Fold

Somewhere

I awoke with a start to the sun shining high above me. I had slept far longer than was allowed, and now I would be racing to get back to safety. Jumping up from the grass, I pulled the hood of my ragged gray tunic over my head and face and grabbed my minuscule belongings. Mother would be furious that I hadn't caught supper for the night as I had been instructed. I took off into the woods, going as fast as my legs would carry me. Just another mile and I would be outside of the Landry Quadrant and in safety's arms. Though safe was not a word I would call the Blanket, it was the best description I could give when comparing it to any of the six Quadrants or the Grace.

While running, I kept a sharp eye out for any sign of wildlife, hoping to snag a wild hare as I ran, but the chances of that miracle were slim to none. The wildlife in the Blanket was next to none due to the disease that had ravaged our people. Even after the hundreds of days that had passed, the population was no where near what my great mother told me it used to be. To find a stray animal was both a blessing and a curse. The penalty for being caught hunting was always punished by death. Maybe if I stumbled upon some mushrooms and wild vegetables, that would suffice for the meat I was unable to capture. 

As I ran, my mind wondered to my brother, Garren. He was only seven summers, and still reliant on the prey we caught. My mother was ill from child, who was expected in the next few weeks, and my father was off with the other men, protecting our fold. As the eldest child, I was left the responsibility of finding our dinner each night. If I failed, we went hungry,  hoping to find dinner the next day. Garren was much too small to endure such pains, and so I very rarely came back empty handed. My mother was going to be furious that I had made such a idiotic mistake.

About half a mile outside of the Landry Quadrant,  I slowed my run into a steady jog. I passed by grass that was dead from the cold months we were finally out of, as well as trees who had died long ago. The world was bleak and quiet as I traveled. Suddenly to my left,  the sound of a twig snapping caught my attention. Immediately, I retrieved my knife from my hip.  Even outside of the Quadrant, the guards were often spotted causing trouble. To my luck, and pure astonishment, a large wolf came out from the trees, having not spotted me yet. Sizing it up, I realized I would not be able to carry it on my own. But with its size, it would feed our family for weeks! I grabbed my makeshift bow and an arrow,  taking a quick glance around to ensure none of the guards happened to lurking. Once clear, I lined up my shot and let the arrow whisk through the air. There was a small yip as the arrow embed itself into the wolf's neck, successfully ending its meager life.

The happiness I felt as I walked up to the wolf was indescribable.  He was much larger than I thought, and his pelt would make for wonderful blankets for the new child Mother was carrying. I quickly tied his legs together with some twine and grabbed a fist full of the fur off of his neck. I may not have been able to carry it, but I could drag the wolf back to our Fold,  even if it took all of my energy. As I began the 1 mile journey back, I hummed an old toon and thought of how my mother would react.