Grimm Girl

I. One of Those Days

Song: SHELLS- Jagwar

The water was an alarming distance below but it was deep and clear. She wasn't exactly hesitating nor was she excited to take this particular plunge. Emily took a deep breath and held it, before she jumped into the frigid water below. Air rushed around her and lifted her loose shirt. It rippled around her like a pair of wings. The water came up too soon. It felt more like an impact with solid ice than water. The cold constricted her chest like a vice. It threatened to squeeze the last bubbles of air from her chest before she surfaced.

She dragged herself onto the rocky shore, rocks and silt digging into the skin of her knees and shins. She lay on the smooth stones of the shore and caught her breath. This was a terrible idea.

The cool river rocks felt good against her cheek as the sun warmed her. With a sigh, she sat up and squeezed the water out of her dark hair. She pulled off her shirt and wrung out as much water as she could before pulling it back on. She grumbled as she got to her feet. Her sore muscles protested, but she knew the sooner she got moving the sooner she could rest and get clean and dry.

This was hardly a challenge, but it was still a nuisance. The cold couldn't hurt her— even if it didn't feel pleasant. Another annoyed sound escaped her as she slogged up the steep river bank.
As she parted the hanging vines and stepped into the thick swath of trees that separated her from the camp, a sound stopped her in her tracks. she frowned and looked over her shoulder. It sounded large enough to be a person, there shouldn't be any wildlife that large here. She didn't want to waste any more time and chose to ignore the sound. She was burning daylight. It would only complicate things further if she lost the sun before the last leg of the journey.

Despite her desire to stomp through the woods, her combat boots from made no noise. She followed the faint trail away from the river. The sun dried her hair in no time and it stood up in a wild, curly halo around her head. Her shoes were the most uncomfortable, and squished with water with each step. She considered taking them off but she wanted to keep her hands free, just in case.

This proved to be a wise choice as a large figure crashed into her and sent her sprawling. She rolled into a crouch-- cursing as she looked around, her eyes alert, but couldn't see anything. Her nostrils flared as she tried to catch the scent of her ambusher.

She circled the animal, wary of any movement it might make. This time when the body collided with her she was ready. Claws dug into her shirt, but thankfully not deeper. The force of the tackle was enough to knock her off balance but instead of falling, she managed to use the momentum of the impact to spin. The beast's claws came loose from her shirt and he was flung some distance away. The grey furred body landed light on his paws. Emily sighed because at least she knew this particular beast.

"You ripped my shirt," she growled.

It pulled its lips back and let out a warning growl.

"Oh, how scary, wolfy,"

The wolf lunged for her and she rolled out of the way. She pulled the blade strapped to her thigh and circled the wolf. It was dark grey and more than twice the size of the average dog.

"No one said anything about having to do this," she complained.

The wolf's tongue lolled out his mouth and he chuffed. She rolled her eyes, great, a dog was laughing at her.

"I didn't know dogs had a sense humor,"

She grinned as the wolf's demeanor shifted, it ran at her. The large wolf zigzagged as he closed in. She balanced on the balls of her feet, trying to anticipate the direction of the incoming attack. At the last minute, she sheathed the large blade. She would need both hands for this. The wolf jumped at her, again she let him tackle her and fell to the ground with him. They rolled with the momentum of the fall. She used all her strength to keep the wolves snapping jaws away from her neck.