Broken Caravan (Zuri, Menel)

[Dark]

She didn’t mind all the walking, in fact she liked it. Plus there was no one to bother her for the most part, and she could always take a nap if she got tired. Yeah, this was definitely better than staying at home and being told what she was supposed to grow up to do and be.

The best part was that after a very long trip in which Zuri had ended up lost quite a few times, gone in circles and had to retrace her steps, hide from several siblings and family members, she had finally left Maquina behind, and that felt great.

No dark skies filled with smoke, no more stink, no more…well, the red head supposed that not all of it was bad, but her mother’s stories had always made the place Zuri had been born in look like dirty stables to a garden scented in vivacious flowers.

Still, this place wasn’t without its own setbacks…walking through yet more forest in search of towns and not knowing where exactly they were, as one of them. The red head yawned, pausing in place. ‘Tired. Hungry.’ Making a decision right then, Zuri headed for some shade under a tree and set her things down, grabbed her pack and opened it to pull out her lunch.

‘Hopefully I’ll find a town or village soon,’ she thought, taking a large bite of her food. ‘Before I run out of provisions.’ She also needed to find a job to make money to buy those provisions. ‘That can wait though.’ The short red head leaned back against the tree trunk, enjoying the soft breeze winding its way through the forest, the sunlight filtering in…the sound of screaming?

Frowning, Zuri looked to her left just in time to see horses race her way carrying men and large bags, as well as a few women. Zuri made a grab for her lunch to late, a horse stomped past, turning the food into so many mushed bits and dirt covered paste. Her eye twitched as more did the same and she stood just as the last horse passed, then stopped, the man atop it sneering down at her. “Well, hello there.”

‘…’ Zuri stared up at him in silence, watching as he jumped off the horse and made a grab for her arm, a move she side stepped, grabbed her weapon and slammed it gently, for her, onto the man’s head, but the weapon being so large and spiky, did the job, knocking the him out.
“You owe me for food.” Now, as soon as he woke up, there were questions she needed answered.

A small while later, the young girl stepped through the trees, dragging the struggling man behind her as if he were a sack of potatoes, into what might have passed for a road which hosted a caravan. “Scuse me,’ Zuri called out, stifling a yawn. “This guy ruined my lunch, but he paid me back with some info.”