THE FIGHT

Like I said earlier, the woods gave me hope to live, to strife on. I laid on the ground, at my usual spot letting my mind ponder on what is going around me. The villagers, the woods, how the leaves kept waving and the dusk almost setting in. Ever since grandma died, I have no one to talk to. No one knew how I'm doing or how I'm feeling, I'm more like a chaff before the wind waiting for the day I will be blown away. I manage to eat by the little animals I hunt, each day I hunt to survive cause no one is willing to care for an eight old kid. I was my own mother and father, I did things by myself without the help of an adult and you can say I'm a fast learner. And that has taught me how to be independent. I laid, gazing at the sky which was turning dark and you could see the dusk setting in, questions kept running in my head. Why was I brought to this world only to be abandoned? Am I really cursed? Am I a bad omen like the villagers claimed? Was I responsible for grandma's death or my parents disappearance? Who truly am I?

I laid there thinking but my thoughts were interrupted by some distance scratches in the woods and the sounds of footsteps, I sat up, leaning my ears close to depict where that sounds came from. I wonder if those kids have come to bully me as usual, I stood up, looking around the bushes to see a clue but found none. The trees wave vigorously and the way the wind blew I sensed danger but from where? But then the footsteps grew closer and that wasn't a normal footsteps of a person, it was footsteps of a creature, a dangerous one.

From the north side, I saw a little girl of my age, she was dressed in a white and pink hanbok with flowers designed on the skirt, a bow on her hand as she ran with the bag full of arrows hanging on her back. I could sense something was chasing her and I have never seen her around the place, I won't lie...although I know I am a little kid and shouldn't be feeling that way but I was drawn by her beauty, her skin was so white and bright and not pale like mine. Her hair was curled up in a chignon with the help of three binyeos( a Korean traditional hairpin). I had a closer look on her hair as she came closer and turned her back to see if whatever that was chasing her is still after her. The hairpins, one was in the shape of a dragon, the other was in the shape of a phoenix while the other one had no shape at all. Just a plain gold binyeo but it was designed so beautifully, I don't know what her hairpins signified but I can't deny the fact that I was drawn to her. And from the way she dressed I could tell she isn't from my village, I think she came from a far away place but what could she be looking for in this kind of place? This deserted area.

As she drew closer, I could see her lift up her skirt a little bit reveling the pink danghye ( women Korean traditional footwear). I see her hanbok was preventing her from running. I wonder what's the use of wearing this heavy clothes? I have witnessed a lot of females in my village wear it and I ask myself what's the use of wearing this clothes when it feels heavy on them. I haven't wore it before but from the way they always pull it a little up while walking, I sensed it's heavy on them especially the skirt. I searched with my eyes to see what's after her but found none, even though I was drawn to her, even though I felt like she's calling out for me but because of the way I have been treated by people. I ignored her, she ran pass me still looking behind her but I didn't try to move an inch to save her, moreover save her from what? When I can't even see what's after her. I watched her pull out an arrow from her leather bag and positioned it on the bow, ready to strike. I laid back on the ground with my hands hovering over my head, I closed my eyes savoring the sweet breeze of the woods and waiting for what ever that is about to happen to happen or whoever that is after her to show up.

Yes I know you must be expecting I will go save her but hello…I'm not some superhero from a fairytale story. I'm a boy of eight years old with bunny like ears. Being treated like an outcast has shown me that there's no fairness in the world and no one deserves any sympathy from me. But suddenly I flew my eyes open when I heard a deep wailing sound, it was a sound I have never heard before. I opened my eyes immediately and diverted them to her direction, there…..what I saw there was a creature I have never witnessed before. Grandma never told me about this kind of creature, there were about four of them looking so hideous and dangerous. They were covered in hairs ( furs), their nails were like claws and their eyebrows met on the bridge of their noses. They somehow looked like wild dogs but I'm certainly sure they are not dogs but some creatures.

I looked with amazement at the way she fired her arrows at them but on every shot, it seemed like they keep multiplying and attacking her, one scratched her face creating a cut on her skin. Okay I don't know why but the sight of blood always rile me up, I can't tell why but I hated the sight of blood. At the sight of the blood on her cheek. Like a speed of light, I sprint towards the dog looking creatures. Okay I don't know where that came from but when I dived on one, I scratched it's body creating a deep cut on its back. It turned and channeled its focus on me, it dived at me making me land on my back. I winced as I bruised my elbow but that's not what should bother me, I have to take care of this wild dog trying to squeeze the life out of me. I fought with the dog, its nails trying to find my face but I kept retaliating by kicking it off. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the rest fighting the girl. One scratched her leg, another scratched right arm but never for once did she allow their teeth to come in contact with her bare skin. I wonder why, instead I was drawn by her bravery. She was the only battling with about six wild dogs, that's what I call them if you don't mind because they looked like one. I wonder how or where she learnt to fight like that at her age.

I already forgotten about the one trying to eat me alive because I was mesmerized by the way she fought, she pulled out one of her hairpins and stuck it on one's chest but for some reason they over powered her when one whipped her over with its tail and she landed on her back. I could hear her moan, I make a move to stand up and rush to her but the one on top of me wasn't letting me go, it was bent on breaking my bones. With anger, I dived my fingernails into its chest and tossed it aside. Don't ask me how I did that, I don't know but for a second I felt a surge of power in me. I don't know where it came from but I know I felt it. I stood up and charged towards her, watching her use her butt to move away from those hungry looking demons, she kept kicking them and trying to escaping from them. I sprint towards them and in a flash I saw all of them lying on the ground, dead but two escaped. I was surprised at how I killed a bunch of them in one go. A smile creeped on my face at my victory but the horror was still in her eyes and she kept moving away from me using her butt.

"Don't come close to me!!," She yells. For a second I stopped moving towards her, I was stunned at her words. Is that a way of saying thank you to the person who just saved your life? I asked myself rhetorically. "Don't come near me!!" She held out her hand.

See why I told you I never liked helping anyone or showing anyone my sympathy cause this is always want I get in return, I'm always blamed for everything. My feet glued on the ground as I met the horror on her face. I took another step towards her but she halted me again with her words "don't come close" then her eyes descended to my right hand which was bleeding. I followed her eyes to my hand, wondering if something strange happened to it. I was shocked at what I saw. I saw my elbow down to my hand was covered in fur. I widened my eyes at that and the fur was itching me as well, was this the reason she told me not to come close to her? But how did I get this on my arm, I scratched my arm only to have the fur fall off.

That's a relief, I smiled as relief wash through me, for a second I lost my balance at what I saw, I thought that actually came from my arm. The look on her face softened at what I did. I could now understand why she was scared a while ago, there were cuts on her face and blood were flowing out freely. I ran to her and this time she didn't stop me, I tore my baji ( traditional Korean baggy pants wore by men ) and tied it on her bleeding hands, I tore another and wrapped her arm. I continued tearing every piece of my clothe to tend her wounds. I was about to tear another when she stopped me, I looked up to meet her eyes and I was met with the smile on her face. She shook her as well.

"You will probably go naked if you keep doing that," she motions to the piece of my clothe in my hand. "And also you are bleeding too and your wounds are deep." She managed to tear her hanbok but I could see from the way she tightened her eyes close that she was in a lot of pain.

She tore a piece out of her hanbok and tied it tightly around my bleeding arm. I looked up to look at her but her eyes weren't on me, she was so focused on what she was doing to my arm. For the first time someone was actually worried about me, I thought I will always get the same reaction I normally get after helping someone out but I was surprised to see someone else tending to my wounds other than grandma. She tended to my wounds and used another piece to wipe the bloods on my face.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Mmmhhm?"

"I mean you fought those ugly creatures with bare hands but I couldn't even managed to defeat them using my bow and arrows."

"You fought well too," I gave a small smile. "Where did you learn to fight like that? You are a little girl."

"As if," she contoured her face into a funny one, I managed not to let out a laugh. "You are the same age as me and also I learnt how to shoot an arrow from my father."

"Hmmm, that's cool." Ever since I was five, grandma won't let me close to metals or harmful objects cause she was afraid I will get hurt. So I don't know how to use a sword or a bow.

"My lady where are you?," We heard a distance voice calling out. "Where are you? I hate it when you sneak off without telling anyone." The voice grew closer and suddenly I was aware of how close and friendly I was to this girl. I stood up, my body throbbing hard with pain, I ran off. I didn't care to see the expression on her face but I know she was surprised. I wonder what I was thinking when I decided to help her out, I would have left her to deal with her problem, I should probably never try to get close to people. It's not as if I will get accepted or something.