Lost & Found

6: Prey

He was awakened by the gentle shaking of his shoulders. His face was buried into the fabric of his newly mended shirt, and as he stretched, his toes were met with a shocking chill as they poked out from under the wool cloak he'd been curled up under. He tried a polite, "Good Morning," be made a grunt, followed by a gruff, "morning." 

                Smiling, down at him she handed him the refilled water skin. "Thank you," he mumbled, accepting the water and taking a long drink. She set about unwinding the cloth from one of their saved fish and laid the cloth before him. She took one of the filets, sitting on the opposite side of the fire, to eat. With his throat newly lubricated by the water, he was able to get out a genuine, "Thanks." She gave him a half smile and nodded, finishing her fish.

                Reaching out to his breakfast, cool air slipped into the cloak. In order to use his hands more freely, he braced for the cold and shrugged the warm wool off, exposing his chest and back to the cool morning air. She kept her expression neutral, but a light flush started to color her cheeks. He pulled his shirt over his head, tugging it down to his waist and pushing his arms through the sleeves. Setting the cloak back onto his shoulders, he began to eat his own fillet.

                She finished her fish, cleaning her hands with what looked like a scrap from his ruined cloak. Then she picked up a pile of fabric that had been sitting beside her, he hadn't noticed before. She was working her needle and thread through it, sewing the last of the cloak scraps into a single piece. It was calming watching her hands work as he ate.

                Using some of the water from the skin, he dampened the cloth the fish had been wrapped in and used it to clean his own hands like she had. He drained the last of the water. Feeling self-conscious about not offering her any water, he pulled on his boots. She arched an eyebrow in his direction, and he held out the empty skin as if in answer. Sheepishly he added, "I'm just going to go down and refill it," he rubbed the back of his neck abashed, "I didn't realize I was so thirsty." She nodded, returning to her needlework.

                Humming to himself, he pushed past the bushes to make his way down the sloping bank. It surprised him how quickly he'd bounced back, after just two nights of sleeping beside a fire, and a few small meals. He dipped the skin below the water, refilling it and letting the water run over his hand as he held it. The water was much colder than it had been last night; the years' first frost probably wasn't far away now.

                He lifted the full skin to his lips and drained it once more. He'd been without water for days before she'd found him, it'd take many skins to recover completely, but his stomach could only hold so much. He pushed his hand back down into the water to refill it, this time to save until later.

                A low growl from the other side of the flowing water snapped his head and attention up. A dark wolf with sky blue eyes was crouched on the opposite bank, its teeth bared in a snarl. He pulled his hand back slowly out of the water, dropping the skin on the bank beside him. Using smooth slow movements, his hand went to his waist only to find he'd left his sword behind. Sliding his hands down the length of his leg, he went to retrieve his dagger.

                The wolf sensing the threat crouched lower, ready to pounce. Another growl, rumbled from the beasts' throat. His hand slid into his boot, as he was yanked backward. He hit the ground hard with a thud and his breath whooshed out of him. Sucking in air, he stared up at the woman who looked too small to have pulled him off his feet.

                She leapt over the stream, his sword wielded in her right hand. Rolling as she landed, she stood a step out of the wolf's range. The flat of the blade struck with a sharp thwack as she connected with its skull, followed by a yip as the force of the blow knocked the wolf backwards.

                The beast made it back onto its own feet, glaring at her warily. She stepped towards it aggressively, pulling the sword back, ready to smack again. The wolf hesitated, and she growled like a feral monster, standing her ground. It gave her just one last look before tucking its tail and jumping up the bank, skittering away through the trees.

                Thoroughly embarrassed, he pushed himself up off the ground, picking up the empty skin as he stood. Just how many times, in how many ways, was he going to need this small slip of a girl save his ass? She stood poised, watching the wolf as it ran out of sight, ready if it decided to double back. When she was satisfied it wasn't coming back she jumped back over the water, pressing the hilt of the sword roughly to his chest.

                As his hand closed over the steel, she let go, and stormed back up the bank and through the bushes. She was just as annoyed as he was that she'd had to come to his rescue again. He should have had the sword with him, and that was clearly the point she was trying to make when she smacked it against his chest. He moved the sword to his belt, before following her up the bank.

                She moved angrily about the small space. Pushing the small mound of dirt from the pit, back over the still burning fire, it was snuffed it out with a hiss. In a blink of an eye, she had all of her belongings packed into her bag, the remains of his cloak sewn into a sort of cape and wrapped around her shoulders, and her bow slung over a shoulder. An annoyed glance in his direction before she pushed through the bushes back out into the woods.

                He loosed a deep sigh and followed behind her.               He couldn't tell if the chill he felt was from his nerves settling from the encounter with the wolf, the cooling of the season, or her new icy demeanor. She led him along the water's edge through the trees at a quicker pace than the day before, but not so fast that he couldn't manage to keep up. She stopped often for him to refill the skin when it was emptied, and when he needed a moment to rest.

                He tried conversation a few times. She continued in her silent march along the water, not even acknowledging when he tried to get her name by offering his. He felt like a young child that was in trouble for misbehaving. Thanking her for saving his life again felt inadequate, and it just seemed to annoy her further.

                Clouds darkened the sky in the early afternoon, and she quickened their pace. The air grew chilly with the sun hidden behind the clouds. The few remaining leaves in the tree tops rustled in the wind, shaking many loose to fall around them. It would storm tonight. He didn't know where they were headed, or when they would get there. He could only hope it was before the sky opened up.

                She veered sharply away from the stream they followed just minutes before the first drops fell. Climbing up a steep hill, she pressed on ahead of him. Higher ground would keep them from being drowned in a flash flood, but it would offer no protection from the storm. They wouldn't be able to keep a fire going to keep them warm either.

                She'd kept him alive this long, so continued to follow her. She made it to the top of the hill long before him, but he continued to follow her, even after he lost sight of her. He had to use roots and tree limbs to pull himself up the last few feet to the top.

                Hefound her working feverishly to pull limbs off one evergreen tree and weavingthem into the limbs of a larger one. She used a small gilded dagger to hack atlarger limbs that she couldn't simply break off. He was still weak, andcould've used a rest to catch his breath, but knew that they had to workquickly if they were going to remain dry tonight.