I Wish You Were Afraid Of Something (Like Dying)

'I don't think this is a good idea.'

That was probably the understatement of the year because as ideas went, this definitely wasn't one of Zazzalil's best.

Sneaking off in the middle of the night without telling the tribe?

How could that not end in trouble?

'We're running out of food, we don't exactly have much choice.' Zazzalil reasoned as she turned to face Keeri, spear in hand.

'Yeah but to go after a mammoth on your own without fire? That's just stupid. So I'm coming too.'

'Like hell you are. I'm not putting you at risk.' Zazzalil argued, stepping closer to Keeri to block her path.

'So why are you putting yourself at risk then?' Keeri questioned, her voice raised in concern for her friend.

'Because I can defend myself. You can't.' Zazzalil said bluntly.

'Jemilla's not gonna be happy.' Keeri said, hoping that the thought of Jemilla would be enough to stop Zazzalil.

It wasn't.

'Jemilla's not going to find out. Okay?'

The warning was obvious by Zazzalil's tone of voice. When Zazzalil was like this, Keeri knew that there was no arguing with her.

'Okay. Just be safe.'

Zazzalil gave a reassuring smile, 'I'll be back before you know it.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------

'Damn it! Where are all the mammoths?' Zazzalil asked herself as she walked through the dense woodlands, her voice radiating annoyance.

The thick branches of the treetops blocked the dwindling sunlight from reaching the forest floor, essentially leaving Zazzalil in the dark.

A loud snap of a branch caused Zazzalil to turn on her heels, her eyes swinting in an attempt to see through the darkness better.

It was useless.

She couldn't see anything without the sunlights illumination, but the woodlands soon grew quiet once more so Zazzalil continued on her journey.

Although she did feel more wary than previously and her heart started to race slightly, 'Nothing is out here, pull yourself together.' Zazzalil said aloud to herself, shaking her head in an attempt to shake away the fear.

Another sharp snap echoed out behind Zazzalil, this time sounding much closer than before.

Zazzalil stilled as she turned her head around hesitantly.

There was nothing but darkness, but a sickening feeling crept up in Zazzalil's  stomach as she tried to calm her breathing and her racing heart.

It felt like her heart stopped beating when she saw it.

Two glowing eyes stared back at her through the darkness.

'Shit.' Zazzalil managed to utter out before the eyes moved towards her rapidly to reveal they belonged to a sabertooth tiger who lauched itself at her.

Zazzalil managed to raise her spear just in time to push the saber off to one side.

The beast let out a low growl as it circled around Zazzalil, stalking her as it waited for an opportunity to strike.

An opportunity was found sooner than expected and the saber roared loudly as it leaped towards Zazzalil once more.

This time Zazzalil didn't have the right angle to push the tiger away so the beast's claws met Zazzalil's leg, causing her to hiss in pain as she fell to the floor.