SWNOVELS Chapter 121
Chloe's POV
I placed the dagger strongly in my hand and looked at the direction where the presence was coming from
Only then did I see a young man approaching the area I am in.
He stepped out from the shadows and revealed himself. There was a spear in his hand, and a dead rabbit on the other. One look and I could see that he had gone for a quick hunt and stumbled to me, unfortunately.
He had a tanned skin tone that lay underneath his tattered clothes. His eyes emitted a trace of vigilance and coldness but strangely upon seeing me, the vigilance diminished a lot.
“A rogue?’ I raised my brow in wonder, as I looked at him and observed his actions. But the more I looked at him, the more I was confused.
Although he really looked like someone who had spent a lot of time in the forest, his entire demeanor and appearance did not look like the vicious rogues at all.
Beside his tattered clothes, his long hair was tied neatly in a man bun and his nails were all fleshy pink, without a sign of the rogue’s darkening. He also does not emit the foul stench the rogue’s commonly have as a sign that they were starting to lose their rationality.
“This is my spot.” He said in a low voice, it was laced with reprimand but no hint of hostility.
“I don't know..." I answered cautiously.
Although there were no signs of hostility, it did not make me lower my guard the slightest.
I did not move on my spot and only watched him with a dagger in my hand.
He seemed to have realized something and sighed. His expression seemed to express that he found my presence quite troublesome.
He put down the dead rabbit in his hand and went to another tree. Its truck and branches were wider however, it was too difficult for me to climb into
Tack tack tack!
The next moment, he swung his spear into the trunk seemingly randomly. I raised my dagger in vigilance, as I was confused by his actions.
“Is he venting his anger to the tree?"
But soon he stopped and looked at me apathetically.
“You... sleep here...” He swung his spear and pointed at the tree he just murdered with his spear.
I looked at the tree once more and was shocked to see that he dug a few shallow steps I could use to climb up the tree.
“This?” I looked back at him wide-eyed.
He looked at me from top to bottom with a darkened and troubled expression, “You smell blood and weak, you cannot sleep in my tree with that condition.”
He said then he pointed up at the tree top, “You will see what I am talking about.”
"O-okay..." Overwhelmed by his uncanny actions I could only mechanically nod and look down. Only then did I realize that the dress I was wearing was stained with blood at the lower area. It seemed that I had bled due to the aftermath of my miscarriage.
In the end I climbed the tree and found that the top of the tree trunk was actually flat and smooth enough for me to sit on.
The main branches of the tree was also wide enough for me to comfortably lean on without even having to fear rolling off the tree in my sleep.
“T-thank you...” I looked at him, who was still down and checked my condition.
In turn, he only nodded and headed toward the stream to prepare the dead rabbit that might be his dinner.
After some time, I decided to come down the stream as well and wash my clothes in a secluded spot, when he was busy starting the fire to presumably cook his rabbit meat.
When I came back, the smell of the barbequed meat had already assaulted my nose.
He seemed to have noticed me approaching as he turned to me expressionlessly. The next moment, his hands reached at one of the skewered meat and said, “Eat.”
"Ah..." I looked at him dumbfounded
On times like this, it is normal to act vigilant toward each other. But from start to finish, he only quickly did things to help me without even asking something back.
“Eat...” When he saw that I was about to decline, his brows furrowed and mumbled once more. Seeing his expression, I could not find any words to decline him any longer and so I walked to the fire he had made and sat opposite him.
“Thank you for sharing your meal..." I muttered.
"Hmmm..." He casted a glance and took his skewer as well. Without a word, he started eating his food.
In the forest, there was an awkward silence between us and only the occasional sound of the crackling fire interrupted it.
In the end, I could no longer ignore the silence and said, “My name is Chloe... a... traveler.”
“Caleb...” He answered, then after a pause he said with a confused expression, “You have no wolf...”
“Indeed... It has been like this since I was young...” I answered truthfully. “I decided to travel
aimlessly to find answers... Perhaps there's a cure to my condition.”
Caleb looked at me with a somber expression, but it was only in a split second before it faded. Then he turned his gaze into his meat once more as he commented, “Liar, you ran away..."
Surprised by his comment, I was unable to refute his conclusion at the moment and let out an embarrassed chuckle, “Ah, did you figure it out due to my wounds and condition?”
He looked at me and nodded.
Somehow, his bizarre attitude slowly tore down my vigilance as I found myself opening up to him a little.
“Well, you are right about one thing, but also wrong in saying that I am a liar...”
“It's true that I ran away... but it is also true that I decided to wander around to find some answers..." I paused and looked at the faint starry sky.
"You see, just earlier, I lost my baby... I buried my poor child in the morning and left my mate's pack right after due to some complicated reasons...”
"One of them is because I am someone who needs protection because I do not have any wolves...” “I don't even have the power to protect my baby in my womb... that is why when attackers came, I lost my child in the process...” As I uttered these words, I found myself numbed in pain as my soul grieved.
Maybe it was because of the explosion, or perhaps it was because I had already run out of tears to shed, but I could no longer hide myself crying, whilst my heart was aching terribly.
“That is why, I decided that... I have to go and find the answer... perhaps, I'll find a way to find a miraculous herb to cure my condition.”
Caleb looked at me as he listened. His face changed from somberness, to surprise then to pity. However, his stoic face was still there and only the emotions in his eyes could be followed.
"How about you?” Seeing that I have dampened the atmosphere with my depressing monologue, I tried changing the topic.
“I have no home..." He answered with his head lowered, not allowing me to see the kind of expression on his face.
Just as I thought there would be an awkward silence between us once more, I heard him continue, “My pack was destroyed by the Lycan king... just because of our foolish elders who stood against them!”