NOVEL NEXT 3. Escape
The two girls stared out at the rough encampment outside the cave. Moonlight and cooking fires lit up the area, not leaving enough shadow to sneak out. A palisade made of rough cut logs surrounded everything and a dozen or so goblins sat around the fires. Bonny felt like she got lucky earlier and her hands started shaking as she thought about having to fight her way out. She grabbed onto the bag strap to try and calm the shaking.
After a few minutes of study, the cat girl again held her finger up to her mouth, then pointed to one side of the cave entrance. There were some bushes and trees that may shield them from view as they worked their way near one of the entrances. The cat girl leaned close and whispered, “Stay close, nya?”
They crept out, Bonny staying within an arm's reach of the other girl. They slipped through and around the bushes, Bonny amazed at the silence. She’d been hiking in the woods before, but never so quietly. Another question for later.
They approached an opening in the wall, only to see a goblin standing in the way, a wooden spear in one hand. The cat girl motioned Bonny to stay, then sprinted forward, slipped a paw around the goblin’s throat, and ripped it out with her claws. The goblin gurgled as blood sprayed.
The cat girl turned and motioned for Bonny to follow again, then ran forward out of the camp. Bonny ran after her, rustling the bushes as she went through them. Just as she left the gate, she heard a shout behind her. “Graaaah!”
“Fuck!”
They ran blindly through the forest. The moonlight was just bright enough to prevent them from hiding, but not bright enough to show obstacles like roots and limbs. The first minute or so was a sprint filled with stumbling and trying not to bash their heads on low limbs. They gained a lead on the smaller goblins and slowed to a jog.
“Can’t stop, nya.” The cat girl was panting and holding her side.
Bonny suddenly remembered the blood coating the leather outfit. “Are you ok? How far do we need to go?” She was panting as well, but in better shape than she expected. She jogged a couple of miles every week as part of her exercise routine, but that was very different than a sprint to get away from angry monsters.
“Will live, nya. Keep going till river.”
A few minutes later, they came to a stream about five feet across. The water flowed rapidly between two steep banks. The cat girl pointed downstream and kept moving. “Find better crossing, nya. Fish bite.”
They jogged on, occasionally hearing a noise behind them, reminding them that the goblins were still following. After another half mile or so, they found an area with a shallow bank on the opposite side.
“Run, jump, get out of water, nya?” The cat girl did as she said, jumping almost all the way across, then scrambling up out of the water. There were several small fish latched onto her legs that she pulled off and tossed to the side, where they flopped around.
Bonny stared at the fish and cat girl, until a noise reminded her that she couldn’t stay on this side. She ran, slipped, and fell into the water face first. Pain blossomed along her legs and sides. She scrambled for footing in the waist high water and tried to run, more bites attacked her legs, until an excruciating pain lanced through her groin. She screamed and stumbled, paralyzed by pain, until a paw grabbed her arm and yanked her to shore.
Bonny writhed on the ground, screaming, while the cat girl yanked the stupid fish off and berated her. “I tell you to jump and get out of water, nya? Safe here, goblin can’t cross while we guard.”
A half dozen goblins lined the other bank when Bonny finally looked up. The cat girl picked up some of the fish and started throwing them at the goblins. After a few direct hits and the goblins shrieking in pain, they backed out of range, but still stayed and yelled at them.
The cat girl continued to watch the goblins as Bonny checked herself over. There were several bite wounds along her legs and sides. They were bleeding a little, but nothing too serious, except for possible infections. The bite to her groin bled, a lot. One of her labia was shredded where the fish had latched in and been torn out. In all the excitement, she’d forgotten she was naked. She covered her vulva with one hand and applied pressure as best as she could while thinking back over the last few hours.
Her feet didn’t hurt nearly as much as expected. She poked at them to find the soles were tougher than expected. Her feet were slightly longer than her original, human feet as well. More bunny like? She looked back over her fur to find it cleaner than it was earlier. At least wading through the water had accomplished something useful. Hopefully they could find a better area or pull water out to wash with.
Remembering the pack, she pulled if off of her shoulder and started going through it, one handed.
A splash interrupted her and she looked up to see a goblin in the water struggling with the cat girl. She hooked one of his legs and pushed him off balance, then stepped back and he fell into the water. There was a lot of thrashing as the water turned red around him and he started to float downstream. He didn’t come back up.
Bonny went back to the bag, but didn’t find anything that looked like medicine. One of the pieces of cloth was a thin shirt that she pulled over her head. It came down to her waist, so didn’t cover much, but she felt less vulnerable with it on.
The cat girl continued to watch the goblins till they slunk off into the woods. Then she turned to Bonny. “We go, nya? They camp during day, so we leave and can rest.”
Bonny checked her hand and labia to see the bleeding had lessened. She looked up to see the cat girl watching with a strange expression. Bonny blushed and covered herself again. “It looks like most of the bleeding has stopped. We should be able to go at least a little ways. Thanks for saving me. Now that we have time, what is your name? Mine is Bonny.”
The cat girl smiled. “You save me, I save you, nya? I am Miu. Come.” She started walking upstream and Bonny followed.