Blinded

A branch snapped, the sound echoed in the forest around them.

“Be quiet!” A man admonished. 

“I'm sorry!” His young companion answered nervously. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“According to the map, we are close.” He spoke in hushed but firm tones, trying to sound calm as the older of the two. As if he wasn't scared. 

As if he wasn't terrified. 

They moved forward, trekking through mud and slippery rock, through grass and vines which were much overgrown, thanks to the rainy season they’ve been having. They travelled for two days, and finally today they had arrived at the place where the Monster supposedly lived. The small pathway that lead to its lair was so obscured by foliage that they nearly missed it. 

They were halfway up the hill when a thick fog started to settle, adding to their already grueling journey. After a few hours, the younger man spoke what was in both of their minds.

“Maybe we made a wrong turn.” He ventured in a breathless whisper. 

“It has to be close, we need to keep going.” The older man insisted as he struggled to keep his footing, which was almost impossible at this point. The ground went from mud to stones, which were covered in moss, making each step dangerous.

But he was not ready to give up. Neither of them were. As afraid as they felt, they knew that if they were able to kill it, a reward big enough to keep them fed for the rest of their lives awaited them. Not to mention how famous they would become if they were to slay the Monster in the mountain. 

“I'm exhausted. Can barely see my hands in front of me.” The younger man sounded nervous.

“I know. The fog is too thick up here. Just listen to my steps and follow.” The older man tried his best to not let the uncertainty he felt show in his voice. 

“All right…” The younger one answered, not entirely convinced. 

The older man could hear the fear in his companion's voice increasing with each step. But they had to keep going, it was too late to turn back now.

An idea came to him. He turned and felt his way back to the younger man. He was several steps behind him, out of breath and with a terrified look on his face. 

The older man reached into his bag and fished out a short rope. “Here,” he handed the younger man one end, “tie it around you, I'll tie the other end to me. This way neither one of us shall get lost.” The younger man nodded enthusiastically as he tied the rope tight around his waist. 

They continued their way, forcing themselves to advance through the fog. Each step felt like such a chore, exhausting them. Depleting their energy, their strength. Their wills. 

The fog was getting thicker, but he thought he could see the outline of something, something tall. A tree he realized, taller than all rest, probably standing atop a collection of rocks.

Knowing they couldn’t keep going as they were, the older man offered encouragement to his younger companion. “Let’s just go for a few more steps. Just a few more. I see a big enough tree we can sit under. Then we rest for a bit.”

It was dangerous, but they had no choice. Besides, they were probably well away from the lair, otherwise they would both have been dead by now. 

“Yes, a rest sounds good.” His companion responded, breathlessly but with a bit more life in his voice. 

The older man nodded, and kept moving. He could see the vague outline of the tree, they were almost there. Looking down, he did his best to hurry without breaking his ankles among the slippery stones. Just a few more-

The rope tugged him back. He stopped, pulling the rope but it seemed to be stuck.

“Are you all right?”

No answer. 

“Hello?” He called out tentatively. But there was no answer. His companion must have passed out from exhaustion.

He hurried back, stepping down carefully until his hand slipped and he lost his grip. He slid down so fast, his hands slipped right off every single stone, he thought he would slide all the way down the mountain until his foot landed on a big rock. He stopped falling, and placed both feet on the rock, trying to steady himself. 

He worked on slowing down his breathing. He dreaded it, but he decided to look down towards his feet, wanting to see what had saved his life. He lowered his head and looked. The fog was still thick but he was able to see the rock. Rocks, he realized. Two rocks standing parallel to each other. They were odd looking, seeming almost like small tree trunks. They were also tall. He raised his head slowly and noticed that the rocks had a rope tied around them. 

His blood froze. He stopped breathing. Shaking, he slowly stood up, holding on to the rocks. When he stood completely, he was face to face with his companion. Or rather his statue, as he was made completely of stone. His hands in front of him, his face forever frozen in a terrified expression. 

He screamed. The sound ricocheted off the cliffs, before slowly fading away. It was then he realized it had grown unnaturally quiet. No other sounds could be heard but his labored breathing. He crouched and decided he would make his way down the mountain. They could call him a coward, he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to stand here and-

He was yanked back, he was about to scream again when he realized he was still tied to his companion. He was both relieved and horrified. With tears in his eyes, he hurried to free himself, tossing the rope away as he did. He breathed in and let it out, trying to calm himself. 

He felt something crawling at his foot. Without thinking, he unsheathed the knife he carried and slashed behind him, feeling it graze something. He tried to see but the fog made it impossible. His heart was in his throat as something took a hold of his hand. He screamed again. Yanking his hand, he tried his best to break the hold but he couldn’t. 

He was about to kick when something appeared out of the fog. Snakes slithered at him, seemingly standing on nothing but air until a face emerged. It was a woman. A woman, surrounded by snakes. His body froze. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t look away as she drew closer and closer. He could see her face now, she was beautiful. But angry. So angry. Enraged. And her eyes, her eyes…

His whole body felt heavy. He couldn’t blink. He couldn't breathe. 

All he could do was stare at her eyes. 

Those eyes. 

Darkness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bora stood still as she heard the wolf emerge from the treeline. The soft thuds as it’s paws stepped on the grass let her know it had come out in the open. Ants crawled up her bare feet as she listened to the wolf continue in her direction. The steps became louder and louder, marking the distance between her and her target. The wolf was close enough that she could hear it sniffing. She heard it sniffing for a while longer until it stopped, but then immediately the sounds of chewing began. Bora smiled inside, guessing it had accepted her offering.

The wolf ate quickly and once it finished, walked away, taking with it most of the sounds around her. She stood up, and quietly made her way to the middle of the clearing. She kneeled and feeling around with her hands, she found that the wolf had eaten everything; the meat, the berries… and the poppy juice. 

She smiled, happy that her plan had worked so far. All she needed to do now was to follow the wolf. Walking back to her hiding place, she retrieved her walking stick and sack. She picked up the stick and slung the sack over her shoulder. 

Making her way through the forest wasn’t hard. Bora knew the terrain and sounds by heart. Ever since she was a child, she had wandered the woods, spending so much time here that it felt like her home. Not many people ventured this far in, out of fear of the many dangers within.

But she did. Bora never factored fear into her decisions. If she did, she would never leave her house. 

A pained cry sounded in the distance. She stopped to listen. The leaves danced in the trees, but it was slight. She could hear them high above her. It meant she was deep within the forest, where smaller trees were protected from the wind by much taller ones, whose leaves made a noise she could barely hear.

A howl.

She slung her stick to her back and moved with her hands in front of her. It was faster to make her way with only her hands as guide, but also less cautious. She didn’t flinch as her feet landed on rocks and twigs, nor when her hands met jagged tree trunks. Bora kept moving forward, knowing that she needed to find the wolf before the sounds stopped.

Soon she felt the trees beginning to thin and get farther away from each other. It meant she was close to the edge or-

She heard it a second before she smelt the wet ground.

Running water. 

The river. 

Bora frowned, unsure of why the wolf had made it’s way here when the caves and burrows she knew served as a great shelter for such animals were located on the other side of the forest. She continued, trying to make as little sounds as possible as she waded through the shallow water. Bora didn’t stop until a whine sounded to her right. She turned, and slowly made her way towards it. A growl alerted to the presence of the wolf a few feet away from her. It was weak and muted, the wolf was losing consciousness.

She crouched down slowly where she stood, the water reaching her chest. “I won’t hurt you, friend. You’re safe.” Her voice sounded unnatural to her, as it always did. She had long preferred nature's sounds to her own. 

Another faint growl. It was almost time. “There, there. Be still. Sleep.”

The wolf went silent. She let some time pass before approaching, gently moving forward and keeping her hands extended. The wolf was smaller than it had sounded, a lot smaller. It was then Bora realized the wolf was female. Moving her hand over the wolf's stomach, she could feel the even breathing, letting her know that it was asleep. 

It was strange. What was a female wolf doing wreaking havoc on a small village? Even male wolves tended to stay away from humans. And even though wolves established territory near rivers, Bora had noticed that this particular one kept trying to cross it several times a day. She would hear the splashing as the wolf tried to swim to the other side, only to come back. There was no reason for it. Unless…

Carefully, she picked up the wolf, hugging it to herself so it wouldn't justle around. She walked until she could feel the ground lower. Bora kept her walk until the water reached her stomach. She huffed as she raised the wolf above her head and kept walking. It was heavy but there was no other way, it wouldn't be able to cross on its own. The water came right below her chin before it began to come back down. 

The ground beneath her feet became smooth stones, letting her know that she was close to the edge. Bora could feel she was almost to the edge when the wolf in her arms began to move, she hurried moving as fast as she could. Once she stepped on dry ground, she kneeled and laid the wolf down. She moved away just before it stood up. Bora stood still as the wolf growled, clearly wary of her. If it lunged at her, she wouldn’t be able to swim away fast enough. She lowered her head, wanting to appease it. Thudding sounds got closer as the wolf walked up to her, it drew nearer until a sound from afar stilled it. 

A high pitched whine. Another. And then a howl. Very high pitched. A cub. 

The wolf hurried away from Bora, she could feel the vibrations as it ran away. She smiled, standing up and walking back into the river. 

The wolf was a mother. That’s why it had been trying to cross the river. The constant rain must have filled the river so much, it had become stuck on the other side. The side where the humans lived. 

Swimming back was easy without the burden of the wolf’s dead weight. When she was on dry land again, she readjusted her blindfold, which had slipped a bit as she swam back.

The blindfold served no other purpose than to cover her eyes to let everyone know she was blind. But Bora had begun to think of it as part of her. Protection. 

Once the blindfold was secured back over her eyes, Bora began to feel around her until she found a tree with two twin branches growing right above a hole on the trunk. She kneeled, reaching down to find her sack and walking stick. 

She began her walk back to the small village, trying to think of a way to explain why she was coming back without a carcass. They had tasked her with killing the wolf that had been attacking whoever was caught outside the village boundaries. She was a few hours away when she stumbled upon a smell. It wasn’t pleasant, the smell of flesh beginning to decay. Death. 

Bora got closer until she was sure she was right before the source of the smell, she crouched down and, feeling with her hands, realized it was another wolf. It had died a few hours ago, if that. She wasn’t interested in the meat, the animals could have it. The pelt, however…

Taking her knife out of her sack, she expertly unsheathed it and began to skin the wolf. Careful, so she wouldn’t hurt herself, she salvaged as much as she could. She cleaned it and carried it back with her. She grinned. The villagers wouldn’t know the difference between this wolf and the one that had been terrorizing them. 

She unslung her walking stick but before she could take a step, the air around her felt warm and she could smell flowers even though she knew none were near her.

Someone spoke from behind her. 

“Clever girl.” A female voice. Bora smiled as she recognized the melodious sound. 

“You could have lent a helping hand.” She spoke without turning.

“It wasn’t needed. Besides, it’s such a joy to watch you.”

“One would think a Goddess would have better ways to entertain herself.”

A dulcet laugh. The Goddess was in a good mood. “Perhaps, none as intriguing.”

Bora shook her head. “I just don’t understand the appeal.” 

The smile could be heard in her voice. “All the more amusing. Make haste now. Nightfall will come soon.”

This time Bora grinned. “I’m good at seeing in the dark.”

Another laugh, the sound so pleasing it dulled her senses. “Safe travels.”

There was a shimmer in the air and then the nice flowery aroma was gone. Bora could once again feel the cold air mixed with wet ground. Rain. She sighed, continuing her path, knowing she would encounter no new challenges. 

She never did after a conversation with Artemis.  

The elder of the small village thanked her profusely after Bora offered him the pelt of the bigger wolf. She stayed one more night, long enough for the wolf attacks to have happened several times. But they didn't, confirming she had done her job. The villagers once again thanked her and after they paid her, they offered to send someone with her to guide her home. Bora refused, she liked being alone. Someone might offer small talk for a while, but she knew they would soon become awkward around her. They always did. Her blindness had that effect on people. 

The walk home was peaceful. Her walking stick got stuck in the same familiar places as it always did when she traveled north back home. The ground elevated gradually, letting Bora know she was close. She heard the sounds before she smelled the familiar scent of food and people. She was barely at the edge of the village when a scent of honey and hyacinth made her smile and stop. 

“Thank the Gods.” She heard the steps before a tall girl ran into her, putting her hands around her and hugging her tight. 

Bora returned the hug. “Did I not tell you I’d be back within a fortnight?”

“Yes, but I still missed you.” 

“I missed you as well, Yoohyeon.” She relaxed into the hug.

“But you need to leave.” Yoohyeon suddenly broke the hug and turned her around. “Go back to the other village. Stay there for a while. They probably won’t mind having their hero stay for a few days.”

Bora turned towards her. “I just got home, Yooh. Why would I leave?”

“Please, Bora. You need to go.” The urgency was clear in her voice. But Bora was still confused.

“I’m not going anywhere without an explanation.”

“There’s no time for an explanation! You need to-”

“Ah, Bora! Welcome home, child!” A deep, crackly voice called from the direction of the village. The familiar voice always reminded Bora of the sounds dry leaves made when you stepped on them. Slow, unsteady footsteps came nearer, stopping a few feet from them.

“Hello, Sir.” Bora bowed out of respect. After all, Yoohyeon’s grandfather was their elder. She walked forward, ignoring Yoohyeon’s subtle attempts at keeping her back. 

“We heard you slayed the creature that haunted our neighbors at the south border! Well done!”

“It wasn’t a creature, sir. It was a wo-”

“It matters not. You did well and we are all very proud of you. So much so that we have agreed to set upon you a new task.”

“Grandfather!” 

“A task?” It would mean she would have to leave again. Bora didn’t mind leaving though. Not really. She never felt quite at home here. She never had. The forests and mountains were easier for her to live in than in the constant presence of people who often looked down on her or pitied her. 

“Yes! You see, we have had quite a… problem, that no matter how many people we send, not one of them has been able to fix it.”

Bora was about to say that she actually did not ‘see’ but she decided to use a more respectful approach. “What problem, sir?”

“I’m sure you have heard talk of the monster in the mountain?”

“Grandfather, don’t! You can’t send her. Everyone that has gone has never come back, you can’t possibly-”

“That’s enough, Yoohyeon. Go on ahead. I’d like to speak to Bora alone.”

Bora heard Yoohyeon huff before she walked away. Her steps were forceful and quick. She was upset. 

“Bora, it’s true that no one that we have sent to hunt this monster has come back, but we believe that you will.”

Although she wasn’t one to belittle herself, Bora knew her limitations well. She had heard of all the people that have been sent before her to slay the monster. Not just hunters, but warriors as well. What could she possibly do that dozens of able bodied, seeing men, could not?

“Come with me, child. I will explain it all in detail, yes?”

Bora went with the elder, and a few hours later, she was at her house, readying to leave. More than a little excited about her new task. 

Unlike Yoohyeon, who was currently braiding Bora's hair. She had vowed to stay at her side until she left, no matter what Bora said.

“This is madness. How can they possibly do this? And why did you ever think to agree?!” It was both endearing and a little annoying to hear Yoohyeon so worried about her. Yes, it made her feel good that someone cared about her that much, but Bora had always hated being thought of as weak. 

“Do not fret, Yoohyeon. I shall be back before you have time to miss me.” Bora spoke softly, trying unsuccessfully to calm Yoohyeon down. 

“Lies. I shall miss you from the moment you are gone. Bora, please. Do not go.”

“I will come back. I promise. I have yet to break a promise to you.”

It was true. Every time she left, she had promised to come back. And so far she had. 

Yoohyeon was still braiding her hair. “No one has yet returned from this quest.”

“Well, this is not the first time I attempt the impossible. So have faith and please hurry. I'm beginning to fall asleep.” Bora wasn't that tired, but she knew Yoohyeon could talk about this for days.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” She hurried and finished hastily. She moved to sit in front of Bora, grabbing her by the arms gently. “It's not about faith. I just think this might be too much even for you.” Gently she removed Bora's blindfold, folding it and placing it in Bora's hand. She felt Yoohyeon grab her arms. 

Bora smiled. “Maybe, but I rather think I can do this. If I didn't do things simply because they were hard, I'd never do anything.”

She couldn't see Yoohyeon’s expression, but Bora could feel the grip on her arms loosening. 

A sigh. “Please, be careful.”

“You always tell me the same thing. And I always do as you say.”

“This time I mean it more.”

“As do I.” Bora promised, taking Yoohyeon’s hands and holding them in her own. “I will come back, Yoohyeon. You have my word.”

“Good.” A hug, but this time it was brief. Yoohyeon kissed her cheek and stepped away. 

She was crying. 

“Good night, Bora.” She heard movement and the rustling of sheets as Yoohyeon prepared for bed. 

“Good night, Yoohyeon.” Was all she said before she laid down on her own cot, turning away from her friend She knew goodbyes were difficult for her. No need to make it harder. 

Besides, her new journey would begin tomorrow at first light. She needed rest, because as much as she wished she didn't feel so, anxiety was still creeping at the back of her mind. Yoohyeon was right, this wasn't like all her other tasks. Usually Bora attempted to do what others hadn't been able to do. But this time it wasn't just about solving a problem. No one had even come back from this. 

No one. 

But Bora would keep her promise. She would come back, and she would do her best to deal with this Monster in the mountain. 

Unlike the usual southern towns she often travelled to and from, Bora had yet to venture this far north. She figured the terrain would guide her, as it often did, but she did find the slowly-increasing incline a bit challenging and time consuming. It took her a while but she was able to keep moving until she could no longer feel the sun's warmth on her skin. 

As she felt around for a good spot to camp for the night, she felt a sudden breeze that let her know it was about to get colder. But there was something out of place. A scent. Slightly sulfurous and musty, but very much mineral. 

Stone.

Bora frowned. She tried to remember the terrain she had been walking on for the last few hours. Grass and moss, and she was still within the tree line. It was very odd to smell stone in a place like this. Unnatural even. 

She thought about it and decided to keep moving forward instead of camping. Nightfall had never stopped her before, and she was curious. This kind of scent would be found closer to a mine, a rocky mountain or even a waterfall. But here… it was just not normal. 

The more she walked, the stronger the scent became. Unconsciously, Bora moved faster than she usually did, eager to find the origin of the scent. She was so preoccupied to just keep going that she almost fell forward as her stick suddenly stopped, having bumped into something completely solid.

She frowned. Slowly, she crouched down and extended her hands, trying to reach the end of the stick. She felt around, until she found what the stick had bumped against, but was even more confused.  

It was some sort of rock. Rocks. The most uneven and oddly shaped rocks she had ever encountered, going up like two pillars. They continued upwards, until they became one solid rock again. She kept going, wondering how a rock so tall and with such an uneven base could stand up without toppling over. It was much taller than her, so much that she had to stand on her toes so her hands could reach the very top of-

Bora stepped away as if she had been burned. As she did, her foot got caught on a stone and she tripped backwards, knocking her stick away from her hand and landing on her back. 

She sat up but didn’t try to stand. Her mouth was dry and she could feel her heart beat on her chest. 

A face.

The rock had a human face. The rest of the rock now made sense. It was a person. The rock resembled a person. It wasn't a rock at all. It was a statue. Bora had touched statues before, once when she was near a big city. They had them near their temple. A couple of them. She had gotten closer and touched their feet, their robes, their faces. They had been well made. Beautiful. They came very close to how a human felt.

But this statue…

Bora stood up and felt her way to the statue. Slowly this time, she traced it from the feet up. She could understand it better now. The legs, the clothes, even the arms. It was a man. A very tall and muscular man. He was… cowering; his arms rising up to ward off… something. And his face… Bora was very adept at expressions. Her hands moved expertly over every feature, reading the lines and contours of his face. 

He was terrified. She swallowed. She had never touched the face of someone so scared. Only her own. And she hadn't felt terror like this since she was a small child.

She took a deep breath and turned away, kneeling and feeling around until she found her stick. She kept going, stepping around the statue. She had no idea why it was there, only that if it was supposed to scare away intruders, it did a good job. But she thought it best to just keep going, stepping around it and continuing up the steep path. 

There was a lot of foliage and vines. She weaved through them, using them to keep her footing as the path beneath her became slippery. 

She came to an opening as the vines disappeared and the ground became harder. She could feel moisture in the air. A lot of it. Fog, and a very thick one too. She must be close to the top, perhaps of she hurried a bit-

She bumped into something. This time she was able to recognize what it was right away. Another statue. This one was… sitting. But it was as if it bad been carved to be hunched down, its arms outstretched towards her, hands turned into fists. Bora didn’t wait before she caredully walked around it. She moved forward but her hand bumped into something once again. She felt around for a few seconds before hurriedly moving away, stepping around it, not wanting to linger on another terrified face. 

She took a few steps then she bumped into something again. She hesitantly reached out. 

Another statue. 

And another. 

And another.

There were dozens of them. All of them in protective poses, all of them wearing terrified expressions.

Just as Bora realized she was surrounded by them, she noticed something else. There were no sounds around her. No animals, no bugs, no rustling of leaves. 

Nothing. 

She sucked in a breath. The absence of sound. It was the most chilling thing in nature. Because it meant there was something close by that everything else was so scared of, they didn't dare go near it. 

Bora knew if she could see herself right now, she would look as terrified as any of those statues. 

Never, in all her years of venturing into the woods and hunting animals, had she ever thought about turning back because she was afraid. She made a point never to let fear win, because for someone like her, everything was dangerous. 

But this was different, and no matter what she believed, her gut was telling her to run away. Far away from here.

So that's exactly what she was going to do. 

Going back down the path wouldn't be easy but she more or less knew which way to go. She grabbed her stick and pushed it down in front of her, before she slowly moved her leg to-

A sound. 

She froze, keeping herself from breathing as it was too loud. 

Another sound. A footstep. Right behind her. 

Bora moved forward, going down as fast as she possibly could while avoiding the statues. She didn't even turn, her whole body was telling her to run away, and she was going to listen to it. 

She only made it two steps before a hand shot out, grabbing her. 

She was thrown as if she weighed nothing, landing hard on her back, her head bouncing off as it hit the ground. The air was knocked out of her for a few seconds and pain erupted from all over her body. She tossed and turned trying to get her bearings and noticed she couldn't feel any rocks around. No statues. She kneeled, her knees protesting along with her back. She gasped in pain. 

How strong did someone need to be to have just thrown her so far-

Bora was shoved to the ground, someone coming over her and forcing her to the ground. The person used a hand to grab both of Bora's and pinned them down, above her head. She tried to free herself but they were too strong. A cold hand grabbed her chin, hard. Long nails dug into her skin hard enough to draw blood. 

“Why can't you just leave me alone?! How many more have to die before you give up?!”

A female voice screamed at her. Bora tried to shake her head but the woman's grip was too strong. 

There were also hissing sounds. They were very close, right in front of her face. Snakes.

“And this?” Bora felt the woman tug harshly at her blindfold, trying to take it off. “Did you really think this would protect you? You foolish human!” 

Protection? Bora had no time to be confused before the woman ripped the blindfold from her eyes, leaving behind a stinging sensation. 

“Look at me!” The woman held Bora's chin so that her head was pointed straight up. Bora opened her eyes but, of course, she could see nothing. All she could hear was the snakes hovering somewhere above her.

“Farewell.” There was satisfaction in the woman's voice. Her hold on Bora's chin loosened. She was so close to Bora that she could feel the woman's breath fan across her face.

A few seconds passed, and all Bora heard were the hissing sounds of the snakes. Bora stopped struggling. If they had wanted to bite her, they would have done so by now. 

She heard the woman's breathing pick up as she once again tightened her hold on her chin. 

“What is this? Why aren't you- Look at me!” She sounded both scared and frustrated. The grip on Bora's chin moved to her neck. Squeezing her throat.

Bora tried not to panic. “I can't.” She pleaded.

The woman gasped. “You're blind.” She whispered.

Her hands were released as the weight over her disappeared. Bora didn't try to move, instead she fought to get on her feet. Her whole body ached but she ignored it as she tried to stand. 

But as soon as she tried she fell right back down, landing face down on the ground. Bora cried out as her ankle gave out, radiating pain. She tried again, but she just couldn't put any weight on it. 

She needed her stick. 

She began feeling around her. It must have fallen somewhere close. Her face started to become wet, water running down her nose. She wiped it off and kept feeling around. Finally she found her stick, and immediately went to stand up, laying her weight almost completely on it. She needed to hurry, she didn't know if the woman would attack her again. 

She walked until her stick hit something solid. A statue. Bora had felt enough of them today to know right away what it was. She continued past them, but her head began to hurt, more and more until her body became heavy. She felt unbalanced, like her feet just weren't responding. She felt herself falling forward until a statue broke her fall. She was on her knees, the sounds around her becoming muffled to the point she couldn't hear them. 

Bora's arms gave out and she clenched her teeth, bracing for the impact. 

A pair of hands caught her, wrapping around her stomach. Bora was confused, not conscious enough to understand what had happened. 

The last thing she heard were hissing sounds, right next to her head.