gold rush [the wilds, toni shalifoe]

chapter 29

Day 34

Hunter's heart fluttered as she clung to Toni's hand as they headed back to the camp site just before the sun started to set. It had been weeks since the shark attack that left her leg with a deep, gnarly wound and she could finally say that she was starting to feel a little bit like herself again. 

That encounter with the shark had shaken her to her core, instilling in her a fear of the water that she had never known before. For a while, even the gentle lapping of the waves had been enough to send shivers down her spine. But today, something had changed. Toni's unwavering support and love had chipped away at Hunter's fear, allowing them to share a moment of tenderness. As they approached the campsite, the girls couldn't help but notice the smiles on their faces and the newfound lightness in their step.

Hunter pecked Toni lightly on the cheek as the girl approached Martha, knowing that she wanted to check in on her best friend. Hunter let go of her hand before turning on her heels to see Fatin grinning at her with a knowing look on her face. Hunter rolled her eyes, brushing past the others as Fatin squealed quietly into Hunter's ear as she began to chant and circle Hunter playfully.

"Hunter and Toni, sitting in a tree... K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" 

Even Shelby chuckled from where she was crouched beside them, helping to get the twigs and dry wood ready for their nightly fire. Hunter lightly shoved Fatin on the arm, sticking her finger up at her as she crouched down to help Shelby with the twigs.

"Alright, alright enough of that," Hunter said. "We should get this fire going before the sun sets completely and we don't have any light left."
The girls worked together to build the fire, gradually becoming absorbed in conversation about their various life experiences. Fatin recounted a story from her childhood, involving a mishap with a pet rabbit she had when she was younger. Shelby shared funny anecdotes from her time helping her dad with their local spin classes, while Hunter talked about her dreams of one day travelling to distant lands and experiencing different cultures - far, far away from her and Shelby's judgemental town.

As Fatin and Shelby discussed their plans for the fire, Hunter's eyes started to wander around the camp site. Suddenly she noticed that something was off - Dot was standing not far away, a concerned look on her face as she stared at Hunter's leg. Hunter noticed the way her eyes were scrunched as she looked at the blood stain on the back of the white bandage, her eyes flickering up to see that Hunter's were watching her every move. 

Hunter tensed up as Dot approached them slowly, her hand hovering above Hunter's shoulder while gesturing towards her leg. She didn't want to touch her without her permission - knowing that Hunter had taken significant steps backwards after the shark attack. Dot was sure that it must have activated some part of her mind that Riley caused, a constant worry that any touch was going to be violent.

"I noticed you haven't changed your bandage yet today," Dot said quietly before offering to take care of it for her. Hunter looked down sheepishly before nodding in agreement, knowing that this was something that she should have done earlier but had been too distracted with Toni's presence. She also felt guilty using up their bandages when Rachel literally had half an arm, but she knew that if she said no then Dot would tell the rest who would eventually guilt trip her into putting a new bandage on. "Hey, I told you, we don't want you to get infected while it's healing."

They sat in silence as Hunter perched herself on one of the fallen tree branches, gritting her teeth as she went to peel the bandage off the wound that it had stuck to. Dot noticed her hesitation, taking a breath before hovering her hands gently over Hunter's own in a silent ask for permission to help her. Hunter breathed out through her nose for a second, before nodding and moving her own hands out of the way so that Dot could have a proper look.