Chien Dai [2]

"Run faster !! Go !!" The exclamation roared into Chien Dai's ears, forcing his feet to swing faster.

"FASTER !!" the same voice barked at him in the same time with the heat that wormed on his butt out of stick hit.

A small boy was running beside Chien Dai. "Come, chase me !" he said then winked at the little boy before streaking to leave him.

"Don't be a snail !!"

Chien Dai's small feet immediately fasten their steps, not to chase the bigger boy but to avoid another stick hits.

The pain of the stick hit was replaced by the hurt of tree's twigs scrapes on his face. One of them even nearly poked his eye if only he was late to close it. But his decision of closing eyes was not a smart move neither. He couldn't see root of tree that stretches before him so his leg stubbed on it.

Chien Dai fell on the ground, face first. He cried in pain. He sprained his legs.

"Get up !" the same voice barked to him, ordering him to get up.

Chien Dai wiped his tears. With grabbing on a tree, he stood up, baring the pain that was caused by the action. Holding on to a tree to another, slowly he walked. Some boys that ran passed him gave a glance of him, but none stopped to help. They all ran, leaving him behind.

When he finally arrived at the finish line, which was an arid land near the forest, all of his 'friends' and 'elders' were waiting for him in a thin patient. An elder walked toward him and dragged him to the flock in the center of the opened area. All ayes were watching him. Some were pitiful, some were grateful.

The elder who dragged Chien Dai threw the boy on the ground then yelled out a name, "Dong !"

A boy, maybe two years older than Chien Dai was pushed by some hands, forcefully stepped a head. Soon, others were making a big circle surround both of kids. Chien Dai looked around then to the elder in confusion.

"Only the strongest can be prosperous," the elder said then placed his sight to Chien Dai and Dong. "Weakling must be cut loose."

Chien Dai's whole body was trembling hard. His brain was still trying to understand what his elder said when the latter shout, "Fight !"

All of a sudden, the boy whose name was Dong ran toward Chien Dai who still sat on the ground and kicked him on his jaw until he flied away a few meters back. The kicked not only made the clueless Chien Dai puked blood but also blacked his sight in instant. Before Chien Dai could regain his sight, he could already feel a hard choke on his neck, pushing him tight on the ground.

Chien Dai forced his sight to be opened only to noticed that Dong was already on top of him with his two hands on his neck. A killing intent was vividly seen on the boy's eyes. Chien Dai had no time to feel afraid. He was actually couldn't feel anything, since he was barely able to breathe. His hands were frantically groping Dong's body and face, scratching them with his short nails in vain.

Chien Dai's sight was getting red. Maybe the choke popped some of his blood vessel in his eyes. His lung was desperately longing for oxygen. His heart pumped tremendously fast. The four years old Chien Dai was in his brink of death. But he was totally refused to die. Not like this. Not after his mother saved him with her life.

Maybe merely in his couple of last breath, Chien Dai reddish sigh suddenly fixed on his opponent's neck. He even vaguely could see a target mark shape hover on his opponent's neck. Following his natural instinct, Chien Dai jammed his tiny fist onto the neck. His fist was small, but surprisingly, even for Chien Dai, had enough energy to even made his opponent choke then coughed furiously.

This made Dong loosened his grip onto his neck. On the other hand, Chien Dai grabbed his left hand to Dong's neck while his other arm was wrapped around Dong's head. with all his might he then twisted Don's head until a loud cracked sound was heard.

A loud and noisy cheering that was heard before instantly shut down when the spectator saw Chien Dai threw Dong's lifeless body on the ground. One of the elder quickly stepped on the fighting area to check Dong's condition.

Chien Dai was still sitting on the ground, his sight blankly stared at Dong's body. He still hadn't reacted when the crowd turned their cheers for him, nor when the elder brought him up to sit on the elder's shoulder.

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Chien Dai jolted when a hand touched him. His hands immediately formed an eagle-claws, ready to attack whoever touched him.

"Hey.. it's me," a soft and gentle whisper through his ears. Chien Dai blinked his eyes a couple of times. The little girl stood in front of him. Her smile was like a soothing breeze of wind.

"Drink this. It will soothe you," the girl gave him a clay cup that full with a dark brown liquid. Chien Dai received the cup and sipped it. The liquid warmed his throat. But in the next second, a tingling and itching sensation was felt all over his body, especially his throat and parts that was wounded.

"What is that ?" Chien Dai asked, twitching his eyes to fight the discomfortable feeling.

"It is a medicine I made to heal your wound," the girl said. Chien Dai didn't utter anymore word. He just tried to bare with the effect the drink gave. The little girl sat next to him.

"The elder said, once every two months, a western will be here and choose the strongest kid to be adopted," the girl whispers. Chien Dai shifted his head to see the girl in scare.

"How about us the others ?" Chien Dai asked. There was a horror in his voice as he actually could already guess the answer. Still, he gasped when the little girl answered, "Dead."

"You mean... I.. I have to kill again and again.. ?" he asked with choked voice.

The girl nodded. "Else.. you.. died," she whispered in deep sorrow. Chien Dai bended his knees onto his chest and sinked his head into them. His fist was clenched tight while his body was trembling. The girl reached his shoulder to hug him.

"But why saved us if eventually we must die ?" Chien Dai asked in despair.

"Not all die. the strongest one is not," The girl said. Chien Dai squinted his eyes to hear how calm the girl said those words. The girl shrugged her shoulder, like saying she was only telling the fact. Chien Dai sinked his head into his knees again.

"Thus, all you need to do is be the strongest. In that case, you won't die," she continued..

"How about you ?" Chien Dai asked.

The girl shrugged her shoulder again. "What about me ? They still need me to make medicine. As far as no one replace me. I'm alive," the girl said unchantantly.

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