The Soldier and The Thief

****She might want to hink about him now knowing where the hide out is. ****

Tyrel liked the blush that spread across her face. He glanced at the tree where the girl had appeared. So this was how they had all disappeared to not be seen. He tapped her nose before mounting up.

"I'll be seeing you soon." He smiled.

"Excuse me?" She demanded.

"The orphanage has room, I'll be back." He smiled at her as he started to turn his hrose away.

Audrey paled almost immediately. She wasn't letting them go to the orphanage. He could forget it. She slid down the entrance and ran into the main room. "Grab everything now. Everyone!" She kicked out a tight stump that led underground and handed the smaller children to the older ones. "Hurry up!" She shouted, stomping out the fire and lighting a candle. "Follow the passage now!" She ushered all of them through the tunnel and walked through their home quickly, making sure everything and everyone was out. She grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling a quick note onto the paper before slapping it to the wall in case the soldiers could fit through the small entrance. Most of them wouldn't be able to, like the older ones for example, or the really bulky ones. She ran to the passage, with the candle in her hand, and pulled the stump back into place, blocking the hole as much as possible. The kids were a good hundred feet ahead so Audrey ran to catch up, making them move faster.

"Mom, what's going on?" One of the older ones asked, recieving nothing but a headshake.

"Nevermind that. We're relocating, that's all, now hurry!"

Tyrel rode back to his house. "Found the hide out!" He called. His dad mounted up with others and the raced back to the tree. A few of the small ones climbed through the hole after they broke the door down. They came back with a note.

Soldiers,

Sorry, y'all are way to late. I'm sorry you were slow. Nice try Tyrel, but you should've kept your mouth shut. Better luck next time. Tyrel tore the paper and hissed. Where did they go.

"It was a try." His dad growled. "We'll find them soon enough."

After settling in another, much larger hideout, Audrey carved out a door, invisable to the regular eye, and set up rope traps here and there. She refused to be ran out again. Once finished she set their new home back up regularly and grabbed her sewing needles. As she sewed up Anna she told them about the man who started everything up, stretching the truth just a tad bit.

--

The next day Audrey watched in humor as the youngest of her little thieves managed to escape into the trees with ease. It was her turn to annoy Grayson and Tyrel, yet again. She jumped from the roof she was on and landed in front of their bakery gently, swinging the door open loudly. It slam against the wall behind it, causing Mrs. Grayson to scream and hide. Audrey let out a laugh as Grayson and Tyrel ran down the stairs in a hurry, tripping over each other. Audrey nabbed a basket and filled it with bread, stuffing a bun in each other the men's mouth. "Y'know what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day," she let out a loud laugh and winked, "Don't forget to chew." She ran out and over to the butcher shop, stealing a couple pounds of meat. She pocketed about two-hundred forty-seven silver before handing it all off to Morgan, a twelve year old boy, who ran back to the hideout. Audrey waved at the Grayson men as they stomped angrily out of their house, glaring over the crowd at her.

Tyrel couldn't believe this girl. She drove him up the wall. He slammed his fist into the wall and stormed inside.

"I want to kill that girl." He hissed.

Audrey smiled at Tyrel from her new position on one of the many tables in the bakery. "Awh, I'm so touched." She teased, dodging Grayson when he lunged at her. "You're gettin' rusty old man," she laughed down at Grayson from her perch on one of the rafters.

"Red, I'll have your head for what you've been doing!" At that Audrey lept off the rafter, landing before Grayson, and glared him in the eyes.

"Haven't you taken enough of my family's lives alredy? What's one Red living gonna hurt? I mean, you've already killed off all the others. Audrey balled up her hand and shoved into into his gut, making him tumble to the ground. She jumped on his shoulders, then up to the rafter. "Like I said Gray, you're gettin' old." She smiled down at him as she hung upside down.

Tyrel snuck behind Aydry and was about to grab her when she pulled up and then flipped back so she hit him with her feet sending him to his.

"You shouldn't be that slow, Ty." She laughed.

"I'll get you." He swored.

"You know, you keep saying that but when's it gonna happen," Audrey laughed loudly and dodged another attack from Grayson. She crouched over Tyrel, her face near his. "Cause you always give into to this like last time huh?" She pressed her lips to his once again and, with a loud burst of laughter, shot back into the rafters. For some odd reason she had been wanting to do that all day.

"Damned ghost," she heard Grayson spit, "Red, you'll regret it if I catch you."

"Yes, yes, but don't you see. I'll regret it if you catch me... which we all know that's not possible." Audrey laughed. "And Tyrel... Peppermint just isn't your flavor. Do me a favor and switch back to cinnamon." She smiled back at his and was suddenly at the door. "I'm still going to get you back for making us abandon our home. Buh-bye now." She smiled and, once again, ran into the crowded city.

Tyrel growled and crossed his arms after he got up.

"Stupid, orphan." He hissed getting up and walking to the door way walking up to his house and then sitting down thinking. He wanted to catch that stupid girl, and catch her now.


***Tears***

***

"Stupid girl!" A large man kicked Audrey in the stomach, sending her rolling across the ground. It had been a bad idea to try and steal from a group of men such as these, the kind that would kill someone without guilt or having to worry about punishment. Audrey smiled crookedly up at the men surrounding her.

"That the best you got? Please," she was hiding any pain even she felt like crap, "my grandmother could hit harder than that." This statement, of course, made the kicks start flying.

After a while, once all the men were gone, Audrey coughed violently, crawling over to the ally wall and leaning against it with closed eyes. She ached everywhere and knew that nobody would be getting fed tomorrow and possibly the next day unless she could hunt easily. She gripped the moss and vines on the wall behind her and pulled herself up with a pitiful groan, only to fall back in pain. Dammit. She was going to have to wait till everyone came into town to find her. Audrey crawled back into the shadows, her eyes never once leaving the ally opening.

Tyrel growled as his dog took off. He ran after him and into the ally. He stopped a few feet from a figure growling.

"Come on, Rome, leave them alone." he yelled. Rome kept barking though. Tyrel ran over to where the figure was and laughed. "Hey, orphan."

"Leave me alone." She moaned. He picked her up and started towards the back of the ally. "What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Gettign you home." He replied.

"What!" She hissed. "I'm not going anywhere that you are or showing you where i live!"

"You don't have to. I'll leave you in the woods. It's not fair if you get crippled and I find oyu. That ruins the game." He replied.

Audrey laughed dryly. "It's not some stupid game for me and the others. It's survival. You and all the other soldiers consider it a game that you obviously hate playing, and I admit that I have fun doing what I do, but at the end of the day you all can go home to your family and eat a big meal, and share laughs and good times, but what do we get? Stale bread and occasionally some bad, over-cooked meat, plus a few sheets to sleep on." By the time she was done talking they had already made in to the forest. Audrey flipped out of Tyrel's loose grip on her, only to stumble and fall. "Dammit," she hissed angrily and crawled over to a nearby tree, using the crevices there to pull herself up. "You can go now. Finish your stupid soldier duties." She stumbled over to the next tree, falling once on the way. I feel like some drunk that just got beat up in a bar fight. Audrey thought bitterly.

Tyrel watched her go. "I'm not on duty at the moment." He replied walking over and picking her up again. "Tell me where to go. I'll get you close to wehre someone will find you."

"No!" She hissed.

"You won't make it this way." He replied.

"Come on, put me down!" She said trying to get free again. He tightened his grip.

"It's not some game, thank you, it's more like life." HE replied. He kissed her firmly then set her down and turned and started walking away.

Audrey blushed a deep scarlett and glared at his retreating form. Never in her life had someone actually kissed her unless she''d kissed them first. "Hey!" She shouted, still sitting on the ground. "Hey! Soldier boy!" Tyrel turned around and the blush on Audrey's face darkened. "Will you just help me to the river up north? One of the kids is supposed to get water for everyone in maybe an hour. If I get up there soon eno- Agh! What am I saying! If I let you take me up there then all hell will break loose and you'll probably be tied up and thrown in the river." She sighed and quickly covered up her little speech with, "Not that that's a bad thing. I just don't want to have to fact that I murdered the gerneral's son on my hands. Just, forget I asked... I'll," she grunted in an attempt to stand up against a tree, "get up there myself." Somehow.

Tyrel rolled his eyes and walked over picking her up walking towards the river. "Just tell me when to stop." He replied.

"But then you might snag one of my kids when they get water." She replied.

"I won't remember the spot, if I do I'll never use it against you." He replied with a smile.

"Why?" She hissed.

"Cause it isn't fair." He replied. "So, what did I taste like this time." He teased.