"enough, I should look for food." said while rubbing his hands together and standing up.

  the cold began to penetrate into his bones again, this time it's much more bearable, the hunger, on the other hand, wasn't. he walked towards the hole, with the phone's flashlight he illuminated inside it and analyze it carefully.

  <> he turned it off and looked at his left, where the forest deepened. <> he began to walk at his left trying to not stumble in the dark.

  <> he looked around to see the lowest branch from which you could hang, he found it by walking more, he broke it after hangin on and swinging it.

  it was a really nice branch, full of leaves and thick at the root and slim at the end. he bent it until it broke the thin part, clean it from the leaves and with a stone he tried to sharp it to create an improvised lance. it was difficult to see when he made it, sometimes he stopped and looked at it with the screen's light, sometimes he missed it, but, after quite some time, he created a really bad lance, it hadn't a sharp head, it had two or three heads, all crooked but pretty effectives, from Raeneris judgment.

  <> thought satisfied with his work.

  he looked up in search of fruits but they disappeared in the darkness. <>

  he walked with the help of the lance, which was long from the feet to the middle of the belly, toward the edge of the forest, hoping to find smaller trees to climb and reach some fruits, if there are any. he walked for a long time, he even doubted he headed in the right direction, he risked to fall many times because of the irregural ground or for rocks he didn't see. as he walked his attention was focused on hearing strange and dangerous sounds, the silence that was there made him uncomfortable, as something was going to happen to him, suddently he broke some small branches, the sound, insignificant normally, was loud enough to scare him and it flowed through the forest.

  Raeneris froze on the spot expecting sounds of steps coming towards him, he waited, the noise of broken branches was gone and the quiet reign once again, drops of sweat began to fall from his forehead but nothing, he couldn't heard nothing. slowly he reassured himself, apparently the noise wasn't that loud, he was about to take another step forward and continue his walk as if nothing had happened, when a sudden noise coming from the branches above him paralized him again, he looked up with a inhumane speed and couldn't see anything but he heard another sound, coming from the same direction.

  <> the time was passing, he felt as a giant hand was opening around his head, all of a sudden he heard a laugh of pleasure from an inhuman being, If he didn't do something right away he will be dead. so he turned off his brain, pointed his phone's screen up and turned it on.

  the darkness around him was like a normal night with only a bunch of star to illuminate the sky, pretty dark but nearly visible for a couple of meters, on the other hand he forgot to lower the screen's light.

  it was a little star on earth illuminating the trees from the bottom, everything gained color, the dark brown of the trees was merging with the darkness the dimmer the light was, the dark sky was covered by a beautiful dark green of the leaves with some dark yellow tips from some berries hanging on the branches.

  Raenerys stared at image failing to see anything, there was no monster, no animal, nothing, yet that sound had to come from something.

  <> he was about to move the head again when his eyes caught a glimpse of a movement through the leaves, he focused on it and saw a howl that move his head and now was starring back at him, his big and black eyes were intimidating, it was keeping a centipede in his beak.

  <> he thought, almost saying it out loud.

  a heavy sigh came out of his mouth, trying to forget what had happened, he turned off the phone's screen and squeezed the improvised lance with his right hand, undecided if throw it to the howl or not.

  "fuck off" whispered as he took another step, another branches break under his foot, the sound flowed once again through the forest and he cursed himself. Once again he froze on the spot focused on listening but nothing, the quiet in that forest made him really uncomfortable and paranoid of everything.

  he continued to walk slowly paying attention to not made too much noise and after an eternity he, finally, arrived where the forest end and the plain of the hill begin.

  the plain was a little brighter than the forest, he could see the beauty of nothing for meters and meters, the city was hidden by small hills hidden in turn by darkness, he knows they were there because he had to walk over them to get to the forest, he remember how hard it has been.

  <> thought as he was looking at the ahead of him. then with his lance he made some incisions on the trees near him, he looked at his right and his left, they were the same as far as he could see.

  <> he thought without any logical reason, both choices were the same, so he just thought to take a gambling and began to walk in a straight direction, always paying attention to not make too much noise.

  9:57 it was almost an hour walking and still he hadn't found any trees smaller than the others, he proceded with extremely attention because the ground was full of roots sticking out and he was navigating without light, he would save every bit of battery in that phone. except for the howl before there were no animals that could be heard of, on the other hand it was full of insects, some of them flied directly in the face or near the ears of Raenerys making him jump out of fear. he was hungry and the cold breeze coming from the plain of the hills made him slighly tremble for warmth, he was still paying attention to the sorrounding sound, all he could hear were his footsteps and buzzing insects.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  at some point his attention was caught by at familiar continous sound, yet he couldn't understand why it sound so familiar, it was distant and weak, he stopped trying not to make any kind of noise, he even stop breathing. it wasn't continuous but irregular, sometimes it stopped for short moment and sometimes it stopped for longer moment, the noise was always different, sometimes it was louder other times were weaker, but he was certain of one thing, it didn't came out from any type of animal, or at least those who he saw on tv shows.

  he was still pondering if remain there and listen to find out what is it, even getting close, or just turned back and heading back to the hole both have they risk, when sounds of breaking dried leaves and small branches were heard. it comes from his left and it was getting close to him, the familiar noise it would stop and start again. the decision Raeneris made was fast, he hid behind the widest tree he could see as quietly as possible, he realize that the noise was coming closer not towards him but near him, then the world around him gained colours, it was weaker first and then stronger the closer the noise got. he realized that that was the sound of footsteps and his mind connected that the familiar sounds from before were conversations.

  <

  > he thought excitedly, he was about to call them when he stopped there. <> as he was doubting the footsteps were getting closer, he could see the light illuminate everything around him.

  suddently Silmo's words came back to his mind "who's gonna think about you rather than save themselves?".

  <> as he was thinking the light began to fade and the sound of footsteps were really close to him.

  "turn off the flashlight we've arrived" whispered a deep voice.

  "I'll turn it off at the limit I don't want to stumble" responded another voice.

  two male's voices, yet the sounds of footsteps didn't match the number of it. Raeneris peeked out from behind the tree and saw a slightly taller than him figure following two small people, maybe boys thought Raeneris, and at the head of the group there was a person holding the flashlight of the phone. he couldn't understand if they had some type of weapon or what they look like, they were just shadow that moves and tree after tree they were slowly disappearing, everything was turning dark again.

  <> he left his spot and carefully get to the path they were walking on. <> he arrived at the same path they were walking, from there he could see the group exit from the forest and the guy turned the flashlight off.

  <> yet Silmo's words echoed in his head making him doubt.

  suddently, as he was watching the group disappearing beyond the dark silhouette of trees his mind went silent, he couldn't think of anything, he could see himself in third person and he could also see giant jaws of a wolf emerged from the darkness behind him and opened up aiming to eat his entire torso. suddently his vision switched again and now he could barely see the tallest one, they were heading at his right, from were he was coming from, he heard someone of them speak, but at the same time his mind didn't process what he said.

  he began to break out in a cold sweat, he tightened the improvised lance even more and without any thought he dropped it on the ground, the noise made the group stopped.

  "sorry guys" as soon as he said those words he the flashlight was pointed at his direction. his mind started to work again and the sensation of those jaws around his torso disappeared.

  "who're you?" asked one of the voice before.

  the group came back and Raeneris had to block the light with his hand to avoid being blinded.

  "are you crazy? you want to blind me, turn it off " he didn't like not having a view of them.

  "Are you with other people?" asked the same voice.

  Raeneris noticed two more lights peering through the trees.

  he was about to answer when a female voice spoke shyly. "your name is Raeneris?"

  confused he tried to see past the light, but all he could see were four silhouette barely noticeable.

  "did you guys were at the party in the abandoned mansion?" asked, after a little while, astonished Raeneris.

  "Silmo told us about you" responded the female voice ignoring what he said. "he told us he's alone" she spoke to his friends.

  "Silmo? so you guys are from the city? are you all his friends?"

  "we met him when we were escaping from it and he was heading there" the deep voice made his bones tremble.

  "are you for real alone?" asked one of the group.

  "yeah and turn that fucking flashlight off"

  the man pointed the light on the ground and the other light were turned off. now he could see straight to them but they still remained dark silhouette, this time more noticeable.

  "thank you" said Raeneris pissed off, his eyes didn't take long to adapt again to the darkness. "so guys, why are you heading back to the city?"

  "did you take us for fools? we run away from it." responded the deep voice probably annoyed.

  "and so why you all are leaving the forest?" responded Raeneris more annoyed by the tone of his response.

  "it is easier to walk out of the forest than in it, we have to get to his parents' house, which is on a hill forgotten by God." Raeneris realised that it was the tallest of the group who spoke. he guessed that he pointed someone but in that dark he couldn't distinguish it.

  <> while Raeneris was thinking, someone in the group whispered something to the others, but he paid no attention to it.

  "guys i don't like talk here, why don't we just talk as we walk? if I can come with you, being here sucks" asked kindly Raeneris with a little smile on his face.

  "no" the replied was harsh and the deep tone made it more like it was a comand. "sorry, we don't have enough supplies to support one more person."

  "why no? do you really want to leave him here alone?" Raeneris could see the tall silhouette move and face one of the short ones, took some distant to him and then he could see an hand being illuminated by the light. it was less imposing than he expected, but hairy as a gorilla.

  "I won't stay for long. look, a week at the most." Raeneris hastened to reply.

  "didn't you say they had a vegetable garden and chickens?" the female voice asked confused.

  the deep voice whispered something to his group, in that quiet forest Raeneris with a bit of concentration could have hear what he said, but he was too focused to think how he could join them.

  "we are a group, not only you can decide, I say we vote" the female solemn replied. "David, it's up to you."

  after that phrase there was a small silence full of tension, Raeneris began to hate that situation, especially that guy with the deep tone, he was a real asshole.

  "come on bro, it's either one or the other." the deep voice spread through the forest full of impatience. without waiting a second longer he continued. "he's with me, I already know his answer. so, it's a draw, now what should we do, genius?" the last part was said with a tone full of sarcasm and provocation.

  " What is he, disabled? that you decide for him?" a mighty stifled laugh came out of the highest silhouette.

  Raeneris could only imagine how much annoyed he could be in that moment.

  "as long as it really is a week." David responded as if the weight of the world had collapsed on him.

  "you already know uh?" this time the female one was full of mockery.

  finally Raeneris was free of that stupid scene, he would have wanted to tell him that he would have left him alone in a forest in the dark, but he decided to swallow it all. after all, he couldn't already antagonise one of the group that welcomed him.

  "thank you guys, i promise it will be less than a week, so there will be no problems." said with a kind tone while he took the improvised lance from the ground and walk towards them.