Zara's Wolf (Book 1 of the Zara's Wolf Trilogy) BWWM

13. On My Own

We spend the better part of an hour or so waiting for the rain to pass us by. Once the sky is clear, I see that the sun will be setting in an hour or two.

I hang my head in silent defeat. There is no point in continuing our journey with night so close at hand. We had better just call it a day and find shelter.

Cody leaves, but returns about fifteen minutes later with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He looks like he's smiling and his tail swishes slightly for a second.

"Well, don't you look proud of yourself?"

I swear his grin just grew wider. Is that even possible?

Pulling myself up, I hobble after him. My muscles are unhappy with me from sitting for so long in the cold, but I push them to move anyway.

He wasn't gone for long. He must have found something close by. Happiness fills me with this thought.

Until we spend an hour walking with the sun beginning to set on the horizon.

"I thought it would be close!" I bark in exhaustion.

Sitting down on a fallen log for the fourth time, I groan as my ankle throbs. My head still hurts, but the asparagus and rest must have helped a little because it was just a mild ache now.

Cody waits for me, clearly growing more and more impatient at my sluggishness. He paces back and forth a few steps, sometimes whining softly each time I have to stop and rest, but there's nothing I can do. My body is running on empty. I have no energy, no food, and at this point, very little drive to keep going. I just want to rest. Curl up anywhere I can and fall asleep in the warmth of Cody's furry side.

His whines get louder.

Maybe we're really close?

"We better be close," I say with a groan as I haul my unwilling body up.

I drag my sorry butt after him, grumbling under my breath the entire way.

Just one more night, I tell myself. One more night, and then you're going to find your way home. And then you can soak in a nice hot bubble bath with lavender scented oils.

I sigh with that thought. Even with optimism on my side, I still have my doubts about getting back home tomorrow.

We walk for another ten minutes or so before we come upon it. Another rocky niche that's deeper than the last, but more shallow than the cave that first night.

Which is good because if it were a dirt hallow under the roots of a tree again, I'd be caked in mud from head to toe by the time I'd get up in the morning. That would neither be fun nor a pretty sight.

Yawning, I crawl in and Cody follows behind me.

The floor is pebbly and rocky, not at all comfortable to lie on. I try to shift my weight, but the ground digs into my bony hip, or it's angled awkwardly on my back. I start thinking about sleeping in a tree instead. Might be more comfortable up there!

But when Cody lies down next to me, his warmth envelops me and all of my discomfort vanishes in the blink of an eye.

And just as quickly, I wake up and it's morning.

But my warmth is gone. Cody has disappeared.

I can't help but sigh. I half expected him to be gone when I woke up. While I was hoping that he would be gone so it would make it easier to continue onward without him, I can't help but miss him. His company, although limited given that we're completely different species, was greatly needed and appreciated. Especially when it came to warmth and food.