Starting of a Journey

The second chapter.

 

                They stood with looks of disbelief written across their faces. Everything was on fire, yet no one cried out. There was no sound at all, besides the cracking of the fire and the snapping of the wood on some houses. Taria dashed off towards her house.

“Aunty!” she cried out as she threw open the front door, “Aunty!”

          No sounds came from inside. She looked around quickly, evading the falling debris that fell from the ceiling.

“Aunty!” she called out again, “Aunty! Where are-”

          Taria stopped dead in her tracks. There lay her aunt on the floor before her.

“Aunty!” Taria cried kneeling down beside her aunt, “Are you okay?!”

“Taria... run away from here...” her aunt said, “Quickly, get away from the village!”

“Why?” Taria asked as she tried to help her aunt up.

“Just run. Run into the woods and don’t come back!” her aunt answered before going limp.

“Aunty?!” Taria said shaking her slightly, “Aunty are you okay?! Aunty!”

          Link ran in and pulled Taria away from her aunt, “Come on Taria! She’s dead! Look!” He pointed to the small pool of blood just beside Taria’s aunt.

“No! She’s just hurt!” Taria pushed away from Link and went back to her aunt, “Aunty! Please!”

          Taria grabbed her aunt’s wrist and felt for a pulse but there was none.

“She can’t be... Not Aunty!” Taria cried.

“Come on Taria! We have to get out of here!” Link grabbed her wrist and they ran out the front door just as the house collapsed.

“Where are Mayu and Ardic?” Taria asked.

“I don’t know.” Link answered as they ran through the village looking for their friends.

          They ran through every house they could think of then found themselves in the village square. They had neither found nor seen anyone in any of the houses.

“Hey! Guys! Where are you?!” Link yelled.

“Y-You don’t think...” Taria said as tears began to build up in her eyes.

“They’re not dead so don’t think that!” Link said looking around, “Let’s check the Elder’s house!”

“Okay.” Taria wiped her eyes and followed Link over to the Elder’s house which, surprisingly, was not on fire.

          Blood stained the front entrance and the door hung open, broken off of its hinges. They proceeded cautiously into the house and were greeted by two large boar like monsters, each wielding a large pike.

“Survivors! Survivors!” They yelled as they pointed their pikes at them.

          From the back came a large man with fiery red hair and eyes. He was clothed in back armour and had an orange crystal on his forehead.

“Ah, the last two children.” The man said with a grin, “Bring them as well.”

          The monsters made a move for Link but he jumped back, out of the way. Then they went after Taria but she ducked and moved around them.

“Throw me your sword!” Taria called to Link, who threw his sword to her.

          Taria jumped up on the closest monster’s back and thrust the sword deep into the region where she thought the heart to be. The monster keeled over dead and the second swiped Taria away, knocking her into a bookcase. The bookcase fell onto of her and the room went silent.

“You!” Link yelled diving around the monster towards the dead one.

          He successfully grabbed the sword from the dead monster and dived around the other. He used the same tactic as Taria did by jumping on the monster’s back and then ramming the sword into the heart area.

“These ones will be difficult.” The man said before disappearing into the back again.

“Get back here!” Link yelled running after him.

          Taria pushed the bookcase off of herself and sighed. She looked around the room then headed for the back.

“Mayu! Ardic!” Taria gasped as she entered the back.

          Her friends were in the hands of two larger boar monsters. They looked at Taria with surprised expressions.

“Taria?! Get out of here!” Mayu cried, “Get Link and run away!”

“What?! No! I’ll help you two first!” Taria said.

          Just then four larger boar monsters came in the room, blocking her way to her friends.

“Get Link! He went outside!” Mayu cried louder.

“We’ll be fine! They won’t hurt us! Just don’t let them get you guys!” Ardic yelled.

“We’ll come back for you!” Taria cried as she turned and ran out a back door.

          Outside Link was holding his ground against the large man.

“Link!” Taria yelled.

“You’re okay!” Link said in disbelief.

“Yeah! But Link we have to get away from here!” Taria called.

“You two aren’t going anywhere.” The man said grabbing Link’s sword hand and hoisting him up into the air, “You are needed here.”

“Let Link go!” Taria yelled as she ran up and kicked the man in the gut, causing him to drop Link and clutch his gut.

“Come on Taria!” Link said leading the way out into the forest.

“Coming!” Taria said following him.

          The man straightened up and called his boar monster from the house.

“Get them!” he ordered.

          The monsters entered the woods and chased after them. The two monsters that held Mayu and Ardic came outside with them.

“You’ll never get them! They know the forest a lot better than anyone!” Ardic growled at the man.

“Oh, we’ll get them.” The man said looking at Ardic, “Even if we do not get them now, we’ll get them when they come back for you two.”

          Mayu began to cry, “Taria! Link! Don’t Come Back For Us!” she yelled out.

***

          Taria and Link ran through the forest evading trees and cutting through the bushes.

“Hurry Taria they’re right behind us!” Link said as Taria began to fall behind.

“I know that!” Taria huffed then ran faster to keep up with Link.

          The footsteps of the monsters began to get louder as they began to catch up with them. Link quickly jumped up into a tree and then pulled Taria up as well. They climbed a bit to ensure that the monsters wouldn’t see them.

“They went this way!” one monster said running past the tree, followed by others.

          Taria went to say something to Link but his hand quickly shot to cover her mouth. He then placed his finger to his lips and pointed down at the monster which was sniffing around the tree they were in.

“You! Hurry up we’ll lose them!” one monster from further ahead yelled back.

          The monster which was sniffing around the tree quickly ran off in the direction that the others went in. As soon as the coast was clear Link climbed down to make sure it was safe. He then motioned for Taria to follow him. She climbed down and they ran in a different direction then what the monsters did.

“Where are we going?” Taria half-whispered.

“To the Kokiri Forest.” He answered, also in a half-whisper.

          They continued to walk for a long time. Darkness had fallen, but the way was lighted by the forest fairies who danced among the trees.

“They’re so pretty.” Taria said, admiring the fairies.

Link chuckled a little, “We can admire them later. First we have to get to the Kokiri forest.”

“Yeah okay.” Taria said.

          The sound of a stick snapping made them stop dead in their tracks.

“W-What was that?!" Taria asked.

“Shh!” Link shushed, listening carefully.

“Link! They found us!” Taria said quietly, pointing to her left as two of the boar monsters emerged from the trees.

“Run!” Link yelled as they turned and ran.

“How did they find us?!” Taria asked.

“They must have followed our smell!” Link said.

“But I had a bath today!!” Taria cried.

          They continued running and soon found themselves at the edge of a cliff which overlooked the forest river. The monsters emerged from among the trees one by one until a large number of them blocked their view of the forest.

“We’re cornered!” Taria said.

          The monsters advanced towards them, backing them right up to the edge of the cliff. Taria looked at Link.

“How do we get out of this one?” She asked her voice filled with fear.

“I don’t know.” Link answered.

“Come with us and you will live.” The largest monster said.

“Not a chance!” Taria yelled, her courage returning as she thought about Mayu and Ardic.

“Very well then.” The monster said before swinging its pike at them.

          They slipped on the very edge of the cliff and fell down to the river.

“No one could survive that fall. We must tell master that they are dead.” The monster said turning and leaving, the others following.

Author's Note

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