AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My laughter quickly fades as I realize how much I’ve spoken to her. I don’t know what got me to lecture her like that or joke with her. I’ve followed the ‘don’t speak unless spoken to’ rule for years, but something about her makes me feel like I have to step forward.
Could it be her size that makes me feel protective of her, her bravery when being circled by the wolves, or is it something else about her that has me opening up like this? I get uncomfortable and try to sit up straight and reclaim my posture.
“What if my body can’t contain my ‘heroic’ spirit?” she asks with a grin. I don’t respond, and she rolls her eyes and smiles. “Look, I know I’m not exactly built to take down any armies. I just wish I was taken more seriously or had the strength to survive on my own. I’ve been teased my whole life for being short and thin. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it does prevent me from doing the things I’d like to do.”
Surprisingly, I want to ask her what else she likes to do. I want to know more about her, but I know where that path leads. The only one I’ve gotten close to in the past few years has been Loki because he took me in at my lowest point, and I knew I could trust him from the moment I saw him. The last time I was curious about or got close to a woman was Flora, and I swore I would never endure that type of hurt again.
I know the connection to others surrounding you is essential to survival, but it’s the one I fear the most. I would rather take on an entire army of rebel orcs than get close to someone who may not always be by my side again. Dana is sweet and curious about the things I know, and I appreciate it, but as much as I want to lean into her questions and conversations, I know it’s futile.
We sit in silence, and I stare into the fire, avoiding eye contact with her. I feel guilty and wonder if she feels shut out by my cold nature, and I hope she doesn’t because I want to protect her and make her feel safe. She doesn’t know about my past and doesn’t need to. All she needs to know is that I will provide for us while we’re here.
“So….” I look at her and watch her adjust the bandage on her leg. “What are we going to do tomorrow?”
I hide a grin. I can’t help but admire her determination and enthusiasm. That’s a good question, too; if we can’t trace back the river tomorrow before sundown, what will we do?
8
DANA
The longer he stays silent, the more I worry. The fire crackling has been a nice fill to the silence, but now it’s almost menacing. I wonder why he’s so silent and why he was so bold before about my safety. I’m slightly offended by how little faith he has in me, but then again, I tried to fight off sixteen wolves with a minuscule dagger.
I wonder if I said something that made him upset. Was it my questions that made him shut down? Is he worried about what we’ll do tomorrow? The paranoid part of my mind says he might have ulterior motives, but I shove that aside quickly. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done so by now.
It’s clear he’s not much of a talker. I don’t know if it’s the stress of the situation or if he’s always like this, but I’m fully aware he doesn’t want to speak to me much. Unfortunately for him, when I get nervous like this, the only thing that helps is for me to talk about it.
Distractions help the most; I can get out of my head when someone else steers the conversation. Usually, someone being straightforward with telling me what we should do or telling me a distracting story helps me best. To my disappointment, he doesn’t seem towantto talk, and I don’t particularly like telling people I barely know that my nerves overtake me so quickly.
I don’t want to piss him off, mainly because I’m stuck with him. If he decides to leave me behind, I’ll only know to follow the river, and even then, I’ll have a hard time getting back to the compound. I need to ensure I give him a reason to keep me around, even if that reason is just that he knows I can’t protect myself.
“We need to stay here for a while,” he says lowly.
I feel my anxious brain take a metaphorical breath of relief. I close my eyes and exhale slowly, thankful that something broke the silence. The quiet has always been gasoline for my thoughts when they’re already on fire.
“What about tracing the river?” I ask, my words shooting out of my mouth like horses taking off onto a racetrack.
He looks at me with surprise and a hint of confusion. “It’s not smart for us to travel so far on injured legs. We don’t know what plants line this forest either; it just makes for a higher risk of infection if we try this soon.”
“So, we’re not going to try to leave tomorrow?”
“Not until our wounds heal, and I don’t limp anymore. If we get surrounded by a predator and need to run, we won’t stand a chance like this.” He looks at my leg and then at my eyes. “Especially since you can’t keep up with me already.”
I look away from him and nod slowly. I don’t believe he’s trying to be an asshole, but he’s really pushing the limit. He thinks I’m fragile like I’m made of glass and waiting to be crushed. Everyone has weaknesses, and I know he has some, too. I wish he would admit it so this conversation doesn’t feel demeaning.
As much as I want to bite back, he’s right. I’m aware of my body and the limits I have. I’m not formally trained like he is, and I’m not educated in survival skills. I hate to admit it, but I need him to stay and help me.
I hear a loud pop and look at the fireplace. Some of the wood had just broken in half, and the fire seems to be dying out. Hurian looks at it, pokes it with a stick, and stands up from the floor next to it as he sighs.
“We should get some rest, conserve the rest of the wood and candles for tomorrow,” he states as he looks at me.
I nod in agreement and look away from him at the fire. As it dies out, I wonder what it must feel like, dying, I mean. I’d never thought much about the afterlife until being in this situation, but now the thought keeps popping up in my mind, loud like the cracks coming from the fireplace.
“Have you ever eaten dae?” he asks as he puts his hands on his hips.
“Dae?” I look at him, confused, before nodding. “Yes, of course.”
“Have you ever eaten a baby dae?”
I look at the ceiling and furrow my brow as I ponder his question. I shake my head and look back into his eyes. “No, I don’t believe I have.”
