I awoke one morning and smiling looked up from my place on the floor to see my Master, the smile froze on my face to see nothing but the indentation on the furs and to see him gone. My head flashed around searching expecting him to be close, never having been away from his side, a fear colder than ice gripped around my heart as I pushed myself up to onto my feet.I ran nervously around the camp searching everywhere getting more and more anxious by the second until I came across Saphire, my Masters sister, and with a look of panic in my eyes I splutter out my words " Where is he?" my voice rasping from adrenaline and fear knowing something was badly wrong, forgetting she is a free, I just stood before her demanding an answer.
Instead of her usual punishment for disrespect her face saddens, her eyes compassionate, as she speaks out the hateful words that echo still to this day in my mind " He is gone Kerri, he won't be back"
I, the girl, waited no longer wanting no other explanation. I started to run the tears burning down my cheeks, the fear of the unknown gripping like claws as my bare feet are cut and torn, I threw my body cascading across the rough lands. I run and run my breath rasping until I fall exhausted in a clearing by a cool lake. I threw my body on the ground my sobs echoed around the lands.
I lay there sobbing terrified, the ache in my heart and the female intuition telling me he was gone, not understanding how or why, just knowing that now I was alone. I drew my knees up to my chest hugging them close feeling the silks that were as much a part of me as the steel collar around my neck falling against my finger, in pain I started to rip at them tearing them away leaving only scraps of fabric covering my slight frame.
A noise, a movement in the long grass near me, my head flashed up the fear obvious in my eyes as I saw his strong frame only meters away, an eerie image as the setting sun spread strange shadows, I squinted my eyes trying to focus on his face..............
To be continued next Saturday