'Oh gods... No...' You wanted nothing more than to save Keirra, the poor girl was too adventurous and foolhardy for her own good. But your breathing was all but stalled and your legs felt like jelly as you watched the crying micen lowered down. She let out one final sob before passing between the leona's lips and being silenced. Your vision blurred with tears that you blinked away just in time to witness the fateful gulp.
Solace murmured softly and licked her lips before slowly reclining on her bed. This was horrible. Keirra was in the leona's stomach, doomed to be digested alive. You couldn't stay, you couldn't watch this. You finally managed to force your legs to move, turning and running back towards the couch. But you didn't stop there, your legs kept pumping until you reached the gates of Niarb.
A few hours had passed. You'd spent most of it crying and wishing you'd been a better carer for the poor girl, and even a little of it cursing the monster that had taken her. It wasn't the first time you'd lost someone important to you because of the leona. Your thoughts flashed back to your mother and the day you'd seen her last...
'Nadine!' Someone called. 'Word came in that Quill is relocating. We're expecting a few refugees to take advantage of the situation and come here instead. Screen everyone who turns up.' The brown furred micen woman nodded and turned to the smaller girl beside her.
'Gertie, I need you to go home, okay?' She said. 'Mama needs to work extra hard today, a lot of people are going to need help.'
'Okay.' Gertrude nodded, twisting the bow around her waist a little. The girl turned and headed towards the centre of town where she lived with her mother. She'd have to entertain herself until later on when it was time for her lesson. Her first time leaving the colony and seeing the world outside, she was so excited!
You felt your stomach growling and realized that you hadn't eaten. You pushed aside the cloth you'd been lying under and sat yourself up. The absent bed across the room stung your vision before you looked away and picked up the cleanest looking piece of bread and took a slow bite. It was old, crusty and tasted bland and horrible. What you wouldn't do for even a dollop of anything to go with this...
Nadine sighed, the day had been hard. All she wanted was to go home and see her little Gertie, but then she remembered it was the day of her first lesson with the other children. After another thirty minutes her relief finally arrived and she was free to go. A quick stop by home confirmed that Gertie was still out with the class, surely there'd be no harm in going out to meet up with them? Solace never attacked the children after all did she? Besides which, micen had been arriving all day so Solace was probably out.
She took off her belt and needle and stowed it away before heading back to the gate and leaving. She had only recently managed to land this job and it wasn't an easy one, but at least it helped her pay for Gertrude's education. She'd paid up enough for a month's worth of lessons so far, even though it had meant going hungry for a few days. Nadine made her way towards the kitchen where she knew they'd be, being as stealthy as she could manage. Once she had found her way to the counter, she looked around. They should be here?
'Gertie?' Nadine called. 'Are you here?'
'Mama!' A worried voice screamed out from across the counter top. 'Mama RUN!'
Nadine looked down the counter and saw her daughter with a group of other children and the instructor, a fit looking man who ushered the children into a mouse hole in the wall. They looked terrified. Too late Nadine realized why as the shadow fell across the counter around her.
You took a deep breath. You'd eaten, more than usual with no further need to conserve rations for a second person. You'd rested, with no further desire to be outside there had been no reason to leave here. What the hell were you supposed to do now? This was every bit as bad as that day. You'd lost Keirra to Solace just like you'd lost your mother. Mama... She'd grown up poor and done her best to raise you, but she'd never had the lessons you did. She didn't know how to cover her trail, to be aware of the signs of a leona's presence, and to always be within running distance of a hole in the wall when possible.
You'd tried to teach these things to Keirra. You'd wanted to be a teacher for exactly these reasons. You knew what it was like to lose someone. The pain would fade, but the memory wouldn't.
You took another deep breath and shook your head. Grief would only slow you down. No, this should only serve to encourage you. You were going to become the best teacher Niarb had ever seen!
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