Friends of Enas: The Fight for Justice and Home.

The hooded figure sprinted through the forest, his heavy footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of pine needles covering the forest floor. Clutching his thigh with a clenched fist, he bit down on his lower lip to stifle a cry of pain. He pushed himself to run faster, desperate to reach the safe-house before his pursuers caught up with him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was more likely only a few seconds, he burst into the clearing where his two comrades were waiting.

“Seth!” one of them exclaimed, as he rushed forward and helped the injured man lower himself onto a nearby log. “Are you alright? What happened?”

The hooded man grunted as he shrugged off his pack from his shoulders. “Hairpin turn... I... slipped...” He took a deep breath and slowly removed his hood, revealing a head of short-cropped brown hair and smooth tan skin.

“Why did you take this route back?” The second man asked as he crouched beside him and began to inspect his leg. “We agreed that it would be safer if we all went back together!”

“I know! I know! But there was... something in my pocket... I wanted to get rid of it right away, so I cut through that section of the forest instead! Did they catch up with you?” Seth asked anxiously, watching as his friend gently prodded at the deep gash on his leg. “Is anyone else hurt?”

The first man shook his head grimly. “No one else was caught. We got away cleanly. And no one followed us here either.” He glanced at Seth's companion who was now binding up the wound on Seth's leg with some strips of cloth he had taken from Seth's pack. “But it will only be a matter of time before they find us here too. We're getting sloppy, Seth! How many times have we done this now? How many people have died because of our mistakes?”

Seth shrugged helplessly as he put on a clean shirt and winced slightly at the sharp pain that shot through him when he tried to lift himself up from the log. “You know why we need to do this! You know how important it is for us to keep doing this! It's not any easier for me either! The price we pay is high enough already!” He reached into his pack again and drew out a long dagger which had been concealed within its folds, then handed it over to the other man who had been tending to him. “Take this with you next time then! As long as we keep moving around and don't let ourselves be cornered too easily, nothing should happen to you guys when we raid anymore!” His face grew solemn suddenly then as he stared at the blade clasped in both hands between them while he spoke quietly, almost reverently: “It is my honour that I can serve my friends in this way - even though I am merely but your servant – by attacking those evil men that seek to harm you, my lords. For what is better than dying for the sake of justice? This is why I am glad that I am your humble servant and not one of those wicked men who oppress you! And also why I am proud too that I am able to use such beautiful weapons like these daggers – given only by you – in order to fulfil my task efficiently! Always remember: When you kill those wicked men... always remember that each one is a gift from me... for freeing you from their tyranny and oppression… killing those evil men for justice…. so that everyone may live freely again… free from tyranny… free from injustice… free from corruption… free from greed…. free from hatred…. free from war….. free from all those things that plague our world today…. free from everything bad… free from everything ugly…. free from everything unjust… free from everything immoral…. free forevermore.... until all your wishes shall come true....."