Wyrtt woke up from his restless sleep when he felt the cold ground beneath him. His body hurt, and the taste of fear was still in his mouth. As he slowly opened his eyes, thoughts of running away from the wrath of his group came back to him. As the sun just started to rise, it cast a soft, golden light over the rough landscape.
"Where am I?" Under his breath, Wyrtt said something that was hard to hear. It hurt a lot on his side from where an angry tribesman had hit him, so he pushed himself up.
He told himself, "Think, Wyrtt," and took a deep breath to calm down. "You need to find your way back to civilization."
He looked around quickly and noticed that the thick forest was surrounding him like a scary ghost. There were huge trees around him, and their twisted branches stuck out like bony fingers. Rock cliffs rose sharply to the west, making it almost impossible to get through that way. And off in the distance, he could hear the faint sound of water running, which could be his only way out of this seemingly hopeless place.
Wyrtt whispered, "Okay," and clenched his hands in determination. "Forest first, then I'll follow the sound of the water."
He got to his feet slowly, ignoring the pain in his hurt body. As he went deeper into the woods, doubt started to creep into his mind. Had leaving his group been the right thing to do? Would they ever forget what he did?
He told himself, "Focus, Wyrtt," to get rid of his worries. "First, stay alive. "Don't worry about the rest now."
Wyrtt followed his instincts and looked for food and water. He used all of his keen senses to search the forest floor for any signs of life. His knowledge of the woods paid off when he found a patch of berries that he could eat hidden in the bushes.
He said to himself, "Better than nothing," and popped a few into his mouth to enjoy their sour sweetness.
More and more, Wyrtt could hear the sound of water running, and soon he was standing at the edge of a clear, bubbling stream. He felt better when he saw the cool, refreshing drink. He got on his knees, cupped his hands together to scoop up the cold water, and drank it all at once.
Putting some on his face to wash off the dirt and sweat, he sighed and said, "Ah, that hits the spot."
Wyrtt was about to drink again when he heard something moving in the bushes nearby. He snapped his head up and narrowed his eyes as he looked through the leaves for any sign of movement. He knew he wasn't alone because the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
He told himself, "Remain calm," and slowly got to his feet. "Whatever it is, you can handle it."
This time, the bushes moved again, and Wyrtt saw several sets of bright yellow eyes looking back at him. He felt shivers down his spine when he realized what he was facing: a small pack of wolves had come out of the shadows and were looking right at him with hungry eyes.
Wyrtt said softly, "Easy now," and raised his hands to reassure her. "I don't want any trouble."
Adrenaline was pumping through his body as he fought the wild animals. He could feel his heart beating fast. Would his smarts and abilities to stay alive get him through this dangerous situation? Time would tell.
He said under his breath, "Think, Wyrtt, think!" as the wolves got closer. He knew he couldn't run faster than them, but he thought he might be able to trick them.
Wyrtt looked all around, trying to find any edge he could find in the environment. He noticed a tall oak tree nearby. Its strong branches looked like they might be a good place to hide from the howling pack below. He didn't waste any time and ran straight for it.
I think, "Here goes nothing," as he jumped onto the lowest tree and pulled himself up. Wyrtt climbed higher and higher, using all of his speed and time spent in the woods to find handholds and footholds in the rough bark and twisted branches.
"Almost there," he let out a breath as he finally found a safe place to rest. As he stood here, he could see the wolves circle around the base of the tree, their teeth chattering and saliva running from their mouths.
"Stupid beasts," Wyrtt whispered, trying to keep his voice calm even though his heart was beating fast. "You can't reach me up here."
He felt bad for the wolves as he watched them growl and paw at the tree trunk. After all, they were just doing what came easily to them: looking for food to stay alive, just like he did.
He said in a low voice, "Sorry, fellas, but I'm not on the menu today."
He looked around at the trees from where he was standing and thought, "Okay, now what?" "I can't stay up here forever."
The wolves kept going around in a circle, as if they had never been so patient. Wyrtt knew he had to make a plan quickly. He started to think about his choices, anything that might give him a chance against the relentless predators below. He used what he knew about the wilderness to help him.
"Think, Wyrtt," he told himself once more. "Things have been worse for you than this." You're able to do it.
Wyrtt looked down at the wolves, whose eyes were shining with excitement. He knew he had to wait, but every second seemed like it took forever. As the sun went down, it made long shadows that moved across the forest floor.
"Can't stay here all night," he said in a low voice. He agreed, and his stomach growled to tell him how badly he needed food.
He watched how the pack behaved to get an idea of how determined they were. One wolf, who seemed to be the leader, barked at the others, who paced and sniffed around the tree trunk. With his mind on his breathing, Wyrtt vowed to stay cool while he thought of a plan. He whispered, "Okay," but you could just barely make it out. "Wait them out, then find food and water."
As the hours went by, the wolves started to act restless. Some of them started to fight, while others fell to the ground and kept their eyes on the tree the whole time. Even the alpha seemed to lose interest in the end, as its ears dropped and its tail tucked low.
Wyrtt thought, "Finally," as he watched the pack slowly disappear into the woods. "Now's my chance."
He carefully moved his weight from one branch to another, trying each one before putting all of his faith in it. He couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him as he went down. He told himself, "Just a few more steps," as he looked down at the ground.
"Snap!"
When Wyrtt stopped moving, his heart stopped beating fast. Under his foot, a small branch broke, and the sound echoed through the forest. He hoped the wolves hadn't heard him and held his breath.
He thought, "Keep moving," after what seemed like a very long time. "Don't let fear paralyze you."
As he went down, his fingers gripped the rough bark tightly. Even though it was cool outside, sweat was forming on his face. He finally put his feet on solid ground and let out a shaky breath.
"Made it," he whispered as he looked around for the wolves yet. Now that everything was safe, Wyrtt celebrated for a short time before heading out into the unknown wilderness, ready to face any obstacles that lay ahead.
Wyrtt kept going on his trip through the wilderness now that the wolves were no longer a threat. As the sun went down, it cast a bright orange glow through the trees and made the forest floor look like it was full of moving shadows. There was a sound of familiarity as his feet crunched over dead leaves and sticks.
He told himself, "Must keep moving," and that was what pushed him forward. As he came around a corner, the ground dropped away in front of him, showing a dangerous ravine that looked like an angry scar in the land.
Wyrtt whispered, "By the gods," as he looked down into the sharp emptiness. "How am I supposed to get across this?"
Moving slowly along the edge, he looked for a natural way to cross or a small space where he could jump to the other side. But the valley stayed wide and dangerous, and the gaping hole that it seemed impossible to cross taunted him.
"Think, Wyrtt," he told himself. "You've faced worse challenges than this."
Wyrtt, who was resourceful and knew his way around the woods, started building a makeshift bridge. He picked up a few downed twigs and dragged them to the edge of the gorge.
He prayed, "Please be strong enough," as he tied the twigs together with strong vines he had gathered from nearby bushes. With each move, his fingers skillfully wrapped the vines around the trees to make a strong connection.
He took a deep breath and said, "Okay." Then he put the homemade bridge over the gap. "Here goes nothing."
Wyrtt put one foot on the bridge to test it. He could feel it move and creak as he walked on it. His heart was beating fast in his chest as he paused.
He kept telling himself, "Can't turn back now." He knew that the only way to move forward was to cross the gorge.
I told myself, "Focus on the other side," as I took my first tentative step onto the bridge. "One step at a time."
He moved slowly across the wobbling structure, aware of the sharp rocks below. His breath caught in his throat. He tensed up every muscle in his body, ready to respond to any quick change or break.
"Almost there," Wyrtt said in a whisper, his eyes fixed on the other side of the chasm.
He made it over the last few feet with one last jump and landed safely on the other side. The fact that his makeshift bridge held up shows how resourceful and skilled he was in the woods.
He shouted, "Did it!" with a sense of relief. He took a moment to calm down and catch his breath before continuing into the forest, which was getting darker and darker. He knew that the next test could be right around the corner.