Chapter 9

For a reason that was most certainly not jealousy, I knocked the woman unconscious directly after we had freed her from her bonds. Both men just looked at me after I hit her over the head with the blunt of my bow. “What?” I nonchalantly inquired with a smirk as I turned and walked back to the fire with not but an air of superiority; satisfied with my work.

I looked around for wood or anything that could be used to feed the fire so I could thaw the chill that seemed to permanently reside deep within my very soul. Suddenly, I felt claustrophobic and restless. I could no longer sit still with the walls looming so close to me; they seemed to be moving, closing in on me, wanting to swallow me and shut me away from the world. When I had found that there was nothing of use for the fire anyways, I stood and started walking to the mouth of the encove. “I’m going out for wood” I stated, not looking for approval, or even glancing at the other two for that matter, as I grabbed one of the daggers and walked out into the night.
As soon as I stepped outside, the calm sounds of the dark and cool dusk washed over me and I closed my eyes, tilting my head back and allowed myself to breathe it all in. I began walking without a set goal; I would grab some wood when I decided to go back. The stars as my only source of light, I could see everything anew. The world bathed in the pale light that only pure naturality could bring out in such a tragic time. The beauty of the night was astounding, the only time where everything seemed to go truly silent; Mother Nature herself settling down for the night and pulling the darkness up as a thick blanket that had the capability to push even the most horrid of times away for even just that one captivatingly raw moment.
The moment was sheer blissful perfection and I simply lived as I breathed for the first time in a very long while. I walked among the trees, touching the rough bark and running my hand along each surface I passed, admiring the true beauty for what seemed to be the very first time. The forest teeming with the life that only seems to come at ‘Witching Hour’; inhaling and exhaling simplicity that was nonesuch in what our culture had turned into. The darkest days of our society.
The deep menacing caw of a crow sounded in the distance as my naïvely innocent state was shattered. I took a quick gasp of an inhalation as I shuddered and my eyes seemed to dilate as if awaking from a dream and I remembered who I was and what I was doing. Sadness washed over me as I recalled that what had happened in that moment wouldn’t come often and it was over. I sighed and turned back to walk in the direction that I had come.
The celestial beauty of the forest no longer seemed as alluring and perfect as it had been only moments prior. I grabbed some sticks and began my slow trek back to reality. I allowed myself a pause as a strange feeling came over me and I knew right away that I wasn’t alone. The feeling was different from being watched or followed, so I was put to a bit of ease; yet there was something there.
I slowed my already lethargic pace and halted my progression, placing my armful of sticks. I closed my eyes that would be useless for locating anything in the dark forest  that was shrouded with shadows; and allowed my other senses to heighten. I heard unintelligible muttering to one another off in the west and decided to find if it was simply a group of misguided traveller’s or maybe even the company that the unidentified woman had been accompanied by. As I was walking I heard the distinct noise of a caravan’s engine revving and needn’t go any further.
I turned to picked up the bundle and restarted my walk back to our temporary base. Only that time my pace was quickened a bit, and I walked a little more lightly on my feet with my newfound cautious mindset. Now that I had a good reason to go back, I was eager to return to my group. As I parted the green curtain that was hiding us from sight, I breathed a sigh of relief with the normalcy that was there; instantly calming the slight panic that had formed within me. Landon and Zech were sitting by the fire that was struggling to continue it’s life and the woman was still sitting slouched against the wall, mumbling as she was slowly regaining consciousness.
I began to set some of the wood up so the fire could slowly eat and rebuild to it’s former glowing, yet mighty, heat. I looked between the other two and informed them of what I had seen on my brief outing. Our demeanor became grave as we sat huddled around the dancing fire that was gaining in size; whipping it’s misleadingly captivating talons out, longing to leave it’s fiery red mark on our skin. We sat there through the night. If any of us drifted off to sleep, we would never remember. All to be remembered would be the silence and constantly watching and listening for any unusual sounds. The night seemed to be never ending, and no one dared to make any unnecessary noises; The tormenting wait was to be broken only by the sun that came leaking through into our cave and into our streams of awareness.