And a cat.
With the issue of warmth and hydration being solved, I could give all my attention to the other large pressing problem.
Safety.
Or more specifically, Nikolai's safety.
My own well-being was something I regarded as an afterthought, seeing it as more as a function of protecting Nikolai rather than something I had set out to do for my own sake. It was such a contrast to how I used to think and behave, when I had seen myself as the only thing worth protecting and done horrible things to ensure my survival. Now I would do horrible things to ensure my son's survival.
If Niko had been born as any other child, one who was afraid of shadows and glowing eyes in the darkness, one who needed to sleep in the same bed every night, he might not have been so well behaved–or so adaptable. But my son had gotten my wildness and had grown used to the woods with ease.
I watched him crawl over logs and roll around in the underbrush and wondered if he had returned to where he was originally from. Something about his mossy green eyes and wild spirit meshed so perfectly into the nature that now surrounded us, almost like I was returning him to where he belonged.
I had adapted just as easily.
Shoes were forgotten, shed to try and confuse our hunters, but also because neither my son nor I cared for them. We liked feeling the dirt between our toes and having proper grip when scaling fallen trees. We moved like a mother bear and her cub through the wilderness, our humanity slowly disappearing the further we ventured.
One day we reached a rushing river, the water so icy cold my skin shriveled at the very sight of it. But we followed it down until we reached a clear pond, where the water felt like silk running through my fingers.
Nikolai tried to jump in, but I caught him at the last second, reminding him furiously that he didn't know how to swim and he would need to hold onto me.
We stripped and slipped into the pond. My son tried to swim off but I kept a tight grip on him, trying to wash his hair with the clean water whenever he paused for just a moment. From her perch on a nearby rock, Babushka watched us in faint disgust, cleaning herself but remaining vigilant for any surrounding threats.
After the swim, Niko and I laid back on the bank, letting the sunlight dry us off. The breeze rustled through the leaves and my son's jubilant voice joined the melody of the singing birds. There was nothing but peace, no threats or yells or fear, only the feeling of the sun on our skin and wind dancing over us.
It wouldn't be so bad to stay out here forever, I thought. It wouldn't be so bad at all.
3
Elena Falcone
The peace was fleeting.
I knew eventually we would be found, but when the day came, I felt more irritated then frightened. Like I was a furious schoolteacher leaning over her students and chewing them out for the note the substitute teacher left. In all my years of teaching, I have never felt so embarrassed!
The man who found us hadn’t spotted us yet. He was tall, with dark eyes and a nose that had been broken into the wrong shape. He walked past our hiding spot twice, unable to see us but knowing we were close by.
Nikolai curled up to my chest, but I could feel him growing restless. Babushka had disappeared but I knew she was near us, probably watching from her own hiding spot.
Leaves crunched beneath the man’s feet, and each time one did, I resisted the urge to flinch. His footfalls would grow louder and louder, until my breath hit his shoes, before moving off again and giving me a moment of relief.
The man looped around us a few more times, before stopping.
Please leave, I chanted to myself. Please decide that there is nothing here, your instincts were wrong, and leave.
He stood still for a few seconds, each passing moment causing my heart to speed up and my palms to sweat. Then, abruptly, he turned on his heel and walked away, eyes still searching but footsteps slowly fading into the rustle of the leaves and music of the crickets.
“Mama?”
“Shh, shh.”
I pulled us out of our hiding spot, uncurling my cramping limbs as I stood. Nikolai wiggled to be put down but I didn’t dare.
“You can walk later. Hold onto Mama now.”
“Wanna walk,” he whined, words slurring together in childish demand.
I hiked him up onto my hip, stopping him from slipping, then swung my bad around so his bottom was resting on it, a makeshift sling. He tried to unwind his arms from around my neck, but I grabbed them and warned, “You can walk later. Now, you have to be quiet.”
Nikolai’s face scrunched up in toddler refusal. “Mama–!”
“Shh,” I hissed.
I usually wasn’t so harsh with him. I’d been strict for a few seconds until I deemed him out of danger in everyday life, but this wasn’t the time for my inconsistent parenting techniques. I had to keep him alive; I had to keep him safe.
Nikolai picked up on my tone immediately and confusion flashed over his expression. But he stopped trying to escape.
“Sorry, baby, but time to be quiet.” I held the back of his head, urging him to rest in the crook of my shoulder.
Suddenly a shout erupted in the distance.
My stomach dropped.
Through the blur of trees, I couldn’t see where it came from, but I knew it was coming closer. Voices rose and footfalls pounded the earth.
Was our hiding spot discovered, or could I quickly slip us back into it? Could I outrun a highly trained soldier while carrying a nearly three-year old?
I didn’t end up needing to make a decision.
The man stepped out into sight, eyes narrowed on me. He was alone but he had spotted us. He had spotted my son.
There was nothing else to think about, no more decisions to contemplate or fears to entertain. It was time to run, and it was time to run fast.
Wind whipped across my face as I bolted, Nikolai in my arms. Babushka disappeared within seconds, but I knew she could take care of herself. I just needed to worry about my baby–and the man who was gaining speed on us quickly.
My body grew tired fast, the lack of rest and the miles finally catching up with me. I couldn’t keep up this speed and hold Nikolai–
Behind me, the man made a loud crashing noise, like he had gone straight through a branch.
I was lithe enough that I could leap and slip through small spaces.
The plan solidified inside my mind like a crack of lightning, nothing and then suddenly something.
I turned sharply, twisting my ankle in the process, and slipped between two bushes. Twigs cut through my skin and leaves slapped me in the face, but I didn’t slow down.
The man swore loudly, crashing through the underbrush.
We had moments–seconds–to hide, to disappear from site.
We could dip into another hole, duck behind a log. Maybe we could crawl into the center of a tree, cocooning ourselves in its embrace.
But anything with two legs could find us down there...no, we needed to go up.
Nikolai didn’t even have the chance to blink. I caught my foot on a low branch and swung us up toward the sky. Bark flaked as we scrambled up.
The man burst from the bushes, his momentum not halting for a second. He kept running, disappearing back into the forest.
I let out an involuntary whimper.
We had been so close to being overpowered, to being caught. They weren’t going to stop hunting us now that they’d caught our scent. Our peaceful days of living in the forest had come to a halt.