The Kidnapping

Ron navigated his way upstream, the murmur of the river harmonizing with the rustling leaves of the jungle. 

The sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. It was then that he heard the scream, sharp and desperate. And a scuffle came into view.

"Ahhhh!!!! Help me!!! Someone!!!"

Ron ducked behind a Big rock, peering around to locate the source of the commotion. By the riverbank, three men were struggling with a teenager.

The boy, whose face was marred by large pimples and dominated by two oversized incisors, almost like a humanoid rat, struggled fiercely, his ungainly features twisting in fear.

'A demi-human, I suppose... so weird to look at,' Ron thought, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the scene from his concealed position.

"Dammit, brat!! Stay still!" One of the men, thin and jittery, tried to pin the boy down.

"Hah! You struggle to even keep a kid in place, hahaha" Another of the kidnappers, a massive figure resembling a sumo wrestler, guffawed at his companion's efforts.

"Shut your mouth before I stuff it with Shit toni—AHHHHHH!!!!" The thin man howled, clutching his bloody hand where the boy had bitten him. Seizing the moment, the kid bolted, darting through the underbrush like a frightened deer.

"YOU FUCKING RAT!!! I will kill you and feed you to real rats!!" The thin man screamed, tears of pain and fury streaming down his face.

But the boy didn't look back. He was running for his life, desperation lending speed to his feet.

"You! Stop!" The massive kidnapper roared, lumbering after the boy but inevitably falling behind due to his bulk.

'Amateurs,' Ron thought, watching the scene unfold with mild amusement, with a wry smile playing on his lips as he remembered the more professional operations he and his brothers used to run.

Just then, the third man moved. Ron's eyes widened. This one was different— Fast.

He had skills... He closed the distance in a second, drawing his sword with a fluid motion.

In one swift stroke, the blade sliced through the boy's leg.

"AHHHHHH!!!!" The boy's scream was soul-shattering, echoing through the jungle. He collapsed, blood spurting from the severed limb, staining the lush greenery.

Ron remained unbothered, but the scream slicing through his eardrums. 

The thin man, still clutching his hand, staggered over to the boy. "Got you now, you little shit," he snarled, kicking the boy viciously in the side. The massive man lumbered up, wheezing from the exertion.

"Let's get back quickly before boss gets angry," the swift one said, his voice cold and authoritative. He cleaned his sword on a rag and sheathed it, his eyes never leaving the boy.

The demi-human kid lay on the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes wide with pain and fear. Blood pooled around him, soaking into the earth. He tried to crawl away, but his strength was fading fast.

The kid was done for, but the manner in which it was being done was... a little unprofessional.

"Should we break his limbs?" the massive man asked, cracking his knuckles ominously.

"No," the swift one replied. "We take him back intact. He's still useful and can fetch a silver, Ratti kids are rare after all."

Ron watched as they roughly hoisted the boy up, the swift man binding his wounds just enough to keep him from bleeding out. The boy's cries had subsided into whimpers, his spirit broken.

As they dragged the boy away, Ron made eye contact with him.

'Shit!' Ron slid back behind the rock to escape notice.

"BRROOOOTHER!!! HELP MEEEE! PLEASEEEE!" the boy screamed, pointing in Ron's direction. The kidnappers looked around, startled. This was the boy's last hope; a flicker of light in his darkest moment.

'Fuck! I made a mistake!' Ron's mind raced. He had been spotted.

"WHO'S THERE!!??" the massive guy bellowed, his eyes scanning the underbrush. "COME OUT!"

"Go and check," the swift one ordered the thin man, who was still clutching his injured hand.

Ron knew he had no chance if the swift man pursued him. He needed a plan.

'Should I just surrender?' Ron considered his options, weighing his chances. 'Let's wait and see who comes to scout. If the sword guy comes... I have to surrender or I'm done for.'

Ron had noticed earlier that the sword guy had minimal-sounding footsteps, while the massive one obviously had the loudest. Since he couldn't look, he had to rely on his hearing.

The gravel on the riverbank crunched underfoot. It was the thin guy!

Ron looked around and saw thick bushes to his left. He ducked and started to crawl into them, making as little noise as possible.

Timely enough, he had successfully camouflaged just as the thin man approached his area.

As Ron lay down on the grass, hiding in the bushes, he saw a rabbit just two meters away from him. Immediately, as the thin man neared him, Ron lightly flicked a pebble with his fingers toward the rabbit. The pebble hit the bushes, startling the rabbit and making it rustle.

"Got you!" the thin man shouted, peering into the bushes but finding only the rabbit.

"Fuck... it's just a rabbit... and I thought there was another cast-out kid," the thin man muttered, discouraged.

"THERE'S NO ONE HERE, BIG BROTHER!" the thin man shouted back to his comrades.

"Alright! Let's go back! We've wasted enough time!" the sword guy said, turning and heading into the woods, followed by his minions.

Meanwhile, Ron lay there, his heart pounding and threatening to tear out of his chest.

"Haa... that was close... foooo... I was almost caught. Haha," Ron whispered to himself, exhaling deeply to calm his racing heart.

As the kidnappers disappeared into the jungle, Ron's thoughts turned to the boy.