"Oh no... Is she dead!?" Usman says and steps forward hesitantly.
Ali rushes towards the girl and checks her pulse. "No, she's alive...." Her pulse is weak and her breath is shallow. He looks at the little girl with pity. "What is she even doing here...?" He says to himself. He looks around and doesn't find Usman. "Usman..." He calls out. "Usman..." He gets up and look around he's about to panic when hears a scream and he knows it's his friend. The scream seem to be coming from a few steps away. Ali walks toward him. His eyes wide open after seeing the scene in front of him. A middle aged man, who is injured badly lying in front of them. Ali checks his pulse and let's out a sigh. "He's dead.... What the hell happened here..?" He starts getting worried. He couldn't understand, the man lying in front of him had many wounds, it was difficult to count them. A sword smeared in blood lied beside him. Ali was trying to understand what might have happened. "That girl seems to be related to him...." Usman says.
Ali nods his expression solemn."You're right.... let's go and hope that we can at least save her...." Ali says and gets up.
"What about his dead body?" Usman asks. He was feeling bad to leave that dead body for beasts. Ali stops in his tracks and after thinking for a while he says. "Let's bury him first...." Ali suggests.
"What if the girl dies in mean time...?" Usman says, confused, not knowing what to do.
Ali's expression changes. "For the first time in life..I think you do have a brain..." Ali says and puts his hand on Usman's shoulder and looks at him with knowing eyes.
"I can't do this alone....." Usman understood what he meant, says and look at him with puppy eyes.
"You can...I believe you..." He says and approaches the little girl without giving him a chance to argue. Usman stands there annoyed but he knows the little girl's life is more important than his fear. He takes a deep breath and starts digging a grave. Ali takes the girl in his arms and walks toward the city leaving Usman alone with the dead body.
.....
"It's been 2 days but that girl hasn't woke up..? Ali says to the doctor, he was getting more and more worried.
The doctor looks at the girl. "She was bitten by a poisonous snake. She's lucky or maybe has a strong will power... I didn't thought she'll even make it out alive.... she's too young to survive that poison.... But she's out of woods now...but you have to wait...." The doctor says explaining the situation.
"How long...?" Ali asks worried.
" We can't say anything....." The doctor says in a sad tone.
Ali let's out a sigh and sits near her.
....
Ali takes care of that little girl day and night he didn't even know her but he felt a connection with her or maybe he couldn't bear to see this little angel in pain, or because he was an orphan himself, and he didn't got anyone who could take care of him so he could feel her pain. No matter what was the reason he was getting desperate and worried day by day. "Why isn't she waking up.... it's been long enough..." He says with wet eyes.
"Don't get too attached...." He takes a pause and sighs. "what if she wants to go back when she wakes up..?" Usman says.
" Why? Can't she stay here?" Ali says looking away but he knew the answer.
"She looks like she belongs to a rich family.... We are thieves. Why will she..?" Usman states the fact.
" But.... Maybe she has no one..." He tries not to look in Usman's eyes because he knew Usman was right. He tries not to cry.
Usman looks in his wet eyes. "You can't be selfish... She has to leave after she wake up..." Usman says.
Ali tries to control his emotions. "I was here for her...day and night..for two months..."
Usman puts his hand on Ali's shoulder. "Ali.. we're thieves...we can't ruin her future..." He says taking a softer tone.
"What if she has no one?" He asks looking down.
"Then we'll send her to orphanage...." Usman says.
" No... don't you know how they treat children...?" Ali says in desperation.
"Fine...." He sighs. " We'll keep her...." He says giving up. " But if she wants to leave..you won't stop her, ok?"
"Ok....." He says.
.....
After some days, that little girl starts to wake up. Ali looks at her with both happiness and fear, he's afraid of letting her go.
She whimpers and looks up in Ali's eyes.
"Who are you....?"