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I turn around and look at his hand on my arm, surprised at the quickness of his movement. He removes it quickly and rubs the back of his head while he points to my leg.
“Are you feeling alright to keep walking?” he asks.
“Yeah…” my words trail off as I look at him with confusion.
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure.”
He adjusts the backpack on his back and walks in front of me. I squint my eyes and cock my head as I watch him walk deeper into the forest. What is going on in this man’s head? One second, he’s completely shut off, and the next, he’s checking on me. Maybe the mystery is a part of the pull I feel toward him.
We walk for hours until the sun sets, and I realize my leg doesn’t feel as good as I thought. I also feel dizzy from only eating berries and nuts, the heat, and the strenuous activity. We’ve crossed the river twice, climbed up three steep hills, and I’ve tripped six times.
Hurian must have a sixth sense. Every time I’m about to hit the ground, he catches me and steadies me. Sometimes he lets go quickly, and others, he holds onto me a little too long. A sick part of me is glad I’m so clumsy, and an even sicker part has debated faking a trip or two, so I can feel him hold onto me more.
The dusk sets on us quickly, and Hurian puts his bag down in the middle of two large tree trunks close to the river’s edge. He turns to me and sighs.
“We’re going to have to stop here. If we make a temporary shelter against the trunk of one of these trees, we should be fine. If we wake at dawn and get moving, we’ll most likely find somewhere new before dusk tomorrow.”
“Alright.” I nod and look at him. “What do you want me to do?”
“Sit down and make yourself comfortable.”
“Such a gentleman,” I remark with a smirk as I sit down, leaning against one of the tree trunks.
Of course, he wants me to rest. I can’t get enough of this man’s chivalry; he’s always putting my well-being forward. I smile and shake my head as I place my bag down and watch him scramble around for sticks and large leaves.
Within twenty minutes, he’s managed to fashion a makeshift house out of wooden sticks in the ground, and plant leaves stretched between the sticks.
Within twenty minutes, he’s managed to build a makeshift fort for us with our backs to one of the tree trunks. He lays down beneath it and groans as he rubs his face. I walk over and lay down next to him, looking up at the roof of our temporary home.
I chuckle and look over at him, about to ask him to finish another fairytale of mine. Before I get the chance, I realize he’s fast asleep. I roll over on my side, intent on going to sleep myself, before I catch a whiff of my body odor and almost puke.
Looking at him over my shoulder, I determine he’s definitely asleep before quietly crawling out from underneath our enclosure and walking toward the sound of the nearby river. I approach the water’s edge and look up at the moon. I stare at it dreamily, trying to figure out if it’s full or not. If it isn’t, it’s close.
Either way, this is good news for me. The light will allow me to see predators from the center of the river and help me find my way back to our camp, too.
I strip off my clothes and put my feet in the water, the coldness shocking my ankles at first. Eventually, they warm up, and I think of how much I need to rest. It’s better to do this quickly so I can get back in time to get some sleep.
I look at the moon again and take a large breath before holding my nose and jumping into the calm river water. When I surface, I brush my hair out of my face and chuckle as I float on my back.
I only hear the sounds of crickets and frogs as I float, bringing me a sense of peace and calm. My muscles feel like they loosen up with each small wave of water that flows over me. I exhale and close my eyes, feeling the weightlessness of my body as I clear my mind.
Surprisingly, it works. I don’t have any racing thoughts or unanswered questions. The narrator that consistently spins around in my head has taken a break, leaving me free to rest. The first thought that comes into my mind is that I could fall asleep on top of this water if I wanted to.
I open my eyes and gaze at the moon. I wonder how long it will take us to get back home. For the first time, my next thought after that isn’t one of panic. It’s one of assurance. I feel we will, somehow, but being in this moment right now is more important than worrying about the future.
As I smile at the moon, Hurian’s scream breaks my peace. I startle and put my feet on the dirt beneath the river, whipping my head around to look for Hurian. Even with the moon's light, I can’t see him or what’s going on. Panic strikes me as I realize I’ve floated too far from camp.
17
HURIAN
Ishove through the bushes and look around frantically with my bow aimed in front of me. The spotlights on the forest ground from the moon give me a little more advantage than usual, but whatever has taken Dana must have supreme night vision.
I crouch behind a tree trunk, my heart racing and anger pushing through my veins. How could I have fallen asleep? How stupid must I be? I shake my head and close my eyes before the sound of water being thrown around catches my attention. I walk through the bushes slowly toward the river, wrapping my arrow in my bow by my knees.
I get closer to the sound and grin, thinking I’ve caught whatever took Dana. I jump up from the bushes and draw my bow back fully when I see movement beneath the water and bubbles rising to the surface. I draw it back before I see Dana come up from the water, looking panicked as she pushes her hair out of her face.
It takes me a moment to realize Dana is alone in the river, and she’s thrown her hands up in surrender. My heart drops when I notice the fearful look on her face.
