Cascade Wildheart's Arc

Chapter 4 of 7

Cascade ran through the trees with the carved cup in her hand. Two chipmunks streaked at her heels, their pink stripes flashing, their icy eyes bright. They chittered as they ran. She knew what they meant. They had watched her leave the shed, and they would guard her path. The healing stream lay where she remembered. It looked like a dry bed of round stones. No water showed at all. But she reached down and felt the cold current pour over her fingers. She dipped the cup. It filled, though her eyes told her the bed was empty. The chipmunks drank from her cupped hand, then shook their whiskers dry. She rose and started back. The full cup steamed faint in the morning air. Dani's wound could not wait. Cascade counted her steps and held the cup level so none would spill. Then the chipmunks froze. Both of them stood tall on their back legs. Their tails went stiff. They chittered fast and low, a sound she had never heard from them. Warning. Danger. She dropped into a crouch behind a fallen log. Men moved through the woods. She heard boots crush wet leaves. She heard low voices, then one that cut across the rest. "She left a trail. She always does." The voice was flat and sure. "Dani thinks she can vanish. She thinks wrong." Cascade peered through the brush. A man walked at the front of the others. Long black hair. A patch over one eye. He carried his spear loose, like it weighed nothing. His hunters spread behind him, scanning the ground. This was the one Dani had run from. The leader of her village. He hunted his own now. "Two days out," he said. "No more. The wound slows her. We find her before the cold does." Cascade pressed low. Her aqua hair drifted around her face. If they saw her, they would not run like the others. They would chase. She held her breath until the boots faded east, away from the shed. The chipmunks stayed frozen long after. Then they dropped to all fours and looked at her. She understood. The men searched wide. They had not found the shed. But they knew Dani was near, hurt and slow. They would circle back. Every hour brought them closer to the stone walls where Dani slept. Cascade looked down at the cup. The water still held its warmth. First she had to close the wound. A well woman could move. A well woman could hide, or fight, or run. A dying one could do nothing. She rose and ran for the shed, faster now. The chipmunks raced ahead to clear her path. She had the water. But she had a name for the danger too, and a face. The hunt had a leader, and he did not quit. She had until the wound was clean to make a plan that would keep them both alive.