Chapter List
Chapter Eight
We had been walking for at least an hour and a half. I groaned and stopped to lean against a tree to rest. Damien sat down on the ground and looked around.
�Don�t you think we would �ave found them by now?� Damien asked me. I just shrugged at him, not knowing myself.
�Maybe they went really far into the forest.� I said to him. Terrance sighed and looked around.
�Well�. I don�t like being out here like this. Out in the open with no shelter.� Terrance said to us. I nodded in agreement with him.
�Nor do I, Terrance. Nor do I. I suppose it�s best that we be getting� movin� again.� I said to them. Both of them nodded and Damien stood up.
We kept walking onward, deeper into the forest. Though we were free from the farm I knew inside that we weren�t free from the world. But even the thought of being caught couldn�t completely rid me of the feeling of even minimal freedom. As we walked through the forest I looked around at my surroundings. I smiled to myself about the difference from now to just a couple hours ago. The fresh air compared to the odor of the barracks. The soft green and brown leaves that had fallen that we now walk over compared to the hard stone floor and dirt fields. The birds chirping delightfully in the treetops compared to the shouting from the guards and the cries from those beaten down.
A rustling from a bush nearby halted us and we stood in dead silence, senses at full alarm, ears perked ready to detect any sound. Was it thirty seconds or thirty minutes we stood there? I�m not sure. It seemed like eternity to us as we stood waiting and watching. Suddenly the bush moved again and Terrance couldn�t stand it any longer. He dove headlong into the bush, teeth bared, claws aimed for whatever was there. I watched as he brought his massive arm back, ready to bring it down in a brutal blow to whatever was there beneath him. But he never brought it down. He just stared into the bush. Damien and myself went over quickly to see what had stopped his attack.
As we looked down into the bush we saw a small furry creature. The distinct black stripes and gray fur covered a small shaking ball of fluff. It was a raccoon, a very young one. Terrance pulled his arm from the air and watched the young creature. Its fur was dirty and it was fairly scrawny. It must have been there for at least two days. The three of us looked from one to another, trying to make sense of our discovery.
�Why d� you suppose it�s �ere by itself?� I asked the two. They both looked at me and shrugged.
�I�m not sure, Renard� What�s this?� Terrance reached down next to it and pulled up a dirt-covered paper. He unfolded it and read over it twice then handed it to me. I took one glance at it then immediately passed it to Damien. Damien looked at me then cleared his throat and read it aloud.
�It says �To whom it may concern. When you read this I pray that my young �un will still be with us. I �ave �ad to leave him �ere to protect him from the human slave gatherers. Please take good care of my young child for a slaved mother. God bless you.�� Damien folded it back up then looked down at the child.
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