Never Yours, Mate

Chapter 24

I awoke hours later. The moon was high in the sky and the wind was chilly. My teeth were chattering from the cold and my skin felt like ice. I no longer felt hungry, I needed to eat now. I spotted some berries, they looked safe but I wasn't about to risk it. Sickness and hunger while running away would be the death of me. By now the potion would have ran out. 

I looked around making sure there was no one near by. I scoured the nearby grounds for any source of water. I stumbled around a lake that seemed to be undisturbed. Good water, now I need some sort of shelter. I couldn't  be too near the water as animals could be attracted.

Thanks to Zachary I needed to be a whole lot smarter about how I got to Canada. I had managed to steal a map before leaving the camp and it would be important to mark out my route. I sat by the water staring at the map as I picked thorns from my feet. I winced each time one especially deep had to be pulled. The collective cuts were mildly bleeding but that wasn't my biggest worry. Infection would kill me before blood loss. 

I sighed, the sun was starting to rise. I had wasted most of my time trying to find water. My throat was dry and my lips close to bleeding but I still didn't know if the water was safe. I watched as a deer approached the water. Thank goodness. 

The deer drank for a second before spotting me. It turned and ran in the opposite direction. The water seemed to be safe but I would still need to purify it. I had grabbed a lighter as I left the camp and collected twigs around the lake. There was a slab of stone not too far away and I used the glass water bottle I had taken to collect the water. 

It wasn't long before the fire was going. I had to keep it small so I didn't alert any wolves of my presence. The water took forever to boil with the flame so low. Soon enough I was gulping down the water. I had never felt so thirsty in my life. I spotted some blackberries across the lake. I don't know how I didn't realise this before. I slowly moved around the lake. Weeks of hunger had left my body too weak to move at a fast pace. 

The berries were delicious but didn't fill me up. That was okay though, eating too much would make me sick. I had yet to find shelter and the sun was rising in the sky rapidly. Soon it would be too hot to do anything.

I collected as many berries as I could and placed them in the bag. I needed to keep heading north. With an entire pack looking for me and not having left the territory yet, it's only a matter of time before I get caught. 

My feet were still aching but I had to keep walking. I had managed to layer them in socks and the thorns weren't piercing as often. 

I was moving so slowly, I needed to move faster but I still hadn't managed to come up with a plan. The border was going to be the hardest place to cross. 

I could make a run for it and try to lose them in the trees but it wouldn't be easy. The rivers were also an option as well as completely avoiding that border. They expected me to cross into South Carolina but if I went to North Carolina it would be easier to cross. 

I sighed. North Carolina was the safer option but it would add weeks to my journey and it kept me in Georgia longer which ran the risk of Zachary finding me. It would be easier to hide from Zachary than 30+ wolves that would guard the border. Then I could quickly move to Tennessee to get as far away as possible. 

That would be my plan. Now I had to survive the next few weeks. I was rationing my water, that would be my most precious resource. 

By the time I stopped walking the moon was beginning to rise. I started to set up camp looking for the nearest water source. Luckily there was a stream near by and I was able to purify more water for tomorrow. I heard branches behind me and I couldn't believe what I saw. Jesus Christ it was terrifying. I had never seen a bear in the wild. Especially not a mad one.