That night,however,as they were doing their prayers,something changed in me. For the first time,I could hear it. Their voices were clear to me for the first time.
Unlike other times when I could only make assumptions about them,now I could tell what they were saying.
However,their prayers weren't of happiness unlike my emotions at the time.
They were prayers filled with sadness,depression,despair and even insanity.
They,too like everyone of us,were wishing for their desperately held on dreams that had kept them hanging on until now.
"What do I do now?"
"How will I live for tomorrow?"
"Will I have to die soon?"
"Will my new family starve?I can't remember the last I smiled to my sister,my family?,"
"Will I have anything to hope to?I don't want to experience what happened the last time they decided to get rid of us!"
"How long will I have to live like this before it ends? Please,oh God,our helper from above help us. If you are out there somewhere then please help me,help all of us,help everyone survive this!"
I stayed at them silently. Their newfound grief came rushing at me like a torrent.
"Just how much had they prayed for this?"I asked myself.
On that night,they started into the fire as it died out,their will decreasing as they watched it end.
My head started throbbing.
" What's happening to me right now?"
I staggered as I went to my poor excuse of a hut. The room was practically empty but it did give me a feeling of familiarity to my previous life.
The world felt like it was rolling around as I fell down on a thick batch of leaves that was like my bed.
I tried looking up but it was pointless. I felt like something was forcing me to sleep. I didn't know what it was but from then on I couldn't sleep peacefully anymore.
My eyes closed in on itself as a faint golden light reflected on my eyes.
.....
By the first ten days,they were slowly letting fear into their hearts. By the fifteenth day,they arranged themselves in a group of twos and locked themselves in their homes and only coming out to get their necessities.
Although the hunting groups were still hunting and were responsible for supplying of the food,they too only did it out of necessity. They too only wanted to close themselves off and cry all day.
It was just that they were the only ones capable and willing to do it. The others were simply waiting for their time to come. They weren't willing to risk their lives hunting for people who were coming for them.
They were all in pairs except for one. In the hut furthest from the others and maybe the most run down of all of them,there resided a girl,in wraps of bandages all over and a simple mid length white skirt. Her eyes were the first that stood out,a pair of ruby eyes red and deep,along with her hair black reaching all the way to her back. Her complection,brown,was alluring and captivating like the moon itself. In simple terms,she was beautiful.
Her gaze was unsettingly steady and somewhat resolute. I couldn't find a single flaw about her. This was unlike what her title had suggested. The 'Failed Beauty' was her name.
I didn't know anything about her. My encounter with her was a complete coincidence. Although the encounter ended with just a few glances of the other,she did leave a small mark.
She was a complete mystery to me,but ther was one thing I knew. It was that she wasn't an ordinary person.
Just like how a fox can recognise a fellow fox,I could tell she wasn't what people would classify as ordinary. It was evident in even how she was treated by others.
There were people in the world who usually preferred solitude over crowds but for her was different;she seemed to more likely despise the crowds. I didn't know why,because she wasn't part of the people taking part in the prayers,but I did know that,if fate allowed it,I would be happy to get to meet her every now and then.
"Maybe one day I'll get the chance to ask for her name and talk sometime."
On the next day as I was roaming through,I stumbled upon what I could as a fateful encounter. I met a person who could be described as 'the main character'. Taller than most among his peers,handsome,dark haired unkempt yet captivating and exuding an aura around him that enchanted everyone. Although not very talkative,I could tell that he had what it took to make it big someday but as of now he looked like a typical generic fantasy MC to me.
He was with his companion as they took their share of the food when he saw me passing through.
"Can you take these back for me. I'll be there in a minute,"he said as he gave his share to him.
He didn't mind it much. Staring back at his retreating figure,he said,"Tomorrow you are doing all the work,alright."
He came at me while taking small strides.
I looked at him in silence as he cake up to me and held me by the shirt.
"Why are you still here in this forest. Why aren't you running away by now?"he said.
It was a rather simple question really but it left me unable to speak,or rather it was that I didn't want to answer.
He looked at me intensly waiting for my response,but the look on my face said it all; I wasn't going to answer.
He continued,"Do you not know the severity of the situation right now?",he said as he let go of my shirt,"honestly I don't know if you are stupid or arrogant coz if you knew you wouldn't be walking so leisurely in the forest as you do now."
I didn't want to intrude on their matter but now even their 'MC' is wanting to tell me more about them. The situation was fragile for them but they were dragging me into it.
Although I wanted to get to hear from him,I heard already got what I need from him. I quickly turned away from him and hurried from him.
"So you going to ignore me now," he said staying still.
"Yes,"I responded.
I had decided. Although small,I wanted to help them in some way.
It was time for them to get someone help them reach their happy ending that they had been praying for all this time.
"There wasn't much time left,but with this,"staring at his head,"with this,I can make a real difference."