Chapter Seven: Maiden in the Wilderness:

Kate didn’t know how to survive in the beginning of her journey. She grew up in a sheltered world. The only thing that she had going for her is that she could read. Kate didn’t even know where to start looking for Ichiro. She wasn’t even good at following directions. Right now, she looked up at the sky.

Where am I supposed to go? Kate paused when she heard footsteps and bells jingling. She turned to see a monk walking down the same road she was. The girl flagged him down.

“Excuse me!” she shouted. “Excuse me!” The monk stopped in his tracks when he saw her waving her arms in the air. He tilted up his hat for a better look.

“What’s a pretty young girl like you doing out here?” he asked. Kate put her arms down.

“I’m trying to find a man,” she said. The monk gave her a puzzled look.

“What kind of man?” he asked. Kate’s cheeks turned bright pink. She mumbled something under her breath.

“Pardon me?” the monk asked. A little smile came onto her face.

“I’m looking for the man I love,” she answered. The monk gave off a low whistle.

“I see,” he said. “Where is he now?” Kate’s smile dropped into a frown.

“I don’t know,” she answered.

“You don’t know?” he asked. Kate shook her head. The monk tilted his head at her.

“Do you even know where you are going?” he asked. Kate shook her head again.

“Hm….”

“Where should I go?”

The monk shrugged his shoulders. “How am I to answer that for you?” He walked past her, but stopped to look over his shoulder in her direction. “You have to find your own path.” Kate tilted her head as the monk disappeared from her view.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. Kate raced after the monk along the abandoned the road. She must have ran down that road for close to an hour before stopping to catch her breath. When the girl stood up and looked around, she realized that she had completely strayed from the road. She wrinkled her nose. Where am I now? All that she could see was tall trees blocking out the sunlight. However, seeing them put her into a strange calm. Kate put her hands to her chest.

It’s almost like… he’s right here with me. She walked further into the woods as if in a trance. Maybe these trees could lead her to her beloved Ichiro and they could reunite. However on the other side of the forest, a small band of thuggish soldiers were bathing in the lake. One of them happened to look up a see this pretty young girl walking and humming to herself. He tapped one of his war buddies in the arm.

“Look!” he whispered. His friend looked and saw the slender girl walking through the short grass. It didn’t take long for all of the soldiers to come over for a look one by one. The girl stopped and lay down on the grass. The man breathed heavily as they tried to comprehend what they were witnessing. Their wonder gave way to many questions.

“Is she real?”

“How did she end up all the way out here?”

“Is she even human?”

Their questions and her slender form all gave the boys’ leader some rather unsavory thoughts. He rose to his feet in the water. The soldiers turned to see him smirking at the young beauty.

“You know something?” he asked. “I want to find out for myself.” His men perked up at such a suggestion.

“You really mean it?” his second-in-command asked. The leader drew the men in closer for their plan of attack on the poor girl.