asha said holding onto her stomach. "That was funny as hell!"

Rose placed a hand to her mouth as she watched Drake walk up the bank towards them. "Poor Drake…"

"Still it was funny." Gina said followed by giggles.

He stood before them with his arms crossed, water dripping from his drenched clothes and hair. "Are you done yet?"

Asha bit her bottom lip trying to stifle back her laughter. "Maybe…" she said then laughed again.

Drake placed his hands out before him flicking the water dripping from his hands into her face causing her to stop laughing abruptly. He smiled.

Haru then turned to Tygra, a question on his mind. "What happened to that man, Kane?"

"Huh?" Tygra looked to him a little startled by the question. "Oh, well, I really don't know to tell you the truth." She looked to Drake.

"Don't look at me. I think I got knocked out shortly after they left to find Jade and Asha."

"Hey Jade!" Asha called. "You have to know something about what happened."

Everyone looked to Jade. She shook her head. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Asha said dumbfounded as she watched Jade make her way over to Haru. "You knew that something had happened to them before it even did."

"Jade is that true?" Tygra questioned watching her carefully.

Jade stopped before Haru, holding out her hand. "May I borrow your sword?"

He looked up to her cautiously before pulling the blade from its sheath, handing it to her carefully. What is she planning?

Everyone remained silent as they watched her, wondering what she was planning on doing with Haru's sword in hand. She ran her free hand down her long braid, fingering the tie at the tip's end. She then pulled the braid up in the air and with one quick motion, cut the braid towards the top of her head. Her hair fell loosely around her chin as she handed the sword back to Haru.

"Thank you." She said as she walked towards the water's edge and tossed the braid of hair into the water, watching as the current took it down stream.

"Jade," Tygra began standing to her feet, "Why did you do that?"

She turned to her, a blank expression back over her features. "I just…felt like a change."

"A change?" Asha questioned watching her. "You just lopped off your hair! You never cut your hair."

Rose nodded. "She's right Jade. You've been acting kind of weird lately."

Jade looked to them. "Weird? You think I'm acting weird?" She looked to each of her friend's faces, seeing that that was exactly what everyone who knows her thought. But, she only shrugged. "I don't know what you are talking about." She walked away from the group, humming lightly to herself.

Tygra turned back to the rest of the group shaking her head. “Something just doesn’t seem right with her.”

“She’s probably just worn out.” Asha suggest stretching her arms out behind her head. “She’ll be fine.”

“So this is where you have all been hiding?” The group turned back towards the forest path to see a middle aged man in deep blue armor with silver trim standing just within the forest entrance. His long brown hair hung loosely down his back; a dark green band was wrapped tightly around his forehead keeping the loose strands of hair from his eyes.

He placed a hand to the hilt of his sword strapped to his back. His dark green eyes showed his lust for battle. “I’ve been searching for you, Elemental Guardians. I must take you all back to Lord Alester.” He raised his one hand in the air. A roar of footsteps could be heard coming from within the woods and within mere seconds a battalion of soldiers came to their captain’s aid. The man lowered his hand, a confident smile crossing his features. “My name is Carrion, and I shall be the one to be your destroyer.”