The Forest

Chapter 5 - Elijah

 I stay up most of the night watching Rose sleep. It's not creepy. It's just she looks so peaceful. Around dawn I grab my rifle, a leather pouch, and some rope. I go out to hunt. I wander through the forest trying to find my favorite tree to perch in. When I find the tree I climb up to the top and wait. Patience is key. A lone doe wanders into my range. She comes a little closer to eat some mull-weed about ten feet away. I take aim. The doe barely notices. I make sure it's right on her weak spot so it kills her faster. I close my eyes and shoot. A deafening crack echoes through the forest. The doe falls limp on her side. I bite my lip and climb down. I put the deer on the big leather pouch and tie a rope to the end. I start dragging her back home.

  When I reach my hut I go right underneath the tree and start skinning and cleaning the deer. When it is clean I lay it over branches I had cleaned previously and let them hang there to dry. I put a tarp over the meat so bugs and scavengers wouldn't get to it.

  When I go back into the hut Rose is awake and out of bed. She didn't notice me come up. She was just then pulling a shirt over her head. So all I saw was a glimpse of her back. I felt myself blush furiously. I turned away and sat on the edge of the landing. Rose came out. Looking for me apparently. She didn't question she just plopped herself right down beside me.

  She looked at me with her dark brown doe eyes. I never truly had time to stop and appreciate her appearance. So I stared taking in and memorizing her features. She seemed to be doing the same. She had long curly coppery hair. Very fair skin. A light pink rosiness to her cheeks. With a dusting of freckles. Which were really concentrated on her nose. And her eyes. I couldn't get over her eyes. A dark soulful brown. Deep and rich. Like fresh soil. Or liquid chocolate. They're big and round and wide. Innocent. Doe eyes.

   It made me think of the doe I killed. Which got me thinking, could I ever kill Rose? Definitely not. I knit my eyebrows together. She brought her hand up and smoothed my features. Then she took her hand down and traced along my jawline. Then put it back in her lap. She gave me a shy smile. Now. Now would be a good time to kiss her.

  I start to lean in, my lips lightly brush hers. I pull back slightly then I start to go back in. I part my lips. I haven't really done this before. What if she doesn't like it? What if I'm using too much tongue. Suddenly she intensifies the kiss. Maybe she does like it. She starts to get on her knees and grasping the back of my neck and tangling her fingers in my hair. She kinda hurting my scalp but I love it.She gets on her knees raising above me our legs in between each other. This can't end badly. You know what, screw it, I'm done with this shit about everyone turning on each other. I grab her waist and pull her closer.  Rose was almost just sitting on me now. We kiss a while longer. I pull away, not wanting to do something that I regret. She relaxes beside me sitting closer than before. Her little cute grin on her face. I want her, I need Rose Clara Walsh.

  We sit on the ledge watching the light change through the shade of the trees. Around dusk she goes back inside I lend her a book so she can read. I want to stay with her, to lay with her, to be with her but, I have to go and salt  the meat. I grab a plastic bag filled with salt and go down to the meat. I lay out the meat and salt it to help with the drying process and give it some flavor.

  When that's done I go back up to the hut and find Rose sleeping with the book open beside her. I put the book up and lay down beside her. I cover us up and stroke her hair. I do it so rhythmically it puts me to sleep as well.