I pricked my finger accidentally while sewing a dress for a client. It was for a young girl around Kara's age, I looked up unconsciously to see Kara dangling off a tree like a monkey.

"Kara gets down from there, I've told you many times that's dangerous," I said just as she stuck her tongue out at me.

"I've never fallen before Hana, besides get down in a minute," she told me.

But my eyes were drawn to the caravan entering the town, we live a bit away from town since my family made a living off farming, we ain't have much but we did what we could.

The caravan went by quickly, looked like they'll be in town a few days, I always enjoyed their arrival. All the magic they brought along with them made it feel like you could just fly away in a second.

The way their fireworks would light up the sky and be seen all the way here, I loved that feeling. Looking forward to it as I continued to make the final touched on this dress.

I felt at ease working on the dress and wondering when Kara and I could head into town, see what the caravan brought. Just then mother walked up to us, holding a basket.

She sat beside me, "The dress is looking lovely, I'm sure she'll love it." she told me. I was glad to hear it after working on it for over two weeks.

Kara jumped down from the tree coming to sit beside mom, her curious eyes looking at the basket, "what are your carrying mom?"

Mommlifted the cloth covering the basket and handed us both a fresh pastry, "Just through you girls might want something to eat." she mentioned as her eyes drifted to the far caravan, "Looks like the town will be busy a few days…"

"Yes, hey, wasn't father in town? Maybe he can tell us what's special in this caravan when he comes back." I casually mentioned, but with all the silence from the two I looked up at them.

Mother's eyes widening in what looks like despair, "You need to leave." she spoke in a hurried town standing up.

When I followed the direction of her gaze I could see a wildfire rising from the town. The smoke already hiding the blue sky. The caravan that had been arriving was nowhere to be seen as you could see the people from a distance running.

But what made us all silent was the soldiers from a distance running around as a group of them headed straight for us.

"You need to leave." my mother repeated pushing my arm.

Kara grabbed my hand hiding behind me, "Where will we go?" I questioned stepping back slightly.

My mother seemed deep in thought pointing at the woods, "There's a path, take it, then divert from it, you'll have to hide…" she turned to look at the town past the soldiers, "Hide until these men leave."

Just as she was moving toward the town I grabbed her hand, "Then let's go."

She frowned, "I need to get your father."

Kara moved and grabbed Mom's hand, "but you'll come to get us right."

The soldiers were too close, they could see us as mom spoke, "go now." she told us and gave me a knowing look.

Pushing me one last time as I grabbed Kara's hand and ran. I didn't think this day would ever arrive… War had finally reached our once peaceful town. Two big kingdoms on either side of our small town, yet we were not a part of either.

So no one was coming to save us, we were on our own now. Being driven from our home. But my eyes were set in the woods. Pulling my sister's hand and rushing faster towards it.

I couldn't believe mother was sending us in here, on any other normal day she wouldn't even let us set foot in here. Many were found dead in these woods, they said they were cursed, that witches would take children deep into these woods to kill them.

I turned to look back at the town that now looks tiny behind us but what's more, the figure of those soldiers was still clear. Kara picking up the pace and running in front of me.

Kara stopping too suddenly as I ran into her stumbling forward and both of us falling, "Why'd you stop?" I questioned.

"There's something in there." she pointed but seeing those soldiers still on our heels I grabbed her hand and continued running into the woods.

"Its woods Kara, there are animals in there all the time." Just as I said that from the corner of my eye I saw shadows moving through those woods. No matter if we stayed here we would be killed by soldiers.

At least if we went in there we'd have on the very least a slim chance to survive until they are gone. Feeling Kara slow down I turned and picked her up in my arms to continue running.

Her breath hitching, "There are men behind us." she said.

"I already know, we'll lose the soldiers soon," I said trying to ease her worries.

"No… These aren't soldiers," she told me.

Trusting her words I tried to run even quicker, feeling my arms and legs be searched up by all the branches and sticks.

I took a deep breath-stopping just a second, to my left an old bridge, to my right even more woods. Having Kara in my back I dashed through the woods, I couldn't risk that bridge breaking on us.

"Lemme know what way they take, if they do anything weird tell me," I told Kara, being able to feel her hands curl and clutch my dress.

Kara sucked a deep breath moving around a little, "they're behind us, but there's only two… I think there were more."

Hearing that I grew worried and looked ahead, only seeing trees, "Hold on." I ran towards the densely wooded area, I'm getting so tired.

Shaking the thoughts out of my head I ran as far as I could into the area till I could no longer run due to the number of trees around. Setting Kara down, "keep going, and scream if they grab you."

"No, come with me," she begged.

"I'm right behind you, just go," I told her, pulling my dress that was stuck in a branch. Unlike me, she could easily run through here.

"But-"

"Go or we're both dead." I hissed and saw her begging to run. I felt at ease for a second before I got myself out of that uncomfortable spot and ran the opposite way. I needed to at eats try and drive those men's attention away from Kara.

I ran right into one of the men, stopping just a few feet away as I turned and ran the other way. The blood from all the scratches in my hands trickling down, even my face burned as the world around me seemed to blur.

Tripping on vines but recovering before I fell to the floor, the man behind me pushed me as I finally lost my balance and slammed face-first on the floor. Screaming at the pain when a branch stabbed into my arm.

The man grabbing me by my hair and pulling me up, I screamed as loud as I could, as long as their attention was only on me things couldn't be that bad.

"Let go of me!" I screamed pushing the man, yet as soon as I saw he wasn't wearing armor like the soldiers back in town I turned but as soon as I did his knee collided with my stomach.

I fell over gasping for air, pulling my head back he glared, "Stay quiet."

At that moment I lenses forward biting down on his thy hearing him scream and let go of my hair as I got up stumbling to continue running.

I need to keep running, I need to see Kara again, I need to see mom see dad. But if getting a good look at that man, he carried chain on his hips, he was a slave trader. They were a rare sight back at the town, but one father warned me about.

They were taking the opportunity of the town getting attacked to take anyone they could, brand them as a slave, and make us as miserable as imaginable. Concentrating on what was ahead I could see an opening from the woods.

I'd run in circles, and I could see the still burning town ahead, the sky above had grown pitch black like a storm was coming. And just as I was steps away from escaping these woods I felt something hit me over my head. Sending me to the ground.

My vision blurred I crawled before being hit again, and it all growing dark.