Part 2 coming soon

This is a rough draft so if you have suggestions ideas or something like that please tell me.

Leaves crunch under our feet as we run for our lives from a toothy cow. “Quick up this tree,” I yell to Julie. We scramble up the tree, panting, I ask, "How did we get into this mess?”

“Well, it could be because we lit a fire.”

“Or because you wanted to have an adventure.”

“OK, yes, I'm sorry but I wanted to see Torrboro.”

The toothy cow growled below us, pawing at the tree. Since we weren't going anywhere for a while, I started to get comfortable and evaluate our supplies. I say to Julie, “Why? Torrboro is crawling with Fangs.”

“I know, I know but Lydia told me that Torrboro's buildings look like cats, and I wanted to see.”

Soon, the cow leaves and we are able to get out of the tree. We head toward Torrboro (because I'm a pushover) encountering a few flabbits, a couple of thwaps and the lone Fendril. The lone Fendril means it was the beginning of fall. We walk for a while in silence until we hear voices, we look at each other, then start toward the voices. We peek through the bushes, careful to be quiet. “Nobody's dropping any weapons-” says a big, older man. A knife is thrown by a girl that is about 12, and lands in the man's peg leg. We look at each other and grin. Soon we are following them back to their camp, making sure to keep a safe distance from them.

Once they get to the camp we hide in the bushes between two trees. We watch as the girl walks toward a man, who was mean-looking and very dirty. The man and her talked for a minute. Then the girl took the man who she threw the knife at and tied Him up. The older man was with a thin woman, an older, roundish man, a boy around 12, a boy who looked around 11, and a small girl maybe 9 who had a crutch and a twisted leg. The girl tied them all up. I suddenly felt bad them, who knew what would happen to them? I started to get up but Julie grabbed my shoulder and leaned in to tell me, “I think this is a Strander Clan.”

“What?,” I cry as quietly as I could, “aren't strangers dangerous? This is a bad idea.”

“It’ll be fine,” Julie says with a shrug. Then a ragged voice I don't recognize speaks, “What will be fine.” “Umm, I-i was ju-sttt um, um wa-as l-leav-ving,” I managed to say, looking around in fright. “Oh no, don't leave just yet, we haven't even eaten yet.” A strander materializes from the bushes. Julie and I jump up and try to sidle away but a huge strander appears and grabs us. He takes us to some cages and tells the big guy to put us in the cages. The strander throws us in the cage and locks us in.

As soon as they leave I turn to Julie and say, “this is not fine.” Julie says, “Well no, but..”

“But what, we are in a cage, a Strander cage, we can’t help those people they captured, and we haven even had dinner yet!” I start to cry, and Julie says, “Hey, I know this isn't the best situation but at least we are together, they could have put us in separate cages.” She ruffles through our packs and says, “and we still have some flabbit left so we can at least have dinner.” I wipe my eyes, take some of the flabbit and thank her. We sit in silence for a little while and eat our flabbit. Finally I say, “ I’m sorry, I wanted to follow them just as much as you did, neither of us could have known that they were stranders.”

“ I'm sorry too, maybe we shouldn't have tried to go Torrboro by ourselves.”

“We are 16, I think we both thought we could handle but I do think it would have been best if we could get someone with more knowledge about the forests to come along with us.”

We sit for a little while chatting, when a strander comes by and offers us some water and says, “You'll be get'in some roommates soon. Don't bother ‘em with your cry’in, that's right I heard ya, but don't worry you'll be just fine I've heard the Carriage has mighty comfy seats,” he says with mock kindness. After he leaves, I start to panic “Julie we can't take a ride on the Black Carriage, people don't come back after being taken by the Carriage, ever! What are we going to do?”

“One we are NOT going to panic, two umm… break out?” She shrugs, and half-heartedly tugs on the bars. I start to pace around the cage trying to figure out a solution.

After not coming up with anything for a hour I collapse to the floor trying not to cry. I pull my jacket around me and put my head on my knees and say, “it's hopeless we are going to be taken by the Carriage. I never thought it would actually happen but it will. At least I know it's coming and can mentally prepare.” Julie comes and sits down next to me. “I will find a way out. In the meantime why don't you get some sleep.” I decide to try to take her advice and lay down. I fall asleep to her tugging on bars, jiggling the lock and feeling all around the cage.

I wake up to Julie shaking me awake, “Get up now, hurry!”

“Five more minutes.”

“No get up the Black Carriage is coming.” That wakes me up immediately and I can tell she's right by the abundance of crows in the area. I jump up and ask, “Did you find a way out?” Julie looks at her feet and says in shame, “No. I’m so sorry! I was up all night and couldn't find a single weak spot, stranders really know how to make cages! I'm so, so sorry!”

“It's okay, it's okay” I say reassuringly, “ but what are we going to do?”

“I was thinking about that, I'm pretty sure the fangs really like it when we kick and scream and cry. So we can at least not let them have any fun, so stay as calm as possible, walk straight up to the Carriage and walk right in.”

“So we are just going to give up?”

“Yes, what else can we do, we could run but I'd rather not get bit by a fang or you get bit by a fang. Here they come act normal and calm.”

The Carriage comes way too quickly and all the rumors are true. This is the worst day of my life. The Strander I assume is the chief comes and unlocks our cage and a green fang walks right up to us and grabs our arms and yanks us out of the cage. I trip on the edge of the cage and let out a yelp. The fang kicks me and I scramble up. I glance at Julie, who looks straight ahead with a bored expression. I try to match her and the fang grabs my arm. He pulls us straight to the Carriage and pushes us toward the door, I take a deep breath and start up the stairs but to my surprise I am yanked back and I fall again. I fall back onto the ground. It's all I can do to not cry out in pain.

The fang starts taunting Julie, and tells her, “you are so brave please go in before to make sure there's no scary thwaps in there. I am terribly afraid of them.” Julie walks up the stairs and climbs into the Carriage. Just as she walks up the last step the Fang cruely pushs her onto the floor of the Carriage. I make my way off of the ground and get into the Carriage.

“Well that Did not go as planned,” Julie says ruefully. "Nope,” I say.