Lost & Found

5: Water

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 made 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 by the cloak clasped over his shoulders. He hit the ground with a thud and his breath whooshed out of him. 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. She rose to her feet in one fluid motion, her hands coming together on the pummel as she swung at its’ head. She struck with the flat of the blade, a sharp thwack rang out as she struck 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 towards him. She led him along the water’s edge through the trees at a quicker pace than the day before, but not faster than he could manage to keep up. She stopped often enough for him to refill the skin when it was emptied, and when he needed a moment to rest. She was painfully obvious about plucking certain plants and berries as they walked. Half of them went into her bag, the rest she chewed as they walked.

He tried conversation a few times, not knowing if she understood him. She continued in her silent march along the water, ignoring him each time. He felt like a young child that had been scolded and was still in trouble for misbehaving. Thanking her for saving his life again felt inadequate, and it just seemed to annoy her further. So he spent most of the day making sure he kept the pace she set, and trying to gather the plants she indicated were safe to eat.

Clouds darkened the sky in the early afternoon, and she quickened her steps. The air grew chilly, the sun hidden behind the clouds unable to heat it. 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. He found her working feverishly to pull limbs off one evergreen tree and weaving them into the limbs of a larger one. She used a small gilded dagger to saw at larger limbs that she couldn’t simply break off. He was still weak, and could’ve used a rest to catch his breath, but knew just as she did that they had to work quickly if they were going to remain dry tonight.

He didn’t know how to make the structure she was building, but he could cut limbs for her. Using his sword, he was able to cut branches faster, and soon had a pile for her to work with. Some she had set aside, they were larger and less flexible. When his gathering slowed, she silently instructed him to remove the smaller shoots from the large limbs and placing them upright as walls. When the pile looked low or he ran out of larger limbs to trim and set in place, he returned to cutting more down.

When they were done, they’d made an odd little basket cabin in the tree. It was small but, it was large enough for them to both sit inside, if somewhat crammed together. It would block the rain as if fell from overhead, and the walls would block the wind. They would even be up off the ground and out of the mud. She used her newly made patchwork cape as a cover for the gap they used to crawl inside.

They shared a meal of cold fish and raw roots and berries they’d collected through the day. When she finished eating, she pulled her knees up to her chest. Her arms wrapped around them, and she laid head on her knees to sleep for the night. He tried to follow her lead but lacked the flexibility and had too much muscle mass to become so compact. Listening to the sound of the rain outside he struggled to find sleep tonight, especially after she shivered through a gust that found its way between the walls they’d built. He’d never seen a woman wear so few clothes, even if hers were in better shape than his own. Even in brothels, women’s undergarments covered more than the tight leather pants and vest she wore. The linen shirt under the vest kept her arms and neck covered, but the material was light and thin and she’d given him her cloak to keep warm. He held his breath as he pulled the cloak from his shoulders and draped it over the both of them as best he could in the cramped space. Sharing their heat under the wool, sleep finally found him.