We sprinted, blind with horror. The beast was a shadow above us, snapping branches as it gave chase. Twigs whipped our faces and clawed at our skin, leaving painful bruises on our arms and thighs. We didn't dare stop.
"What is that thing?!" Katherine screamed between gasps.
"I don't know! Just don't let it get us!"
Swish!
"Ahhh!" Katherine shrieked. An arrow whistled past, grazing her cheek and drawing a thin line of red blood. We threw ourselves behind the broad trunk of an old looking tree, pressing against the rough bark as more arrows swiftly passed into the wood around us.
THUD!
A massive impact shook the ground. We peeked out to see the giant bird lifeless on the forest floor, its massive body crushing little trees beneath it. The sudden silence was maddening.
"It's… it's dead?" Katherine whispered, breathless.
"Oh my God," I breathed.
"Selene, are you seeing what I'm seeing right now?" Katherine's voice was barely audible.
"Uh huh," I managed to say, my eyes fixed on the figure before us.
A young lady stood over the fallen beast. She had long bright green hair, beautiful emerald eyes, long pointed ears, and beautiful skin . She wore a flowing white robe and held a slender bow, its arrow now aimed directly at my forehead. Wait. Directly at my head!!
"Wait, wait! Please don't shoot!" I shouted, throwing my hands into the air.
"What are you two doing here?" The girl demanded, her gaze sharp and unwavering.
"We'd like to know that as well," Katherine said, her eyes darting nervously between the stranger and the dead bird.
"You better start talking before I put a hole in your head," she said menacingly, drawing the bowstring tighter.
"Calm down! We don't know how we ended up here… Hmm, on second thought, we were teleported. How? We don't know," I explained hastily, hoping for a tiny bit of understanding.
"So where are you from?" she asked, not lowering her weapon.
"Washington. If you could just point us in the direction to get back home, we'd really appreciate it," I pleaded.
"I've never heard of that city before."
"That's impossible!" Katherine said in disbelief.
"Then… where are we?" I asked, my heart sinking.
"You're in the woods leading to Camelot,"she stated, her eyes scanning us from head to toe with deep suspicion.
"Camelot?!" Katherine and I exclaimed in unison.
"Did you say Camelot, like in Merlin?" Katherine's eyes were wide as an owl's.
Camelot? Which state is that? The only time I've ever heard that name was from the Merlin series. Are we inside a story? But that's impossible…how could my mother's sister be part of a movie?
"Miss, we seriously don't know where we are," I explained, desperation creeping into my voice. "The last thing I remember was a glowing marking on the ground and a flash of light from my mother's hands and boom. Here we are."
Her expression shifted. "So, are you a witch?" she asked, stepping closer. We instinctively shuffled backward.
"A what? Selene is not a w-witch!" Katherine stammered.
"I just told you what happened!" I said, staring into those green eyes now just inches from my own.
"Then your mother is a witch. Or a sorceress, if she can cast spells," She concluded, her suspicion turning to curiosity. She reached out and touched a strand of my hair, as if testing its reality. "You carry the scent of magic ." she said her gaze lingering uncomfortablely long on me.
"Hahaha, magic, me? That's impossible" I said, doubtfully.
"And magic doesn't exist" Katherine said in denial.
" Are you guys ok?" she asked, looking at us like we were crazy.
"Why do you ask?" Katherine and I said in unison.
The piercing stare of her eyes made me uncomfortable. I felt like a rare specimen on an auction display. I bit my lips and stepped forward "please can you help us" I pleaded. She puts a hand at her chin, contemplating.
"I can't help you get back to wherever you said you came from, but I know who can help you," she said walking towards the giant bird. She used a knife and drove inside its head. When her hand came out it was slick with dark fluid, clutching a shiny brown stone.
"Uugh, I wanna throw up," Katherine said, looking away from the bloody scene with her hand clamped over her mouth.
The scene in front of me is so disgusting I felt like the water I drank hours ago would come up from my throat any second now and quickly look away.
"We better find a cave to sleep in , it's already pretty late" she said, wiping the dark colored fluid on her knife with a leaf.
We quickly follow behind her - trekking for four anguishly hours in the dark before finally finding a cave.
"Stay here, let me quickly check inside" Eve said quietly, pulling out a knife from her waist before entering the cave. " Come in," Eve said.
We fearfully entered the cave. The air felt cold and damp. We sat on the floor and leaned against the dusty rock.
"Here"
A piece of dried meat was thrown to me, I quickly started eating the salty ,hard, half cooked and earthy tasting meat.
"It's very hard to chew," muttered Katherine.
"Do you have anything else to eat?" She questioned.
Katherine swallowed her complaint and kept eating the meat.
" What's your name?" I asked, calmly.
"Eve"
"What happened to your ears?" I asked curiously, my eyes fixed on it.
"What do you mean? My ears have always been like this. I'm an elf" Eve said, staring at my clothes " I don't know where you guys are from but you guys can't go around here dressed like that. So tomorrow morning you guys will change into my clothes".
"Ok" I said.
"Good night" Katherine said, lying down to sleep.
She must be exhausted. Everything today was like the Jurassic Park movie - at least we still have parts of our body intact. " My name is Selene and my friend is Katherine" I said to Eve, closing my eyes . I hope when I open my eyes tomorrow I will be in my room. Everything darkens.