Trouble in the Forest

The-Blue-Eyed Wolf: Chapter 5

Another hour passed and Anastasia's cheeks and nose were tinted pink with the cold when she noticed what appeared to be a cave ahead of her. Warm hope spread through her chest and she sprinted towards it, ignoring the biting wind slapping her in the face. Gizmo happily followed her until they both stopped in front of a small rocky cave that was surrounded by a few more of the berry bushes Anastasia had seen earlier on their hike. Relieved, she ducked into the damp cool cave and collapsed onto the lightly covered snowy floor. Gizmo curled into a ball next to her leg in an attempt to warm up. Anastasia shivered inside her coat, suddenly wishing she had brought more snow gear. Then again, it was not supposed to snow.

                      
Again, she was forced to evaluate her current situation. She thought, "Clearly I am lost. The snow is getting worse causing visibility to lessen, it is getting closer to nighttime which will cause a further plummet in the temperatures, and Gizmo and I can not survive forever out here with our lack of food and water. If our hunger doesn't get to us first, then the climate will. Or whatever predators are lurking out there. On the bright side, we still have some food and water left and I have my phone if we can manage to find a bit of internet access somewhere."

                       
Somewhere in her heart, she could sense her father's spirit watching her over, encouraging her to not give up. He was right. For him more than anything, she would not give up.

                       
With this resolve in mind, Anastasia forced herself to her feet and set foot into the snowy landscape again to gather more berries. It was in her best interest to gather as much food as she could to prevent starvation. Once her hands were stuffed to the brim with berries and most of the bushes were bare, she stepped back into the cave to discard her berries into a small compartment on the front of her backpack. Then, she sat down again next to Gizmo and pulled out the berries she had originally put into her pocket hours ago, and began to inhale the sweet delicacy.

                       
She offered a few to Gizmo who hungrily slurped them up, licking his chops. After finishing her berries, Anastasia reached into her bag to eat one of the granola bars she had brought in hopes that it would provide her with consistent energy for as long as possible. She also took out one of her water bottles and chugged it. The ice-cold water ran down her parched throat and before she knew it she had drunk almost all of the water.

                       
Begrudgingly, she pulled it away from her lips and poured some into the cap before offering it to Gizmo. The dog licked it up quickly and drank capful after capful until the bottle was empty. Then after they finished their snack, Anastasia and Gizmo left the cave and continued their tireless journey.