The Nomadic

I sprint into a clearing and slowed down to a stop. As I bend over with my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath, I strain my ears to try to hear anything other than my breathing. I've been running from a male that wanted to mate. The male was very aggressive and persistent. When he first found me, I kindly told him no but he was not taking that for an answer. He told me he wasn't going to stop until he had his seed inside of me. Gross. So because of him, I've been on the run all day. I had no time to scavenge, hunt or find water. I have been too busy trying to escape and hide from the male all day.  I was able to tell that the man was a tracker from when I first laid eyes on him. I wasn't worried though, my parents taught me well before they were mysteriously murdered ten summers ago. I was able to make myself camouflage by using mud, animal dung, and old dried out leaves to cover my whole body. I was able to hide my scent by using leftover animal fat on my hands and feet. Disgusting, I know. But if I wanted to not be captured, I needed to do this. I knew it worked because as I finally caught my breath, I didn't hear any approaching footsteps. I let out a breath of relief and looked around me. I was in a small clearing, surrounded by a green sea of grass. In the far distance, I can see a small river. Just seeing that tiny body of water made my stomach growl in hunger and my mouth grow sandy from thirst, knowing I was only a small distance from water and fish. The sky above was clear and blue but it was very close to sunset. I need to set up camp and get food and water before the sun goes down. I walk into the clearing and began to pick up fallen branches and leaves and began making me a small shelter. After getting the shelter done, I began making a fire and lined it with rocks so the fire wouldn't spread. Since the camp was set up, I went over to the river and began washing my body of the filth I used to camouflage my body and scent. Then, I began chugging down water, nearly choking because of fast I was drinking. I was able to catch a medium-sized perch with my hands. I ate it raw and was able to make it back to camp just as the sun touched the horizon. I warmed myself by the fire for about an hour and then crawled into the small shelter I made. As I lie down I nearly groaned in pleasure, loving the way my tired and stiff bones began to relax.  I was able to fall into a deep slumber