The Feral Sentence - Part One (9 page)

I suddenly heard a soft whistle followed by a gentle pat on my
back. It was Sunny. She’d slowed her pace, and she was moving away
from the group and toward a slanted tree in the distance. She held
her bow in one hand, and from her quiver, slowly drew an arrow. I
knew she’d spotted an animal.

But what was she doing? She’d never hunted before. Trim hadn’t
given the order to hunt, either. I couldn’t determine what she was
aiming for. All I saw was darkness, surrounded by drooping greenery
and shattered rocks.

The string of her bow made a squeaky sound as she pulled hard,
preparing to kill her target. But I didn’t see the arrow leave her
bow or hear a cry in the distance…

I was suddenly lying flat on my back, my head aching and my
vision blurred. I was alone.

I blinked several times to gain clarity, but all I could see
was a shape being dragged into the thick of the jungle. I blinked
several times again. It was Sunny. I could tell by the frizz atop
her head and by the way her scrawny arms dangled on either side of
her body. She was being taken away by someone or something. The
creature stood as a human but had the face of a black panther with
skin hanging all around its edges. A mask?

I tried to cry for help, but nothing came out. I couldn’t
move. For a moment, I wondered if perhaps I’d been killed by this
half-beast.

“
Brone,” I heard, over and over again.

Warmth slowly returned to my extremities, and my sight began
to clear.

“
Brone, what happened?”

“
She’s in shock.”

“
Don’t touch her.”

“
There’s blood,” I heard. I wasn’t sure whether they were
talking about mine or Sunny’s. I had droplets sprinkled across my
chest, and the mud around us was stained a deep red.

“
What happened?” Trim asked.

She knelt in front of me, her eyes fierce and her breath
heavy.

I shook my head. I wanted to vomit.

“
Brone, what did you see?” she pressed.

“
Someone—something…” I tried.

She rested a hand on my shoulder.

“
I think it was a Norther… I think. They took Sunny. I don’t
know,” I said, causing an eruption of fear among the new Battle
Women.

Her brows came together, and she quickly stood up.

“
Did anyone else see anything?” she asked, pacing around
everyone.

“
I did,” Rocket said, her face hardening, and her eyes meeting
mine.

Everyone
fell silent.

“
That wasn’t a Norther.”

Part 2
coming soon…

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