Girls Vs Boys- Snowbarry AU

Chapter 2

Eight hours passed since the battle and after using much of their medicine, the medic of the female tribe had sent Caitlin out to the forest to gather herbs and plants and other ingredients to replenish their cache. And as the medic's apprentice, it was Caitlin's job to go gathering ingredients.

She was humming to herself with a wicker basket in her hand and swinging it a little with the swing in her step as she walked through the lush greenery. She walked slowly so she could spot any of the ingredients on her list. A lot of the ingredients and herbs looked very similar but she had a very precise eye which could spot the subtle differences between the various green plants. Some grew in different kinds of soil, some grew in water and some grew under rocks or logs. She had a lot to find so she had to work quickly but efficiently.

Luckily, efficiency was one her of her strongest qualities along with being a very hard worker. she had trained as a medic with the tribe's apothecary and medical practitioner ever since she was ten years old and for the last eight years, she had studied hard. She knew that there would be a time where she would be chief but honestly, she didn't want to be. She wanted to be more than the medic's apprentice and one day be the medic. She had no desire for leadership nor did she have any time for it. She also knew that she didn't really have a choice in the matter but she couldn't help what she wanted.

Caitlin sighed as she picked a few opium poppies which are primarily used for pain relief. This was a plant that was used very often in the camp and due to that was used up very quickly. She always made sure that she had more than the required amount just in case of emergency and for her own convenience. It was no secret that she found trekking and searching the woods and forest for plants a real bore. She hated the way the trees looked. The look that they may suddenly burst into life and attack her at any moment. The sound of their bones creaking. 

She didn't mean to be scared but being alone in such a vast and dark forest often left her frightened of what she may find. She would regularly find herself holding her breath as she turned a corner or trembling whenever as she heard the slightest rustle of leaves or snap of a twig. She couldn't help it, she had always been a neurotic and pedantic person. But her fear kept her alive. She was practical above all else and never did anything that could lead to any sort of trouble. Especially with her mother. It was too much of a risk and no matter what it would never be worth that risk. She was not prepared to bet anything on that. She wouldn't risk it. Not for anything or anyone.

As she turned a corner she heard a loud rustling of leaves. Quickly, she took a large step back and heard the loud snap of a twig. Her heart stopped for a moment and she looked all around her and saw no one. She looked to the ground and saw it was her own foot which had snapped the twig. She let out a sigh of relief and shook her head and continued to walk. It must have just been the wind, she thought to herself. As she continued to walk she heard little pants and then a little cry of pain.

Her eyes widened in shock and fear. Her eyes averted in all different directions and her heartbeat thumped faster and louder in her chest every second that went by. She heard another rustle of leaves and without thinking, she grabbed a large stick from the floor to defend herself. She had no combat training but hoped that this will do. She had nothing else. Cautiously, she took slow and soft steps forward looking in different directions as she did so.

"He-help! Is t-there anybo-dy th-there?! He-help me, pl-ease!" a low and pained voice shouted, stuttering in pain. There was something about it that she didn't recognise. It certainly wasn't female. She knew every woman in camp and that voice definitely didn't belong to any woman. 

Following the voice, she came across a tree only a few paces away from where she was previously standing. And lying against the tree was a person. Her breath caught in her throat when she realised what it was. A man. An injured man.