I woke to the sound of water oozing.
For a moment, I had forgotten where I was. I grudgingly opened my eyes to gray light that seemed filtering into the cave. My back ached from the hard floor I had slept on, and my neck, it felt like it was twisted at an odd angle all night.
Ugh… I groaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of my neck. Note to self: caves aren't comfortable.
"You're awake," Kaede said from the cave entrance. Hunched on her heels, she peered out into the valley below. "I was starting to think you'd sleep through the day."
I yawned and stretched my arms. "What time is it?
Early," Kaede replied, not turning around. "The sun is practically just starting to rise. We should get moving.
"Of course we should," I muttered under my breath, trying to shake the drowsiness from my head. "No rest for the nearly-devoured, right?"
Kaede turned a look over her shoulder at me. A wry little smile tugged her lips: "You want to stay here, all day, and wait for the wolves?
I shuddered. "No, thank you. If at all possible, I'd like to avoid being eaten."
Standing, I brushed the dirt off my clothes and stretched my sore muscles. "Seriously, though, can't we catch a break? It's just near-death experience after near-death experience.
Kaede got to her feet, walked toward me, dug into her bag, and handed me a small piece of dried meat. "We can rest when we're out of the forest. Until then, we keep moving."
I took the food with a good grace, chewing and swallowing as I rested my back against the cave wall. "You're really all business, aren't you?"
I got a curious look back from her. "What do you mean?"
I mean, I said, swallowing the last of the meat, you never seem to relax. Always focused on the next step, the next move, the next survival tactic. Don't you ever just… take a moment to breathe?
Kaede's face seemed to relax a bit, listening to my words. "There's no time to let your guard down out here, Haruto. You let your guard down for a second, you die. That's all there is to it.".
I frowned. "That sounds… exhausting."
"It is." She shrugged. "But it's how I've stayed alive this long."
I couldn't deny that. Kaede was hard-core, far harder than I would be. Still, there was something in her unrelenting vigilance that unsettled me. She never seemed to let herself stop-even for a second.
Well, maybe when this is all over, you can take a vacation or something," I said-half-jokingly. "Get away from all the wolves and monsters for a while, go to a nice beach.
Kaede giggled softly. "A beach, eh? I really haven't been to an ocean beach.
"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow. "You've never seen the ocean?
She shook her head. "No. Most of my life, I have spent in the forests and mountains. Never had a reason to go to the coast.".
I stared at her, really surprised. "You're missing out. The ocean is amazing. It's huge and blue and the sound of the waves is… well, it's calming. Nothing like this," I said nodding toward the dark creepy forest outside.
Kaede looked introspective a moment, then smiled. "Maybe someday I will see it."
"Yeah," I said, smiling right back. "Next time we are not running for our lives, I'll take you there. We could use a break after this whole mess."
She didn't say anything more, only allowed the smile to linger a little bit longer before she turned back to the cave entrance and fell back into seriousness. "We should get moving. The wolves will be on the hunt soon.".
I let out a sigh, knowing she was right. "Alright, alright. Back to running from death, suppose.
We gathered up our few belongings and stepped out into the cool morning air. The valley lay still, the fog yet lying low along the ground, giving to the whole landscape that weird, dreamlike quality.
The sun was not yet fully up, and so still dark, with long shadows stretching across the rocks.
Which way now?" I asked, turning around. "Not that I'm an expert at navigation or anything, but everything looks the same to me.
Kaede nodded toward the thin trail that dug deeper into the valley. "We'll take this trail. With any luck, it will eventually take us out of the forest, assuming we don't have any other problems pop up."
"If?" I repeated, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "You're really optimistic, aren't you?" She smirked. "I like to call it cautious optimism.".
"Uh-huh," I muttered, falling into step beside her. "I'll believe it when we're out of this cursed place."
As we walked, the silence between us stretched out. Normally, I would've been grateful for the quiet-no wolves, no monsters, just peace-but something about it felt… unsettling. I couldn't shake the feeling we were being watched, even though I couldn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary.
Kaede," I said finally, swiveling toward her. "You don't think there's something out there, do you? Something watching us?
She said nothing for a moment, but her hand slipped out of the bag and fell naturally onto the bow, her glance scanning the treetops ahead. "Perhaps. But if there is, we shall know soon enough.".
"Great," I muttered under my breath, "that's all I wanted to hear."
We walked on in strained silence, it felt like hours, upon hours; the path curling and winding its way deeper and deeper into the valley. The deeper in we got, the more claustrophobic the area felt with steep cliffs either side, trees closing in-to me, it felt like we were walking into a trap.
Finally, Kaede raised a hand and stopped. "Wait."
I froze. "What? What is it?
She frowned, her eyes narrowing ahead. "I thought I heard something."
I strained my ears, trying to listen for whatever she was talking about. At first, I heard nothing but the rustling of leaves in the wind. But then I caught it, faintly-a low, rumbling growl, and it was coming from somewhere up ahead.
"Oh, no…", I breathed, my heart falling. "Not again."
Kaede's face hardened. "Get ready. We're not alone.
I grasped the nearest stick, my hands trembling in fear. "You've got to be kidding me. Wolves? Again?
"It does not sound like wolves," Kaede whispered, drawing an arrow from the quiver. "Stay behind me."
"Gladly," I growled, snatching the stick as if it were my last hold on life. "If possible, I'd rather not be the first one to die today."
She took a cautious step forward, eyes flashing about the trees. The growling got louder, closer, and my belly twisted with fear-Whatever it was, it was big.
Kaede, what do we do?" I barely whispered.
She didn't respond for a moment, her attention entirely devoted to the darkness up ahead. Suddenly, a huge form stole out from among the trees; in the bad light, its bulk was almost indistinguishable.
Not a wolf either. "What the-?" I gasped, my grip tightening on the stick. Kaede's eyes widened, but she didn't falter. "Stay back. Graying, hulking into the clearing, the fur was standing to attention, eyes aglow with an unnatural light spilling from them.
It easily outweighed the alpha wolf we had fought earlier by more than twice its size, with long, razor-sharp claws and a mouth full of razor-like teeth. There was a growl that rumbled through its throat, which echoed around the valley and sent a shiver down my spine.
I did take a step backward, involuntarily. "Kaede… really, I don't think we are prepared enough for this.". Kaede didn't take her eyes from the creature, but she had her bow drawn. "We don't have a choice.".
Snarling and lunging, I could only think this was it. "Haruto!" Kaede shouted sharp. "Run!"
But this time, my legs wouldn't budge.