Story Hub: [link]
>>>~~~~<<<
Serena and Orion stared at the dying fire in front of them. It was long past sunset, and once the flame sputtered out, they would not have any more light until sunrise. With no flashlight, lighters, or even a set of matches, in addition to a lack of a tent or bedrolls, they were quite literally roughing it.
“I can’t believe Lady Ze dumped us out here,” Serena lamented. They were stuck in this mountain forest, likely hundreds of kilometers from civilization. It was hard to even determine what their worst problem was. The lack of food, shelter, or the fact it was long past sundown.
“It’s all part of our training,” Orion assured with a shaky voice. Despite what he said, even he couldn’t put an optimistic spin on the situation. The situation was hopeless, and they’d be lucky to make it home with all their parts intact.
“I wonder what we should worry about first?” Serena commented right as a wolf’s howl echoed in the distance. “That was a rhetorical question, world, but thank you for answering,” she sighed.
“Serena, if worst comes to worst…” Orion began.
“Don’t you worry yourself over ifs right now, Orion,” Serena stopped him, “it’s honestly more of a when at this point anyway.” The maid proclaimed. “Besides, if the wolves and bears come, I’ll just throw myself at them while you get away.”
“Serena!” Orion exclaimed.
“What?” The raven-haired girl replied.
“Don’t be so eager to throw your life away,” the blonde almost snapped at her.
“Believe me, I don’t want to die either,” Serena admitted, “but when facing such a hopeless situation, I’d rather go down swinging than keep running until I can’t anymore. Plus, I’d rather improve your odds than leave both our lives to fate.”
“Serena, you know I’d never abandon you like that,” Orion declared.
“What if Princess Atlanta ordered you to?” Serena countered.
“First, the Princess would never do that,” Orion shook his head, “and second, I’d still never abandon you.”
“What if the choice was saving me or Princess Atlanta?” Serena proposed.
“Then I’d save you both,” Orion affirmed.
“You are such a boy scout,” Serena started laughing. “I knew there was a reason I liked having you around.”
“Serena,” Orion sighed, but he was startled by another wolf’s howl that was much closer than the last.
“I was hoping we wouldn’t need to put it to the test so soon,” Serena jumped to her feet. She and Orion went back to back, the dying fire beside them. They had minutes of light left.
“Any plan?” Orion asked. The bushes all around them were rustling.
“You take all the ones on the right. I’ll take the left,” Serena declared. The rustling had turned into violent shaking. Something was coming.
“Here it comes,” Orion took a fighting stance. The fire kicked up one last time.
“Break!” Serena shouted as the fire extinguished, but before either could jump to face their adversaries, a blinding light stunned them.
“You two are quite serious for a couple of teenagers,” Lady Ze emerged from the tree line, wielding a high-powered flashlight. The armored noble casually strutted out of the bushes to greet her two students.
“Lady Ze,” Orion barely held back tears of joy.
“You didn’t think I’d leave you two here alone, did you?” Ze asked.
“Yes,” Serena answered immediately.
“Can’t blame you,” Ze shrugged, “I did want to watch how you’d fare on your own for a bit. I’m glad to see you’d stick by each other to the end, but I’m worried how quickly you guys assumed the worst.”
“We thought we were stranded in the mountains with no food, water, heat, or shelter,” Serena pointed out. “Do you think we know anything about wilderness survival?”
“Good point,” Ze snapped her finger in realization, “then now would be a good time to learn.”
“But Lady Ze, what about the wolves?” Orion asked.
“They won’t be bothering us anymore,” Ze explained.
‘You know I respect Lady Ze, but she scares the hell out of me sometimes,’ Serena realized.
“Now then, you two, let’s get a good night’s sleep back at my campsite, and tomorrow, I’ll teach you the fine art of roughing it,” Ze announced. She led the two servants deeper into the woods. The following days would be long and arduous but full of educational training. Serena was happy for the experience but requested to never do it again.
>>>~~~~<<<
Always follow the standards of safe camping. Always be prepared and always bring exactly what you need, no more and especially not less.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment