Group Z

Chapter 28

My sleep is restless and uneasy, dreams flash by quickly, too quickly for me to process them. Flashes of colour and sounds. I feel as if I'm suffocating, unable to breathe.

I jolt up with a start covered in sweat, my new constant state it seems. Around me all is dark; the fire is out, and I lie separately from everyone else. My leg is now burning terribly, and I rub at it instinctively before hissing in pain at the stupidity. Somewhere, out in the forest a twig snaps and I whip my head around straining to see through the dark.

Level to where I lie on the ground are a pair of glowing green eyes. I try to stand up but fail falling down, unable to support my leg. I almost shout out for the others to wake up, but a strange feeling compels me not to. I stay still, scarcely breathing as the green eyes get closer. Whatever it is padding softly over the ground. Not a single twig is snapped, or rustle made, and I begin to wonder if it snapped the other twig on purpose. As it gets closer, I begin to make out a shape. A furry shape. My heart starts to pound, my last encounter with an animal didn't go so well. As the animal moves into view I stifle a gasp. For some reason I know that she is a female. She stands on four legs and resembles a wolf. If she were besides me, she would come up to my hip. Her coat is sleek and smooth and a pure white. Her eyes are alive with a human intelligence and, most astonishingly a black streak mars her face. Just like mine. Except hers is simply a different fur colour and is in a crescent moon shape starting at where her eyebrow would be if she was a human and going over her eye to where her cheek would be. She stands absolutely still and stares at me, I look back and, in that moment, I swear I feel a connection.

She begins to pad towards me and I give a little start, but she makes no move to attack. I spot a stick with some fish on it sticking within arm's reach of me. My dinner I guess looking at it. I pick up the stick and hesitate. Then I hold it out to the wolf. Fish end first. She approaches carefully, cautiously sniffing it before opening her mouth just slightly, only enough for me to see a set of razor-sharp white teeth and so delicately grabs the fish and pulls it off the end of the stick setting it on the floor before tearing into it swallowing it in 3 or 4 bites. She stretches herself, yawning and moves to where she is right in front of me, her head hanging low and ears flat to her head. She begins to make whiny noises and moves to my side. I flinch away but she nuzzles her head under my arm lifting it up and wriggling under my arm flopping against my side. I have no idea why she's here with me, why she's just come but as my fingers sink into her soft smooth fur, I feel myself begin to relax. She lets out a deep sigh and licks my fingers before settling down to sleep. I follow suit, my hand still wrapped in her fur.

I wake up to the sound of footsteps near where I'm lying. The wolf is no longer with me and I realise that it must have only been a dream. I didn't even realise that it was a dream this time and honestly that frightens me more than anything. Lizzie bustles around, whittling a piece of wood into a pointed end whilst kicking out the fire with her foot.

'Where are the other guys?' I ask her sitting up.

'They went looking for some food, either fish or berries.' She says moving over to me.

I stand up, straining to put weight only on my good leg. Lizzie hovers close by but doesn't help me which I appreciate.

'Well, should we find them?' I ask taking a step forward. My leg still hurts but I can limp along without help now and it has at least stopped bleeding.

Lizzie leads the way into the trees with me limping behind. Only a short while away from our little camp we see a pile of berries on the floor.

'Zi! We found berries!' Comes Benny's excited, high pitched voice.