Chasing Phoenix

Chapter 29

                          My hazel eyes fluttered open to dazzling sunlight. Yawning slowly, I sat up, soreness piercing my body. I was in the crook of a tree, cobwebs wrapped around my dirt-smudged skin. My t-shirt and shorts were torn and smudged with mud. Scrapes and bruises covered my legs.

It was resting time. I could freshen up, eat, drink, and prepare for tonight.

Cringing slightly, I remembered how Luxion had easily tracked me down. He had let me live, and I knew he wasn't going to go easy tonight, which was a terrifying realization. Climbing down the tree, I dropped to the ground with a grunt. There was mud everywhere, wet leaves plastered against the ground. It must have drizzled while I was asleep.

Suddenly, I had an idea.

Luxion probably tracked me by smell. If I covered myself in something dirty, he would probably have a more difficult time trying to find me.

Sliding to my knees, I squeezed my eyes shut in discomfort as I began rubbing mud across my body, even on my face and hair. Spitting in revulsion, I got to my feet and began walking through the trees, looking for berries or freshwater of somesort. I was starving and dehydrated, my throat was uncomfortably dry.

Luxion had said that there was a stream, but of course it was the border of this horrible game of his. No matter how much I wanted to cross it and run, I knew he would track me down and kill me. He was too skilled, and it infuriated me.

I walked for a while, the sunlight drying the mud on my skin, making it cracked and uncomfortable. The rushing sound of the stream soon rang in my ears, and I picked up my pace a bit. I soon saw the sparkling water ahead of me.

New energy restored, I burst forward, dropping to the ground next to the little stream. I cupped my hands and drank as much as possible, the icy water soothing my parched throat. My eyes caught on a lush green bush, growing happily near the water. Tiny red berries were splattered across the leaves.

But it was on the other side of the river.

Cursing under my breath, I stood up, staring longingly at the berries. They didn't look ripe, sure, but it was the only food I had seen on my way here. The bush was overgrown, leaning over the stream.

It was either jump in and eat; or go across the stream to the other side, get disqualified, and die.

With a long sigh, I stepped in the freezing water, chunks of mud flying off my skin. Wading deeper, I bit my lip in the cold and pushed forward. The stream was pretty deep, the water went up to my waist.

When I reached the berries, I pulled as many as I could off the tree and ate to my heart's content, all thoughts of the freezing water vanished from my head. The berries were extremely sour but I kept eating anyway, unaware of the consequences I might face with my stomach later.

Swimming back to the other side of the stream, I hauled myself out of the water and flopped onto the grass, curling up into a ball and pulling my knees to my chest.

I wanted to see Luna, Autumn, and Sky again. I wanted to squeeze all of them in a massive hug and tell them how much I love each of them. How much I miss them. Were they looking for me? Were they waiting for me at home? Did they even miss me?

My heart seemed to crack slightly and my eyes grew watery, tears streaming down my muddy cheeks.

I sat there in the sun for a little while, letting my emotions stream out in the form of tears. My heart was aching from loneliness, and my face was cracked with misery.

But if I didn't survive this, I would never see them again. Ever.

I had to survive. For my friends.

I had to survive for my precious life.

***

The sun was dipping below the horizon by the time I found a good hiding place. I had drenched myself in mud, had as much food and water as I needed, slept for most of the day, and prepared something special for Luxion. New energy pulsed through my veins and fear racked my heart, but I was so ready. Now I was finally prepared for this horrific test.

I wasn't going down without a fight.

Pushing through some thorny bracken, I clenched my teeth in pain as the thorns pierced my mud-covered skin. I went as deep as physically possible, dropping to my knees and ducking low between the thick leaves and coarse ferns.

Excitement and fear surged throughout my body as I waited as quietly as possible, the sun vanished from sight and the waxing crescent moon rising slowly into the sky. Billions of stars twinkled above my head, as if comforting me in the darkness. My breath puffed from my mouth in clouds of visible oxygen, but the mud and the leaves sheltered me from most of the cold.

I didn't know how Luxion could possibly find me. I was well hidden and my scent was mostly covered from the dirty mud. It was either he was so brilliantly skilled that he could track down my slight scent and find me in this excellent hiding spot, or...

Or he had been watching me all day.

I forced the thought immediately away, forcing the overwhelming fear away from my thoughts. I couldn't get intimidated. 

I was tense, trying desperately to calm down, forcing my breathing to slow. I was constantly slapping gnats and bugs away from my face, growing more frustrated every second.

But suddenly I stopped every movement I was making, my breath catching in my throat.

It was very faint, but I heard footsteps.

Footsteps making their way across the slippery leaves in my direction, slowly, carefully, as if stalking their prey. It was impossible to push back my fear now, my heart pounding dramatically faster than normal. I crouched low, even though I couldn't see the outside from in the bracken. The footsteps were growing louder by the minute, and I squeezed my eyes shut in terror.

Then they stopped, inches away from where I was, and a vicious snap rang violently in my ears. A shocked, deep yell split throughout the silent forest.

My trap had worked.