SWNOVELS Chapter Survival in the Abandoned Village
The sun dipped behind the heavy veil of clouds as Ti and Kaipa settled into the grim reality of their situation. As the last traces of light slipped away in the encroaching dusk, the abandoned village seemed to coil in anticipation- a predator waiting in the shadows, eager for the unguarded moment when it could sink its teeth deep into their shared uncertainty.
“Food and shelter,” Kaipa murmured, his brows knitted together in thought. “We need sustenance and a place to rest before anything else. The dusk is giving way rapidly, and we must be prepared for whatever comes.”
Ti nodded in agreement, swallowing the sharp retort that longed to edge its way through the tangled barbwire of his uncertainty. It wasn’t easy to put their powder-keg feud aside- especially when it came to living shoulder-to-shoulder with the enemy- but they had little choice. They were alone in an unfamiliar land, and there was no reason not to heed Kaipa’s advice, given the harrowing unknown that surrounded them.
They scoured the dark recesses of the village in search of kindling and wood for a fire. They found treasures in the most unexpected places - tinder in charred timbers, and fractured logs that seemed more than happy to offer whatever life-giving warmth remained in their splintered hearts. This lifeline felt precious beyond words, as though a new fire would cast away the shadows, and with it the ghosts of their past and the predators that threatened to leap from the shadows like a living, breathing nightmare.
Though their faces bore the wounds of war, their hands - ached though they were from years of relentless conflict - moved with deft, unnerving precision as they gathered what supplies they needed. They struck a balance between silence and communication as they roamed the village. A silent nod, a shared glance, or even a parting of the lips spoke volumes to their newfound understanding of the other’s intentions and hinted at the possibility of the trust they would need to survive this ordeal.
In the dwindling light of evening, Ti and Kaipa built a fire in the ruins of what had once been a humble home. In the flickering glow, they foraged for what remained of a meal, tearing apart the carcass of a fallen comrade - a rotted, rain-soaked hare that admired neither the valor of the cause it had once lived for nor the shared anguish of the hearts that desperately needed its sustenance. With the flames a sudden barrier against the chill of the night air and the ever-mounting precipice of their fears, a makeshift dinner was both a bitter acquaintance and a familiar reminder of their hunger for survival.
Sitting side by side on a moss-covered stump, their backs warmed by the fire’s half-hearted embrace, they chewed on the gristly remnants of a shared meal spiced with despair and crumbling fantasy. The pain that rose from their hands, stinging like tiny, barbed arrows, did little to ease the awkward beauty of their surroundings. For a moment, this ancient ruin, carved with the faces of a thousand-and-one dreams long since forgotten, was their kingdom- a realm that balanced precariously on the edge of this new, uncharted territory.
The silence stretched and tangled like a toiling spider’s web, each breath catching as the weight of surviving pressed upon their already weary shoulders. A burden made lighter by the humming flame that danced beside them, it whispered a promise of days to come when they might peel back the veil of darkness and lift the curse of a long-lost dream, surviving in a world that had never known the touch of war.
“Kaipa,” Ti began, his voice rough and stained with the grim intimacy of their shared plight, “you were wounded a day ago during the clash. Has it festered?”
His gaze flicked sidelong to meet his. A veil of night cut across the azure of his eyes, as though even the memory of their battle could cloud the beauty that lay hidden beneath those bruised lids. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, a wistful smile ghosting across his lips. “It has been tended with care. The pain is bearable. Do not worry,” he answered, his voice laced with fatigue.
As if on cue, a gust of wind blew forth, sending a shudder through the withering embers, casting a haze of ash upon the cold ground. In the gloaming, they exchanged weary glances.
“Soon,” said Kaipa, his voice cutting through the gloom, “we will find a way to lift this curse that binds us here. Until then, we must always be aware of our choices, for each step we take may have lasting consequences.”
He nodded, swallowing down the dregs of their bitter meal. “Indeed. We walk a razor’s edge, Kaipa. I fear losing myself in this treacherous world.”
Silence lapsed between them once more, a grieving monster that wrapped its tendrils around their souls and whispered of the abyss that had swallowed their kin and comrades. And yet, within that quiet darkness, the fragile flame of understanding flickered between them, illuminating a path toward the hope they would need to overcome the turmoil that waited in the shadows with bated breath.