Surviving in Colorado (TBP fanfic)

Kim's Awake

     Reid wakes up at around dawn. The birds chirping and the soft sound of rain pattering the ground wake him. When he looks at the floor he sees that the fire died out sometime during the night. He also notices the wolf is gone. He is a little saddened because that wolf was so beautiful and seemed to like them.

      Reid gets up, shakes his pity out of his head and starts a new fire to keep Kim warm. He feels her head and she feels normal. Her fingers are still really pale but they aren't blue anymore.

      They've been out here for a week now. The wolf has been helping Neil navigate the woods and he helps Reid find things to eat, but not much. They're tired, hungry and weak.

      Kimberly hasn't been able to stay awake for longer than a few minutes at a time. She also can't keep herself warm, so Reid and Neil have been giving everything they can to help her stay warm. They also give her almost all of their food.

      Reid wakes up Neil so he can help him ration out what little food they have between them and Kimberly. Once they have it all figured out they eat, just to give Kimberly a few more moments of sleep. She is still deep asleep, but she seems less peaceful since the wolf left.

      Reid tells Neil to stay put while he goes back to that spot he found earlier in the week to gather more fire-material. When he reaches it he grabs a bunch, and just as he is about to leave he hears that throaty growl.

      Reid turns slowly to see the wolf staring him down. He has a large rabbit in his mouth; its blood drips over his nose and down his teeth and from the rabbit's ears.

      "Hey bud. I see you were fetching breakfast." Reid says to the wolf.

      He perks his ears forward and nods his head, making the rabbit's limps flail everywhere. Reid stands and the wolf leads the way back to the cave. Reid and he step inside and the wolf drops the limp rabbit onto the floor across from Kimberly so it is out of the way.

      Reid kneels down and puts the pile of fire-material off to the side so it won't catch fire on its own.

      Shadow is staring at him, trying to tell him the rabbit is for them. He already killed one for himself earlier; and he knows they need to eat too.

      Reid looks up at the massive creature and they share another moment of stillness. Neither takes their eye off the other, until finally the wolf picks the rabbit up by the ears and nudges it to Reid.

      "Is that for me?" he asks.

      He didn't expect to get an answer, but sure enough the wolf nods his head. Reid's eyes grow wide and he gently takes the rabbit. The wolf doesn't move, so Reid knows that is what he meant by the head nod.

      "Neil, where's my knife?" Reid asks. Neil taps his shoulder and gives it to him. "Hey, go grab some sticks that we can hold over the fire." Reid instructs.