The Uktena

3. I Don't Trust This (Emmet)

I know something isn't right. Everyone just thinks I'm this stupid jock with no sense of self preservation, but I know when something isn't right. Ro is acting like they are the only person who can be right out here, but I know that Inola has never been wrong on reading maps. My mind started racing through all of the possibilities. What if they're jealous enough to get us lost somewhere we can't find our way out of? What if they knock us off a bluff or down a ravine? Is there even a bluff or ravine nearby? What if-

A cracking twig dragged me out of my thoughts. I dropped into a low crouch, letting my eyes scan through the trees before me. Nothing there, you're just letting your paranoia get the better of you. You need to calm down. I shook my head as I stood up, trying to shake the feeling that I was being watched. No matter where you are, the Yunwi Tsunsdi will be there to help if you truly need it. I decided that it was better to think of the noise as the Yunwi Tsunsdi keeping watch over the four of us on this little camping trip.

Shallow dips in the ground reminded me of footprints made in too-wet earth, which I passed, trying to avoid paying too much attention to. Whatever made them hadn't been here in a while, so hopefully it would stay away. I continued to fill Ro's bag with wood, and as it became close to too full to add more, I headed back to the clearing.

"Hey Emmet, bring the wood over here!" Inola shouted out to me while waving me over. "Ro set up the tarps so I can fill them with wood, and Mika and I finished setting up the tent! We even put up the inner walls so that each of us have some privacy." Her bright smile was a relief with the sky's darkening image. We should really finish soon, otherwise we'll be caught in the rain with no hot food. Inola's voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Mika is working on cooking up some dinner right now, so you and I are going to gather up as much wood as we possibly can. But we need to hurry, Ro said that the rain is going to start up sooner rather than later." She grabbed the bag Ro had been carrying earlier and set off into the woods. "Get a few more bags of wood and then we should have enough for the next couple days! I already brought in two on top of the bag that Ro brought back," She shouted out to me as she disappeared into the trees.

God, I wish she would stay within eyesight of the clearing, we would all be safer closer to where we knew we could see our surroundings, and each other. Sighing, I turned and headed into the woods again, grabbing as much wood as I could stuff into the bag, before returning to the tarp and repairing the actions a few more times.

As I returned with my fifth bag, I saw Ro spraying something onto the tent, and then grabbing each of our bags to place inside. After putting the wood into the tarp, I called out to our new de-facto leader.

"Hey, Ro? Uh, how do you want me to make sure no water gets into the wood? Because it's been a long time since I had to keep wood dry in a storm." Shit, I sound way too uncertain. They are all going to think I'm weak.

"I've got it! Besides, I have this last bag to put in there. Me and Ro used to go on hunting trips with our uncles and cousins all the time, so I got used to helping keep wood dry in case we ended up having rain overnight." Feeling slightly embarrassed, I turned to Inola, thanking her as I walked towards the fire pit that one of the others had set up while I was collecting firewood.

"You or Ro are gonna have to cook the meat for y'all selves. I won't touch those dead animals. It is actually disgusting that I have been forced to look at that poor baby that got killed for your dinner. It's so cruel what happens to those animals, and yet you are somehow still actually willing to eat them."

I ignored the rest of Mika's rant as I put the meat into the lightweight pans that Ro had insisted that we bring. Thank god for the half-boy to actually think about cooking a meal I can actually enjoy. No offense to the girls, but they don't even appreciate the fact that we are giving animals good use, and using as much as we possibly can. Rolling my eyes, I turned to Mika.