Snippet #2438264

I wake up to the sight of Pronghorns. I realize I am chained up. The leader of the three who kidnapped me (well I assume he is, he seemed to order the rest around) jolts upright when he sees me awake. "So you're awake," he says. He stands up and stretches. "I'm going to get the others." He grins. "Don't go anywhere!" As if I could. I don't even know what happened, all I know is my escape has gone terribly, terribly wrong. The leader comes back with the others trailing behind him, yawning and rubbing their eyes. The leader pulls up a chair and sits down. The others stand around, looking uncomfortable.
"I'll just get down to business," the leader stated. "We know who you are." I guess he sees me gasp because he goes on to explain, "Herrings." Which actually cleared things up quite a bit. "We know your brother doesn't know where you are. So we are going to use you as a bargaining chip. He is pretty high up in Dynastinae ranks, is he not?" Mutely, I nod. "I thought as much. So we are going to use you to lure Dynastinae members out here, and use the cicadas to finish them off! We've long since wanted the trade to ourselves. The Dynastinae are just more of your foul race, who think they're so high and mighty they can sell members of their own kind to us. When they are slaves too, we will become the strongest nation!" I am horrified. Kill the Dynastinae? "Oh, don't pretend, little girl," he says. "I know you hate them as much as I do. Maybe more, because for you it's...personal." I am shocked. I was thinking that. Who would desire the death of their own brother? I must be awful. "Glad that's settled," the leader says. "And I'm arranging for you to be taken to a small tribe of wanderers. They are under orders to keep you there, and I'm sure they will, because the Dynastinae have tried to enslave them before." He gets up and walks off. "Get up!" he yells to his "followers."
They scramble to follow him out, and leave me alone in the dark underground dugout.