AURORA

Chapter 14: Part I

     

   I come out of my thoughts as I've been walking for at least an hour now. It's a bit cool, but not too nippy. The grass is still green and plush and in my view, I can see a small forest. It's not too big, but it's big enough. I head towards the forest and begin to smell something. It smells like fresh water. I hear a rapid whooshing sound and pause. It must be water. I walk faster through the trees and through the cool air. I make it to this little stream. It's narrow, but abundant with fish. If I'm going to look for food, I need to start now.

         Birds begin to chirp and flock up above. They cause the fish to scatter and flee. I step into the cold water and place my hands on my daggers. I pull them out of my pockets slowly. A group of giant salmon is heading my way. I place my feet firmly in the sand under the water and wait. I would be surprised if I get one on my first try. As they approach, I bend slightly forward and stabs the water with both daggers. I feel nothing in my left hand, but I feel a tug on my right. The tip of my dagger pierced one of the salmon right on its back. It had nowhere to go. I pulled it out of the water. It was weird holding a flopping fish and having absolutely no clue how I was going to eat it.

        I'm going to have to build a fire soon. If I don't reach anywhere by evening time, I'll need to set up camp somewhere secluded. I'm holding the salmon and trying to figure out how to keep it on me without having to hold it in my hands. I'm going to need to catch more than a few fish to last the next couple of days. I stand still looking around to see what I could possibly use. I see a slim, shaved stick. It's pointy and sturdy looking. I go over to it and pick it up to observe it. I pierce the skin of the salmon on the end of the stick. Its blood trickles down the side of the stick. The smell is sickening, but it'll have to do. I'm going to have to stick each fish on it, because I have no bag to carry them. I'll use the stick as sort of a cane.

                I head back to the stream to continue fishing. There are fewer fish than before. This is tougher than I thought. Barely being fed is one thing, but having to catch my own food is the real challenge. I gain my composure and get ready to take another crack at it. This time I decide to lay on the side of the stream. I drop down on my stomach with my daggers in the air. I'm out of sight of the fish. A few salmon come rapidly down the water. I take a jab and completely miss them all. I sigh, but I remain persistent. I gaze at the water and a large group of fish are heading my way. This time, there's an abundant variety of fish; some of which I can't identify. They seem to be swimming away from something. The birds sitting on the trees above fly away simultaneously.

       Sticks and twigs begin crackling through the air. Something big is approaching. I quickly jump to my feet and face the forest. My heart is beating so fast and my eyes are wide as the ocean. The air sits still and after a moment of rest, a large roar bellows from the forest. Birds caw and fly away above me. A large figure emerges from the trees. A colossal Sabre tooth tiger brushes through the air. His teeth are as sharp as the ends of my dagger. His paws are huge. They thump on the ground as he lunges forward. 

         Although I stand completely vulnerable, he comes to an abrupt halt. We look at each other in a standoff. Where did he even come from? I slowly gaze at my salmon on a stick and looks back at him. I grab it hastily, because I can't afford to look for food again with nothing before nightfall. He approaches me and forces me to run. Since there's a stream, there must be a drop off somewhere. I decide to run across the stream to lose him for a minute while I scan the area.

         I cross over the stream and head though the trees on the other side. The tiger follows me right over, losing no speed. These trees have piercing thorns on them. They impatiently wait to prick me. I duck and maneuver around them. As I'm still running, I can feel the Sabre still on my trail. I'm running out of energy, if I don't find somewhere to hide fast, the queen can forget about this quest, as I'll be dead. As I'm running, a small little pond of water runs through a crack beneath my feet. I follow it with hopes of finding a way out. A peek of light comes through the trees. I can hear a heavy falling sound. I run harder and reaches the edge of the pond and find that it drops off into a large waterfall. I sit at its peak. I then notice that it got quite. The only noise was the waterfall falling down into the deep depths of the atmosphere.

         I pause to take a breather. I lean forward and place my hands on my knees to catch a few breaths. I made it to the waterfall, but where did the Sabre go? He couldn't have just gone away. I stare at the ground with drops of sweat bouncing off my nose to the ground. As I rest, the air changes. I hear a twig snap and immediately look in that direction. The Sabre tooth tiger lunges from the trees over my head. He lands on his paws and gears up to strike again. He walks around me, searching for a weak spot. He grunts, daring me to run. I circle around him looking for a gap to jump. I was scared to jump, but it's the only thing that can save my life. I wasn't trained to fight wild animals, let alone a Sabre tooth tiger.

            Nature and the world around me slows down. To my side is the waterfall. I stare him down, not letting him out of my sight. I take a step over and dash to my left. I run with all the energy I have left. I take a life or death plunge over the edge. He makes a desperate effort to use those long teeth to grab me from the air. He barely misses the back of my shirt. My heart is beating so fast. I feel like I'm about to black out. I was so high up that the plummet felt like an eternity. Before reaching the bottom, I close my eyes and let the air take control of my body. 

           My body collides with the freezing waters below. The impact immediately sent a rush of pain through me. I see the sun piercing through the water. I can't move and I'm not getting any closer to the surface. My body hurts and I have no energy. I start to sink falling from view. My eyes begin to close and the sun disappears.