"Do you think I've improved?" I asked her knowing I wouldn't get a response back other than her soft, slow breathing. "I think I have." I nocked the arrow and pulled back the string before aiming down my sight. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I slowly let it out through my mouth before letting it go. The arrow flew and landed just beside the bullseye.
"Yes!" I exclaimed before jumping and throwing my fist into the air in excitement. "Did you see that?" I asked Luz before I slowly calmed down and felt myself soften as I gazed at her. I walked to stand next to her before crouching down and giving her a gentle smile.
"I'm gonna find us more food," I whispered while brushing some of her hair from her face. Her hair had gotten longer as the weeks passed and now it had been more noticeable. Her hair had grown curlier with its new length and I thought it suited her well. "I'll be back soon," I promised before placing another blanket over her to keep her warm.
It was late fall by now, maybe early winter, and we had our regular cold weather approaching us soon. Making sure that the door was locked, the latch tight and secure, I turned and made my way into the woods. I'd been practicing my aim and my hunting has been improving. I will do whatever it took to get us through this until Luz could stand on her own. It was only going to get harder from here but if I could get Luz back on her feet then we could start to manage this together.
There had been a heavy snowfall recently blanketing the ground in layers of snow and painting the forest; its trees and limbs, a bright white. The wind picked up and I could feel the chill of it sending a shiver down my spine. I could see tracks of local wildlife and started to make my trek deeper into the woods to follow such. I'd never been one for hunting. It was always Edric who went with dad and I'd never gone because they considered that a way for them to spend quality time together.
In a moment like this, in a situation like now, I wish I could've gone. Then maybe I wouldn't have to figure this all out on my own from scratch. Though I'd managed to do a good enough job so far and I hoped I'd continue to do so. Luz needed that from me. For now, I could only depend on myself, and that had to be enough.
Stopping next to a tree near me I began to climb it in order to gain a better vantage point. I'd been familiar enough with the area by now that I could track where the wildlife was headed or at least come up with a reasonable guess. Luz and I would need to move soon but I wanted to give her a bit longer. We'd have a better chance if we waited for her to be in more suitable shape before going any further even if we'd be doing it by vehicle.
Looking over the trees I could see a trail of smoke off in the distance. Not entirely sure if it had been man-made or not I decided to descend the tree to determine the cause. I saw another trail of tracks in the snow and I initially wrote it off as another deer passing through the area. But after I got a good look at the new set of tracks I realized there were more things in these woods than nature. Multiple sets of footprints were imprinted in the snow as well as a trail that looked as if they had been dragging something behind them. Luz and I were not alone out here.
I took slow, subtle breaths to calm myself. After leveling my head I looked back in the direction I came from. The direction where Luz was. These people were not headed toward her, but they could at some point, and that scared me. I needed to get a closer look at this group; the danger they posed, their intentions, and their reasons for being here all being things I needed to know. I needed to be sure of all the unknowns that came with them so I could determine whether Luz and I were safe out here.
Looking back to the tracks ahead of me and the mystery that lay beyond them I took a deep breath before following them with determination in my steps forward. I went to the edge of a rock formation leading downward. Jumping down I almost slipped before regaining my bearings. I could see some brush up ahead and moved to crouch behind it as I could slowly make out distant voices nearby.
YOU ARE READING
Cure
Fanfiction(Sequal to Monsters) When the world ended, all Amity wanted was to find her family. This is what kept her going in the beginning. That was until she met Luz, someone whose past was just as mysterious as her present. And upon meeting her Amity was t...
