Rogue's Secret Mate

Chapter 3: Forest

"Hurry up boy"

I was limping and I should be the one being left behind but my li'l companion had such li'l feet which bouncing on par to mine. Still it wasn't enough to catch up on me.

I slowed down and clasped his hand on me. He looked up and granted me his dazzling smile. Such an innocent boy.

"My brother said there's cabin somewhere here, we have to find it to settle ourselves and maybe rest my aching leg" I didn't know if he understood me but he nodded attentively.

I found out he wasn't fan in talking, unless necessary and I bet it was due to what happened to him. I didn't pry in his past I knew for sure it was bad, a kid in a forest alone? What would be the possibilites for the kid to land on the forest alone, a three year old at that? Perhaps worst than mine.

He was traumatized for sure and a li'l bit paranoid. Every sounds on the forest too loud for him would almost brought the kid into hysterics. He would ran to me and clutched on my good leg.  and when I was out of his sight he would cry, the only sounds prominent in his almost non existing voice.

It seemed he'd turn out to be a selective mute. Time would come though and he would heal, hopefully.

"Hungwy" okay not totally mute, I heard a timid voice and I groaned, I forgot I was with a child, of course his being was my utmost priority right now, didn't mean I wasn't hungry, he wasn't.

"I'll look for fruits, come on" He towed behind me and I had to suppress a groan of pain. All these walking would cripple me for sure. My wounds still far from healing. Though, not infected but every movement almost made me doubled up in pain.

I roamed my eyes around trying to catch something edible. A banana would do, or even some berries.

I limped ahead putting pressure on my cane and used the stick I found to sway away some grasses and branches. Fortunately I saw wild berries, hopefully not poisonous but the said rabbits munching some of it erased my doubts.

"Like some berries?" I grinned asking him, he nodded happily and I crouched down getting some. The rabbits scampered away as soon as they noticed us.

We munched in delight, partially sating our hunger. I opened the water bottle and helped Taiga in drinking without spilling it. He needed a sippy cup…which I didn't have.

The sky rumbled and a thunder suddenly boomed making the kid screamed in horror and me in surprise. A storm was coming, great another dillema.

I packed our things and search for something to stay for the night as the storm passed by, this was ridiculous where was that cabin my brother was talking about? A storm was no joke and I was with a child.

With a limping foot I dragged myself with Taiga's tight grip on my pants. There's a screech from above I saw birds, hawks cawing loudly. I  followed their little black body and saw some landing on trees above. Big trees, those will do as the perfectly big shade of some ancient trees would probably shield us from the raindrops but basing on the thunder kept booming which the kid kept on flinching this wasn't a simple storm and a basic shade of a tree wouldn't help from being drenched to the bone. So no. Perhaps a cave would do.

I roamed my eyes, not having the energy to drag myself anymore, thankfully some birds settled on a big crevice on the rocky hill. A small cave stood its place.

"Thank God, now hopefully no bears in there" but base on the size of the cave a bear wouldn't be able to fit in there.

"Let's go kid" the tiny child waddled beside me and kept his hand on my pants the other busy on his mouth, thumb sucking. I grimaced, that sure as hell dirty and unhealthy.