Rescue from the Shadows - Sila's POV

After losing her child, her little Blaze, Sila had an even harder time. She had started to lose weight.. The birth, and the child itself had taken a large deal of her strength, but losing her baby had given her a final mental blow. It’s not that Sila stopped caring for her herself .. it’s just that she was so weak .. She was beginning to lose her appetite, often thinking off home, desiring the sweet grass of her home. She lost weight. Her once so shiny coat was starting to dull. Her beautiful manes were shaggy, lifeless hanging down. She was cracking down. She wanted to see the sunlight again. She wanted to see the Flames of her herd. The days were pressing on her, as if the darkness pushed a weight on her shoulders. Even in summer, these woods were cold and dark. No wonder it was called ‘Blackwood’.

...

Sila’s eyes followed the life in Soma’s harem pass by. She often was laying down around the edges. In her head, she went over her past escape tries, and new theories.

But she realized, she was becoming weaker and weaker .. and less likely to escape. She duly looked into the black of the woods. It was idle hope. It was just idle hope to dream of escaping .. or being rescued.

Sila at first didn’t notice them. Her first thought dismissed them as Blackwood guards.

But then … one of the stags had a familiar feeling over him. And that coat … was kinda light for a blackwood. A shiver crawled down her spine.

He looked so familiar. So much like … She swallowed, and shook her head. No, it couldn’t be. She blamed herself for getting into a fantasy. Simba was dead. She saw him getting pushed off the cliffs herself.

And even if that was Simba, the other one, she didn’t know or recognize as anyone. Sila told herself she’s mistaken.

Yet, she can’t keep her eyes off them. Putting her head on the ground, she follows them quietly.

The strange stags came closer. It hurt her to think of Simba.

…

Did he say her name? No, he whispered it. They were … careful. It sounded like Simba.

Sila rose her head for the first time. She looked at them with a strange look in her eyes.

For the first time in so long, Sila whispered the name of her friend. “Simba?” She squinted her eyes. This stag had a blindfold. Sila gazed around. No one really looked at her. They were used to seeing her lay down somewhere. Her heart beat rapidly. This … this couldn't! It .. couldn’t be Simba …

Come to think of it … this other stag. Wasn’t he kinda small for a blackwood? Confused, she kept watching them.

She opened her eyes, and looked at the other stag. “And who is he?” She whispered.

Simba: “That’s Ragnarok. He’s a friend … Glenmore. Come on, we need to go.” 

Sila was surprised, amazed to find Simba alive, and with a Glenmore friend?

Everything suddenly happened too quickly for the doe who had been captured and dulled for so long. Soma suddenly jumped in between her and Simba, but the Glenmore stag faced him.

Sila had been thinking about escaping for so long … she wanted to throw her fire at the Soma, but then the Glenmore would burn too … She moved next to Simba, worried. “What now?”

Soma “I thought you were dead? But that doesn’t matter. Then I at least get the pleasure to kill you again.”

Ragnor  “You will not touch him.!”

Simba  “I see the madness has finally corrupted your head …And madness can be burned!”

Sila was in way surprised to see fire … She looked at Simba. Could he see through the blindfold?

Sila snored at Simba’s remark. “The madness got to him years ago.” She danced back, ready to flee. She’d wanted this for so long .. but now the moment was here, she didn’t just want to leave her rescuer in danger! “Soma is bigger than him.” Sila remarked. Yet, she was ready to set off into the wood.

Simba “Ragnarok, can you keep him back?”

Ragnor "Leave it to me. Just get her out of here. I'll catch up with you."

Simba “Let’s go …” 

Soma “And where do you think you are going?” 

“Seems I have a toy to play with first. Bring it on!”

Ragnor , “You fool! You’ll kill your entire harem! Simba! GO!” 

Sila looked at the fire, spreading into all directions. Soma didn’t care. His entire harem was in danger. The fawns, his children … Sila shook her head. She felt bad for the does who had tried to help her, she was worried about the black friend of Simba, but she bolted off into a gallop - she wanted her freedom again! And she’d have it again, once she was out of Soma’s reach.

“Simba! What way is Silverthorne?”

That was the big question. What direction? They had to avoid running back into the racks of blackwoods!

Simba  “We head for the mountains, close to the sea first. There we will wait for Ragnarok. If he doesn't come … that means we need to leave.”

-----

Sila ran, still hearing the screams of the fight going on behind her. She heard all sorts of voices screaming and yelling. She heard the burning fire … and the stag running next to her. She looked back; he was coming after her, but he seemed … slow? Almost as if he was careful while he was running.  “Simba! Hurry up!” Sila shouted at him, running towards the mountains. Finally in motion, she could only think about running … escaping the horror. Even in her weakened stage, she was still fast.

Simba “I’m trying. Just keep running, i’m behind you!”

But it didn’t take long before she had to slow down. Being so weakened left her with little stamina. She had run on her fear and desire to be free before .. But as the sound of danger was fading, so did her strength.

Sila started to run slower, allowing Simba to run closer to her.

Simba “We are almost there …” 

Sila heard Simba’s soft whisper. 

The weakened Sila started to breathe more heavily. Both from exhaustion and emotion.

So much happened in so little time. She needed some time to recover, to understand. Simba, who she’d thought dead for years, was suddenly here. How did he know where she was? As happy as she was to see him, she just didn't understand some things. Running slower, as they got closer to the mountains, Sila carefully looked back to Simba. The blindfold was … not showing any eyes. How did he see? How was it that he was still alive?

“Simba, I don’t understand … I thought you were dead … I saw you fall off the cliffs, into the waterfall!”

Simba “I tell you when we get home? oké? There is a cave nearby where we wait for Ragnarok … if he comes back.”

Sila was restless as they were waiting. What if it wasn’t Simba’s friend, Ragnor, but Soma that found them here? They should keep moving …

But at the same time, she was glad.

Finally, some time to rest, to take in everything that’s happened.

She nearly gave up hope. She nearly give up everything. Then Simba appeared. With a stag whose mane looked like a flame. Sila looked for some food, eating some bark off the trees, grazing some grass.. Before she finally lay down, falling asleep. She had so many questions …

But they could wait.

“Hmm?” Sila had slept well for the first time in such a long time! She really felt well rested now. She suddenly remembered everything that happened before she fell asleep and nearly jumped into a tree. She shook her head, putting all the events back in line - realizing she was safe. Simba was standing next to her. So it hadn’t been all a dream.. Sila sighed in relief. It was dark, night. She looked at Simba, who seemed to hide into a cave ..

Ragnarok “Simba? It’s me, Ragnarok.”

She suddenly heard the hard snap of a branch breaking, and quickly joined Simba in the cave. Soma? But then ..

The soft voice she vaguely heard .. “That’s not Soma .. is it?” She whispered.

She blinked, and realized it must be Simba’s friend “It sounds like your friend ..” But she didn’t move out of the cave … She waited till the Stag would come in her view, so she could be sure it wasn’t some trick from Soma or some other asshole blackwood stag. “Can you see him yet?” She asked-whispered to Simba.

Ragnarok “Yes, ughh. Soma managed to catch with his rack. It’s not too serious…”

“What about you two? Are you both alright?” 

Sila was worried about his injuries … Did Simba just say ‘smell it’?

She let it go, and looked at the wound. It wasn’t a small wound. “We need to get you to a healer.”

Sila gazed around, looking into all directions, scouting for another figure.

“What happened back there?”

Sila had never had much interest in herbs … she had no idea what would help him. “Maybe I can scorch the wound a little? Close it?” She’d seen a healer do it; the healer said the fire made the wound pure.

Simba “We better get out this area fast …” 

Ragnor  “Agreed. It’s not safe to stay here.”

Ragnor “How much farther until we reach Silverthorne?” 

Simba “We must cross the closer mountains first and stay north of Whitepeak. When we have crossed we are the the Sandy Shore … Silverthorne ground.” 

She stuck her nose in the air, checking for signs of the land she missed. She wanted to see her mother again, her father, Aldra, … And she looked aside. Simba. She’d missed him. She was glad he was still alive.

“I can almost smell the sweet grass again .. and the smoke from burns.” Silverthorne almost always smelled like fire and burns; always somebody training.

Simba “Let us hope the fire comes from before use and not from behind.”

In some way he was worried about the fire he had caused, how much of that field would burn down … and what it would kill.

They walked for a while, when Sila suddenly heard something. Water. She started to trot towards the sound. “Do you hear that? I’m sure I’m hearing water.”

Even weakened, she couldn’t contain herself. The idea of being back in Silverthorne alone, made her feel happy and full of energy.

“Look!” She ran forward, moving straight for the sandy shores. The salty smell of the sea, the wind blowing through her manes … “We made it! We’re here!”

Sila danced back, looking at the two stags. “We can find you a healer now Ragnor!”

The darkness of Blackwood seemed to fall right off her, as if nothing ever happened.