Wild Desperation

Chapter 6

The first few months after my fathers death were the time I took to mourn and adjust to not having him around as company anymore. By the fourth month I was often reminiscing about the times I had enjoyed sitting around the fire in comfortable silence. By the fifth month I had realized just how lonely I was, and how the loneliness was slowly driving me insane. I started to sing to the birds that called around me, but although they sung beautifully in response they were not the best companions, they often took flight whenever I came too close.

 I was making my way to town for another set of books to pass my lonesome time, the language and fighting ones long since memorized. The books had become an important part of my solitude, with reading them I felt just a tad bit less lonely. I paid my respects to the three street graves and quickly went to grab some books, I chose a single romance story and another book on fishing how to's. I had some success in fishing but not knowing much about it I wanted to learn more in hopes of increasing my catch for the future. 

I had the brief thought to explore and see if I could find whatever it was my father mentioned was hidden in this town, but something seemed to be calling me back to the forest, an instinct I didn't understand. I remember telling myself that I would come back to search another day and then heading off into the woods. I remember climbing the tree that I planned to spend my night in since it was growing late, and when darkness fell it wasn't safe to be on the ground, even more so when you were near town where the beasts often prowled.

 I had just settled down to nibble on some deer jerky and look over my new books when I heard the shots in the distance. I was so startled initially that I lost my balance and nearly fell out of the tree, luckily I was able to right myself as I tried to calm my racing heart. The shots had come from town and as I watched silently I saw the smoke rise into the air, I was glad that I hadn't stayed. I was glad that I hadn't run into the people with guns as I had yet to find the rifle and its ammo that my father said he had left for me, arrows could only do so much against a gun full of bullets. 

I remember the sorrow as I wondered over who it was had died this time, how many had fallen to join the death toll that never failed to rise? I slept with one eye open that night before waking warily to an early morning start, I wanted to be as far away from the gunmen as possible by the time night fell once more. I collected my things and readied an arrow as I hurried back to the park I called home, on high alert for any sounds that didn't belong. I was halfway back to the park when I first heard it, the low keening howl of a canine in pain.

 I froze mid step and twirled with my bow ready, looking for a possible sick coyote or wolf, but finding nothing but trees. I paused for a moment before the howl sounded again, the sound sending a shot of pain to my heart as I pitied the unknown animal. A yelp soon followed, I knew the sound was coming from the left of the trail that I needed to take home. I knew that I should probably keep walking since whatever animal was calling was probably sick, dying, or too hurt to survive the coming full force of winter, even now I could feel the chill in the air around me. 

I knew I should just keep on walking but another howl of pain had me wincing at the sound, it was as if the animal was calling to me and I knew I couldn't just leave it suffering. I kept my bow drawn as I cautiously made my way towards the howls, unsure of what I would find. I didn't have that far to go since I found him 200 yards from the trail I was traveling, his reason for his pain so clear that my blood boiled at the person who had laid such a trap.