To the Noise
With a mighty leap, he jumped off the building into a nearby tree, sliding down the trunk onto the ground.
With his feet firmly on the ground he started running in the direction he’d determined. Bushes and trees blurred at the corner of his vision, but in the center things remained perfectly sharp and clear. His tail stayed straight behind him, acting like some sort of air-rudder and balance at the same time. His sturdy paws dug deep into the soft earth of the ground, great clods flying behind him.
In mere moments the clearing with the store completely vanished behind him. He ignored the little quiver of fear that entered him at that thought.
Hearing more noises ahead, Paul slowed down and stealthily made his way forward. His body moved quieter than he had ever heard before, barely a rustle to betray his movements. A large tree ahead afforded excellent cover, for the sounds were very close now. He plastered himself against the trunk and carefully eased around it until he could see everything with one eye.
In a small clearing at the bottom of a shallow, irregular depression in the ground, seven large people were gathered around a much smaller figure in the center. The small figure was trembling on the ground, connected to three others by chains.
The large folk were covered in dingy blotched brown fur that blended with the forest. They had square muzzles that reminded Paul of hyenas, gleaming yellow eyes, stained great teeth, and huge muscles that spoke of Conan the barbarian. They were dressed in rough leather cloth, and the males were armed with bows and arrows, spears, and crude stone axes.
The girl in the center (for now he could see it was a girl) had softer-looking leather in a golden hue that complimented her black fur beautifully. Unlike the spotted types, she seemed to be one solid mass of black. She looked to be a knockout, with the body of a pinup. Paul felt his heart race at the sight of her, scratched and torn as she was from the battering she’d received at the hands of the others.
“So slave.” The largest of them leered. “You think you escape the mighty Dull Knife and his mighty Hyadons? You foolish Leornidian! Now you shall serve my boys tonight! In fact, how about right now!” And with a laugh he reached down and tore at the covering for her furry chest while the woman shrieked in terror.
Written by Snore23 on 27 May 2017
