Chapter 24

The sun had left the clouds for quite some time and darkness was rapidly descending.

I had no roof over my head and the confidence I had instilled in myself was waning.

I had been so sure I would survive at least the first day, yet it was dark and I was still walking. it seemed like I would pass my first night in open air and I wasn't looking forward to it.

it had begun to get cold and I knew I couldn't risk a fire.

it got harder to see my way as the world got darker.

I continued struggling to see while walking constantly, I wasn't sure I could continue if I stopped.

That was until I saw a lake.

Beside the lake was a cave.

I had found shelter for the night. I was overjoyed and felt a surge of energy as I made my way over to the cave.

The cave was a bit deep so it was perfect. I would've been able to start a fire if I had something to close the entrance of the cave with.

However, there was nothing I could use in sight.

I had no choice but to sleep without a fire and hope for the best.

I chose the deepest part of the cave, lay my bag down using it as a pillow and closed my eyes.

The ground was surprisingly warm and dry and I couldn't help sleeping like a baby.

.....

One of the biggest disadvantages of living out of the reach of civilization was living without a phone.

There was no notion of time and days could only be told apart by the coming of day and night.

The others disadvantage was the lack of amenities. Clean water and fresh foods were scarce in the forest but there was an abundance of poisonous plants.

I had been walking for the past three days and had managed to avoid the major dangers (hunters, wild animals and poisonous plants).

The bag I had been given came really handy. it was filled with canned foods that I had been eating sparingly. it also had a survival series book which I had never had time to open. Also, it had a foldable bow and arrows which I was genuinely grateful for. Archery was one, if not the only, sport I excelled at.

The bag also had a pack of hair ties, a blanket and a lot of chocolate.

I had been sleeping on the ground for the past two days so the blanket came in really handy.

I was walking on the straight path that led to the human realm and trying not to deviate as much as possible when I heard the voice of my wolf.

I had not heard her speak since our arguement.

"Hi" she said

it was barely noticeable but it stopped me in my tracks. I first felt anger, then disappointment, then sadness and lastly, resignation.

She had in a way betrayed me, but it was better the past remained in the past.

Forgiveness was the part of healing I found hardest to do. it was difficult for me to accept that things had happened and that there was nothing I could do to change it. Regret had a strong hold on me and held a constant space in my heart.

I decided to forgive my wolf.

it's said that hurt people, hurt people. I knew the reality may have been hardest for her because she felt the pull of the mate bond the most.

That wasn't an excuse for her actions but I tried to understand how she felt.

I couldn't live in isolation from my wolf, so forgiving her was best for both of us.

"hi" I replied

There was complete inner silence. Outside, there was constant chatter.

The sounds of insects, birds and the wind doing their thing, the sounds of my feet as they touched the ground, stepping on grass and twigs, the sounds of life and sounds of nature.

"I'm sorry"she said

"it's fine" I replied

we were silent again. I didn't know what to say to her. it was like we were at two opposite ends of a large river and there was no way across, an unbridgable gap.

I had gotten used to walking for hours without rest. it always led to pains in my back and knees at night but it was better than being eaten by who knows what.

I didn't know why but I had this premonition that things weren't going to go the way I wanted.

it was something I tried to remove from my mind but it was etched deep.

I tried to tell myself that it was just the fear of the unknown but I knew better.

it was exactly how I felt the day I almost died, the day I became a witch (my pack's words not mine).

Ignoring the feeling, I continued walking.

I had trained myself never to stop until I find shelter for the night or I'm unable to go further.

However, a low growl stopped me completely in my tracks.

it seemed like I was about to get eaten by 'who knows what'.

The reason I had been forcing myself to walk nonstop.

I turned to the direction of the growl and faced a, to be honest, weak looking wolf.

it looked malnourished and starved, I couldn't help pitying it.

it fortunately wasn't a rogue. I took slow steps towards it and tried to look friendly even though I knew it wasn't going to be of any help.

normal wolves usually feared werewolves, we were bigger, stronger and more rational.

The wolf was been injured. it looked like the results of a bad fall.

I really couldn't just ignore the wolf. it was too pitiful.

I walked to the wolf and patted it's head. it's fur was wet.

I looked closely at the injury, it was a deep bite.

I came to the conclusion that the wolf must have fallen into a river and been bitten by a crocodile or something of the like.

I tied up the wounds with my silk belt, it was better than nothing, and fed the wolf with a can of tuna.

I couldn't do more than that.

it's survival depended on it's strength.

I walked away, leaving the wolf to eat the tuna I had placed on a leaf