The Pursued

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the words: cloud, waterfall and crystal

The Pursued

Gothard watched her bathe in the pool far below. Her light-green fur shimmered in the mist at the base of the waterfall. The way she moved about the shallows was, for him, like a ballet. Every step and turn was just as it should be. Her thin, perfectly proportioned frame made him wonder if the Gods had surpassed their own limitless talents to create her.

Gothard loved her with all his heart.

For the moment, they were safe.

He knew it wouldn’t last.

He stood and shook off the vision of the princess. It was his job to keep her safe, not admire her beauty. He took up the far-seers in his big hairy paws and began to scan the horizon.

At first, it looked like they had caught a break. The sky was clear. Then he saw the cloud, alone and nonthreatening. The gateways always started that way. He knew it wouldn’t be long before the cloud whiled into a dark cyclone more than a parsec across.

They had been found.

“My Princess!” he shouted, his roaring voice easily heard over the falls. “They have found us. The Astral-Gate will be open within minutes. We must flee.”

Princess Saliana was out of the water and dressed in a moment. She grabbed up her pack and looked inside. The Tachyon Crystal was safe. They needed to keep it that way.

Gothard, the last surviving member of her father’s guard was soon at her side as usual. She was his last charge.

Saliana worked quickly to open the micro wormhole they would need to escape. In a moment, it was big enough for her to fit through. Gothard was another story. They needed more time.

As the Carthigan warriors crested the top of the falls, Gothard turned and drew his sword.

Work count 300