Wild

Chapter 30

He could hear voices, quiet whispers that fluttered through the air. It made him want to collapse on the spot, days of nonstop travel catching up to him. He could feel the exhaustion dragging him down, begging him to sleep. But he was so close, just a few more feet to the log.

Wilbur took a deep breath to steady himself, forcing his legs to take another step forward. The soft grass brushed across his pants, the breeze pushing against his back. It pushed him forward, as if helping him make it the last few feet.

The borrower looked up, seeing the progress he had made. He stood in front of the log now, close enough to hear the quiet chatter coming from inside. He tried to take another step, determined to finish this part of his journey. But his foot caught, stuck on a mossy root sticking up from the ground.

He felt himself lose his balance, stumbling forward as his legs finally gave out on him. He clenched his eyes shut, shooting out his hands to try and catch himself from the fall. But he never made it to the ground.

Strong arms caught him, pulling him up into a weak standing position. He leaned his weight onto the person, not caring who it was. "Thank you..." Wilbur whispered, trying to get his legs more steady underneath him. He must have underestimated how much the journey really took out of him.

"Wow wow steady, are you ok?" Wilbur looked up at the worried voice, seeing another borrower. He stood close at his side, taking on more of his weight then he was currently able to.

The borrower stood slightly shorter than him, but his much stronger build made up for the height difference. He had short fluffy black hair, kept neatly swiped to the side and dark hazel eyes.

Wilbur's eyes flickered across the other person, someone who must be a Nomad. He wore odd clothes, definitely different from the usual borrower style. He wore mostly dark clothes, colors that melded perfectly with the bark of the trees. Except for the cloak he wore, it went far enough to end just above his boots.

It was the color that caught his eye, one he had never seen any borrower wear. It was a sandy golden color. Like the fine sand you would find in an hourglass, it looked like it would make you stand out but it somehow blended in perfectly. He could see the cloak had a hood, currently pulled down on his neck.

Wilbur blinked back into reality when the Nomad repeated his question, "oh yeah I'm ok. Just tired."

The Nomad just chuckled, readjusting his grip holding Wilbur up. "I can see that, let's get you inside. It's supposed to get cold tonight"

Wilbur just nodded, accepting the Nomads' help in getting inside the log. There was a small entrance, hidden under a thick curtain of vines. It was a circular hole in the wood, probably used by squirrels long ago.

Wilbur stepped over the curved wood, carefully walking into the inside of the log. He paused when he made it inside, wide eyes taking in the sight. It was warmer here, small fires scattered around warded away the steadily increasing cold. There were numerous camps laid around, most having at least three Nomads sitting around them.

There had to be at least twenty Nomads here, all conversing quietly with gentle laughs. The air smelled faintly of food, a warm kind of stew he couldn't recognize. The Nomad leading him up nudged him forward gently, gesturing to a campfire nearby.

This one had only one person sitting at it, a lady sitting cross legged on the ground near the fire. There was a small cauldron sitting over the fire, the Nomad peacefully stirring the contents inside.

Wilbur walked over, following the example of the Nomad helping him and sitting cross legged on the ground. His gaze rested on the woman for a moment, taking in her unique features.