Chapter five.

The intense pain has me biting hard on my tongue to stifle the groans threatening to spill over my lips.

Damn it. It's a lot worse than the last.

I roll on my back, wrapping my arms around my stomach.

Hah....it hurts. It hurts too much.

Lying on the bare snow, the cold drilled into my bones, numbing some part of the pain.

Hah—exactly how long will I have to bear this?

Will I even be able to last the thirty days like this?

The pain subsides after some minutes, leaving me with ragged breaths.

I drag my weak body into the woods.

I am still not out of the Dark Moon Pack's territory. There is no time for rest.

But unfortunately, it seems I underestimated no man's land.

It's all snow.

I am freezing cold. No matter how many layers of cold I put on, the cold still clings to me unyielding.

I rub my hands on my shoulders to warm myself up. It has been hours already, and although I have successfully crossed the Dark Moon Pack's border,I still haven't gone far.

Have they noticed my absence?

Alpha Kane sure is going to be mad. But do I care?

Not even a bit.

I just hope Rowan will be okay. I really will miss you. Alot.

I look up at the dark skies; the moon is already starting to rise.

I should find a place for the night. I stand under the shade of a large tree, spreading the map open on the ground. I search for a suitable place to pass the night.

Looking at the number of red marks on the map makes me cringe.

No man's land really is a dangerous place. I just pray I don't run into anything dangerous.

Blowing hot air into my almost frozen palms, I pinpoint a cave not too far from my position.

This should do.

Packing up, I quickly head towards it.

*Achoo* I stagger at the sudden sneeze, almost falling over after kicking on the snow.

This is so cold.

I feel like I am going to freeze into an ice sculpture any time soon.

Thankfully, I arrived at the cave before the worst could happen.

Cold and out of breath, I clear out a small opening in the web of vines that have grown over the entrance, then slip in.

I am so cold.

I am freezing.

I quickly turn my bag back, gathering some of the clothes that I packed. I look around for some twigs, and then, with the help of two rocks and my fine survival skills, I set it on fire.

Watching the flames come alive, the only thing that stopped me from jumping into their warm embrace was the probability of turning into a barbecue.

Cold!!. So cold.

I huddle near the fire. My whole body is shaking profusely.

It took almost an hour before I recovered, and only then could I think straight.

And the first thing that came to mind was

Hunger. I need something to eat, and unfortunately, I have nothing on me.

Let's see if I can find something.

I change out of the coat I was wearing, which has been soaked by the falling snow. Then head out once more.

I searched the surroundings, making sure not to go too far, and at the end, I only found some unripe mangoes and a small bunch of blueberries.

I turn around to return when I catch a trail of blood on the ground. The sharp red color contrasts with the white snow, which makes it easy to see.

Is it a person? Or an animal?

I know I shouldn't be curious, but I will just check it out. Nothing else.

I follow the trail until I get to a small bush.

It ends here. which means the owner of the blood should be here.

I support the load I am holding with one hand, then pick up a thin stick, using it to poke the leaves open.

Oh my!!

Lying unconscious on the cold snow is a small, white tiger cub with bruises all over its body.

Is it dead?

I resist poking it with the stick, in case it might hurt it. I'm softly tapping its head with my index finger instead.

It's cold. But it's still alive.

I took off a layer of coat from the many I was wearing, carefully wrapping it around the little tiger, and then took it back to the cave. The fire is already starting to go out, so I quickly gather some more wood, making sure it's enough to last us for the night.

——————

The next morning, the little tiger was no longer there.

I rub the sleep off my eyes, then frown.

Did it run away?

I mean, go back to where it came from?

I sit up, letting out a loud yawn. Whatever.

I feel so stiff, but I am no longer that cold. My stomach rumbles, and I sigh.

I'm just a little hungry.

Thank goodness I left some food for today.

I immediately noticed something weird the moment I picked up the bag. Is it supposed to weigh this much?

"What the?" I saw the ball of white fur that I thought had disappeared. "How did you get in here?"

It's eyes slowly open, and he leaps out of the bag. Snaring at me

I ignore it, checking the bag. A frown is climbing up my lips. "Did you eat all the things I kept inside?"

"Arrrggg.....rrrr..." It bares its small, white teeth at me cutely.

"Hah. I am hungry." I grumble. The sun is already up, and it feels less cold compared to yesterday.

I buried all the traces of the fire from last night, strapping my bag to my back.

"Would you like to come with me?" I ask the little tiger, who has been eyeing me wearily the whole time.

It doesn't reply. I mean, it can't talk, so—

Well, it might have a family to return to. Unlike me.

"Goodbye then." I wave. 

Maybe it's the heavens on my side, but I was able to find some apples to eat on the way. leaving some pieces for the little tiger that keeps tailing me but won't show itself.

Walking for what feels like forever, my throat begins to feel patchy, and I search the map for somewhere I can get water.

I feel a pull on my pants and am looking down. It's the little tiger. "Are you hungry?"

"Let's go get some water first." I smile. There's a river not too far away.

Following the map, I come face to face with an obstruction.

It is an old hut.

I glance back at the map; there's nothing marked in that position, so it must have been built after the map was made.

There seem to be people inside.

While I can easily guess that, it is impossible to tell ifif they are good people or not, so it's better to not get involved.

After all, the world we live in is botha rose a rose and a thorna thorn.

I turn around, wanting to go the other way, but a person appears on the path. carryingcarrying a deer around his neck.

My first reaction is to run, but he is one step faster.

"Halt!!!"