The Soldier and The Thief

"I'm not really sure." He said looking down at her. "I don't like the orphanage, and there's something else. I'm still workin on figuring that one out." he replied.

"Let me go!" She hissed pulling awa.y.

"Fine,." He let her go and crossed his arms.

"See there? Another chance blown." Hot tears rolled down her cold cheeks and she turned quickly, a shiver running down her back the second she stepped out into the crisp, fall air. She looked across empty street, eyes locking on a lit up butcher house where two shadows were coming down the stairs, shouting about all their lost meat. Audrey smiled lightly and looked to the town entrance, where two other shadows were laughing hysterically. She shot Tyrel one last, tear-filled glare and began to run towards the entrance

Tyrel watched her go and he took a deep breath and shook his head walkin gout of the store and to the butcher shop.

"What happened?" He aske.d

"It's gone, vanished, gone!" The owner yelled.

It had been a week since they stalked up on a lot of food. Audery did the same thing everyday. She'd go into down, steal something, outsmart Gray's little troupe, and run back to the hideout. Apparently Morgan and Hanna had stolen the new shipment of meat from the butcher instead of the old, already cooked meat, so Audery had to to spend all day the next day cooking the meat.

"Damn you Red! Get back here! Don't think I won't shoot you!" Grayson shouted angrily as a laughing red head, carrying a large loaf of bread, ran further away from them. Grayson had gotten a new weapon from his commander and was sporting the bow and quiver full of arrows proudly, however not once had he actually used it so his aim sucked!

"Shoot me then Gray! Your aim sucks anyway!" Audrey laughed, observing as Gray handed the bow and arrow to Tyrel and said something to him.

Tyrel looked at the bow and arrow in his hand and then at his dad.

"Shoot her!" His dad hissed.

"No, I'm not going to kill her over a loaf of bread." He replied handing the bow back.

"Catch her." His dad ordered two of his men. They had Red cornered. It took a few minutes, but they soon had her in their grasp. "Then I'll do it myself." His dad grabbed his knife moving towards Red. Tyrel looked at her as she tried to pull away.

"You can't kill her without an order to." Tyrel said.

"If I didn't know better you didn't want her dead." His dad hissed. Tyrel looked at Red and then his dad.

"No, I don't want her dead. She's just a kid!" He hissed.

"Kill her now, or I'll do it myself, slow and painfully." His dad growled.

"She's a kid." He growled.

"Do it!" His dad tossed him the knife. He held it tightly in his fist.

The soldiers on both sides of Audery shoved her into the dirt, neck exposed. "Do it now!" Grayson shouted angrily at Tyrel. Never in her life had Audery thought that she would've actually been caught. She must've gotten lazy when all those damned feelings got in the way. There was only one way to get out of this. Do it. She whispered into Tyrel's mind.

How the he- Wait! Why? He cocked his head to the side.

Just tell them to hold me up right and run at me.

You're an idiot.

No, I'm a kid according to you now do it.

"H-hold her up right," the soldiers yanked Audrey up fiercly, her shoulder giving out a sickening crack. She let out a soft cry and glanced up at Tyrel, who was suddenly running at her. Audery ducked her head down, making him land on her back, and flipped him off, twisting out of both soldiers' grips. She kicked them to the ground and lept to the top of the nearest house.

"Pleasure doing buisness with ya!" She smiled, her shoulder radiating with pain, and took off into the forest, stopping at the river.

She suddenly felt extrememly lightheaded. "Ooh... pretty.. colors." She fell forwards, groaning in pain as she faded into darkness.

Tyrel stood up and growled at the cut on his arm. He threw the knife of the ground and turned to his dad.

"Never, never again." He threw his badge thing down and stormed to his house.

"What are you doing, son?" His father demanded.

"I'm taking a vacation." He hissed grabbing a bag and then getting his horse and dog and riding off only to find Red passed out. "Just what I needed."

Audery moaned, coming to her senses, and sat up quickly, letting out a cry of pain due to her shoulder. "Dammit," she hissed, holding it painfully.

"Smooth move," a smooth voice called to Audery. She tilted her head back, noticing Tyrel.

"Hey soldier boy. What's up?" Tyrel just snorted and shook his head. Her eye caught on a vibrant colored plant and she smiled widely. "Hey, soldier, grab me that plant over there," she smiled up at him.

"Why?"

"Cause it's a pain relief herb and I can't pull it up." Tyrel groaned and yanked the plant out of the ground, throwing it to Audery, who caught it with a hiss of pain.

----

"Come here! Sit, sit, sit!" Audery laughed taking another bite of the wide root. She smiled at Tyrel, who took a seat next to her akwardly. Audery plopped down in his lap with a laugh, her eyes drooping. "Y'know... my real name's Audery. Yep, yep, yep. Audery Michelle Red!" She let a wild giggle escape her lips. "You're father calls me Red cause my hair color, but he doesn't know it's my real name. Oops! Now you know and you're gonna go spill it to daddio. Damn." Audery laughed again and slumped back, her body shaking in laughter.

Tyrel couldn't help by laugh keeping her from falling. "You act like your on beer or seomthing."

"Well I'm not, nope nope nope." She laughed. He shook his head and then jumped when something hit him on the head.

"Let mommy go!" Someone yelled.

Audrey sat up, seeing all of the kids and quickly walked over to them. "Addison, you don't throw rocks unless I'm," she let out a stream of giggles, "struggling, okay?" The small girl nodded and Audrey giggled again, stumbling forward, only to be caught my Hanna and Morgan.

"Dammit, she ate the X-herb," Morgan cursed angrily.

"No, no, no! I just popped my shoulder out of socket and ate some of that to pop it back into place." Audrey giggled loudly. Not being able to life her, Morgan looked up at Tyrel.

"Soldier... mind... lending a hand?"

"No, no! You all just go home. I was having a nice chat," she giggled yet again and stood up, "Shoo, shoo. Go home."

"Mommy! Who is he?!" Addison pointed at Tyrel worridly.

"He's a... a," before she could even finish Audrey let out another stream of giggles and fell forward.

Tyrel caught her and held her up.

"So, what is the x-herb?" He asked.

"it makes you really really really giddy." One of the kids replied.

"It's good!" She laughed.

"Your being crazy." He laughed.

"When we're having a bad day or if we have a bad day she spikes our water with it," Morgan sighed, shaking his head.

"Well duh! You're a teenager and I don't need any attitudes around my house!" Audrey stumbled over her words, making all the kids laugh.

"You gotta see 'er when she's drunk. It's like entertainment all day," a dark haired boy, about twelve, laughed loudly.

"I'm not you're personal clown!" Audrey shouted out of nowhere before bursting into some jibberish song.

Tyrel rubbed his temple and covered her mouth with his hand hodling her still.

"How do you get it to stop!" He asked.

"You don't, it has to wear off. From the looks of how much she ate, it'll be a while." The kid replied.

"joy. y'all can't stay out here, wouldn't be good, someone might find you." He picked up Audry and carried her to the cover of a bunch of bushes.

"I think we can take care of ourselves quite well thank you. Besides," Morgan began, looking to Hanna for her to finish. She smiled and nodded.

"She's our mother and you might be some phsyco soldier that kills annoying women," at that all the kids began to laughing.

"I resent that!" Audry shouted, holding her hand in the air. "Hey... can stars dance?" She burst into giggles and rolled around on the ground. The kids laughed louder as she struggled to get out of the bush, rolling away unharmed.

"Hey momma, can we show the soldier our home? You need to lay down anyway, and none of us can carry you." Audrey rolled around on the grass a bit longer and looked over at Addison, nodding once.

"Yeah, don't see why. We're leaving to go to another town anyway," Audrey let out another river of giggles.

"Why?" All the kids questioned at once.

"Ah... too many people here to get attached to and have feeling for. We're gonna move to the next city!" She laughed loudly and continued to roll.

Tyrel frowned and then picked her up and carried her towards where the kids led.

"Who you getting attached to?" He asked her.

"Why shoudl I say?" SHe laughed.

"Come on, who is there to get attached to?" He laughed.