Territory

• Alastair Whitford, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2011

They’re on the move, the Hunters. I don’t know how long it will take until they find us. The boundary is still hours away, and with no supplies. I don’t know how we’ll manage. Trudging bare feet through muddy leaves we search for food.
I can’t remember how long it was since we were working for the dreaded King of Fire and made to build his metal animals. We were treated like pigs, given the remains of his meals. Sleeping in cells big enough for three but crammed with five. We worked long and hard, until some of us took action and managed to escape.
Tripping over a root managed to bring me back into the forest.
Grunting I scrambled back to my feet. Originally, there were eight of us running, but now there were six. One got shot with an arrow and the other poisoned by a snake.
Suddenly, a whistling sound came to the forest. Realizing the source of the noise, everybody ducked as the arrow whizzed passed and pierced a tree.
Everybody’s faces turned to fear. We picked up our pace and tried to sprint out of range. Now that they’ve found us there’s practically nothing we can do. We will probably die here.
Slipping on wet leaves, we sprint to find the end of the Territory. If we find their borderline and make it to the other side they cannot kill us. The hunters let loose, another flurry of arrows that we tried to dodge. A scream signaled that one of our members had just fallen. Tears started running down my cheeks and blurring my eyes. I couldn’t see but I just kept on running. Arrow after arrow came flying by. But they miraculously kept missing me.
More screams started and I wondered if I was the only one left. I snuck a peak behind me and saw the bright red robes of the hunters who stood out in the black forest. But I couldn’t find any of the slaves. That meant I was the only one.
The border couldn’t be far ahead. The pain in my stomach made me want to stop. But I couldn’t stop if I was to live.
I thought of ways I could evade my predators. I thought of climbing a tree, but they were too close to do that. I ran in zigzags to dodge their arrows.
Suddenly, I saw a glimmer of light in the forest. I realized that meant it was the end of the forest, therefore, the end of the border. A small smile came across my lips. I had a chance. As I was about to cross the border, I yelled and leaped out of the forest, as if I had just won a race and came across the finish line.
Looking back I saw the hunters. They couldn’t hurt me; I was in my homeland territory. I was free of them.