It didn't take much effort to get the fire going again, but finding the right wood to use on it was becoming harder. his new friend never seemed to be bothered by anything, just lighting the fire whilst keeping alert, her big ears moving like radar dishes, at least if something was coming, she would let him know. The boy would occasionally turn his eyes to his rifle, stood on a stump near the tent.
Then, memories flood into his head, flowing like an old movie reel, he started remembering recent events, his first few minutes with the antho wolf, Athena she called herself, the run in with the black wolf creature, Mitchell vanishing, the camp attack, all the way back to the memory of him writing his name and address down on the paper, allowing him to take this trip.
Tyler contemplated on whether it was a good idea or not, but it was too late and there was no point regretting it now, what was important was survival and getting back home. But with the attack of the beasts and meeting a real anthro wolf like creature that wants to help him, it had now gotten a bit more complicated.
he set the wood he was carrying down next to Athena, who looked at him and smiled before grabbing the individual small logs and chucking them into the fire. A silence hung in the air between the two, neither seeming to know what to say nor what to ask.
Then, Tyler thought about the attack on the camp, the wolf things that ambushed all the cadets while they were asleep. He started wondering, was she part of it or something else?.
Tyler shifted so that he looked up at the wolf next to him before saying:
"Do you know about that attack on our camp that one night?"
Athena looked down at the boy, quirking an eyebrow, replied:
"What do you mean?"
"A couple of days ago, we had set up camp for the night, in the middle of the night, we were attacked by some "things," do you know about it?"
Athena sat there pondering her about, then it came to her, she had been watching them one night when she heard the howls of the creatures, and rushed to alert her pack members. There was a long pause before she said, "Yes..... I do know about that, i was watching you when those howls bellowed out, i went of to get my friends, i had been watching you and your group for a few days".
As Tyler listened, he began connecting the dots, this wolf had essentially been spying on him and his friends even before their expedition into the woods.
"What do you mean by getting your friends?, were you with a whole group watching us?"
"There is a small band of us, but we are just a scouting party, our actual tribe is a good distance from here, another scout party had returned and alerted us to the bus coming into the base, they needed someone who was quick and could get themselves out of sight quickly".
Tyler pondered for a second before saying:
"So that's you i'm guessing?"
" Yeah, out of our whole tribe, i'm the best at it" she said. Tyler he sat there, Tyler thought of some more questions to ask his new friend, he spotted the bag she carried, laid down by her side.
"Where did ya get that?" Tyler asked, lifted the stick and pointing it at the bag, Athena glanced down at it, before grabbing it and placing it in her lap, it was an olive green bag, with a strap to put over the shoulder, with black letters on it saying: U.S. It also had a medical symbol on it.
" I got this from another human, it was a long time ago, i was quite young, i helped him find his way back and gave him some food and water, but i would only help him on one condition, that he would never tell any other human about us, he promised me he would.
But, he came back, he wanted to thank me for saving him, he mentioned how the forest seemed more dangerous than the things living in it, he had this bag with him. He gave it to me as a gift."
Tyler sat there, taking it all in as Athena told her tale, he pondered on what the guy said about the forest being more dangerous than the creatures that call it their home. He certainly couldn't blame him for having that kind of opinion about this place, everything about it seemed to have a strange aurora to it, as if the very forest itself was a living, breathing predator, like a Venus flytrap, if it was the size of a national park.
The boy ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back to reveal small clumps of dirt and moss, as well as a thin trickle of snow, it seemed as though no matter what, the weather always found a way to ensure he knew it was cold and wet. At the same time, Tyler let out a sneeze, as well as Athena, both looking at each other and chuckling.
"Are there any rivers or lakes nearby here, i really need to clean myself off" said Tyler.
"Yes, there is a river over there" Athena said, pointing of into a random direction.
"Would you like me to go with you?"
Tyler thought about it, while he didn't exactly trust his new friend with his life yet, he figured that it was better than going alone, last thing he wanted was to be snuck up on by one of the "things" while his guard was down.
"Yeah sure, thanks, i just need to grab some clothes" said Tyler as he grabbed his burgeon and rummaged through it, pulling out a clean uniform, complete with trousers and shirt.
"great, let's go" Athena said, standing up and wondering off into the woods, Tyler Running up next to her, following her, slinging his rifle over his back.