Wren
Waking up, the silence still crushed me. I knew that the one year anniversary of Jessie's death would come soon. I don't know if I'm ready for it.
My morning routine was quick, and efficient: put on cloths, brush teeth, tie up hair.
We had run out of coffee a long time ago, back when mom was still alive. But I had found some camellia seeds in the cellar of the cabin, the first round of tea leaves were picked a month ago, and I had enough to last me till the next harvest.
Quietly, I sat at the window seat in the kitchen, looking at the beautiful Colorado forest that had surrounded me for the last 5 years.
I don't think I've talked in the past year, I mean, why would you need to if there's no one around to hear it?
I read a book on snare traps that I had found. Turns out the prior owners of the cabin were aspiring bushmen, go figure.
Today was the first day of trying to trap animals, so far my diet had consisted purely of plants and fungi, and the occasional game meat when I happened across an animal.
I have only used my bow to protect myself once, about a couple of months ago I found myself in a fight against a mountain lion. Needless to say I'm the one left at the end of the brawl. But it hadn't died before making sure I knew its strength. I still sport the four jagged lined scar above my hip from its claws.
Sewing up myself had hurt like hell, but it had been necessary to keep me from dying. Which seemed to be my only objective at this point.
The sun was already above the horizon, which meant that it was time for me to get started on my chores. There were always so many things to do and not enough time to do it.
First was to look over the garden. It was about time to pick the kale and carrots, but it looked like they needed just a little more time. I plucked at the weeds that had missed my gaze the other day, making sure that the plant beds were devoid of all unwanted green. It took a little longer than expected, but I kept finding more and more. I guess weeding is a job that's never done.
All round, the noise of the desolate world seemed to envelope me, but I knew that at any chance someone, or something, could encroach upon the farm.
It was peaceful, in a depressing sort of way. Even though I was wary of my surroundings, I couldn't help but get lost in the organic flow of nature.
I stood, frozen. When did the leaves change color? It seemed to have happened in a blink of an eye.
Guess my birthday was a little while ago.
The changing of seasons from lush green to bronze and brown was how I knew that I had aged another year. But it was bittersweet.
Delicately, I reached up to finger the piercings at the top of my left ear. Jessie had done them for me as a birthday present when I turned 18. We didn't have anything to make the day any different from the one before or after, so she had proposed this.
Every birthday, we do something that we will always remember.
One thing I can remember is how much the piercings had hurt, or at least, the after effects of them. Our supply of alcohol was limited, so Jessie had reasoned that soap and water was probably okay to disinfect the homemade jewelry.
Turns out it wasn't.
It got infected within the week, but like the stubborn person I was, I kept them in and cleaned it every chance I got.
Over time it healed, but I now that I barely look at myself in the mirror, it would escape my memory, that they were there.
Sometimes, I would put my hair behind my ear, or walk past a reflective surface, and be reminded of that day, and my sister.
Sighing, I decided that sooner or later I would actually have to set up the traps. But I was procrastinating, so the next item on the list of to-do was chopping wood. Fall in Colorado was way colder than in Texas. As in it actually snows before winter. My time of collecting wood while the weather was bearable was running out. Which meant that I really had to kick it into high-gear if I wanted to be comfortable this winter.
Another hour or so later, I had chopped the remaining wood that had been left over from a few days ago. I would have to go back into the woods to collect and dissect the fallen trees, which was a much longer process. I reasoned that I could spend all day on that task tomorrow.
There was nothing outside that I had left to do besides the traps, which I had pulled off for as long as possible. I knew that whatever snares I made would be absolute crap and probably wouldn't catch anything, but I had to start somewhere. And I needed all of the extra food I could get, so if doing this helped me get a rabbit every once in a while, then it was worth it.
Huffing, I trudged to the shed that was off of the cabin to the right. Grabbing the needed wire for my traps. It held most of the outdoor equipment left behind by the previous owners. Almost everyday I was reminded of how lucky my family had been to find a place like this.
But it didn't matter how prepared you were, Mom and Jess still died. My thoughts ruining whatever gratefulness I might have had.
I shook my head, clearing it as much as possible, I had to focus if I wanted any chance at making the traps right.
~~*~~
The sun was already directly above me. One thing I hated about the cooling of the weather, was the shorter the days got. There were already a million things I needed to do, and I preferred it if I didn't do them in the flickering light of my last candle.
I had just finished with the last of my two traps. I was experimenting with different types, and when I finished, I had to say I was quite impressed with my skills to recreate the drawing in the book I was referencing. I stood up and stretched my back, I even dusted my hands off dramatically as if to appreciate my handiwork.
I had never tried to trap animals before, usually I just shoot them when I happened across their path. It was my hope that trapping would give me a more steady stream of protein compared to random hunting.
Filled with positive motivation, I headed back to the cabin. The whole time trying to think of something that I could do to celebrate my late-birthday.
Even if Jess was dead, I was still going to keep up my end of the promise.
I smiled to myself, wondering if I could actually do what I was thinking of. It would definitely be permanent, but without much thought I had decided that it was the right thing to do.
I was going to be giving myself a tattoo. Because even in the end of the world, it was never too late to make questionable choices.
The rest of my chores I could do indoors, and even though the cabin only consisted of four log walls and a roof, I felt safer in there than I ever would in the surrounding forest.
I had made it to the front porch, and quickly slipped inside. The heat from an almost dead fire was just enough to make me smile more. Not completely fucking up the snare traps had put me in a good mood, one that I intended not to ruin.
Something I had to finish soon was my canning. The last of my apricots and blackberries had to get preserved soon, otherwise I wouldn't be able to eat the fruit during the winter.
Without sugar, the fruit would lose its bright color and texture, but nutrients were nutrient, no matter what it looked like. Plus, I was always working to extend the shelf life of my only sweet foods.
My mind went elsewhere as I filled the enormous pot with water for the cans and brought it to a boil.
It was a weird feeling, living in the end of the world, when you're not reminded of it everyday. Sometimes I forget that it's the apocalypse at all, and imagine that I'm just a girl living out in the wilderness on her own. It is easier that way, to cope with the loneliness.
My whole life I had never truly been alone. Most of the time I was with my family or school friends.
But my new reality was that of solitude, my only company being the creatures and life of the forest.
Yeah, talk about pathetic, my only friends were the same animals that I try to kill for food.
Some friend I am.
~~*~~
Dinner tonight was a random assortment of nuts, greens, and mushrooms, all cooked together to create a surprisingly good meal. It was at the point in the season where my summer harvests were running out, but I was still waiting for the crops that peaked in autumn. So for now my diet was going to consist of a little bit of everything I could get my hands on that was edible.
And hopefully soon, that will include meat.
After washing and drying my dishes I jumped on the soft leather couch in the living room. This is where I really lived, usually only going to my room to sleep.
Since it was just me living in the cabin, I had taken over the master bedroom, which meant sleeping in the biggest bed in the house, it even had a sitting area. The cabin had three bedrooms, with the two smaller ones being at the back of the house. To be honest, I never went back there anymore, there was just no need to.
Relaxing, I let out an audible sigh, stretching my neck before grabbing my book off of the coffee table. One thing I was always happy about, was the amount of books that had been here when my family had shown up to the cabin.
Floor to ceiling bookcases took up two walls in the living room. Each filled to the brim with worn books with broken spines. Every book looked as though it was read religiously. And with multiple seating options around the house, it was the perfect way to pass the time when all of my chores were done.
I hadn't read all of the books yet, in the span of five years I had only gotten through half of the selection in the cabin. And right now I was reading a classic: The Odyssey by Homer. I wasn't far enough along to form an opinion, but from what I had read, it seemed interesting.
I was about to settle into the couch and start reading, before I remembered my plan to celebrate my birthday. Leaping up, I dashed through to the kitchen, and eventually found the first aid kit.
I moved quick, hoping that the logical side of my brain would be too slow to stop my less than rational actions.
Would this get infected? Knowing my luck, most definitely.
Was I still going to do it knowing that? Hell yeah.
This is the type of thing that Jess would do. I thought. This only propelled me farther, with my plan.
Okay, I reasoned, I think I have everything. Pushing the needle's eye into the eraser of a pencil, I studied my makeshift tattoo machine. It looked a little bit like a torture device, but would probably work out fine for getting the job done.
I had an astrology book open next to me, And ink from a broken pen.
This was all kinds of wrong, but I knew I had to do it.
It hurt a lot more than I thought it would. The sting of me puncturing ink into the skin at the top of my right forearm. The constellation of Aquarius finally started to take shape as I created an inked dotted line to connect the stars.
Finally, I was satisfied with my new tattoo. I purposely put it in a spot that I couldn't ignore like the piercings. I wanted to always be reminded of my little sister, but this time, to remember all of the good feelings and memories that accompanied me when I thought of Jessie.
I got a good look at it, before rushing to the mirror to see it with my whole body.
The bathroom in the cabin is out of the way for my day-to-day routine, usually pulling my hair into a braid as breakfast is cooked and brushing my teeth over the kitchen sink. But this time I got a good look at myself, and what I looked like to the rest of a dying world.
I looked thinner than the last time I had seen myself, guess isolation and lack of purpose will do that to you. My tattoo looked good, well, as good as it could for being a first time ink job. It was rimmed with red from irritation, black ink looking too bright.
I didn't get much more time to inspect my new possible bad decision, because I heard a loud thumping coming from the front of the cabin.
Slowly coming to the living room, I grabbed my bow, and nocked an arrow into it.
My brain immediately went into fight mode, running through all of the possible animals that could have decided that I was the perfect late night meal.
It could be a black bear, or another mountain lion mad that I had killed it's friend a couple of months ago.
There was just a sliver of light left over the horizon, the sky turning a deep purple with an orange band surrounding the forest. I was able to have a good vantage point of the porch through a window near the couch. It was a last ditch effort to scope out whatever was trying into come into my home uninvited.
I paled. It was a wolf.
I thought Colorado didn't have any wolves.
That wasn't the only thing that shocked me, the wolf had something in its mouth. A leg. I traveled the limb till it connected with a body.
A bloody body that wasn't moving.
Great. Just what I needed. A wild wolf and dead body relaxing on my front porch.
I continued to watch, the wolf seemed to be waiting expectantly for someone to answer the door it had scratched on.
But then it dropped the leg. Proceeded to lick the unmoving person's face, then left my line of sight. Hopping down the porch steps and into the ominous forest.
What the hell did I just watch?
I waited for a beat. Then another. I counted to 20, waiting for the scary creature to come back to finish me off, but it didn't.
Suddenly, I remembered that there was a dead person lying face down, covered in blood, in front of my door.
They looked dead, but reluctantly I went to the front door and took in a deep breath, praying that I wouldn't have to bury someone tonight.
I opened the door, the air was cooler than when I had been out doing my chores earlier. I shivered, reaching to grab a jacket on the hook next to the door. I turned my attention to the unconscious person in front of me.
When I got a little closer, I noticed that they were breathing shallow, low breaths. I let out an audible sigh of relief. I also realized that it was a man, one that was definitely larger than me. Instantly I started to question out how the hell I was going to get this guy into the cabin.
For some reason, I could feel that the wolf was still watching me, but making no hostile move to attack.
I didn't have time to think about that however, because now I had a barely alive person lying face down, covered in blood, on my front porch.
Happy 19th fucking birthday to me I guess.
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Word Count: 2732
A/N: Alrighty, the story is finally kicking off! I can't wait for y'all to read more about Wren and Thorn's story. Trust me when I say I'm writing like a madwoman to get chapters finished and edited.
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