Looking far ahead oh, I spied her returning to camp, which set my mind at ease. She appeared betweerees, moving like a deer along the ridgelihe i at the library had left me eager to apologize, so I took a shortcut through the forest that would allow me to cut her off along her route. My mind buzzed with the story of the man in the yard. I hoped to tell her before the important parts vanished in the fusion. Speck would be mad, rightfully so, but her passion would mollify any anger. As I drew near, she must have spotted me, for she took off in a sprint. Had I not hesitated befiving chase, perhaps I would have caught her, but the rough terraied speed. In my haste, I snagged my toe on a fallen brand landed facedown in the dirt. Spitting leaves and twigs, I looked up to see Speck had already made it into camp and was talking with Béka.
"She doesnt want to speak with you," the old toad said upon my arrival, and clamped his hand on my shoulder. A few of the elders—Igel, Ragno, Zanzara, and Blomma—had sidled o him, f a wall.
"But I o talk to her."
Luchóg and Kivi joihe others. Smaolach walked toward the group from my right, his hands ched and shaking. Onions approached from my left, a menag toothsome smile on her faine of them encircled me. Igel stepped ihe ring and jabbed a fi my chest.
"You have violated our trust."
"What are you talking about?"
"She followed you, Aniday. She saw you with the man. You were to avoid any tact with them, yet there you were, trying to unicate with one of them." Igel pushed me to the ground, kig up a cloud of rotten leaves. Humiliated, I quickly sprang bay feet. My fear grew as the others hollered iives.
"Do you know how dangerous that was?"
"Teach him a lesson."
"Do you uand we ot be discovered?"
"So he wont fet again."
"They could e and capture us, and then we will never be free."
"Punish him."
Igel did not strike the first blow. From behind, a fist or a club smashed into my kidneys, and I arched my back. With my body thus exposed, Igel punched me squarely in the solar plexus, and I hunched forward. A line of drool spilled from my open mouth. They were all upo once like a pack of wild dogs bringing down wounded prey. The blows came from all dires, and initial shock gave way to pain. They scraped my face with their nails, ripped hunks of hair from my scalp, sank their teeth into my shoulder, drawing blood. A ropy arm choked my neck, shutting off the flow of air. I gagged a my ge rise. Amid the fury, their eyes blazed with frenzy, and sheer hatred twisted their features. One by ohey peeled off, sated, and the pressure lessened, but those who remained kicked at my ribs, tauntio get up, snarling and growling at me to fight back. I could not muster the strength. Before walking away, Béka stomped on my fingers, and Igel delivered a kick with each word of his final admonition: "Do not talk to people again."
I closed my eyes and stayed still. The sun shone down through the branches of the trees, warming my body. My joints ached from the fall, and my fingers swelled and throbbed. One eye ainted blad blue, and blood oozed from cuts and pooled beh plum bruises. My mouth tasted of vomit and dirt, and I passed out in a rumpled heap.
Cool water on my cuts and bruises startled me awake, and my first vision was of Speck bent over me, wiping the blood from my face. Directly behiood Smaolad Luchóg, their faces pinched with . Drops of my