Breaking Point (BWWM)

26. Traverse

A/N: It took a little longer than I intended to get this out. To make up for it, this one is extra long. I hope y'all enjoy! As always, let me know what you think. Things are finally picking up, I'm excited to share more with y'all! See you in the next one! 💜

"We need to find shelter, Lucy. We can't keep moving forever." Elaise muttered, trudging as she led the way. They were headed East again, a direction Lucy was starting to oppose. Nothing good came of that direction.

"I know, but... what if they find us?" Lucy fretted, fumbling with her fingers. She peers down at her feet, her toes didn't even make a dent in the solid ground. The mud is thick and hard, maybe it was starting to freeze. A brisk wind whistles through the trees, bringing with it a lingering chill. She hugs herself, deciding not to complain. Elaise looked frantic enough as is.

"We have to stop eventually, Lulu." She reasoned. "How are we supposed to keep going if we don't rest? And without shelter they could find us for sure. We ought to at least have some cover."

Lucy didn't like it. But what choice do they have? It was too dangerous to keep climbing trees or taking chances on what look like empty burrows. She shudders, and despite her efforts to mask her quivering breath, her older sister still noticed. "We should shift back soon. It'll be our best defense against the cold." Lucy dreaded it, she preferred her human form. The memories associated with her wolf felt too painful to recall. Too much longing. And besides, they were from the south, their fur wasn't thick enough to brave the northern chill they were going to encounter. But Elaise is right, it is their best defense.

She can't stop staring at the frozen ground, wondering why it had frozen first. There was no snow. Ice crystals were just starting to crystallize some of the vegetation. She hadn't seen such a thing before. The bitterness of winter always presented itself in such odd ways.

She hears a soft hum, trying to focus on the distant sound. The further they trek the more prominent it is. It sounded like water, crisp from the cold. It was flowing tranquilly; it would explain the frozen mud.

"Look, that's perfect!" Elaise points at the gaping mouth of a cave. Lucy timidly follows her to it, tottering up the steep frozen landscape.

"Are you sure we shouldn't find something more hidden?" She worried, watching her sister duck inside of the ominous dark opening.

"Come on Lucy, it's spacious in here." Her voice bounced off the cool rock structure from within, funneling out of the opening and dying before it could travel much further. Elaise chuckles at the sound of it, amused by the eerie phenomenon.

"Lacey..." she started, hearing her sister sigh, grabbing Lucy by the wrist and pulling her in with her.

"Look, it's a cave system. See that hole over there?" She points to a dark, shaded corner, "If push comes to shove we can go deeper into it, okay? It'll make us harder to find."

Lucy's heart stirs with panic at the possibilities, "B-But w-what if-?"

"Lulu, take a breath. No need to be so paranoid, okay?" The younger peers around the shallow opening they entered. The small black holes between the rock formations were distinct, prominent deeper blacks than the already dim cave walls. She heard water dripping out of sight, the sound is quiet, but it echoes as it reaches them. Lucy wondered how much water had accumulated deeper into the cave, beyond the places they could reach or see. Her eyes had adjusted, but the blackness of it still chased her, refusing to unveil the locations of such sounds. And those gaping holes, cryptic passages delving further into morbid unknowns. The repetitive echoes were nerve-wracking, a constant reminder that caves were nothing more than fickle.