Chapter Twenty-One: Mariah

There's is one more person in our group that's injured...

He's rich, and he never told me until now. That would explain a lot of things, such as the way both boys dressed, the way they acted... Everything.

"I mean, if my mom and I were rich, we wouldn't have been living in a shack, and I might have met you somewhere in one of those rich neighborhoods, and-"

"It's okay," He says suddenly, catching my attention. I fall silent, looking up at him.

"What?" I whisper, afraid I'd heard him wrong.

"Never mind. Look, we've both been through a lot recently," He says, moving closer to me. "We need a break, and as soon as we get out of here, I promise that you and your mother won't have to worry about money again."

I like the way he said that, with such confidence that we would in fact get home. But even still, I was skeptic. What if something bad happened to us? We've gotten so close already, and to just lose somebody right now? How could any of us live with that? I know I couldn't.

I feel him slip an arm around me and jump, startled out of my thoughts. I look up at him, biting my lip.

"Y-You looked cold," He says, starting to pull back, but I quickly stop him.

"Actually... I kind of am," I admit.

He smiles and pulls me close, and I quietly oblige. He feels warm, but not alarmingly warm. Like one would after a lot of physical exercise, but without all the sweat.

As soon as night started to fall, we both came to an agreement to tie up all the meat to keep it off the ground. We gather the few things so we can to keep it all together, then tie it to a low-hanging tree branch right beside us.

"Come here," He says, sitting on the ground beside the tree.

I did, then gasp as he pulled me on the ground with him. "What was that for?"

"I just thought we should stay close tonight since it's probably going to be cold and we don't have a blanket," He replies.

I hesitate, then nod. It sounds logical. I curl up in his lap, not quite liking it, but not wanting to argue. Besides, he’s nice and warm.

Without realizing it, I ended up falling asleep right there, only to be awoken a short while later by him vigorously shaking me.

"Mariah!" He snaps loudly, almost to the point of yelling.

I slowly open my eyes, only to see the silhouette of some creature at the base of the branch that holds our food, eyeing us carefully. The sun had started to rise, casting just enough light to make out what was there. A large male wolf with light brown fur. A leg of the deer is clasped firmly in it's jaws.

I slowly reach over and grab my bow, aiming carefully, then shoot one of the arrows Tyler made for me, just barely missing. Almost immediately it got into a hunting position, baring it's teeth at me. It starts to circle us, and I quickly get to my feet, pulling Tyler up. I highly doubt it's going to be alone - his pack has to be around here somewhere.

I keep my eyes on him, watching him pace back and forth in front of us. Then, he charges at us, and I just managed to push Tyler out of the way before it bites my leg, pulling back just before Tyler could hit it with his stick. I cry out in pain, falling to the ground, being pulled with him for just a moment before he let go. This isn't a normal wolf just looking for a meal to scavenge... This was a hungry wolf who would stop at nothing for ‘easy’ food.

While Tyler frets over me, the wolf sneaks away with our deer, one of the legs that we cut off last night the only thing left behind. I try getting to my feet to chase after it, but immediately fall back down because of my ankle, which was starting to swell really bad and hurt a lot.

That wolf got away with our food.

And now there is one more person in our group injured...

Author's Note

Silent Wolf wrote this one.