Keira Velvet blanketed Kenash as the moon rose gradually into the sky. A cool summer breeze occasionally drew in the scent of the swamps. Animals cried while the low fog of swampy air rolled inland. Night, was settling across the land with laziness that was unlike some of its residents. Damp heat fanned empty space as Keira panted loudly, her lungs ached and burned as she continuously darted around the inner perimeters of the city. Desperation gripped her with its icy claws as her tiny hands met the metal of yet another closed gate. She murmured a curse under her breath as she peered behind her and sprinted towards an alley located just a bit away just in time for a few guards to appear. Their voices boisterous but curt. It sent a shiver down the girl’s spine. For the better part of the last hour, she had spent it speeding from one end of town towards the other. In the midst of her daily scavenging, she had failed to correctly note the time and that, had caused her to be locked within the city for the night. For any other…for anyone that bore a mark anyhow, the consequences of that would not have been too bad, but for her, a stray that bore no mark of ownership or slavery, with a small bounty on her head, it was downright dangerous. As the sun dipped, the number of guards usually increased. And if that was not bad enough, most of them were owned by dynasty…or at least, that was what Keira vaguely recalled. It was with her unfortunate luck that she had been spotted as she raced for an exit. All it had taken, was a literal slip. In her haste, she had failed to notice the slip of water on the floor left behind when a florist moved his goods inside for the night. The short tumble, had sent her straight into the people she had wanted to avoid the most. Belatedly, Keira realized just how stupid it was for her to run. It had probably made her that much more suspicious to the guardians. Like beasts, they had sped after their fleeing prey. It seemed like it had been one mishap after the other tonight. Even the twinkling stars that blanketed the lands seemed to twinkle in her misfortune. There was a childish moment as she looked up and glared at them. At the very least, she could blame something for having fun at her expense. It was a silly thing to do but it was something that curbed the tenseness of the situation just a bit. Worn fingers yanked back her hood. Sweat covered her in a fine film as she took the moment to catch her breath. Now where was she to go? Sleeping on the street would be entirely too risky, staying in the alleys would be nice for a short while but she would have to change position every few hours in case the guards decided to patrol down her area. All in all, being out, was going to be an utter pain. The glint of metal caught her eye and gingerly, she poked at the key she hung from her neck. She still had his options, huh? A single clear ping echoed as Keira flicked the item as her brows furrowed with thought. Did she truly want to do this? She barely knew him but then again, he did not know her yet he had given her his key. The girl yanked lightly at her braid in thought. Her decision was made for her as a voice cut through the night followed by footsteps. “I see her, this way!” With that, she bolted, towards Gile’s home, the key gripped tightly in her hand as she tried to lose as many people as she could on her way there. What floor was it again? One? Two? Three? Three! She sped past it, doubled back and fumbled as she tried to get the key into the lock. The footsteps grew closer and louder as the door clicked open and she slid in, closed it and slid onto the floor a panting mess. Never, she was never, ever, going to stay too late in the city ever again, if she survived anyhow. |