10

CHAPTER 10

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It was getting dark; Newark hadn’t said anything for quite sometime. Perhaps, he was too scared about bumping into a Garfodus. The sound of dry leaves crunched under their food steps. It was getting a little misty, and the shadows of the trees look like herculean creatures of the prehistoric era. Elena halted in between, “I think we’re done for the night” she said bending her neck from side to side.

Newark answered her by a yawn. “Where will we sleep?” he asked.

“On a tree, Garfodus are blind when it comes to aerial hunting”

They both found a tree to spend the night and climbed up on it. The moment they reached up, they saw that the entire area had been covered by dense mist. “This is what makes hunting easy for the Garfodus” said Elena. Newark was too heavy to sleep on the tree’s branch, so he had to stuff his body into a V section of the tree with his legs hanging on both sides. Elena slept on an adjoining branch, “Good night” she smiled at Newark.

“Good night Elena” Newark smiled back. Elena closed her eyes and was fast asleep. Newark stared at her face as it gleamed under the moonlight. The winds played with her hair strands as they performed a slow moving dance. Newark kept staring at her for sometime and fell asleep.

Newark woke up the next morning, shielding his eyes against the sunlight. He looked to his left and saw the woods hindering the view of a lake. He spotted Elena washing her face near the lakeside. Out of nowhere 3 Garfodus came riding on black bulls. Before Newark could even think of making a move, they had taken Elena with them.

“I’m coming Elena” Newark shouted as he tried to move, but he was stuck there. He looked ahead at the empty view of the lake and realized that it was too late now. In the end, he looked down and let himself fall from the tree. His heavy body hanged upside down by his left leg for a couple of seconds and he fell hard on the ground.

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Our hero is all alone now. It’s high time he justified his role as the story’s hero. Yep.