We, who Survived

Snuggling up to Fern, I smiled as his arm came around my waist and pulled me flush against his side. I knew it was morning due to the slits of sunlight coming through the makeshift curtains of leaves and branches. The two empty bedrolls next to us meant Zed and Jacob were looking for breakfast. We needed to get up but I was warm and comfortable and out there it was cold and miserable.

“Jacob and Zed gone hunting?” Fern muttered as he stretched under me. “And so are the animals it seems.” I sat up at that, glancing around for them. We were in terrain that now involved hungry station survivors and one of my animals was green.

“Don’t worry, Kitten, they are probably with Zed.” He pulled me back down on his chest before pressing our lips together. It was slow and gentle this time, making me moan. My eyes widened while Fern just chuckled as he pulled back. Heat travelled to my cheeks instantly when he gave me an amused yet proud grin.

“Aye, lovebirds, is it clear to come in?” Jacob called, amusement easily coming off his words. I growled and pulled the fur blanket around me and glared at Fern.

“I guess but you ruined the moment!” Fern complained, sitting up and taking me with him. The fur blanket fell to my shoulders, allowing me to see a smirking Jacob and a not so impressed looking Zed.

“We have to eat quickly so we did not get anything heavy, just some berries. The most important thing right now is to come off peaceful and on time. If they are late, we just get bragging rights,” Zed explained while rolling up his bedroll and packing it into his bag. Jacob came to me and Fern, giving us each a handful of berries. When I popped one into my mouth, the instant sweetness made me smile. The berries were like the ones growing around the village.

Walking in front, I led the small group towards the Trident base. The Rock Cat was pouncing in and out of snow hills while the zebra, which I had learned could change its fur colour like a chameleon in order to stay hidden and right now had white fur, trotted happily next to me. I felt anxious about seeing everyone again. After choosing to stay with the hunters, a rift was evident and would make everyone question my loyalty and what could I say. Did I prefer the Cree people over them? Yes.

“We are close. Spark will likely take us to the meeting room when we arrive. You guys are going into unfamiliar terrain so don’t act like you are in charge and throw your weight around,” I said, keeping my eyes trained on the new gates of the base. “Stay alert because if anyone shows any sign of hostility towards you, we are leaving.”

“Why are you putting our safety before your own?” Jacob asked. “This is your home too, you should not have to leave on matters concerning hostility towards us.”

“Just because I’m still an outsider to you does not mean I am not willing to help you or try and bring an understanding between our people. When we are done here, I’m going back with you to the village. This is no longer my home as of now,” I huffed out. I heard Fern chuckle. Sighing, I studied the new look of the entrance into the base.

Makeshift gates were built up around the door. The snow was built or pressed into hard blocks to form towers that currently were unoccupied. The silence was annoying me. Where were the others? Fern came to stand next to me, holding his bow in his left hand and bumped his shoulder against mine.

“Your call Nate, do we go in or wait outside?”

“I don’t know... We might give them a fright if we go in without them knowing.”

“Let’s go in and give them a scare then. We came, they are taking their time,” Jacob said while coming to stand next to me, a smirk on his lips. “Come on Space Rat, let’s have some fun.”

Rolling my eyes, I pushed him away. My anxiety was gripping at my heart and stomach, but we had to go in. Setting my jaw and narrowing my eyes, I opened the door. We gingerly filed into the hallway and walked down as quietly as possible. We came into the very first room, now empty of its furniture. The once cracked windows were now sealed with light amber-coloured glue.

“I think I know where everyone is.” Sighing, I gestured for them to follow me to the main room in the building. We could hear coughing and sneezing coming down the hallway. When we got to the open doorway and stared in, I had to hold my breath. More than half of the station survivors were lying in beds, coughing and vomiting into buckets next to them. All the while, Maria and her team were desperately trying to help everyone.

“How did you get in?” We turned around to see Spark glaring at us with Jae behind him. They had not seen me behind Fern’s back.

“No one was at the gate. We took that as an invitation to come in,” Jacob answered, his tone hard and clipped even though his words should have been playful. “You have a problem prick or are you mad at us since our boy stole yours?”

“You have no right to be in here,” Spark growled back, not answering the question. I rolled my eyes at his stupidity. As I was about to open my mouth, Fern took my hand and squeezed it before lowering his head to whisper in my ear.

“The medicine your healer is giving them will not work. The people in here have contracted Snowburn from drinking melted snow.” Fern pointed to a girl who was near us. Her face was so pale I would have thought she was dead if it were not for the faint rise and fall of her chest. “Snowburn slowly decreases the body temperature and brings on cramps from the stomach. Anything they try to consume will come right back up. In a way, they are slowly being eaten from the inside out.”

“Is there anything we can do?” I asked worriedly, a lump forming in my throat.

“Thankfully there is a pink petaled flower that can help. It grows around here by the river. We must go now before any casualties occur, there is no time for fighting.” Fern pulled me through a still arguing Jacob and Spark. They both stopped as soon as they saw us pass them. Jae and I made eye contact and he instantly began following as the others went straight back to arguing, Jacob holding Spark by the collar of his shirt. Fern made a gesture to Zed who nodded.

“Bookworm, what is happening?” Jae took hold of my free hand, making us stop. Fern glared at him until he hesitantly let go. “Who is this?”

“Fern of Cree and you are?” Fern growled, looking enraged.

“Onyx, head of Defence. Where are you taking Nathan?”

“To look for medicine.”

“Then I am coming with. No way am I leaving him alone.”

Jae and Fern glared at each other until I coughed. “Stop checking each other out and let’s go. We have a flower to look for!”

Fern led us out of the building and made us jog down the path to the river. His head seemed to be on a swivel, turning left and right in the search for the flower. Jae stuck closely to my side, just like the zebra which no one had seen yet. He was most likely reliving the day he had left me behind with Fern as we ran.

“What are we actually looking for? It’s not wise to use up so much energy when we have no energy food left,” Jae managed to say through gritted teeth.

“It’s a flower with pink petals. It has medicinal values that we can heal your sick with,” Fern answered easily. Being used to running after prey and having a fit body meant he was keeping an even pace while Jae and I struggled, me more so than him.

“There!” Fern exclaimed, increasing his pace after seeing what he was looking for. By now, we could hear the gurgle of the river. Jae decided then to stop me as he kept his eyes on Fern before turning me around and lifting my jacket and shirt. I heard him sigh and was turned to face him again. The relief was clear on his face.

“Do you trust him more than Spark?” Jae whispered, gripping my shoulders. I looked at him confused before nodding. “Listen, you need to stay close to him then. Spark does not have the best mindset right now and I don’t think it will change with him knowing you are together with Fern and the other two. I would rather you stay with someone who obviously cares for you than a nutso.”

I studied Jae’s eyes. I could not respond. Spark was going crazy with me not being around him. It pissed me off with how possessive he was being when I was not even his, to begin with, and that he was not taking my feelings into account either. Why must I have to hold his hand so he can feel sane? Maybe I was right, he had lost his mind while I was gone but not because of worry. I now understood what he wanted from me when I returned but it was not what I wanted to give.

“I don’t want to rely on Fern all the time for help. Everyone will want someone stronger to take my place as a leader, no one wants a weak link in the people they look up to for help. I will take your warning to heart,” I finally said, shrugging off Jae’s hands. Glancing at Fern, I watched as he cut large pink flowers from a plant similar to what we used for the bundles. “Let’s go help him, Jae, we can’t let him do all the work and show us up now."