Page 36 of Spirit Trials
Our shelter is sorely lacking but it’s the best we can do in the rain and dark. I drop down to the ground in sheer frustration and try to get comfortable, but it’s next to impossible on the wet ground. Finally, I sit up and lean against a tree. I wrap my arms around my knees and put my head down. I close my eyes, but the first thing that flashes before my eyes is Sariah’s lifeless eyes and all that blood. My eyes flash open, and I lean back against the tree.
The night is long and miserable. It’s impossible to stay dry, so now I’m cold too.. When the sun finally starts to break through, I lift my head and take a deep breath because we made it through the first night. That thought actually gives me the energy I need to stand and stretch and face the day. Kinsley and Harper watch me as I move around and stretch. They both look as exhausted as I feel. “I’m going to go hunt for something.” Gripping my bow, I leave before they can stop me. I don’t care that a fire might draw people to us; we need food if we’re going to have energy to get through the day. I keep a mental path of where I’m going, so I can find my way back. In the stillness of the morning, I keep watch for anything that moves because I refuse to go back without something. It doesn’t take long for me to hear something scampering in the underbrush. I move silently through the forest, tracking my prey. When it runs out from under the cover of a bush, I’m ready. I let my arrow fly,killing it immediately. I don’t recognize the small animal with translucent, almost shimmering skin, but I'm hoping the girls do. I make the walk back quickly.
“Do either of you know what this is?” I ask, holding it up.
“It’s a duskwisp,” Kinsley says, walking towards me. “They have really good, flaky meat and cook fast. Good find. They’re only out at dusk and again in the morning before the sun is fully up.” I make quick work of skinning it. “I’ll cook it for us,” Kinsley says, surprising me.
I start gathering kindling and a few sticks for a fire. When Harper sees what I’m doing, I wait for her to say something about not making a fire; but she stays silent. Soon, there’s a small fire burning. It’s really nice after being wet and cold all night. Kinsley brings the meat back a few minutes later already cut and skewered on sticks. I’m surprised, but I try not to let that show on my face. I must fail because she gives me a small smile. “I told you I’m good at making food work.”
“You did.” None of us say anything while the meat cooks. My stomach growls loudly, but I ignore it. As the meat cooks, I keep an eye out for any other competitors as well as wild animals, drawn by the smell. I also stand close to the fire, so my clothes can dry out.
When the meat is done, we barely let it cool before we scarf it down. My stomach is at least satisfied, and it makes the day seem more doable. I’m pretty thirsty now, but that’s something we will have to deal with at a later point. I stand to my feet and smother the fire. “Ready?” Neither of them say yes, but I get it. We have to face this day, whether we’re ready or not.
Day two. Here we come.
Chapter 20
I ignore my aching body and my thirst as we walk. I was thirsty when I woke up, and it seems magnified after that meat. “We need to find water,” I say more to myself than to them. I see Kinsley glancing around. “What’s wrong?” I quickly ask, looking around for a threat.
"Nothing. I'm just finding things to be thankful for.” She must see my blank look. “Even when things aren’t good, there are always things to be thankful for. And when you find them and name them, it helps your spirit. The sun—it will warm us after a cold, wet night. The duskwisp meat we ate for breakfast. Safety during the night. We’re still alive.” She falls silent after that, and I’m sure she’s thinking about Sariah. Wanting to draw her thoughts away from her needless death, I join in.
“We still have our weapons.” When she turns to me in confusion, I point to my knives and my bow. “They didn’t take our weapons from us last night; that’s something to be thankful for.” The sad look leaves her eyes, and her eyes brighten.
“Yes. That’s definitely something to be thankful for.” She turns to Harper, who hasn’t said a word since we started walking. “What about you, Harper? Anything to be thankful for?” I feel her dark look before she even opens her mouth and know it’s not going to be what Kinsely’s looking for.
“It’s okay,” I say quickly. “If Harper wants to join in, she will.” I breathe a sigh of relief when both of them stay quiet. We haven't gone very far when I get that feeling again. I put my hand up, and Harper and Kinsley both stop without a sound. I nock an arrow and plant my feet wide. But it’s not a competitor nor a wild animal that greets us; it’s a gryphon. I lower my bow as I takein the majestic spirit animal. It’s just as Rysden said—he has the body and tail of a powerful lion, but his head and huge wings are an eagle. It’s the most amazing sight I’ve ever seen; I can’t seem to tear my gaze away. It watches us with eyes that are almost orange, and I fight the urge to take a step backward. It won’t hurt us, I don’t think; but that doesn’t mean it isn’t any less terrifying. After a minute or two of watching us, the gryphon begins to walk away. We watch it without moving. But after a few steps, it turns back and looks at us.
“Does it want us to follow it?” Kinsley whispers as she squeezes my hand. I’m not sure when exactly it was she grabbed it.
“I don’t know, but maybe we should,” I say.
“Really?” Harper whispers harshly. “Do you have a death wish?”
I keep an eye on the gryphon. “I don’t think it will hurt us.”
I can feel Harper’s eye roll from here, but she doesn’t say anything more. We follow the gryphon for quite a while. I’m not sure how long exactly but long enough that it seems to be close to midday. The sun feels like it might be at its peak now. It’s interesting how the weather works in here. During the day, it takes a little while to get warm. But then the sun heats everything up, and the forest seems to hold the heat long after it turns dark. I'm thankful that it’s not as cold in here as it is outside the forest. The gryphon slows and turns its head back to us as it’s been doing all morning. I hear a sound, and hope begins to build in my chest. I glance at the other girls and can tell they hear it too. We follow the gryphon as it leads us to a riverbed of fast-moving water. The gryphon dips its large head down and drinks from the water. Then it lifts its head and stares at us for a moment, before flying away. We stare at it in silence. Only when the gryphon is out of sight do we talk.
“Oh my word. Did you see that?” Kinsley asks excitedly.
“Of course, we saw it,” Harper snaps. “We followed it for hours.”
I edge closer to the water. “Do you think it’s safe to drink?” Kinsley asks, stepping up next to me.
I stare down at it. “I think it is. I don’t think the gryphon would have taken a drink if it was unsafe.”
“Yeah. That was weird; it led us here,” she says.
“Yeah.” I wonder if it heard us talking, or if it just knew we needed water. I don’t know how, but somehow that gryphon knew we needed water, and he led us here. He even let us know it was safe by drinking it first. “Well, we can add that to your thankful list,” I say to Kinsley, earning a huge smile from her.
“Definitely!”
Now that I’m not thinking about how thirsty I am, I study the water. “We need to figure out a way to take some with us.”
“Or we could just camp near here,” Kinsley says hopefully.
“Everybody else will be coming here to find water, wild animals included,” Harper says, stealing the words right out of my mouth.
Kinsley looks at me hopefully, but I have to agree with Harper. “She’s right. It wouldn’t be safe. We need to find a way to take some with us.”
