What's up peeps! This is my favorite chapter yet (other than chapter 30 of course😜) Hope u like it!
Enjoy!
32. I really hate weeds
The forest is getting thicker.
In fact, it's so thick that there's barely room for walking. The vines are heavy and thick like a maiden's wet hair after a bath.
"I feel like I'm walking on snakes," I mutter under my breath
Luke had to take out a sharp dagger and cut down the vines hanging in our path, and the fall to the ground like green snakes.
We seldom talk during our travel, partially because Luke is as talkative as a rock, partially because I don't want to fall in this forestry and I have to focus on my movements.
I look up at the sky, only to have my vision obscured by thick branches and leaves. I cant see a thing.
"What time is it?" I ask Luke, starting after him again
"Almost 7 in the evening," he replies, effortlessly cutting through the vines
"Almost 7?" my eyes widen "No wonder I feel like my legs are made of jelly!"
"You want to camp here?"
I look around the suffocating environment and speed up to fall in step besides him "What do you suggest then?"
"I suggest we go on until we find a place capable of staying at."
"And how long until we reach that place?" I ask
"As flattering as it is that you think I know everything," Luke casts me a cool glance from the corner of his eyes "I don't."
"You've disappointed me beyond measure."
My humor is greeted by silence.
"Well, then check that cursed map of yours," I say, ducking a freshly cut stack of vines as they drop
"That cursed piece of paper is our biggest weapon." Luke says, making no move to go through his bag
"Forgive me for my ignorance, I should respect thy sacred map," I say in a gravely voice "What does thy sacred map show, Sire Luke?"
"It shows something wet," Luke says "and slimy."
I only have a moment to catch the meaning behind his words when he stops and I almost fall into the swamp ahead.
Hurriedly steadying myself, I assess the swamp that stretches to at least the next fifteen feet.
Luke snaps a branch from a nearby tree and bends down, to dip it into the swamp.
I realize what he's doing and my nose crinkles "I really don't want to wade through it."
"As good as that sounds, we cant do that." Luke says, letting the branch be completely sucked up by the swamp "It's pretty deep."
Pursing my lips, I let my gaze wander. Only a moment later, I look up at the towering trees.
"We can use a fallen tree as a bridge," I say
"I doubt our luck can provide us that," Luke says, getting up "We'll have to help ourselves."
"Luke, not that I doubt you, but," I say and pat the truck of a tree "I don't think you dagger can cut through this in less than a millennium."
He lets the bag and dagger drop, with a roll of his shoulders, he asses the tree I just patted.
"I don't need a dagger for this, Hazel." Luke says, steering me aside
I have to hold back a chuckle. Is he really going to attempt breaking it off to stroke his ego?
"Luke, you cant just-
Words die on my tongue as he rams his shoulder into the heavy trunk of the tree, causing it to shake furiously.
Luke pulls back, only to repeat the application of force. Once. Twice. The tree rips off its roots.
Breathing heavily, a few rebellious drops of sweat on his temple, Luke flashes me a quick crooked smile.
"You were saying, Hazel?" he lifts my chin up as he approaches, closing my mouth
Blood rushes to my face but I refuse to let him have the smugness and huff.
"I was saying we cant just destroy trees," I say, walking towards the fallen tree "But well."
"Then maybe you'd like to wade through the swamp, Hazel." A voice says from behind me
"And let the tree's death be fruitless?" I ask, eyes wide in dramatic horror "I'd rather not."
Luke's eyes narrow a fraction but he leaves it at that as he picks up his things and starts after me on the bridge.
As we reach the center of the tree trunk, it start getting thinner and I open my arms to keep my balance.
I can do this, I take a few wobbly steps forward, I can definitely-
A yelp passes my lips as I begin tipping towards the left and my eyes widen in horrified anticipation as I stare at the slimy green water when someone grabs my arm and pulls me back.
I spin on my heel, barely steadying myself when I see a certain Alpha now walking ahead of me.
"Are you alright, Hazel?" Luke glances at me over his shoulder "It seems like you need help."
"I'm good," I say, focusing on my steps and trying my best not to shove him down the bridge
With a shrug, Luke walks over the bridge with lithe, catlike steps, making it to the other side as easy as if he'd been walking on flat earth.
"Take your time, Hazel." He says, crossing his arms "I'm figuring that it'll take you a while."
Indignation and irritation burn up my face and I narrow my eyes at him in determination. I'll show you, you brat!
I take a few steps forward, wobble to the right, steady myself just barely and my own momentum carries me forward, I almost fall due to the now thin and wobbling stem of the tree.
As if my feet have a mind of their own and they love to dance, tripping and staggering, they waltz forward and finally, I feel the earth under my feet.
"Made it!" my hands shoot up, a wide grin gracing my lips "Take that! I don't have a drop of water-
The rest of my insults scatter away as I take a step forwardー in mudー and slip backwards.
In the swamp.
I come up the surface, disgustingly wet and slimy. You got me there, irony.
A small sound reaches me, I look up to see Luke's face turned sideways, but his dark eyes are on me, bemused as he holds a fist over his mouth but I see the corner of his mouth tugged upward.
I glare at him as I come out "Not a word."
I take off my long boots and rid them of the slimy water, Luke wisely stays quiet as I rid myself off the slime as much as possible.
"Please tell me the sacred map shows a stream nearby." I say to him
"Only a few miles away."
I groan and hang my head, my shoulders sagging. I'm too tired to complain to fate right now.
"But there's a small lake close," Luke says, my head snaps up "If you're willing to go."
"I really adore you in this moment," I say as he takes my hand and starts forward
The stiffness of his shoulders doesn't go unnoticed by me "In this moment?"
"Yes," I say blatantly "Right now when I'm covered with slime and tired out of my sanity."
The tree vines are as thick as before but that's not our only concern anymore.
"Are you kidding me?" I whine as I stare ahead
The thick, dark green vines that hang from towering trees are covered by big, cruelly curved thrones.
"Stay close," Luke says as we plunge in, the swift movements of his blade clearing a path for us
The forest is darker here, trees twisted and hunched as if whispering among each other. The vines are so long, they cover the forest floor. With every slash of Luke's blade, a hiss reaches me, as if they can feel it.
Stop being irrational, I tell myself, but my hold on Luke's hand tightens. There are just a bunch of old trees, nothing to be afraid of.
I dare to close my eyes for one moment when I feel it, something slithering around my ankle.
I scream as I'm pulled back, my hand ripping out of Luke's. he whirls around and I'm hanging in air, vines wrapping around my legs, my arms. My wide eye meet his and I see the hint of movement behind him.
"Watch out!"
Too late. They got him too.
I trash around wildly, the thorns dig into my skin, hot blood beads and trickles down.
"What is happening?" I ask, breathless from my struggles and the tight hold on me
"I don't know," Luke grits out as the vines wrap around his wrists, his ankles, pulling at his limbs, slowly, cruelly.
My breaths come up in short gasps as my eyes search around frantically. Then I do what comes to my instinctively.
I bite it.
Yes, I bite into that thorny, heavy tree limb and tear it off my right arm. The vine loosens its grip, hissing like a snake but it's enough for my slimy arm to slide away. I don't waste time before snatching and pulling at the vines on my other arm, slipping free.
"Whoa!" my vision lurches as I hang upside down
From my peripheral, I see Luke land on his feet, fingers extended to pointed claws but something shiny catches my eye.
The wild vines snatch my up again, but in one swift movement, I grab the dagger off the ground.
"I really hate weeds," I slash the blade through my binds and fall ungracefully on the ground
"Get up," Luke is tugging at my arms, pulling me to my feet
Hissing like snakes, thrones gleaming like obsidian, the vines crawl towards us.
"Go, go!" Luke shoves me forward and I barely have time to register what's happening when he's taken the lead, hand clasped around my wrist like a manacle
"There's too many!" I wave the dagger blindly, cutting and missing
"Keep moving!" Luke's voice reaches my ears
He stops to an abrupt halt, I bump into his back and look around him to see what made him stop. Screams die at my tongue.
Bloody, mangled bodies are entrapped in the web of vines, dead eyes staring into nothing.
Something like a bullet goes past my arm, tearing the skin. I hiss, snapping out of my momentary trance. The bloody vines are slashing at us like throwing knives.
Luke hisses a curse, taking a sharp turn, the vines coming at us in a wild array, jabbing and puncturing. We try to ward them off- me with the dagger and Luke with his free hand but that's highly annoying while running.
I'm pretty sure we're going to die from blood loss.
"I see a clearing," Luke says, a silver of hope enters my heart
I see it too, the faint moon light illuminates the patches of grass, the moonforsaken trees a respectable distance from each other.
We cross the forestry and into the clearingー
Something pulls me back. A scream escapes me as the vine curls around my arm, thrones digging painfully into my flesh. Luke snaps his head back, I see a flash of his clawed hand and the next instant, feel myself stumbling forward.
Breathing harshly, I stagger away from the cursed plants, the vines recoil, hissing venomously.
I harshly take off the dead vine curled around my arm, blood trickles down from the wounds.
Luke closes his eyes, breathing for a moment before coming to me.
"Come," he tugs at my elbow "We need to clear and bandage the wounds."
I nod, casting one last glance at the deadly trap we just left behind before we start forward.
Soon enough, I find myself cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes, my other pair still wet from washing and hanging off a tree.
Sitting by a fire, arms and legs bandaged, body aching from exhaustion, my mind refuses to shut down.
As I stare at the flickering flames, my mind goes back to the bodies we just saw.
Those men... their families, their packs, they will never know what happened to them. Hell, they might not even get the bodies. They died in this very forest, by some accursed thing, afraid and struggling.
Something brushes against my shoulders. I snap out of my thoughts and look up, surprised as Luke settles beside me, the blanket draped on my shoulders.
"You need to sleep, Hazel." He says, stormy gaze trained on me
I turn my tired eyes to the fire again "I don't feel sleepy."
Seconds go by, maybe minutes and silence stretches around us, allowing my thoughts to chase each other in circles.
Something warm and callous touches my cheek. Startled, I jump away from the source.
Luke doesn't seem fazed by my reaction. Instead, he leans forward, brushing his thumb across my cheek, it comes back wet with a transparent liquid.
My hand goes to my face, where a silent tear had trickled down.
"Why are you crying?" Luke asks, no emotion in his voice
"I didn't know I was," I say silently as I shift back in my previous position
"You're upset about what we saw."
It's not a question, so I don't bother with an answer but I can feel his intense gaze on me, urging me to say something.
"Those men," breath catches in my throat, I curse mentally before swallowing "They're just... gone."
I turn my face to him, he's staring at me with an impassive face, not betraying a single thought.
"What's done is done, Hazel."
"But," I cant find the right words "But their families, their friends, all of them... this isn't right."
I purse my lips, hoping that he cannot see them trembling. I lower my eyes, hoping he cant see them brimming with tears.
A beat of silence passes.
Two arms pull me close to a warm chest, one of them wraps around my back, the other strokes my hair. I feel myself stiffen to refrain from holding him like dear life.
"The world isn't always right, Elise." Luke's voice caresses my ears "Those men knew that they might never come back from this Hunt."
"It's not fair to the people who loved them," I whisper, closing my eyes, something wet and warm trickles down my cheeks "What about their mates? Their children? Was it their fault that this Hunt is a bitch?"
"No," his callous fingers brush against my cheek, the action oddly comforting "but we cannot cage the ones we love, just to keep them safe."
I let out a shaky breath, out of their own volition, my arms snake around him, holding him tightly. I notice him tense, his own hold on me tightens.
"Its not fair."
"Life is not fair."
"I wish it was," a child's wish, a fruitless thought but awfully alluring
"Many wish so," Luke says, his heart beats a rhythm in my ears, calm, steady "But life is painful and unfair and so terrifying but we never want to let it go."
Someone presses a kiss to my head. But it cant be Luke. Luke is a badass, he doesn't do things like that.
"Life and pain go hand in hand, Hazel," his voice is lulling me to sleep "And it is a place we cannot follow others, not even to help, unless we want to drown ourselves."
"Sounds like apathy," I murmur, sleep closing in on me
He shakes with silent laughter, stroking my hair again "It's bitter maturity, my little idealist."
I mumble an unintelligible reply, my eyes shut firmly. In the warmth of his arms, hearing his heart beating a rhythm, I fall asleep.
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