Running with Wolves

For the Children

I started to drag the empty boxes from the archway, a disgusting smell rising up from the rotting wood. We'd almost cleared the whole arch. It was gonna be a place of our very own. The community arch that we'd lived in for years was all well and good, but we'd been looking to find somewhere for us to crash for a while now.

One of the rotten boxes splintered as I dragged them along the ground, the barb cutting my right pointer finger open. I cried out and pulled away from the box, nursing my hand against my chest.
"Are you ok, Ruby?" Lilly said, wrapping her arms around me, looking with concern at the bleeding gash. She was eight now, and I, along with Kieron and Fern, was sixteen. We'd all grown really close, it was like we were all siblings. Especially me and Lilly. It made sense, we had been together the longest.

This arch was a real find. It was in a pretty seedy part of the city, and no one else had given it a second glance because it was stuffed with rotting boxes and other waste. But it was ideal. Yes, the smell would probably linger for a while, and the roof leaked rather badly, but one end was bricked off, and we could easily construct a blockade with a gap for the front. There was plenty of space, and this place was in the middle of prime home heist territory.

So we were busy clearing it out, after all, we need it for our end goal. Kieron was picking up the rubbish, I was shifting the boxes, Fern had gone out to find some materials for our blockade, and Lilly was running back and forth from the community arch with all our possessions.

I nodded at her, pulling some rags from my pocket and binding the wound as best I could. Lilly flashed me one of her easy smiles and she hurried to empty out her backpack before heading back across the city once again. I watched her scamper off with a small smile on my face.
"Hey, Ruby, get to picking up the rubbish, yeah? I'll do the boxes for a bit." Kieron said, grabbing ahold of the box I was trying to move before. I gave him a grateful nod and set to work. We only had a few daylight hours left, so getting our new hideout up and running would be vital.

Fern arrived about half an hour later, pulling a red wagon with one wheel missing behind her. It was loaded with bits of wood, and I could see a pot of nails and a hammer in their as well. Me and Kieron had just finished clearing out the arch, and we had sat down to enjoy a little break. Lilly was on her seventh run back to the hideout, but she was confident she only had a couple more to go. Turns out we'd accumulated a lot of junk over the years, and our blankets were pretty bulky anyway.

"Get off yer asses, slackers!" Fern bellowed at us with a disapproving look. Kieron sighed almost as loud as I did, and we both stood. It would be a good idea to get the blockade up before nightfall. Kept out the stray animals, helped stop the elements from invading and deflected prying eyes. Not to mention it'd make the whole place a lot cosier.  

We spent the next forty minutes laying out the pieces of timber until we got the layout right. There'd be a few gaps besides the doorway, but we could deal with them at a later date. Lilly trudged into the arch and emptied her rucksack again. It was only half full this time.
"You done?" I called. She was guzzling water from her bottle, but she stopped and shook her head.
"Thought I was, but Jack offered me a fire barrel. So I'm gonna go collect it."

I glanced at the sky. It was getting late, but she probably had enough daylight to get there and back. And if Jack thought she didn't, chances are he would escort her back here. I nodded my agreement.
"Coolio, feel free to take the wagon, Lil." Fern called. For what I hoped would be the final time, Lilly raced from the yard.

Kieron and Fern held the pieces of wood in place while I hammered them together. We had quickly worked out that letting either of them handle a hammer was going to result in a few crushed digits and broken bones. Once I had finished nailing the frame together, we all stepped back for a moment to admire our handiwork. Considering it was the first time any of us had attempted something like this, it could have been a lot worse. The sky was dark now, and I was getting concerned.
"Kieron, go and find Lilly, would ya? I'm a bit worried about her."