Arrows Piercing Fly (My Hero Academia Universe)

Chapter 36: Survival

Her long hair was tangled and fell loose down her back, the ends touching the ground as she sat on the dirt covered forest floor. Different berries were layer in front of her that she'd plucked from different bushes as well as their leaves.

She was trying to remember the steps of finding out if a wild plant was safe to eat.

Going over the steps again in her head, she went through the strenuous hours of safe checking each plant before coming down to about three that she was sure were safe to eat.

Finding her way back to the source of the berries, she plucked a whole bunch and stuffed them into her pocket for later.

She began to aimlessly walk away, eating at a few berries trying to stop her hunger.

There was the small sounds of chewing in front of her and she immediately fell into a crouching position. She crawled forward without making so much as a sound and stopped in front of a bush that she carefully moved aside.

There was a deer grazing on the small patch of grass by the base of a tree.

She felt her stomach growl again and she knew she would have to eat something. Steeling herself as much as possible, she pulled her hand into a familiar position as her bow appeared. She pulled the string back and a normal arrow sat in the arrow shaft.

Breathing a slow careful breath, she aimed. She hesitated to let go and for a second she almost put the bow down. But her fingers slipped and the string cut the pads of her fingertips.

The arrow flew through the bushes, piercing the air with a whizzing sound.

It missed the deer and hit the tree next to it.

The deer shot it's head up and stared at her, then ran into the forest, away from her.

"Dang it," She sighed.

She looked down at her hand and scowled as small drops of blood fell from the pads.

Looks like she'd have to stay hungry for a little while longer.

____________________________________

She laid in a tree with her back against the trunk as she tried to fall asleep as tears fell from her eyes down her cheeks and her stomach ached from hunger. The cold air bit at her limbs as she shivered, her body wracked with sobs.

Thankfully though, she wasn't thirsty. It was three weeks later and she had managed to find a small pond where she could drink the water after cleaning it to the best of her abilities. Her necklace kept giving her away to animals so she kept it stashed in her sock so she wouldn't loose it.

Nightmares were a common problem and she rarely got sleep.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of pained whine from an animal echoing in the darkness at the base of the tree. Looking down, she saw a fawn on the ground that seemed to have an injured leg.

Trying to stay as quiet as possible, she held her hand up as her bow appeared. Pulling the string back, an arrow appeared in the arrow shaft as she took aim.

She breathed as steadily and deeply as she could and held it as she let her fingers go.

There was a sharp cry of pain and then a beat of silence. She climbed down from the tree and found the deer limp with an arrow in its stomach.

More tears fell from her eyes as she layer over the dead animal. "I'm sorry!"

She cried for the dead animal and thanked it for its meat as she started to dig a small hole and gather dry sticks and leaves in a small pile, using the soft glow of the moonlight to guide her steps.