Chapter 5

I have to find my way out

Brid

After hours of wandering aimlessly, I sat on a large rock. I had to catch my breath. Then, I looked at my feet, and they were bleeding. My human skin was not made for this. And unfortunately, Leaf still did not give me any sign. If I had transformed myself by now, I would be about to reach my pack's territory. And without mentioning that my human nose is far behind Leaf's. I couldn't identify the smells, that's why I'm so lost. I don't know which direction will take me home now. After several minutes of sitting on that rock. My mind and body had relaxed, that's when a sound caught my attention.

“Water, it is water.” I got up and walked to where the sound of the vital liquid was running. A few meters ahead, I found what I was looking for. A beautiful waterfall with fresh and pure water. “YEA. Finally, some good luck.” I went to the bank of the river and bent down, taking with my hands some good sips. Fresh and sweet water. My throat was sore and dry, and it began to cool immediately. Once I finished drinking, I sat down on the sand and dipped my feet in the water. The mud and blood were already getting hard. I washed them the best I could and even removed some thorns and splinters that were buried. I couldn't do more at the moment. My only hope was that my body would heal fast as soon as possible. I had to continue on my way.

It was already getting dark, and I still hadn't left the forest. Frantically, I looked for somewhere to spend the night. I needed to rest anyway. Because I wasn't strong enough to continue. And I was hungry. My situation became extremely complicated now. In particular, after walking so much, I felt extremely exhausted. Just thinking about food makes my stomach growl. I don't know how long it has been since I ate. But for sure, it has already been almost a whole day since I remember eating anything. I was very hungry. So I decided to look around me for fruit trees or berry bushes. Yet, I found nothing. Now, what was I going to do? Leaf was not here and I, as a human, would not be able to hunt my food.

I started crying. If someone in the pack saw their lost Luna, crying like a little pup, it would be a disappointment for them. However, here, I was alone. My only consolation was thinking of my pack, and my mate, Kael. Being alone without him was mentally weakening me. I hugged both of my legs and began to lull myself from one side to the other. “Kael, come and get me.” I managed to whisper that before sleep and exhaustion took over.

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The morning rays woke me up. With work, I opened my eyes and looked around me. I was in the same position that I fell asleep in last night. I sat up slowly and sighed. My body bothered me. I started scratching my legs and arms. Apparently, last night, I was the dinner of some insects. Looking at my body and sure enough, I had bites everywhere. I got up and went to the river. The water wasn't that cold, so I dived in until the water was up to my waist. There, I washed my body, hoping the itching would stop, or go down a bit. While I was distracted by this task, in the distance, I heard some voices. I was petrified in the same spot. Slowly, I submerged myself until only my eyes were left on the surface. A short time later, two hunters emerged from the bushes.

My heart jumped several times. But luckily they hadn't seen me. Despite the fact that they were hunters, it was clear that they were not the lethal type. They were so noisy that their single breath scared off any animal in their path. Slowly, I moved in the direction of some rocks that were in the middle of the river. Once there, I watched them for a while. They were sitting in the river, resting. But one of them took a package out of his pocket and opened it. It was a piece of bread. Oh! No, how I wanted to take a bite. And at that very moment, an idea formed in my mind.

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A few hours had passed in a blur. The hunters kept talking and laughing as if nothing bad in the world was happening. My skin was about to fall from being submerged in the water for so long. The only good thing about my situation was that the water had already warmed up due to the sun being at the top. And finally, the opportunity that I was looking for. “Simon, I'm going to get in the water. My neck is sweaty from walking. I can't believe we have spent so many hours trying to hunt something, and no animal has fallen into our trap.” The hunter began to remove his clothing and pile it together on top of a nearby rock.

“Ah! Yes, you're right Tom, this sucks. The good news is that we do not live by hunting. Otherwise, we'd be starving.” The two men started laughing. The one called Tom was the first to get in the water, and the other one began to undress to follow him. Clothes were conveniently accessible. The two began to play with the water as if they were a couple of teenagers. Life was smiling at them. “But not for long.” I said in a low voice. When I was sure they were distracted, I made my move. I completely submerged myself and swam to where their clothes were. I got out of the water in silence. Seeing out of the corner of my eye that they hadn't seen me yet, I hid behind the stone, where the clothes were. And little by little, I grabbed the pile of garment. I was about to leave, but remembered that my feet were bare. In complete silence, I reached out my arm and took the pair of boots that were within my reach. Silently, I turned around and when I was ready to run. “Oi, a thief.”

Without thinking of anything, I started running as fast as I could. Taking a  look back from time to time, I saw the hunters trying to get out of the river, nudes. “Ha, ha, ha.” That image was hilarious. I ran like the wind with their clothes in my hands. Until the river was miles away from me, finally, I stopped to catch my breath. After a few seconds, I looked at the spoils in my hands, saying, “At least I already have clothes.” I put it on right away. It was a bit big for me, but this was better than nothing. The shoes were no different. They were huge too. Now that I was ready, I raised my gaze to the horizon and continued on my way.