Fate or Coincidence? (8)

In a house in the village near the Sylvaria Forest border, the village of Allrose.

"Mother…" said a little girl, crying.

"Calm down, Cheryl, Mother is okay," she said, coughing.

"Father, isn't there anything we can do for Mother?" asked the girl's brother.

"I'm working on it, Dheryl. The healer said only a priest can cure your mother's illness. I'll work hard to save enough money to take her to the church in Brighthold city."

With a sad expression, the boy replied, "Alright, Father."

"Dheryl, take your sister and go play for a while. Let your mother rest."

"Alright, Father. We'll gather some medicinal herbs to sell too. We want to help."

"Alright, my children. Just don't go too deep into the forest."

"Yes, Father! Come on, Cheryl! Let's gather lots of medicinal plants so Father can take Mother to the priest sooner."

With renewed spirit, Cheryl replied, "Yes, bro! Cheryl will pick every herb in the forest for Mother!

Dheryl and Cheryl ventured into the forest to gather medicinal herbs, but in their excitement, they forgot they weren't supposed to go too deep.

"Here's another one, Dheryl."

"Alright, let me see," Dheryl said, taking the plant from Cheryl's hand.

"This isn't the herb we're looking for, Cheryl. It's just regular grass."

"Really? I'm sorry, Dheryl. I'm not much help," she replied, a bit saddened.

"It's okay, Cheryl. Just having you here makes me brave enough to come into the forest."

"Really? Don't worry, Dheryl, I'll protect you!" Cheryl answered with a proud stance.

"Rustle-rustle" the sound of bushes moving. Dheryl and Cheryl paid no mind to it until three wolves leapt out from the shrubs. Deryl was shocked and terrified at the sight of the wolves, while his sister hadn't yet noticed them. Grabbing his sister's arm, he pulled her along, running away from the wolves.

"What's going on, Dheryl?" Cheryl asked.

"Don't look back, just run as fast as you can!"

Curious about what was frightening her older brother, Cheryl glanced behind and was horrified to see the wolves chasing them.

"Dheryl, there are wolves following us!"

"I told you not to look back! Just hold onto me and don't let go, okay?"

"Umm," Cheryl replied, fear evident on her face as she clung tightly to her brother.

The pack of wolves grew as they ran, and without realizing it, Dheryl and Cheryl ventured deeper into Sylvaria Forest. "Growl" a wolf slashed at Dheryl's arm, as if herding them toward a specific spot.

"Aaarrgghh!" Dheryl cried out in pain from the wolf's clawing.

"Dheryl, your arm!" Cheryl exclaimed, her voice filled with fear and concern.

"Don't worry, just keep holding on and run as fast as you can."

Dheryl and Cheryl began to tire from running, and as if sensing their exhaustion, the wolves slowed down and slipped into the shadows behind the trees. Cheryl glanced back and saw that the wolves had disappeared.

"Dheryl, the wolves aren't chasing us anymore!"

Dheryl looked over his shoulder, scanning the surroundings. "You're right, they're not following us. Let's rest for a moment, wait, I hear the sound of a stream. Let's go rest there."

The siblings slowly made their way to the stream. But as they arrived, the wolves ambushed them from behind, and from the direction of the water, a group of goblins appeared.

"Damn, we're surrounded."

"Dheryl, what should we do?" Cheryl asked, panicked.

"Listen, Cheryl. When I distract them, you run along the river's flow and find a place to hide. I'll catch up with you later," Dheryl replied with a reassuring smile.

"No, Dheryl! You have to come with me."

"Cheryl Rubeaux, do as your big brother says. No matter what happens, keep running down the river."

Bending down, he picked up a rock the size of his fist and kept an eye on their foes before saying, "Now, Cheryl run! Run as fast as you can, and this time, don't look back!"

Dheryl threw the rock toward the goblins by the river to give Cheryl a chance to escape. She ran with all her might, following her brother's instructions.

Dheryl steeled himself, preparing to draw the attention of the goblins and wolves. "Alright, I've watched my father and the villagers hunt wolves and goblins around the village plenty of times. I know their weaknesses, I can handle this," he thought, strategizing how to deal with the approaching goblins and wolves. But suddenly, a goblin leapt forward, stabbing him in the thigh.

"Ack!" Dheryl quickly stabbed the goblin in the neck with his dagger, killing it instantly. Fighting through the pain in his leg, he prepared himself to face the wolves. But then he heard the heavy footsteps of something approaching from within the forest. Glancing in that direction, he was shocked to see an orc.

"Have we run too deep into the forest?" Dheryl thought, alarmed.

"Why are you taking so long?" the orc growled.

"Damn, an orc that can talk… He's at least a captain-level orc. If he makes it to our village, everything will be destroyed," Dheryl realized. "I have to escape and warn the villagers."

"Hurry up. The leader is waiting," the orc said, then struck Dheryl with a powerful punch, sending him crashing against a tree.

"I… I have to run… warn the vi… lla…" Dheryl whispered, and then lost consciousness.

***

"I have to make it back to the village and get help to save Dheryl." Gasp! A wolf blocked Cheryl's path. "Ahh, a wolf! I need to get away from it."

Cheryl noticed a rock in the middle of the stream. "I can jump over there and avoid the wolf." She leapt across the river, but didn't realize that wolves could jump as well. "What? The wolf can jump too? Oh right, I forgot my brother was clawed by a leaping wolf. I have to turn around!"

Cheryl changed direction, running against the flow of the river. "I need to run up and down over these river rocks so the wolf can't find an easy angle to pounce on me."

Yet, the wolf following her didn't seem intent on attacking, it was herding her toward a specific spot. After a while of running, Cheryl came to a stop as a group of goblins blocked her path. She found herself surrounded by goblins and wolves, their eyes locking on her as they closed in.

Cheryl, terrified, stumbled and fell to the ground. "Kyaa!" she screamed loudly. She scrambled up and tried to imitate her brother's tactic by picking up rocks and throwing them in every direction. The goblins laughed and began tossing stones back at her, their laughter echoing as one hit Cheryl's head, causing it to bleed heavily. "I'm sorry brother Dheryl, I can't help you, and waste your effort for me." Just as Cheryl was about to surrender to her fate, a shadow fell over her.

"Do you all enjoy throwing stones at a child?" she heard a voice, gentle yet firm. Then, the voice continued, "Now, let me show you how to play the stone-throwing game." The person threw a rock, killing a goblin instantly with a single toss.

Cheryl was in awe of the stranger's strength. "Even my father couldn't kill a goblin that easily, and this person did it with just a rock." The figure kept throwing stones until all the goblins and wolves were defeated. Then, he chuckled and said, "Haha, playing toss with goblins is kind of fun. Hey, kid, what are you doing here?"

Cheryl, still in shock, stammered, "Th-Thank you for saving me, si-sir?" Cheryl looking at that person, "Wait... you're just a kid too! Why are you calling me a kid?"

***