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It looks like dragon’s wings.
Did Donald carve this?
Did someone else?
I shiver as the snow starts to fall faster. I need to get going. Soon this whole path is going to be icy. I already realize I’m probably not going to be making it out of here tonight. I glance back to where I came from, but the snowfall makes it difficult to see. I blow some of the snowflakes out of my face as they fall. They’re thick, and several of them land on my nose.
“Come on, Natalie,” I say aloud as I turn right and continue down the path. One of the bad things about living near the mountains is that when it snows, it fucking snows. Storms roll in really quickly, almost instantly, and fighting them can be impossible. The path curves upwards, and I begin the hike, slipping occasionally, but constantly moving.
I won’t stop.
Not now.
Not when I’m so close.
One foot goes in front of the other. I don’t know what I’m looking for. My eyes scan the areas around me as much as possible, but there are so many trees and stones and rocks that it’s hard to see anything except the narrow path ahead of me. The mountain curves up with large boulders all around me. I move slowly, but steadily, and then I slip.
My left foot catches and I fall, landing on my hands and knees. I cry out loudly as the pain washes over me. I shouldn’t be loud. Not when I’m dragon hunting. I can’t help it, though, and I bite my tongue as the tears start to form in my eyes. I’ve always considered myself to be kind of tough and kind of strong, but right now I don’t feel either of those things.
Somehow, I manage to get to my feet and look down at my hands. They’re bleeding. A quick glance at my knees shows that both knees on my jeans are ripped. Like my hands, my knees are bleeding, and I realize I’m not going to be able to go much further until the storm clears. Fuck.
I need to find a fucking cave, or even a couple of rocks to hide behind or under. It’s just a freak snowstorm. How long could it actually last? I refuse to let this be the reason I can’t get back to Dad. This won’t be the thing that keeps me from him.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I tell myself. “I’ll just find a place to stay and hide, and then when the weather clears, I’ll find
Donald, and then I’ll convince him to come back to the clan with me. Yep. Everything’s going to be fine.”
It has to be fine.
I don’t have any other options.
I move slowly, carefully, for another ten or fifteen minutes, and then I see it: the opening to a narrow cave. It’s behind some brush, but the snow has pushed the branches of a bush down, and I can see the opening. It’s not very big, but I don’t need big. I just need somewhere I can sit down and warm up for a little while.
I move over to the cave opening and squat down. Pulling out my flashlight, I shine it inside the cave. It appears to be empty and unused. That’s good. It means I’m not going to have to deal with trying to fight off a non-shifter bear or mountain lion. Wiggling behind the bush that’s blocking the entrance, I duck inside the cave. I have to crawl in, and I do this awkwardly because I’m trying not to let my knees rub against the ground. Eventually, I realize that’s not going to work, and I sit on my ass and sort of wiggle deeper into the cave. About five feet from the entrance, the room opens up, and I see that this is definitely a larger, deeper cave than I first imagined. It goes back, deep into the mountains, and curves, but I have no interest in exploring.
Nope.
All I want right now is to warm up, rest up, and as soon as the snow stops falling, to find the dragon who’s been hiding away for all of these years. I open my backpack and pull out my thin emergency blanket. Spreading it out on myself, I lean back against the side of the cave wall. I should wash the dirt from my wounds, and I will, but first I’m going to rest.
Just for a little while.
Chapter Five
Donald
There’s a human in my fucking cave.
What the actual fuck?
No.
Just no.
This is not acceptable.
Humans live in human places and dragons?
We fucking live in the dark.
