Within The Ash

Chapter 33

The Forrest was dead silent when I made my way through the trees to explore more of what's around and who may actually be back here.

The wind made their music against the tree tops and the leaves fell at my bare feet as they shook.

It seemed as if I was close to camp but I obviously wasn't because I came across a small river that I've never even heard from camp.

I definitely would have been able to at least smell its water if it was close.

I stepped only my feet into the clear waters before finally washing my face with its coldness.

It felt good, I'll admit that.

Just than I saw smoke from a distance over the trees.

I didn't wanna intrude on somebody's land but I wanted to at least see where the smoke was coming from, so I walked further out of curiosity.

In the distance stood a man with a dog. The man was hunched over and his hair was so long that it touched the ground as he stood bent over. It seemed as if he was picking something out of the ground but I kept my distance and I kept quiet. Until he stood up straight and sniffed the air as if he had smelled something unfamiliar.

He turned around and his eyes went wide as he stared straight at me.

"Who are you, you're not welcome here" he said eerily as he held his dogs leash closer to him.

"My name is Zero, I'm only a wanderer, I'll leave" I said as I turned around with a wave and continued the other way.

The man said nothing to stop me and that told me that the man didn't want anything to do with me.

I wondered why he was back here tho and so separated from society. Was he being hunted like me? Was he actually a criminal or murderer like they accused me of?

I had to find food for my friends and I. I didn't expect them to know how to hunt. Maybe a few of the men do but I've noticed they have been snacking on anything accept for meat.

I climbed into the trees and sharpened a rock razor sharp and tied it tight to a long stick with thin but thick strands of tree bark.

Waiting for the pray was the hardest part of hunting and killing the pray never phased me.

I could only find a few rabbits for now. And even tho it's very little it shouldn't be hard to divide up between the men and women in the camp.

I've never minded going hungry because by now I'm used to the hunger. If I have to, I'll come out here later and hunt for something small for myself.

I sat within the trees when the guy from the back of the Forrest walked around on the ground. He never saw me but he looked to the tree tops when I shot the first rabbit I saw.

He walked over to the rabbit and again looked up at the tree tops where I sat than back at the dead rabbit that had my arrow sticking out of its neck.

He grabbed the rabbit and my arrow and walked off into the Forrest.

That son of a bitch literally took my weapon and my dinner.

I jumped from the tree and decided to follow him across the Forrest.

I followed at a distance and before too long he stopped at his small farm and turned to face me again like he did earlier.

I finally saw his face this time. He was a younger man about the age of 24. His hair hung passed his hips and he wore a shirt that had the sleeves cut at the arms, exposing his muscles and tattoos.