Amber Takes a Detour

Chapter One | Pela

April 9

Chapter One | Pela

My face scrunched into distaste as my camping bag suddenly felt like an enormously huge baggage. My back ached and my feet were sore. A groan escaped from my lips and joined into the arrangement (musical) of the forest. Crickets made their annoying sound and an owl hooted from somewhere in the trees. Soon later, a wolf howl joined nature's orchestra. It gave me a shiver, is what I thought, but it also could've been the wind.

Sighing in defeat, I knew that I wouldn't be able to make my journey in this state. My feet took me up by a few more steps until it found a good spot to rest, my head facing the forest on the right. Only when I stopped did I notice the huge red truck pulled up on the left of the road. I shook my head, flabbergasted that I didn't notice it earlier. 

Walking up to the truck, it's flaws made itself clear. The vehicles paint was chipping off, and there were a few dents in the metal too. Oddly enough, no one seemed to be within the loitering truck and I checked in the back to make sure there was no one secretly sleeping here. Granted, there weren't any suspicious-looking people in the back. All there was was an oddly-shaped convenient blanket. 

Without hesitation, my hand swooped for the blanket, only to reveal a wolf pup underneath. I dropped the blanket and rubbed my eyes making sure I wasn't hallucinating. Nope, definitely a baby wolf.

The wolf shivered and whimpered. My eyes squinted and scratch marks and blood splotches were on the sleeping wolf. And it may have just been me, but its ankle didn't seem it was positioned correctly either. Instinctively, I took off my heavy bag and pulled out my gauze. A little funny how I possessed gauze and not a blanket. 

I proceeded to approach the small wolf and take its ankle into my hands. The wolf shifted in its sleep and to assure both me and him/her, I said, "It's okay. You're okay. I'll be okay." And shortly, I worriedly asked, fully aware I would get no answer, "You won't bite right? I won't get rabies right? Probably not... Maybe..." My eyebrows furrowed in worry, but my hands didn't leave the injured animal. 

Eventually, the gauze was, hopefully, comfortably and securely wrapped around the wolf. Due to it's dark fur, I only then realised that it's foot was bleeding for the gauze was turning red and my hands were stained with wolf blood. I breathed in and out before pouring some of my drinking water onto my hands. Satisfied, I left the blanket on the wolf and made my way to the good spot I had found under a pine tree. My back relaxed as I laid down my head on my bag and another jacket was wrapped around me. I shivered some more, but it would have to do.

My eyes reluctantly were pried open with my powerful will. Majority of the sun was blocked by the pine tree I was beneath but nonetheless, rays of light manages to hit my eyes. I groaned as my hand went up to block the sun. Sitting up, yawning, the blanket that I only had realised just now slid down my abdomen. 

My face pulled on an expression of confusion. "The heck...?" I mumbled, my eyes shifting side to side. Did I somehow forget that I took the blanket from the wolf? No, I am quite sure I took it and put it back on the injured wolf... I prayed that I was alone in the forest and there wasn't some creep in the forest watching over me somehow. 

Deciding to believe the less creepy conclusion, I folded the blanket and wrapped my poof jacket around my waist. My back hadn't gotten enough rest, it was obvious for when I put that one heck of a bag back on me. Instead of assuring me that my back was getting better, it just gave me a reminder that my back was going stay sore for a while. Silently giving up, I dusted off my bare legs and headed to where I think the truck used to be. Unexpectedly, the red truck was gone, granted, the pup too.

Shrugging, I ventured to my destination. Foot after the other, different kinds of thoughts flooded my head. 

The warm sun that glazed on me made me wonder about my friends back in the Middle East. I studied there for a little while, a year or two, and the heat was complete torture. All year round, the temperature was 34° and I was practically at the verge of my death. At least, that's what it felt like whenever I touched the seatbelt after it was parked in the sun. Though, those rare and appreciated days came where the temperature was below thirty degrees. My mouth turned to a slight pout as I thought about my friends. They really should come over and feel the cold, cold snow sometime. Eat some frozen maple syrup off that cold snow. 

The pine trees began to gradually dissipate, dispersing across, what seemed, the barren land. How odd I always thought the entrance was to the small town I was going to. The trees would slowly disappear the closer you got and the dirt and grass would change to a dry, sandy brown colour. There'd be some pebbles here and there, maybe some bigger than usual. I'd normally kick those out of the way just for the fun of it.

Some boring steps later on the never ending sandy ground, my head tilted up to see the sun high in the sky and the town in front of me. Nothing has changed, no new constructions sight for as far as I can see. There it was, the never changing Pela.