“Father! What happened?” Launi exclaimed looking at the people lying on the ground around her. “Are they alright?”
“Launi,” her father said calmly looking into her eyes. “You need to go.”
“What?” Launi didn’t understand. Her mind was fuzzy. She couldn’t concentrate.
“You need to go, now as soon as possible.”
“But what about everyone? Are you coming too? Why do I have to leave?”
“Launi, please. They’re alive; I just need you to hurry and look for a line around the village where animals start appearing again. I need you to go now and I need you to run. Look for the line, it should be there. It will be obvious now that you know to look for it.”
Why? Launi was about to ask again but stopped just before the words could leave her mouth. She had only seen Darthax’s expression be this serious a few times before. Each of those moments had been in response to someone’s probable death and the effort to save them. Launi nodded and repeated what he told her:
“Look for a boundary where the animals appear again. Alight. I guess…I guess I’ll go then.”
It felt wrong to be leaving with the people she had grown up with lying on the ground for some unknown reason. She knew they were in good hands, those of her father’s. He was the best healer for miles in every direction. Already he was going from person to person checking on them.
Looking up from examining their neighbor, the serious look still on his face, he said: “come back as soon as you find it. If it comes to it, which I sincerely hope it won’t, go to the next village and tell Screbra what has happened.”
Launi felt a shiver of fear course through her body. Her father was scaring her even more than the people on the ground. “Okay, I will. I’ll be back soon.” Turing from the scene, Launi ran off back into the forest trying her best to think clearly and ignore the panic fighting to take over her body.
The forest was still oddly quiet. Launi found it even more unnerving than she had when she’d first past through it mere minutes ago. She listened carefully for the sound of birds or squirrels but heard nothing.
What’s going on? She kept asking herself. What happened to everyone? What did Father mean when he said, “it if comes to it”?
As she ran, Launi paid close attention to signs of animal activity. She had grown up in these woods. She knew the basics of tracking and knew how to listen and understand the sounds of the forest. She knew how to walk quietly. A skill which she was not using at the present time as she raced through the trees to where she had first noticed the lack of animals.
When she neared the outer grazing clearings Launi slowed to a walk and tried to catch her breath. It was nearly dark now. She felt fear gripping her spine. Blood pumped loudly past her ears. Her heart pounded. She couldn’t catch her breath and start to hyperventilate.
Calm down! She shouted at herself. You have to calm down! Panicking will not solve anything! Deep breaths! Deep breaths! There you go, that’s better. Keep it up. Look you can breathe now.
“Okay,” she said out loud, having pushed the panic back for the moment. “Look for the boundary, it should be around here somewhere. This is where I first noticed the disappearance of the animals.”
Launi began walking forward silently, this time, using all of her knowledge of the forest. It was eerily quiet. Though it was nearly dark, the forest should be coming to life with the nighttime chorus, but it wasn’t. It was quiet. No animals, no insects, not a thing. Just her and the plants.
After roughly another quarter of a mile, Launi began to hear the sounds of the forest. They were faint but grew louder with each step that she took. A short while later, Launi saw the first squirrel racing up a tree. A minute later she startled a flock of birds into flight. She stopped knowing she had just crossed the boundary her father had told her to find. She retraced her steps, scanning the ground for any evidence of a line.
It was not long until she saw insects moving in the direction of the village and then at nearly the exact same spot they turned around and head away from the village. Launi had a feeling this was the boundary. She crossed it again and looked forward, no birds, squirrels or insects. She turned and looked across the line and saw a bird land in a tree not that far away. She had found it. Looking around and memorizing the area around her, Launi took off back toward the village.
She ran faster than she ever had; leaping over fallen trees and taking the bends of the trail at full speed. It seemed to take days until the village was finally in sight again. Launi made her exhausted legs go faster. She raced to the edge of the village and slowed to a jog. Trying to ignore the people around her, Launi made her way to the main area.
What she saw stopped her in her tracks. Her father was lying on the ground along with everyone else. A scream ripped its way free from her mouth and tears slid down her face.
“Father!” Launi rushed to his side. His eyes were closed, just like those around him. She checked for his pulse (just as he as taught her) and found one. He was still breathing, just like everyone else. A wave of relief washed over her. It only lasted a moment. She shook him, trying to wake him. Tears still streamed down her face and she called out for him again and again.
“Father! Father, please wake up! I need you! I found the boundary like you asked! I found it! Please wake up! We all need you! Please!”
He didn’t wake, nor did anyone else.
Amazing! I am in the grip of your story.
Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
Okay, I am hooked! I hope the next part comes out soon!
It will be out next week. I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
Wow exciting beautifully written
Thank you so much!
Wow – fun and exciting. I AM IN!!
I’m glad you are enjoying it!