The Forest

Chapter Nine

Zachery's POV:

I arrive at the stream Willow mentioned, quickly dunking my hands in it. The forest seems.... alive.

I swear something is watching me. 

I had wanted to light a fire because, I had heard it kept predators away. Not that there were any, Willow would have told me.

The day of my attack really messed with my head, I still get paranoid when I venture away from Willow. She saved me from dying. If it wasn't for her, I would probably be dead.

I've really got to stop thinking about that. 

Those 'what-ifs'.

Tilting my head upwards, I look at the night sky. The milky way shimmers between tree branches, partially obscured by clouds. If only Maisie could see this, man, she would be in love.

Growing up we were always inseparable. She always copied me and we shared similar interests, well she copied those too. Nature was one of them. Sometimes I'd take her out at night and we would watch the night sky, until she fell asleep in my arms.

Those were the days.

My neck starts protesting, so I head back to Willow and Jasper. Nothing bothers me on the way back, although I keep an eye out anyway.

Willow's fast asleep when I arrive, Jasper's curled up beside her. I quietly slip under the blanket, not wanting to disturb her. She remains asleep, her hand twitching slightly.

Jasper wakes up, stretches and then walks over Willow, settling down between us both. He purrs contently as I scratch between his ears. Sighing, I close my eyes. As I drift off, Willow's head tilts towards mine. 

Willow's POV:

Okay, don't panic. Yes, last night you purposely pretended to be asleep, so you could get closer to Zachery. Yes, you woke up drooling on his arm. But hey, he doesn't hate you for that, so its fine....Right?

And he totally hasn't caught on, or has he?

After breakfast we set off towards the Alpha's territory. Currently, I'm trying to tune out Jasper's relentless teasing.

"You loooove him."

"Jasper, shush."

He ignores me, continuing to say ridiculous claims. Last night he knew I wasn't properly asleep, what can I say? I wanted an excuse to get closer to Zachery. 

Speaking of, Zachery had been unusually quiet this morning. He's a few metres behind us, walking slower than usual. Maybe his leg is bothering him again? I'm not sure. 

We've been walking for about two hours. Maybe we should rest for a bit? So I stop, turning to look at Zachery. 

"Hey Zachery, do you want to rest for a bit?"

He looks surprised, "uhhh, sure."

What is going on inside his head? Why is he surprised? Okay, enough with the guessing games.

"Spill," okay maybe my tone is a bit harsh.

"Huh?" He has the audacity to raise an eyebrow.

"Zachery, you've been quiet this whole morning. What's going on inside that head of yours?" I gesture to him, encouraging him to sit down next to me. He remains silent for a heartbeat, then answers me quietly. 

"Well last night, I was thinking about Maisie. She loved nature and staring up at the night sky got me thinking about her. Does she remember me at all? Does she look up at the night sky  sometimes, thinking about me, like I do?" He takes a deep breath, blinking tears out of his bright blue eyes.