Wild Tribe by Crystal Chen (novels to read txt) 📕

About six years ago, four young girls (one was me) only about seven or eight months old were thrown to the front door of The Oakes Orphanage. I remember it very well. We four were unnamed and were not siblings. The people working at Oakes were not friendly, and treated us there like insanitary animals. We quickly became good friends by the age of two. The eldest, also the leader, was frustrated and angered by the orphanage’s cruelty. Though she was only four, she was thinking of a plan to escape. Unfortunately all the doors and windows were heavily padlocked at all times. The second eldest, me, who was shy but bright, pointed out a small hole in the plaster wall.

“Don’t you think that would work?” I remember saying softly, afraid to be heard.

“Yes.” was the answer. A flicker of hope spread across the eldest’s face as she worked a plan into her young mind. The two little ones stirred restlessly, their rapid energy not being used.

So, the leader’s plan was to escape during lunch hours, taking a fork and spoon to widen the hole a bit too. That noon she shook with excitement. This was the time!

Grabbing a spoon and fork, she called for us to come. Dashing for the hole, it just seemed impossible to fit in it. I remember she said her vision seemed to blur as she tried to block out the yells of the adults. The hole seemed to shrink, smaller and smaller, but just in time she had dove for it and thrust her arms wide.

Rriip. The plaster gave away as easy as foam. “Go! Go!” she shouted to us. We slipped out into the cold afternoon, wind and leaves swirling like a tornado. I remember the panic building up in my chest.

“Where do we go?” The younger ones huddled together.

“In there!” I pointed to a nearby forest. Franticly, we sprinted towards it, but the adults’ yelling seemed to get closer and closer.

“Run faster!” The eldest screamed through the swirling winds.

Soon we made it in, but we wouldn’t stop until the light of the dreaded Oakes Orphanage was completely out of sight.

******

In a house on Willow Street, there lived a girl named Mica whose life was changed from the day she went exploring in the Forlorn Forest. Absolutely nobody ever went in there, for it’s said that most explorers who dared enter the Forlorn either didn’t come back out, or came out as, well, forlorn and insane. But that day Mica gathered her wits and somehow persuaded her older sister, Amber, to come along too. So off they went.

“Mica!” Amber exclaimed. “What in the world are we doing in here?”

“Hush, old sis.” Mica said. “You aren’t scared, are you?”

“No! Most definitely not!” Amber scoffed. “I am brave, so much braver then you, even!”

Wow, Amber sure likes bragging about ‘such and such’. Mica thought, annoyed. Maybe I shouldn’t have invited her to come.

So as Mica and Amber kept foraging through the Forlorn Forest, Mica continually had to remind Amber that they were not insane or too forlorn yet. Plunging deeper and deeper, Mica suddenly thought of her parents. They had been in here for over an hour, and her mom said specifically to come back in forty minutes.

“Uh oh.” Mica said, stopping abruptly. “We’re late.”

“What?” Amber spun around.

Mica shook her head and turned back for home.

“We’re late, isn’t that it?” Amber hissed, catching up with her. Mica ignored her and walked swiftly back the way they came.

Suddenly, something whizzed past Mica’s ear. She glared at Amber, who was walking calmly beside her. “Did you throw something at me?” she said, irritated. “I don’t have time for this and mom said we got to get home in forty minutes when we left.”

“Well, it’s not my problem, is it?” Amber spun on her. “You are the one who led us into this cursed forest. Now we’ll come out as insane kids!” She glared at Mica with her piercing green eyes. Then, whipping her long brown hair around, she walked swiftly toward their home.

“Wait!” Mica called, jogging to catch Amber’s long strides. “I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those harsh things, but we are late and mom’s going to kill us if we come back any later than we would now…”

“And it’s not at all my fault.” Amber finished, her back still facing her. Mica silently agreed. It was true, though. It was her idea to go into the Forlorn.

All of a sudden, something long whooshed by Mica’s ear again. Before accusing Amber this time, she looked around for the object. She just saw sticks and leaves littering the forest floor.

Tsss! Another object flew by Mica’s ear. It got really close that time.

“Hey!” Mica looked at Amber. “Did you throw something at me again?”

“No.” Amber said, apparently her mind was on something else.

“Seriously, Amber.” Mica was getting annoyed. “Did you? ‘Cause its okay if you did. Just tell me.”

“I didn’t!” Amber insisted, now listening to her. “I swear I didn’t!”

Mica glared at Amber, and she returned the stare. Just at that moment, something straight and long whizzed in between them.

“Hey!” They said in unison. “Who did that?”

Then Mica put her hands on her hips and tilted her head at Amber. “Told ya. Told ya told ya told ya.” She said in a mocking tone. “I told you someone was shooting at us.”

Amber just stared at a stick stuck in the ground. She pointed a shaky finger at it. “That’s what they shot at us.” Mica cautiously approached the stick, as if it were a bomb. Gingerly picking it up, she held it at eye level.

“For gosh sakes, that’s an arrow!” Amber exclaimed. “Somebody is shooting us with a bow and arrow! We could have been killed! See, Mica? See the sharp rock hard point?” She rubbed her fingers on the black point, which was tied onto the stick with some kind of reed.

“Wow.” Mica whispered eyes wide with wonder. It was like she never saw an arrow before in her life.

All of a sudden Amber stood up straight and her eyes were wild. “Uh oh!” she said, alarmed. “They might try to shoot at us, and we have to get home!” She spun around and sprinted back.

“Wait up!” Mica called, arrow in hand. She sprinted after Amber, and the two didn’t stop until they were safely back home.

High in an oak tree, a young eleven year old wearing nothing but a skirt made of grass chuckled. Her “family”, (my family) wore similar clothing. We were not really a family, but were good friends who ran away together from The Oakes Orphanage. We considered each other a family.

The two young ones held baskets filled with fruits and spices. The eldest, who was the one chuckling, bore a long elegant bow and a quiver of arrows. She had flowing black hair with a few streaks of brown. I also bore a similar bow and quiver of arrows. I also slung a deer skin sack over my right shoulder. My hair was jet black, also long and silky like the eldest’s. The younger ones, one eight, one eight and a half, giggled and braided their own brown-black hair, tying them with reeds.

“He he.” The eldest chuckled again. “That was a good one, Maple.”

The second eldest, me, beamed with pride. “Thanks Willow.” I said.

Willow was the leader and eldest of the clan. I was very good friends with her and I had a close relationship with her. The rest of us had to listen and look up to Willow.

Willow sighed, stopping her chuckles, then ordered the younger ones, “Go, Chive and Pepper. Do not choose the wrong distractions, and find many plants and spices along the way. We will need them.” They nodded and grabbed their baskets. Pepper grabbed her javelin, which she was skilled at throwing, more skilled then any of us.

Clenching her bow, Willow nodded at me and we set off to hunt. First we listened for the sound of deer’s hoofs tapping the forest floor. Then, scurrying down the tree, we ran, swiftly and silently, toward the deer herd. The small herd grazed among a small clearing dotted with little bluebells. Once in range, we both crouched on either side of the clearing. Willow took the first shot, aiming at an old stag that looked like he would die soon. She silently notched an arrow and took aim. With a small whoosh, it flew like a deadly missile, hitting a bull’s eye. The rest of the herd scattered, but the old stag thumped to the ground. I ran up to it, touching its long horns.

“Perfect.” I smiled. “This will be just perfect.”

Willow slipped out a hunting knife made of stone. She skinned and cut up the meat into chunks, but saved the horns for me to hold. Then, slipping the meat into our sack, we started off again.

******

Mica and Amber burst breathlessly into their cozy house. Their mom was cutting up meat and her head whipped up, pointing the sharp point at them.

“Oh, it’s you guys.” She sighed, lowering her weapon. Then she looked at them again. “Wait a minute—”

“Oh, mom!” Amber cried. “It really was not my fault! Mica made me go! She did! I swear!”

Before Mica could protest, her mom said, “Ok, ok. I get it. Calm down. I know you guys went into the Forlorn Forest, didn’t you?”

The sisters glanced at each other, surprised. How had she known? “Y-yeah.” Mica stammered first. “We were just—”

“Going around.” Amber interrupted. “And it was not my fault!”

“I know, I know!” their mom said impatiently. “But just don’t go in there again. You could have been hurt!”

Mica rolled her eyes. “Jeez, mom. We didn’t come out forlorn, did we? We’re not that dumb.”

“Actually—” Amber started, but her mom cut her off, saying sharply, “Hush, both of you. Just forget about it but don’t go into those woods again. Now off with you to your rooms!”

As they silently quickly to their rooms, Mica silently thanked her mom for sending her to a place where she wouldn't have to deal with Amber.

Humph. She thought angrily, plopping onto her small pink bed. It was not my fault, anyways. It’s her fault she even decided to come. Propped up by her elbows, Mica’s mood brightened when she realized that she still had the arrow tightly clutched in her hand. Holding it close to her eye, she examined the sharp point. It was slightly brown at the tip, where some blood was shed. Mica stared at it with growing curiosity about where it came from.

Minutes past, and she was just hypnotized at the small carved figure. That is, until the sound of knocking at the door filled the room.

“You there, Mica?” Amber’s voice was muffled by the thick door. “Mom wants to talk to you.” Then, added in a whisper, she said, “You’re in big trouble.” Then she chuckled and Mica heard her footsteps become softer and softer.

That stupid little Amber! Mica thought, getting more furious by the second. She tattled like a dumb donkey with no brain! I’ll get her. I’ll show