[ OT ] Sunday Free Write : Peanuts Edition

*This is the revised and extend version of what I posted last Sunday which can be found [ here ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/5dwscy/ot_sunday_free_write_candide_edition/da856u8/ ) and thanks to /u/SkippyTheKid for his very helpful advice last week. * 
 
 Laura ran down the gaps between the houses. They quickly gave way to the main road, through the village. She paused. Hearing the shouts behind her getting closer she made up her mind. She darted across, nearly tripping up on the ruts in the road. Hurriedly she squeezed through the gap between the two nearest buildings and out of sight, earning several scrapes from the rough stone of one of the houses. Almost there. Forcing her way down several more narrow gaps between crudely built houses, she stumbled out from the between the final houses and into the fields beyond. She took several deep breaths to refill her lungs, wincing at the stinging pain the action elicited from the scratches on her chest. 
 
 She was off again. Forcing her way through fields, her efforts hampered by the variety of plants in the fields, some attempting to trip her up others resisting her progress. The sound of her pursuers was to the right now, they were going to try and cut her off. Ignoring the burning pain in her legs she forced herself to run faster, pulling herself over the low walls that divided the various fields with increased haste. She had to get to the trees. She was almost there only one wall left. Not even pausing for breath she scrambled over the chest high wall, receiving a few new scrapes in the process from the jagged stones of the wall. 
 
 Lightly dropping down another side of the wall she began to run again. She winced at the pain in her back, the sweat running down it had gone into the scrapes and scratches on her back. Forced herself on she ran, the trees getting closer with each step. Her pursuers were behind her again, having not cleared the fields yet, their cries growing steadily more distant. Stumbling in exhaustion she finally reached the trees. Leaning against a nearby tree, her chest heaving, she tried to force air into her starved lungs. She had to find somewhere to hide. She took a few more ragged gasps before pushing on into the depths of the forest. 
 
 She may not know where she was but did not care. She looked around her at the forest as if she was seeing it for the first time. Marvelling at the shafts of sunlight breaking through the foliage, the plants in a small clearing, the solitary deer ran that ran out in front of her and just as quickly fled. After a wondering, aimlessly through the forest for a while, she came across a path through the undergrowth. In one direction, the path quickly turned out of sight and in the other it dropped down into a dried-up river bed. She stopped, indecisive. She looked back the way she had come and then up and down the path. Deciding quickly, she walked along the path towards the bend and out of sight. 
 
 As the light began to fade, she shivered and pulled the torn remnants of her shirt closer to her body. She was lost, cold, hungry and wished now more than ever that she had someone to comfort her. She wondered what had processed her to run away, it was not like it would do any good. What would her mother and father do when they found her? Beat her and lock her in the room again. She had difficulty working out why they did that sometimes, they seemed to invent reasons to do it to her. This morning they had tried to beat her again for a reason beyond her understanding. She had fled when he got his cane out, wanting to escape from them and to never return. Now wished she had not, for she was now even more alone than before. 
 
 After some thought, she decided they would never come this deep into the forest to look for her. She had been a bit too clever in running into the forest. What would happen to her now, alone in an increasingly dark forest? She shuddered as her mind started to think about what might be lurking in the shadows, which had begun to assume a threatening nature in her mind. To her, they were shadowy beasts watching her every move waiting to pounce. She did not notice the fallen tree branch until she fell over it and fell headfirst into a large bush on the side of the path. 
 
 It was a she began to pull herself up and out of the bush, brushing off dirt and leaves, she noticed the remnants of the eggs. The area in the middle of the bush, which was hollow, contained a scene of absolute carnage, covered in the dull green egg shells and the remains the contents of the eggs. Curious she decided to search in the centre of the bush for anything that might tell her where these eggs had come from. Shortly after she began her search she discovered an intact egg underneath a pile of leaves from the bush, its shell almost invisible against the leaves. 
 
 She reached down she carefully picked up the egg, cradling it in her hands. Making sure not to drop the egg or damage it, she forced her way out of the bush and sat down on the log to which she owed this discovery. Holding the egg in front of her she examined it in the dying light, checking it for any cracks or damage having completely forgotten her worries her excitement. She was finishing her inspection of the egg, when it started to crack. Hastily she put the egg down on the path in front of her, making it a nest of fallen leaves from the bush, and watched as the cracks multiplied and spread. 
 
 A small dark green head with a pair outsized eyes emerged from the shell first. Shortly after the head, a pair of legs forced their way out, enlarging the hole the head had emerged from. Its front half free from the shell it surveyed its surroundings, its legs dangling from the hole it had made. Making a satisfied chirp it preceded it to kick the rest of the shell apart with the pair of legs still trapped inside the shell. A distressed squeal emitted from it as the egg broke open, dropping it out onto the path. Righting itself it proceeded to walk towards the log, using its forked tail and wings to steady its self on its wobbly legs. 
 
 Laura watched it, amazed at her discovery and at the creature in front of her. At first, she did not notice the little hatchling butting her leg, only when it started to nip at her leg did she notice it had reached her. Reaching down she cautiously picked it up, ready to let go of it if it attacked her. Nestling it her arms she looked at it, not quite believing she had a dragon in her arms. The dragon locked eyes with her, and she found herself unable to look away from its piercing gaze. It chirped happily and curled up in her arms, content.
