Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

“Elise?” My eyes popped open to find Kleio’s head poking through the tent flaps. “I just came to check on you. Gavrill decided he doesn’t want to play our game anymore, and we need another player.”

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. The pain in my head had subsided to a dull ache instead of a pulsing pain. “How long have I been in here?” I took a drink of my water, trying to wake up.

“About an hour? You humans sure take a lot of naps.”

Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I stood up.

“So, the game,” she said. “Will you join us?”

It was Saturday. Another day away from the cabin and my research, but at least I was still in the same woods, albeit an area I hadn’t expected to study. It didn’t feel right to be playing games when I could use the time to explore.

“I am going to have to pass on the game—sorry.” The excitement left Kleio’s face, and I felt an unexpected pang, like I was letting down a friend. “I’m going to go explore for a bit. Maybe you could come with me? It would help if I had someone familiar with the forest.”

“Where are you going? Remember the wards, Elise.”

Yes, the constant dull ache in my head was my constant reminder of the wards.

“I’m going to stay within the wards. I just want to look around, maybe take some plant samples if I find anything interesting.”

Even in the enormous field surrounding the tent city, there could be something exciting. The possibility of finding ornamental grasses that hadn’t been documented within the last century made my body tingle. And if I could get into the dense forest, even just a few feet, who knew what I could find? The prospects were endless in this forest.

“You like plants?” Kleio looked at me, surprised.

“Yeah, that’s why I’m here. I’m on the hunt for rare plants in this region.”

“So, it’s like a scavenger hunt?” Her eyes lit up and twinkle returned.

“Yeah, kind of.” Essentially, that was what I was doing—scavenging for rare species.

“This is even better than the game! Let’s go!”

“Wait, do you have any paper or pencil?” I didn’t have my journal, but it would be nice to have something to write on in case I found anything of interest.

She thought for a few seconds. “I’ll take one of their stupid maps. They have so many they don’t even use. You can write on the back of it.”

Kleio pranced away to the main tent on a mission to find me some paper. I lay my purse across my body. It wasn’t my backpack that I took on research hikes, but it gave me a sense of constancy to have something with me.

Camp was almost empty when I stepped out of my tent. A few fires smoldered, sending light colored smoke into the air. The shifters who sat around the fire closest to my tent turned to look at me. I tried not to make eye contact, remembering Everett’s warning. Act normal. I felt their gaze leave me, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Kleio’s strawberry blonde hair drifted behind her as she made her way back to me, paper in hand…and Gavrill’s massive body steps behind her.

“I was told we require a babysitter.” She handed me the map and a black felt-tip pen. I took the map and folded it twice into a square and stuck it into my purse with the pen.

“I’m just following the boss’s orders,” Gavrill said. He had a backpack on and looked ready to hike.

“He doesn’t trust me with you,” Kleio whispered into my ear in a teasing tone.

“I don’t trust that you won’t get carried away and find yourselves so deep in the forest that you can’t find your way back by sundown.”

“I’m a horrible tracker,” she whispered to me again. “Oh, well. We’ll just ignore him.”

“I heard that,” Gavrill said.

Kleio was true to her word and ignored him. “Lead the way, plant lady!”

I looked around, deciding where we should go. The field was enticing, with all the fluttering grasses, but if I had the chance to go into the forest, especially with those familiar with the land, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I led the way around a few scattered tents and through the field, letting my fingers brush on the tips of the grasses. I glanced around my shoulder, always finding Kleio and Gavrill close behind. They weren’t taking in the environment like I was. It was like when someone lived in a warm climate their whole lives, so they took the sunshine for granted. The slight breeze on my cheeks, the soft earth beneath my feet…it was a whole-body experience for me.

When we came to the edge of the forest where the rogue cages stood, I kept my eyes away from their decaying bodies. It wasn’t that their bodies were unpleasant, or the smell; it was that they were stuck, living beings being used as pawns in someone’s game. That made my stomach churn.

I ducked my head under a low-hanging branch as I entered the forest. The sounds of the tree branches rustling together and the birds chirping to one another masked the snarling sounds of the rogues. Our six feet made satisfying crunching sounds with each step—the dried leaves being mulched by our feet. We walked for what seemed like a while, but time never passed the same in the forest. For me, it always slowed.

The sound of trickling water running over rocks in my ear was the first sign that there was water ahead. It got louder as we walked, my hearing proving correct. A storybook stream lay ahead of us, about three feet wide. It’s cerulean-blue waters flowing over smooth rocks that looked like gems beneath the water. Along the banks of the stream, broad green leaves caught my eye. I walked over to the sapling, no taller than my waist.

“It can’t be,” I murmured.

The plant rolodex in my head flipped through cards, finding the one I was looking for. Morus rubra . There was no way. I took a leaf between my fingers, rubbing the top of the leaf with my thumb—sandpaper, my index finger tickled by the tiny hairs underneath the leaf.

“So, what exactly are you looking for?” Kleio asked. “It all just looks green to me.”

I tried not to flail with excitement too much at the question. Turning to her, I said, “I’m looking for anything unusual, something that stands out against all the ‘green,’ as you said. It does all look green—unless you look closely.”

I bent my knees along the side of the stream, crouching down. Kleio followed suit, with Gavrill standing with his arms crossed behind us. I took a small leaf, one close to the ground, and snapped its petiole. Milky-white sap covered my fingers.

“It’s a red mulberry,” I told Kleio.

“Is that good?” she asked.

I laughed, the corners of my lips pulled toward the sky. Good? This was amazing. “It’s remarkable. No one has seen a red mulberry in this region for at least a hundred years,” I said. Kleio looked taken back, surprised. This was exactly what I needed for my research. I could see myself presenting my thesis, surprising my professors with my find. I slipped the leaf into my purse.

The tree was small, still a sapling—and still fragile. Its location so close to the stream worried me. “I don’t think it’s going to survive, though,” I said, frowning.

“What? Why not?” She grabbed my arm, demanding an answer.

“It’s growing too close to the stream; its roots could easily get overwhelmed if the water levels rise from a rainstorm.”

“Well, we need to save it! What do you need me to do?”

Kleio’s enthusiasm motivated me. I looked around the forest floor, going through my options. It was tempting to take the mulberry tree, find a pot, and bring it back to the cabin with me, but that wouldn’t be ethical. The tree needed to stay where it grew—in its natural habitat.

“We could try to transplant it,” I said. “Move it away from the stream.”

“Let’s do it! Tell me what to do.” Kleio rubbed her fingers along the leaf as I had, petting it, clearly emotionally attached to the tree now.

“Well, usually I have a trowel to dig.” I looked at her, my hands void of tools.

“I’ve got you covered,” Kleio said, opening her hand, letting black claws emerge from her fingernail beds.

I stepped back, although it shouldn’t have surprised me. Of course Lycans had claws—they could turn into wolves.

Kleio looked eager to put her claws to work. I directed her to dig up the tree along the edge of the canopy of leaves the tree had grown. Any closer and she would damage the already-fragile root system. She made quick work of digging, reaching deep into the earth to get all the roots that had grown beneath. I admired her tenacious spirit.

Once the tree was free from the earth, I picked a spot several feet away from the stream and directed her to dig another hole to put the tree in. It was a nice spot for a sapling to continue to grow; it would get morning sun and afternoon shade. There was enough space for it to stretch its branches horizontally and up to the sky, reaching for the sun.

Together, we lifted the tree from its original hole and put it in its new home. We filled in the hole, covering the roots and patting it down the soil so the tree would stand sturdy should a gust of wind blow by.

I looked at the transplanted tree proudly. I had done my part as a conservationist, making sure the tree had its best chance of survival. “There—let’s hope it continues to grow, produces mulberries for the birds, and lives here in this forest for a hundred years.”

“Is there anything else we can do? I feel bad leaving it here to fend for itself.” Kleio continued to pat down the soil around the tree.

“We need to give it a big drink of water so its roots reach out into the new dirt. If I had fertilizer, that would also provide extra nutrients to the tree, but I don’t…” I looked around, thinking. A solution popped into my mind, but they would never go for it.

“What is it? You have that thinking face again, Elise.” Kleio narrowed her eyes at me.

“There is something we can do, but I don’t think you guys will go for it.” I looked at her and then back at Gavrill, who had been standing by us the entire time we had been working, quiet with his arms crossed.

“Lay it on me.” Kleio stood up, brushing the dirt from her hands. Her claws retracted beneath her skin.

“Well, I’ve read about fertilizing a plant with…blood.” Neither of them said anything, and I couldn’t gauge their reactions. “Blood has potassium in it, among other nutrients that are good for root development.”

Kleio looked at me and smiled. “I know whose blood would work great!” She turned to Gavrill; a startled look covered his face.

“Nope, not happening,” he said, shaking his head at her.

“Come on, Gavrill. You’ve been standing there his whole time while Elise and I have been hard at work saving a life. It’s the least you could do.”

Kleio walked over to him, making big doe eyes at him. He stood there, avoiding eye contact with her on purpose.

“Elise and I are covered in dirt. It would be just a little bit of blood, right?” She turned to me for reassurance.

“Yeah, just a little bit,” I said.

“See, Gavrill, just a little blood and you can save a life today!”

Gavrill looked at me before he made the mistake of finally looking Kleio in the eye. I could see his willpower breaking as his face went slack. Kleio was hard to say no to.

“Fine—only a little blood,” Gavrill said.

“Yay!” Kleio clapped her hands together before looking to me for direction.

“We need to dilute the blood with water,” I said.

Gavrill took off his backpack and reached inside, pulling out a bottle of water. He handed it to me, and I opened the cap. He brought his left index finger to his mouth, pushing the pad into one of his sharp canines. Blood immediately pooled around the wound when he removed it from his mouth. I held out the bottle as he squeezed his finger. The blood dripped, then expanded as soon as it hit the water, creating billowing red clouds that disappeared, turning the water an opaque red color.

“That’s enough,” I said. I closed the cap and shook the bottle, mixing the homemade fertilizer. Gavrill brought his finger to his mouth, sucking on his finger to end the bleeding.

I extended the shaken bottle to Kleio. “You do the honors.” She brought it close to the trunk of the tree, sprinkling the mixture gently over the dirt.

“Wow, that felt good. Let’s save another tree!” she exclaimed.

I laughed at her enthusiasm. It was always a good thing to have another plant person in the world.

“We’d best head back—it’s getting late,” said our babysitter.

Kleio and I looked down at our hands and arms, both blackened with the rich soil of the forest. She winked at me before leaping onto Gavrill, hugging him with her dirty arms. “Oh, Gavrill, thank you for saving the tree with your blood!”

“Ugh, Kleio get off me.” Gavrill pushed her off him. He did his best to brush the dirt off his own arms and shirt, but he was unsuccessful.

“Maybe next time we go scavenging, you’ll think twice before chaperoning us. You’ve been a grump all weekend.” Kleio playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

Gavrill didn’t respond to the juvenile behavior. He turned around and led the way out of the forest and back to Camp. Kleio linked her arm in the crook of my elbow, and we walked arm in arm out of the forest.

“Just in time,” Kostas said as he greeted us inside the main tent, where he had been hard at work making dinner—more meat and vegetables. This seemed to be the shifters’ diet. I wasn’t complaining as I sat down and loaded my plate with medium-rare steak and green beans.

The tent flaps flew open, blowing in a breeze that smelled like sweat and blood. We all looked up from the table to see Everett and Wilder enter the tent. They both looked exhausted. Dark bags rimmed under their eyes, and their brown hair was wild and unkept.

“How’d it go today?” Gavrill asked Everett as he made a plate of food for him.

“We caught ten more. Up to thirteen.” Everett dropped into his chair and didn’t pause before he started shoveling food into his mouth. I doubted he had eaten yet today.

Wilder sat next to him with a plate of food that Gavrill had also dished up. I found myself staring at Everett, mesmerized by how fast he was eating. Did he chew his food? He caught me staring, and I quickly found a bean on my plate that was very interesting.

“That’s good,” Gavrill said. “We’re on track. Are any of the other teams giving you trouble?” He had a concerned look on his face. I remembered Kostas shaking his head knowingly when the True Alpha had spoken about following the tournament rules.

“Nothing we can’t handle. I’m sure it’ll get worse over the next two weekends as teams get more desperate.” Everett finished his food and began scooping seconds onto his plate.

“Well, we had an interesting day.” We all looked at Kleio as she spoke, and my face turned red as she beamed at me. “Elise saved a rare tree today.” Everyone but Gavrill stared at her with a blank look. “She used Gavrill’s blood to fertilize it.”

Kleio smiled before she popped a piece of steak into her mouth and chewed. Then everyone turned to look at Gavrill. He continued to eat his food, unbothered by the sudden attention.

Everett stopped eating as he turned to where I was sitting. “I thought I told you to keep a low profile.”

Kleio quickly stepped in, saying, “It was just us, Everett. No one saw. We were deep in the woods. Gavrill didn’t even cry when his finger was pricked.”

Gavrill stabbed the food on his plate violently, grumbling something unintelligible. Everett shook his head and continued to eat.

“Well, I thought it was fun.” She smiled at me.

The meal was finished in silence. Jack and I picked up the dishes and stacked them next to the bucket of water we used for washing. I could feel a prickling sensation on the back of my neck as I placed the last dirty plate on top of the stack.

Rubbing my neck, I turned around to see Everett and Gavrill talking quietly to one another on a purple floral couch. Gavrill glanced at me quickly before looking away. Something told me I was the topic of their conversation.

Kostas broke my line of sight as he stepped in front of me. I sighed. “I wash, you dry?”

Halfway through the dishes, Kostas bowed his head as a gesture of goodbye to Everett and Wilder as they exited the back of the tent. I looked up to see Everett staring at me, but he turned away, leaving me to stare at the flap of the tent he left fluttering in his wake.

“Are they headed back out to hunt?” I asked.

Kostas turned to me and nodded. I couldn’t believe they had energy to keep going.

“They’ll be out there all night and most of the day tomorrow,” he answered. One more sleep and one more day until I could go back to my cabin and restart.

Everyone retired early to their tents. Jack chased Kleio to their tent, and I could hear her giggles across the campsite.

Maybe someday, after I had completed my schooling and gotten a job that could support myself and help my parents, I would allow myself to find someone. Kleio and Jack seemed so happy together. Their love was contagious and made me want some for myself.

Lying on my side in the bed, I promised myself I would get there one day. I just needed to follow the path and not stray like I had this weekend.

No more distractions.