WILD

Chapter 4 "Something's Cooking"

My eyes slowly open and I get a whiff of something nice cooking. Ibegin to stretch before I get up out of my sleeping roll. I feel thepain of my left cheek as I stretch but I try to ignore it for now. Iget up out of my sleeping roll and take a few small steps until Iemerge out of the tent. I have a brief look around and I can seefather cooking up a couple rabbits for us both. "Good morning,son." Father booms from next to the fire pit. I don't evenacknowledge that he's said anything but instead, I just head for theold "piss tree" to empty out. After I've finished doing that, Ihead towards the water source and fill up my water pouch as well asbrush my teeth. I finish doing so and head back, wondering how I'mgoing to kill so much time until tonight. I take a seat by the firebefore picking up a rabbit and working my way through to the bone ofit, I was super hungry as I didn't exactly fill up heavy last night."It's good, right?" Father questions. My eyes slowly gaze up frommy food and onto him, I stare straight at him but I don't say a word.

"Listen son, I'm sorry for the way things went down last night butyou were stepping out of line, it'll make you a better man for it."Father reassured.

"A better man? That's only in your eyes, you just want me to be anobedient slave. I'm better off not taking that shit." I scoff.

"Watch it. Nothing I've done should give you a reason to think likethat. We've both got a pull our weight around here and you've gotmore responsibilities now you're older!"

"Nothing you've done has given me a reason to think like that, no?How about all the years you've bossed me around and told me to dothings? All under the guise of "teaching". I'm seeing through itnow and I'm done with it."

"It has been teaching, you wouldn't have any fucking idea how tosurvive without me! You learnt everything from me, you should bethankful!"

"What good is surviving if this is the life we're living? The lifethat I am living? I don't want this, any of it! I want to livepeacefully, I want a home."

"That's all a pipe dream! You think I haven't tried getting us ahome? I don't like constantly having to move either but it's the bestwe've got!"

"It'sthe best that YOU'VEgot,not me."

"Bullshit! You've got nothing without me."

"That may be true but I have plans for a better future."

"Good luck with that. You sound ridiculous."

I get up from my seat around the fire and make my way towards my tentagain. Guess I'm spending all day in here. He hasn't got a fuckingclue, there's more to life than this. I disappear into my tent andlay on top of my sleeping roll. I stare blankly into the air, notknowing what to do with myself to pass the time. I look around thetent expecting to find something new but as expected, there's nothingnew here, just the book I was reading last night. Well, looks likeI'm going to read it all today as I wait until night time comes.Hours and hours pass while I continue to just lay and read, I'mperiodically poking my head out to see what time it is. I poke myhead out and dusk is beginning, the sun will set soon so it's finallytime for me to leave. I make sure I have my satchel and water pouchwith me before coming out of my tent and heading towards the usualmeeting spot.

I begin walking out of camp before I hear "where are you going?"from the old man. "I'm going to clear my head, fed up of shit." Ilie to him. "Are you coming back?" He questions me. "I shouldbe, yeah." I respond, adding a little mystery in case I decide tofuck off for good. "Alright, be safe." He replies which catchesme a little off guard, not sure when he began caring but I shoot anod in his direction before leaving. I pick up an old metal lanternto take with me as it's dark out; I pick up a stick and use the firefrom camp to light it before transferring the lit stick into thelantern to light it and head towards our spot. I hold the lantern areasonable distance in front of me so that the tree and theirmarkings are visible. Eventually I arrive at the spot, the heartcarving on the tree lets me know that I've arrived. Juliette wasstanding close by, awaiting my arrival. A mixture of happiness andnervousness overwhelms me slightly when I lay eyes on her, she sendsme crazy. In a good way. I continue walking until I'm in touchingdistance and she welcomes me with a warm smile and an even warmerhug. Our hug finishes and I smile back before asking "have you beenwaiting long? I'm sorry I took so long.". "I wasn't here for verylong at all, you don't have to apologise." She says with a giggle.Her laugh, giggles, smiles are all just so contagious, it'simpossible for me not to be happy when I'm with her. "I'm glad youweren't waiting too long, I would feel guilty for letting you wait inthe cold." I respond. "Don't be silly. Wait... what is that onyour cheek? Did you hurt yourself?" She asks with a frown and aworried expression. I instantly know what she is referring to beforeshe places her hand softly on my cheek and brushes over it lightlywith her thumb. I forget about the pain because I'm so invested intoher and everything she does. It's like she has me entranced. She'sthe snake charmer and I'm the snake. "I suppose I did hurt myselfin a way... my father hit me because I was speaking back to him andstanding up for myself." I reply hesitantly, not because I don'twant her to know but because I'm worried what she'll think. "Oh godJack, that's awful! Why the hell would he do that?!" She expressesin a very worried tone. "Well, to come and meet you, I told himthat I was going to find rabbits for us. When I came back, I forgotto bring any back to camp and it slipped my mind that I had told himso. He asked where they were and I told him that we could eat theberries that I had instead but he just laughed at me which quicklyturned to anger... he told me to go hunt some and I said I wasn't hisslave and that he should do it himself. That's when he hit me beforesetting off and doing it himself. It was my fault." I answer sadlywhen thinking back to what occurred. "It was not your fault, Jack.He should never be hitting you! I'm sorry that you had to go throughthat." She replies as she takes my hand with hers, causing my eyesto come up off the ground and onto her. We take a brief seat on arock together where our heads lean and rest against each other. Itake her hand and our fingers intertwine before we carry on talking.