I gripped my rifle tightly as I ventured into the woods of an unknown land. My cadets, only a few strong ones, followed closely behind me. Once I’d give them a signal, they’d shoot. I swallowed as I listened to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees. The night was dark, yet not as dark as Paradis nights. There were stars in the sky.

The place would have been beautiful if not for the savage people who lived here. I never once met one of them, but I heard stories about what they did to my men.

I heard a branch crack and immediately pointed my gun at the source of the sound. I held a hand up to keep my men from firing. As I stepped closer, I noticed a sillouhette. Just as I was about to pull the trigger, the savage jumped at me, pinning me to the ground. I grunted, my gun faking out of my grasp.

Before I could order my men to fire, I met eyes with the woman on top of me. She was clothed, unlike the stories of half-naked men and women. She was also beautiful, and not as threatening as she wanted to seem.

Although she had a knife to my throat, I held my hand up.

“Don’t shoot!” I ordered.