334 Promises Made

Her journey from the children's campsite to her present location had been relatively easy. She had two run-ins with spider beasts but she managed to come out victorious. 

Despite the lowered visibility, everything seemed to be untouched. When she finally reached the marked spot, she opened the latch to reveal what she had come for. Explosive weaponry.

There were quite a few to carry but Vy came prepared. She carefully took everything out one by one and placed them into the cart she had found. Once everything was loaded, she closed the latch and let out a sigh of relief. 

"Now I just need to get to the wall," she muttered to herself. 

Just then in between the silence and the chirping chorus of the crickets, Vy heard the crumpling of leaves and twigs. Slow but steady footsteps were approaching in her direction. 

She cursed beneath her breath as she quickly wheeled the explosives and found a suitable place to hide. From her hiding place, she could the footsteps of the beast inching closer. 

Carefully, she peeked out from her hiding spot. In the cover of darkness, it was difficult to see anything. But the glow from the scales of the beast made it easy to spot. It was the same beast that she had encountered in the children's' campsite. 

Vy covered her mouth as her breathing quickened in fear. 

-No.- she said to herself. 

She needed to remain calm. Taking in deep and long breaths, she did her best to steady her breathing. Vy quietened down. She no longer dared to look beyond her hiding spot. She relied on her hearing. 

She could hear the breathing of the beast. It was getting louder and louder. A shadow loomed beside her. Vy slowly reached for her dagger, ready to brace for an attack. Just then, a hissing sound was heard in the distance. 

The beast turned its attention towards the source of the sound. It leapt off into the distance in pursuit of it. Vy rushed out of her hiding spot, with her cart in tow and ran off into the cover of the bushes. She did not look back and she did not stop. 

She ran with the cart tailing behind her until she was out of breath.

That was a close call. She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. When she could finally breathe normally again, she continued on her journey back to the wall. 

At the wall, the groups of survivors had arrived at different times and had set up camp. They were metres apart from others so it was only a matter of time before they met and mingled. 

She sent Red Silk out to find Vyrena, but he returned informing her that she was nowhere to be seen. 

"The human tricked us?" One of the other elder spiders hissed in suspicion. 

"She lured us into a trap?"

"Have faith you fools, I'm sure she is just running a little late," Red Silk shut the rumours of the others. 

"Red Silk is right. Let's have a little faith and be patient." Queen Willow added. 

The children have also gathered all of their belongings and camped near the section of the wall. As per Vy's instructions, Boss and some of the other children were tasked with disseminating the information to the two groups of survivors and the spider beasts. 

Since none of the children dared to approach the spider beasts, that Mission was left to Boss. Maribelle went to the humans, while Jos went to the bow-wielding survivors. 

With their tasks at hand, they set off immediately, with a companion each for extra protection. They had an advantage on their hand, no one really dared to shoot children. 

Maribelle was the first to reach her designated survivor group. The appearance of a child attracted the attention of El and Fendrif immediately. 

"Vyrena sent us to bring you news," Maribelle explained to them. 

The human survivor group was only made up of ten or less. Sorren was amongst them. Everyone else had decided to stay in the campsite, including Mara. 

"What news does she have for us?" El asked eagerly.

Upon listening to Maribelle's explanation, their expressions remained calm. They too had encountered these beasts recently. This was one of the main driving forces that spurred more humans to join them, but it still did not convince all. 

Close combat meant some of them suffered from wounds inflicted by the beasts, but they managed to overcome the threat. They even modified some of their existing weapons, sharpening them to give them a better edge. 

���Will you be seeing Vyrena before us?" Fendrif asked Maribelle. 

She nodded in response to his question. 

"In that case," Fendrif signalled over to El who brought out a long reinforced case and handed it to Maribelle, "Could you give this to her when you see her? Let her know it's from us."

On the other side, Jos reached the makeshift campsite of the human-like survivors. They were surprised to see a human child approach them but remained cautious. When he explained that he was here on Vy's behalf, Ronni realised why she did not want him to follow her. 

"Is she alright?" He asked out of concern. 

"She's alright! She will be joining all of us shortly," Jos reassured him. 

Jos passed on the information he was given. Cass listened to it intently, making eye contact with the rest of her survivors as Jos explained. 

"So the beast we spotted some time ago is indeed something new," she commented. 

"The more we should get out of here. That beast is a drake and it's not something we can fight head to head in large numbers." Ronni added. 

Cass walked up to Jos, eyeing him from head to toe. 

"But how can we trust the words of this child? We don't know anything about him. You said it yourself Ronni, you never saw the third group of survivors. What if this child before is merely a disguise from an enemy. Luring us into false security?"

Jos took a few steps back, gritting his teeth. He had not expected such hostility and suspicion from the survivors. But he also realised that Vy had kept her word. She never revealed their existence or their campsite to anyone, even if it meant she would not be able to gain the trust of others. 

"Vyrena kept us a secret because we forced her to promise us it. She was worried about our safety. If you can't trust someone who keeps promises, I don't know who else you can trust," Jos defended. 

Cass looked at the child with bewilderment, while Ronni looked at him with a smile. A child could see the good in anyone. Vyrena had kept certain things intentionally hidden. It was not because she had things to hide. 

It was all because of the promises she made. 

\u003cSpecial Holiday Bonus Part 1\u003e

Happy Holidays!

The snow had already begun to fall, causing much excitement in the household. With the arrival of snow and winter chills, Yule begins! With Log Day just a few days away, Vyrena and Lycster were getting into their festive mood. 

As they walked out onto the streets of Timbretune, Lycster was excited to see all the festive arrangements that decorated the town. Each and every stall in the marketplace and the shops that lined the streets were filled with new products. 

Many shops were stocked with toys, gifts, decorations, candles and many more. The smile on Lycster's face was a delight to see as they explored. Vyrena was not familiar with the customs of Yule and Log Day. Lycster explained it all to her.

"I think I understand it now," Vy remarked. 

But she was a little sceptical about the gift-giving part. 

"Are you sure we're supposed to exchange gifts?" she asked with an arched eyebrow and her arms crossed. 

Lycster turned to look at his sister. 

"Yeah, we're supposed to get gifts for each other and wrap them up in colourful paper. On Log Day, after dinner, we will exchange gifts by the fireplace," he explained methodically. 

Vy picked Lycster up swiftly, placing him over her shoulders as they made their way through the bustling streets. 

"You know, if you just wanted me to buy you something, all you need to do is ask," she teased. 

Lycster pouted as he playfully hit his sister on her head as they walked, "You think I'm making this up?! You can check with other people if you don't trust me. Besides, it's not like I'm not getting you a present." 

As they made their way through the streets, they stopped by different stalls in preparation for their Log day dinner. Looking up at the sky, the snowfall seemed heavier than usual. Fresh snow piled up on the ground around them at a much quicker pace. 

Lycster rubbed his hands together to generate more heat. He breathed a breath of hot air on to his hands as a chill gust of wind blew past him. Vy let Lycster down, worried that the cold air might cause him to catch a cold. 

\u003cTo Be Continued\u003e