The Lores of Lyra - Rising Star [Book I]

Chapter 8 - Meeting Cole

Chapter 8 – Meeting Cole

Annabell woke up feeling very relaxed. She had slept so well.

A lion cub was curled up against her. Without thinking, she began to stroke the fur of one of them, enjoying the feeling of the soft hairs between her fingers. Thinking back, she wished she knew what was wrong with Joshua the previous night. He had looked so sad.

The cub made a gentle, throaty sound that reminded her of a cat’s purr. As she rolled over to sit upright, she noticed that Joshua was still asleep. The lions had scattered themselves around the clearing, and the carcass of an unknown animal lay half-eaten under the bushes furthest away from her. A thrill ran up her spine as she looked at it. She had momentarily forgotten that the Star Lions were carnivores and the scene of the fresh kill brought that reality home without question.

The cub stood up and ran to its brother and sister.

Sister… Annabell had a sister somewhere. She had a family for the first time in her life. Since she had started thinking about the fact that she had a sister, found it hard to stop again.

Will she like me? Do we have the same interests? Are we identical twins? Does my sister know of my existence? All these questions and many more swirled around in her head.

A grunt form Joshua, shook her from her thoughts. He rolled around and thrashed in his sleep. Watching him battle invisible enemies, she found it hard not to laugh. As she nearly lost control of her amusement, he opened his eyes and stared right at her.

“What?” he asked, and she burst out laughing. He sent her a confused look, and then looked around seeming disorientated. Sitting up he waited patiently for Annabell to finish laughing.

“Sorry,” she finished with a cough, and looked down.

“We have to get moving today,” Joshua said.

“Do we really have to? I like it here,” she whined. He didn’t bother answering. Instead, he started packing things away.

With a heavy sigh, Annabell handed her blanket over to him and stood up.

“Do you have any idea which way we should go?” she asked him. He looked around a couple of times before stepping up to the biggest tree, the one they had slept under.

“I’m going to climb this tree, and see which way the coast is. I’m thinking we are in the middle of the country, but I hope I can at least see the river from up there,” he said and patted the trunk.

Annabell watched as he slowly made his way, using knots and branches to pull him up. It wasn’t long before he disappeared into tree’s dense, green canopy. She waited patiently for him, watching closely for any sign of his return. Stepping back into the middle of the clearing, she could see movement in the treetop. He was up high now.

From her spot on the ground, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. A fall from that height would likely prove fatal. And, if the fall didn’t kill him, his injuries surely would.  It took her a moment, but she became aware of the fact that she had been holding her breath. The realization left her slightly embarrassed and she felt her cheeks flush.

What do I care if he falls? It would serve him right. She told herself told herself she only cared about his safety because he was her only hope of getting back to civilization.

After several moments, he began his climb down.   She watched and listened as the movement slowly crawled down the tree. Beside her, the three cubs watched as well, seemingly confused by the noise coming from above them. A groan could be heard from Joshua as his feet became visible, dangling from the tree. Slowly he lowered himself from the branches, taking a moment to hang like a monkey before dropping to the ground, panting.