Lost to be found

Part 2

I woke up to find the wolf right in my face, staring intently at me. Today, I was determined to find a new place to sleep. "Let's go, wolf. We're going to find somewhere good to sleep tonight," I said, standing up and facing the woods ahead.

As I walked deeper into the forest, I suddenly realized that I had nothing to cut wood with. After wandering aimlessly and suffering numerous cuts on my feet and hands, I felt defeated. I sat down on a log and let my frustration spill over into tears. Raising my head to the sky, I vented my anger: "Why did the class have to choose another country for this trip? Why did my mom give in and let me go? Why did the plane have to crash? Why don't I have any survival skills? Why am I stuck on this stupid island? Why am I so alone?"

By now the tears were streaming down my face and my body was shaking. My eyes were blurry and my throat felt like it was closing up. "Why? Just why?" Then I felt a tongue on my face. I tried to push it away but it came back again and again and licked all my tears away. It continued until I had no choice but to stop. I quieted down and hugged the wolf. "Thank you."  

That's when I heard it. Flowing water. I got to my feet and started running. The shore must be ahead. If I could reach it, I could catch more fish and gather wood for a fire before nightfall.

I was disappointed. The sound of the water led to a small river. The water reminded me of how thirsty I was. I stooped down and started drinking. I sat beside the river and started looking around. I saw something hanging on a tree nearby and when I got a closer look it seemed to be a piece of torn cloth. Another disappointment. I turned around and kicked the tree. Frustrated by yet another disappointment, I kicked the tree in anger. I looked up and saw something amazing. 

It was a cave. Exactly what I needed. I ran towards it. I reached the entrance and it was dark inside. I picked up a piece of wood and slowly walked inside. The wolf ran inside and started barking. What did it see? I ran towards it with the wood swinging to see nothing there. It just laid on its stomach and smiled at me.  

I was not impressed. I threw the wood at him and started looking around. This would be a nice place to sleep tonight. I went back outside. "Now I need to find more wood and food," I turned to the wolf "Let's go." It took off running ahead of me and I started chasing it. I made sure to be remember the way I'm running from to ensure I can find it later. It brought me back to the shore. 

Everything was exactly how I left it. I went to the ocean and started to catch some fish. I learned some tricks yesterday when I managed to catch those 2 fish and will put them into action.  

 *****                                                                                    

And that was it. I placed the fish I had caught on my board and wrung out the excess water from my clothes. I intended to make only one trip back to the cave so I would have enough time to set up before dark. Loading my rocks and wood onto the board, I made my way back into the woods. The journey felt endless, and by the time I reached the center of the cave, my hands were tired from carrying everything. 

On my way to the cave, I found a big broad leaf plant that could be used as cover for the board- a small victory in my quest for comfort. 

Now that I had everything, I got to work setting up my new home.  

That night, I slept better than before, grateful for a cover over my head and some leaves to soften the hard board beneath me. Things were looking up. I rolled to the side to see wolf staring at me. I pat the space beside me. He ran and landed practically on me. I wrapped my hands around him and fell asleep. 

The next morning, I woke up feeling sticky. Wolf had drooled a little on me during the night and I hadn't showered for a couple days now. I stood up and started looking around the cave. I needed something to carry my things than to be using the heavy board. I found nothing of use, so I made my way back to the shore. 

Once there, I examined it again; surely something new had washed ashore since the crash. Among stray pieces of cloth, more boards, and remnants of other items, I tied some cloth together to form a shoulder bag for carrying fish home. Realizing there were still some useful pieces left behind, I gathered them up and set out to hunt again.

Returning to my cave with some wood in hand, I built a fire before deciding it was time for a bath. Taking a piece of cloth with me, I made my way to the river, stripped down to my undergarments, and began washing both my clothes and myself in its cool waters.

I heard a weird sound from behind. When I turned around, I saw the wolf staring at me. I splashed some water in his direction, but he didn't move. I pretended to pick up something and throw it, but he still wouldn't move. I even found an actual stick and threw it. He only growled at me. 

I went under the water and watched them and them me. I realized he wasn't going to move and just finished washing up. I went to the cave and gave them a glare when I passed them.  I went deeper inside the cave and started to relax. I couldn't do much with my lack of clothes. I looked towards the end of the cave. I need to put some kind of covering at the entrance.  

My clothes were partly dry by the time my stomach growled. I searched around the area looking for some fruits. I found an adequate amount and that's how my daily life went in the forest.  

I would wake up each day, hunt for food, bathe in the river, build a fire, and take care of other small tasks as needed. Everything was going smoothly now; surprisingly, I was starting to enjoy life outdoors.