The black scorpion showed no aspect of backing down. For all it cared the tarantula was no match for it even though it outsized it. One Pierce from its telson and it was going to celebrate a bounty dinner till it was at the mercy of leaving the rest for the red ants. It flexed it’s pincers Open while gyrating back and fro to perfect it’s focal point. If it got it right, then the fight would have been over before it even started. If it missed, then it could as well kiss the world a big good bye. With the majesty of a god. The grey tarantula which appeared to have half a dozen eyes on its head bounced with precision, countering every move of the vermin that was after it’s life. A truce of peace was worthy for both alphas they could leave and survive heartily on thousands of ants and beetles that roamed the forest, yet fate had caused their paths to cross and only one of them was going to make it out alive. Another swipe from the stinger of the scorpion was dodged by the giant spider which leapt forward at a controlled pace to grab the swift assassin. It propelled back with so much speed that cemented it’s a position as defensive warrior. The tarantula was quick to maintain it’s stance of calm. One hasty mistake was all it took for it to be iced out by the shiny dagger of it’s assailant. Five minutes into the brawl and no one was dead yet. No one had managed to touch anyone and no one had choose to retreat. It was a battle of Ego with life being the ultimate price to be kept. While the spider was a lord of patience, the scorpion was a master of haste. It’s dogged mind had calculative arrived it an angle of precision where the giant spider could no longer escape it’s lethal sting. It was right. It leapt forward to the side of the spider using it’s pincers as decoy and quickly amassing it’s stinger straight into the head of it’s prey. What it had failed to add up was that the Tarantula wasn’t going to be immediately perplexed by its sting just like the small bugs it seldom fed on. Angered my the raging pain of the scorpions sting. It pounced forward, grabbing it clear and sinking it’s mandible between the scales of the scorpion. It was a blow to be felt but not lethal enough to kill the scorpion which tried assiduously to free itself before the venomous stinger of the spider could find its way into its spleen. It could feel its own venom doing havoc to the in spiders body and knew it just had to avoid getting any spider stinger in it’s body. Though it’s poison was powerful, the spider still managed to pin it to the floor, raised it’s rear to the heaven allowing it’s sharp stinger to sprout out before bringing it down with full speed to flood the Black assassin with all the venom it didn’t need for the dying days. A boulder of rock came crashing by, and dismantled the gridlock just before the stinger of the spider could find its way into the spleen of the scorpion. The scorpion though Injured and shaken, quickly scrambled away for safety leaving the spider paralyzed to wait for it’s end.
” Oh no Catori!. Why did you interrupt in the fight. It was a fair fight till you interfered and took sides with the scorpion.” Said Amelia who was feeling bad for the dying arachnid.
” There’s always a rewards for bravery.” Said Catori with and gazed at the injured scorpion as it paddled away.
” The spider is bigger and Stronger, it should have easily won the fight. There is a cost for Cowardice.” He added and took his gaze off the scorpion which was fast disappearing into the meadow. He didn’t care that it’s sting was lethal to even humans as well. There was a point to be made and he was done making it. Amelia kept mum, her face placed in a frown as she took it off the dead spider. She focused her gaze on Maximin who lay sleeping on a skin mat belonging to Catori. There were still not at the mountain but she was glad that help had found them just in time to save his life.
There was awkward silence in the scene, with only the whistling of the breeze blowing around them.
” Where are you from?” Asked the red Indian who was squatted in a meditative position.
” Texas. I’m originally from Texas but have lived most of my life in the woods.” She said, while still gazing at Maximin.
” Oh really. That’s quite a twist.” Catori said and perhaps expected to hear more from her. From her body language, she didn’t want to say much about her personal life.
” So why did you leave Texas to stay in the bushes.” He asked again.
” Bushes? What bushes are you talking about. I’m i some grass cutter. So funny.” She chuckled at the command of his grammar.
” I mean to say jungle.” He said and nodded his head slowly.
” Yes you mean the woods. I know. Well it’s a long story. To cut it short though. My parents were exiled from our big home at the city and we had to live the rest of our lives in the Bushes as you say. Well I’m still living but my parents are dead. Rest their soul. So you? Were are you from?” He asked and turned her gaze towards him.
” I’m Catori. I’m Cherokee. My people live behind the mountain.” He said in simple intonation.
” Oh I see. So why do you stay alone in this hut or whatever you will call this settlement.” She asked with a smile.
” I’m a man on a mission. I’m out here meditating and praying.” He said and hummed softly.
” Mission? What are you praying for and why are you the only one praying for your clan?” She said with some curiosity.
” Rather it’s what I’m praying against. It’s customary of a man like me to pray for my clan.” He said still gazing at Maximin in a strange manner.
“‘oh really? What are you praying against and what kind of a man are you?” She asked again, thrusting her head foreword innocently, to look innocent while she poke nosed.
” A bad vision. A pogrom and all things alike.” He said and nodded softly.
” So bad things can happen to your clan right. That’s what it means? Why aren’t you all out praying.” She asked again.
” Yes a very bad thing is coming to the clan. It was revealed to me in a vision. The oldest of us saw it to. If all came to pray and the evil came, who is going to hold the forte?” He asked her, still gazing at Maximin.
” Oh I see is that why you are alone praying for them. Why isn’t someone here with you? She asked again. He ignored and had some questions to ask for himself.
” Why where you parents exiled? What did they do.” Said Catori. who wasn’t quite tired at gazing at Maximin. There was something to him that he could not well pinpoint.
” Nothing. They were wrongly accused. My father was a politician. Well let’s say he trusted the wrong people and they betrayed him. They came for our lives. I still have vivid nightmares of the night they chased us.” she said and couldn’t help but get emotional.
” So they tried to kill your parents and you in the night?” He asked and finally took his gaze of Maximin.
” Yes they tried. They had guns, arrows catapults and slings. A whole nation turning against three people. The world is a cold place. I have stayed for many years in the wild and not once have they all tried to attack me like the humans did. I don’t really like humans. I prefer animals. I prefer the wild.” She said and sniffed softly in sadness. There was emptiness that always came accompanied such reflections of the past days.
” How did you survive the attack of a nation. I mean it was just three of you. Who saved you?” He asked in mild fascination. She was numb in silence for a while. Alas he was taking her by the wrist and leading her into the darkest routes of her past.
” How did you evade them?” He asked again, showing more interest in the manner of evasion, than in the survivor itself.”
” I can’t really say. We were running fast on he dark streets. The three of us and I fell. I passed out and I woke up in the pine forest beside my mom and my dad. It’s were we lived together till they died.” She said and made a confused scowl. Alas, it dawned on her for the first time that the details of her survival wasn’t clear to even her at all.
” Oh yes. It’s just like how I passed out when the bear tried to take me. Wait how did you save me.” She said, connecting the vendetta between the two scenario of survival.
” I found you unconscious by the tree and I took you and treated your wounds..”
” You Didn’t see a bear? A giant grizzly? You didn’t fight it off.” She asked, her eyes widened in inquisition.
” Nothing. Just you and your torn shirts.” He said again in an effortless tenor. She locked her leg even more and placed her hands over her bosom like he could see them. The notion of his changing her clothing was making her shy.
” I’m i dead perhaps. Is this me on my third life or something? I was sure that bear was going to kill me. And now I was sure that the mob was going to kill me and my parents. How I’m I still alive?” She asked and stretched her hands forward, gazing at bruises and scars. She couldn’t understand what was going on in her life.
” Let’s say you have a death charm. It’s hard for death to lay it’s claws on you. A perfect lady for warrior like me.” Said Catori and gazed at her with admiration.
” I have no idea what you are talking about. I wish I had answers to some questions about my life.” She said and stood up slowly and tried to limp but found no reason to do so. The Pain in her foot was greatly diminished.
” My God. My leg feels light. It doesn’t hurt much. You are really good with herbs. Thank you.” She said with a smile as she walked slowly from the two men.
” You would find out that I’m good with other things to.” He said, with his gaze stuck on her swaying hips. She noticed and was quick to feel uncomfortable.
” Where are you going?” He asked as he watched her leave.
” No where in particular. I just wanted to take a walk. Think a little and stuffs. My life is in a mess. I have no base and no bearing.” She sighed and clutched the gown to herself to stop the soft breeze from exposing her sensual region. She had gowns on, but was without a panties.
” You life can’t be without bearing when you are with me. I will take care of you.” He said with so much majesty.
” Would you? That’s sweet of you. But I’m an independent entity. I survive on my own.” She said and had no smile on.
” Everyone needs saving sometimes. Don’t get too comfortable. Who is this man lying here.” He asked and turned his gaze at Maximin.
” He is Maximin. He is my friend.” She said and didn’t want to say anything other thing in that regards.
” Your friend you say. How do you two live together in the woods?” He enquired.
” He was attacked just like me and I my parents. He came injured into my cottage and I took the risk of savings his life. We have been on the run then. How come you speak good english?” She entoned and gazed at him.
” My people aren’t so primitive. I have families In the outer world. They encouraged my father to send me to school. I didn’t go past the basic classes. I had to return.” He said with his gaze still piecing at the sleeping man before him.
” Oh I see that’s really good. Did you school in Texas?”
” No. Louisiana. This man here, what do you know about him? I can’t pin point what exactly is wrong with his normalcy. He weighs a ton and is different.” He said and took his gaze off Maximin.
” He is a good man. He saved my life severally. He is just fatally injured and it makes him act weirdly.” She said and turned her gaze towards Maximin who was lying still on the grassy heap.
” His injuries were gotten from a glass Payne when he tried to escape getting killed. How did he get in contact with silver Oxide. I mean glasses aren’t poisoned you know.” Said Amelia as she felt at peace seeing his powerful chest inflating and deflating in survival.
” Who stitched his wounds? You?” He inquired in a husky tenor of essence.
” Yes. I stitched his wound. It was too deep to be left open.” She said and wondered why he had asked.
” Where did you get the needles from. Did you have them at home.” He asked.
” I had the needles at home. However I had to travel to the outer banks to get some condiments.” She said and wondered where he was going with all his questions.
” Those needles, who brought them home.”
” My father did. It belongs to my father. He had special in box and we never got to use them. When Maximin needed stitches I recalled I had them and used it accordingly. Why are you asking all these. I’m feeling uncomfortable.” She said.
” Cause those needles are Galvanized with Silver phosphate. It’s a fatal poison used to fight a certain kind of beings. I wonder why he had them.” Said Catori and returned his gaze to the man lying on the heap of grass.
” How can you be so sure my needless were poisoned. This is some serious allegation here.” She asked feeling tensed and guilty.
” I know that from the coloration of the edges of the stitches. I know these things and we won’t argue that I don’t would we?” I he asked her. How dare she argued with the man that saved her life and saved the life of her friend_ definitely she wasn’t go to try.” Oh my goodness. Was that the reason why he had innately attacked her?” She wondered, choosing to keep silent and relate both of the scenarios together.
” I remember. Maximin tried to kill me after the stitches had been induced. I thought it was strange that he would want to kill me after I had saved his life and took the risk of getting stuffs to stitch his wounds. He thinks I poisoned him.” She said and slowly raised her gaze from the floor till it was facing those of Catori.
” You poisoned him, that’s no doubt. Your intentions were good though.” He said while gazing at the nails of Maximin. He was almost sure of what he was but wasn’t sure Amelia had any idea.
” Good people always get hurt around me. It’s I choose the jungle. You know what. I’m better off on my own.” She said and began to walk away.
” Hey, where are you going?” Catori asked in worrisome tone.
” Away from humans.” She said as she walked away.
” And I’m not human.” Said a familiar voice that she had longed to hear. The message in it had provoked her senses.