Forest Boy

[7] The Lake

Entering our cabin, I was greeted by a sleepy Andrew who seemed to be the only one up even though it was midday. The first stop was the bathroom, and the purging of my wounded and sore hands which were covered in bits of hardened mud and bark trapped under my nails. Then, was the preparation of something filling to eat.

It had suddenly grown a lot hotter than before and I contemplated whether or not to change into something more suitable for the weather. But something more suitable for the weather would be less suitable for the messy job of climbing trees. I really didn't want to dirty another outfit in the space of one day so I decided to roll up the ankles of my leggings a little and just put on a vest.

Didn't really make much of a difference, to be honest. I was still equally as hot.

I was glad for the shade cast by the trees as I ambled back to Rhyse. It felt much cooler than in the cabin and I wasn't blinded by the afternoon sun high in the sky.

Back at the area we were at before, Rhyse was already there. He was leaning comfortably against the tree we fell out of and knocking the branch back and forth between his feet. He was also shirtless.

When he heard my footsteps draw nearer he instantly flashed me a toothy grin and approached me, picking up the knife on his way. He swung it haphazardly in his left hand. I eyed him cautiously and made sure to keep my distance so the blade didn't end up between my eyes or in my gut. I knew he had no aim and knew he wasn't focusing on keeping that blade firmly in his hand.

"Hold it still," I ordered firmly.

He stood up straight and positioned his feet together like a soldier would and saluted me in a joking manner, "yes ma'am!" The little American twang in his accent really came out in the most random moments.

I rolled my eyes at him and instructed him to recap what we practised earlier with throwing knives. He was much better now compared to when he hit the tree with the handle instead of the blade. I was genuinely surprised that he couldn't throw them anyway. He did live in the forest after all! He never threw a blade to catch prey before after living here? I knew I had to a few times.

"You could be an assassin, with knives as your weapon; they're silent and deadly," he commented as I demonstrated how throwing from the tip of the blade gave more momentum than the handle. He went to collect my knife for me, "except, you're a very... jumpy person."

I snatched my knife from him and frowned. I wasn't a jumpy person at all, I was just always very cautious of what was happening and what could happen. With this boy, everything was unpredictable.

"You were jumpy when I first approached you a couple of days ago-,"

"I thought you were going to kill me! What would you expect? You terrified me," I argued.

Rhyse wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my shoulder as a way to mockingly console me. He laughed as he apologised and assured me not to worry, it was "unlikely that I'd be killed out here." I shrugged him off me, he was all sticky from the fierce heat and I didn't like having his nipples resting so close to my face.

About 20 minutes later in the sweltering heat that was now building up under the welcome shade that once provided protection from the sun, Rhyse and I sat resting, leaning on a tree trying to cool down.

"Let's go swimming in the lake. I know a good spot with shade," he said suddenly after a deep sigh. He stood up and stretched causing his bones to crack quite unnervingly.

Maybe I should've come to the forest more often if it meant my body would stay as lean as his.

I promptly shot him a look of confusion as he graciously extended his hand out for me to take so he could heave me up. Neither of us had swimming gear with us. I mean, Rhyse was halfway there already since he had no shirt on and was just in a pair of shorts anyway, but I was still fully dressed.