This is my first attempt at a Last of Us Fanfiction! Possibly my only one though, because this is the only thought I have for one. Hope you enjoy, and all reviews are sincerely appreciated!
In a forest, dappled with a stale remainder of snow that continuously was covered with fresher layers, it was incredibly tranquil. A variety of animals inhabited the forest, mostly tiny creatures like squirrels and rats, all hard to find in the winter months. Occasionally, something that was used to be called a human loped through the scene, either a runner, bloater, or clicker. Every couple days a clicking or heavy thudding sound echoed in the snowy grounds, but after an hour or two it vanished. Sometimes, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air from the monsters, due to a fourteen year old girl named Ellie. And that happened to be me.
A runner, partially resembling what used to be my own kind, was twitching violently on the ground with an arrow in its chest. Quickly I moved a second arrow to my bow, agilely pulling the string back to let the carefully carved wood fly into the deformed skull. The cry that the runner had let out was cut dead silent, the monster having sudden spasms on the ground until it went still. I stood there, glaring down at the monster, a few old questions with no answers whirling around in my head. I was still bemused by how my bite didn't shift me into a victim of the world-wide virus. I pulled back my ragged jacket sleeve, seeing the bubbly and swollen wound that I was inflicted with. Forcing the memories into the depths of my mind, I covered the bite mark again with my sleeve and stared at the two arrows, deep in the runner's distorted and rotten skin. Soon the arrows were back in my quiver, wiped off of any bloody remains that the creature had held.
Angrily I brought the arm wielding my bow stiffly to my side, groaning in disbelief. After hunting out in the woods for nearly two hours, I had nothing. Nothing that I could help kept Joel alive, not to mention there wasn't even a fragment of something for me to scarf down on. I left the motionless runner and padded back into the snow, the crunching sound thick under my boots, my thoughts ordering me not to head back to Joel empty-handed.
Rustling in the distance faintly caught my attention. I swerved around, bow already loaded, my eyes locked on a bush within a snowy thicket. It was about thirty yards away. The bush thicket was practically disguised with all the surrounding trees, but I managed to squint and see the cause of the sound. Something gray flashed in the shrubbery, but even with my keen senses I couldn't detect what it was. A deer hopefully. But at a time like that, any scarce amount of meat or berries would've been considered a miracle. I slowly shut one eye, using my other one to aim better for the creature. If it turned out to be one of the infected, I would be pissed. I needed something to eat.
My eye focused on where the shifting of leaves and twigs had occurred. I waited for something to jump out, a deer, a rabbit, a fox. Anything. The smudge of gray came to sight once more, but instead of it vanishing as soon as it appeared, the creature revealed itself. A quadrupled mammal with a thick gray pelt walked out, pricked triangle ears, a frizzed up tail, and large canine paws. Its furry head sharply turned into my direction, its dark hued yellow eyes piercing me in a glare, as if the wild animal was sizing me down. Food is food, I thought dully. I let go of the string, a streak of brown shooting through the air and pass the trees, the wolf having little time to react before to object cleanly pierced its skull.
A weak smile came to my face. It was a pretty large wolf by the looks of it, and that meant it would have plenty of meat for the night. Joel and I would be well fed. I forgot about my surroundings for the time being, holding my head up a little unnecessarily from the victorious kill. It was the first time I hunted a wolf. Probably wouldn't be the only time either.
Once I took a few steps in the snow, there was more noise. More rustling was audible by where the dead wolf laid, toppled over in a heap of snow, in an extremely still position. From behind the trees came two more wolfs, ones with lighter pelts that matched the snowy terrain. More food, I thought bluntly. More food meant more of a chance of surviving. That was one of the basic rules of survival. Already a second arrow was on the string, ready to fly and give me the gift of fresh meat. Nimbly I let go and the arrow flew through the area, only to get wedged with an odd sound within a tree's trunk. Too far, I realized. It was just mere luck the first arrow hit the wolf, and I was too blinded with my victory to realize the trees were still there.
The two new wolves, ones that were just sniffing what most likely was their dead pack member, were glaring at me with cold yellow eyes. One of them, the slightly bigger of the two, craned its neck up and let out a sickening howl. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as a sixth sense referenced me to incoming danger. If there weren't so many trees, I would've gotten out yet another arrow. Instead, I idiotically stood there, stunned with how loud the wolf was, and could only snap out of my trance when it stopped. I shook my head impishly and, seeing that I had no choice, abandoned the dead wolf and the arrows. It was more important to stay alive than to two arrows and a small portion of meat.
Rapid sounds of shaking leaves and branches came from behind me. Don't look back, I kept thinking. Despite how panicked I knew I would become if I looked, I shakily glanced over my shoulder. The two wolves were chasing after me, with two more of its kind chasing sturdily behind them. The howling had summoned two more members of their pack, to help hunt me down. They were determined to deliver revenge. They knew I killed their pack member.
Before I could look ahead again, the whole front side of my body was filled with a numbing pain as I ran like a moron into a trunk. Quickly losing balance, I tumbled over in the snow, the frozen particles managing to get into my clothes and quickly numb my skin. "Shit!" I muttered under my breath, staggering back to my feet. Once I was running through the forest again, the group of wolves had nearly closed the gap between us. Frantically, trying to calm myself down while I sped through the vegetation, I knew there was only one quick way to safety.
Once I felt as if I was ready to trip over my own feet, I skidded to a stop in the snow, a spray of it splashing against a thick trunk. Swiftly I found a foothold and started climbing, scrambling around hastily to get off the ground, knowing it was my only chance to evade the killer animals. I got my left foot on another wedge, so I attempted to lift my right foot to get farther up, but a burning pain shot its way up and down my right leg. For once, instead of a scream coming from one of the infected, one normal scream of pain came from me. My foot burned fiercely, as if I just dipped it in molten lava. I grudgingly glanced down to see one of the wolf's muzzles locked on the foot, a deep growl escaping its throat, and the creature refused to let go. I clumsily kicked around my foot, to get the animal to release, but it stubbornly kept its fangs dug into my foot, its jaws latched tightly like a bear trap.
With one quick, painful motion, I banged my foot hard against the trunk. The growl of the wolf cut short for a second, but it continued, nearly being thrown off. I used my infuriation to numb my pain for the moment and kicked hard into the tree, smacking the wolf directly on its sensitive nose. It barked out a whine and let go, falling into the crispy snow only to get back on its paws again. It wanted to leap up and drag me down, to bring success and revenge for their lost brother, but it was too late. I already had climbed further up to the closest branch, way out of range for the wolves to reach.
The pain returned in excruciating amounts. I bit my lip, refusing to cry, and pulled my right knee close to my chest. I shakily reached a hand towards my shoe, the one with huge gaping holes with them, and I saw a warm, dark red liquid forming in pools. My eyes shifted in and out of focus as I clutched the branch to keep myself from falling. I felt disorientated, ready to pass out, and I swore I saw black framing my vision from the sight. I was used to seeing others in pain, but it happening to me, it was an entirely different story. It could've been life-threatening for all I could know. If I died, than I would never get Joel to get better, and he'd die. I'd never find out the reason I didn't transform into one of the infected, and I'd never use my gift to avenge Riley nor apologize for not going crazy with her.
I glanced down. The four wolves were staring up, their stone-yellow eyes so cold and dull that it sent an electric jolt down my spine. The unforgiving eyes of a predator. Quickly, ignoring the foot gouging with blood, I reached for an arrow and loaded my… where's my bow? I glared down again to see a shape in the snow resembling my weapon, making me gasp in both frustration and horror. If I didn't have my bow, then there was no way I'd be able to kill the wolves to get safely down. There was no use making a run for it. My injured foot made sure of that. Telling by the determination I saw behind their cold gaze, I knew they would stay for an hour or two, and by then I would've probably bled to death or pass out from lack of blood, than fall off the branch. I was doomed. Dead. Trapped like a rabbit in the cage. For once, I was the shivering prey.
J-Joel… I thought, horrified, knowing that if I didn't make it back than he was as sure as gone. I stared down at the wolves, circling the tree to cause more tension, confirming my thoughts that they wouldn't leave. I clutched my bleeding foot shakily and brought it close. My vision blurred at watching a thick dark red liquid dripping, creating contrasting stains in the snow below, but I managed to look away before I felt nauseous again.
One of the wolves was sniffing a few of the dark stains in the snow, and some lapped their tongue at the blood. The sight sent a shiver down my spine. If I didn't think of something, and if it wasn't fast, the wolves would turn me into a main course. I always thought that the infected and hunters were the only thing I needed to worry about, but telling by the smart predators that were stalking me, I was wrong.
So I sat there, my back shoved against the tree trunk, my unharmed leg dangling mindlessly off the ledge, my other leg cradled close to me in my arms. I kept my gaze off my blood-stained shoe and glanced down every couple of minutes. The wolves, unfortunately, were always still there. Persistent animals. Cunning creatures. The animals that would be the cause of my death.
After some time crawled by, when my vision was weak, my entire right leg numb, and my body frozen, something shifted in the environment. In the distance I saw a deer herd, making their way through the trees, not so far that I couldn't see them. Quickly I counted up about four or five of the herbivores. I stared at them with hungry eyes, wishing I had something to fill my stomach. My craving for meat had inclined massively as I watched them pass their way through. When they nearly were out of my line of sight, the deer leading the way stopped, the few others behind him glancing around the area in confusion. The deer's head sharply turned in my direction towards the ground where the wolves were staying. The lead deer's nose twitched, as if snorting, and it prepared to gallop off again.
It would've if its deep brown eyes didn't start boring into mine. The look that the prey had was one I never expected a wild animal to have; cleverness, strong willed, high spirited, and the usual part-terrified emotion. Deer always were scared. Our eye contact lasted for only five or ten seconds, yet it felt like an eternity. Never had I thought an animal could be so complex with one stare.
The wise leading deer turned in my direction, the familiar look of determination settling in his eyes. The few deer behind him glanced at each other, almost like they were hesitating. The lead deer started to gallop in my direction. Reluctantly the others followed, head forward, their hooves creating a barrage of crushing-snow noises. The wolves below me glanced in their direction. Immediately they became alert again, baring their yellow fangs, their jaws evenly spaced, and their limbs tensed for pouncing. Boldly the deer herd stampeded into the area.
It was amazing. One of the four wolves lunged and bit a deer's leg, only for it to be kicked off and bucked into a tree. The other three, learning from their friend's mistake, nimbly leapt out of the charging deer's way as they ran through. Once the deer started creating a large gap between us and them, the wolves dropped their thoughts about me, got into their pack running positions, and started to dart after the herd. My eyes kept zeroing on the lead deer; its head held up proudly as it scampered away, gaining a very confident and successful look. The others didn't look even remotely like him, shuddering, their small ears flattened in fear, so terrified that they nearly tripped over their own hooves.
Soon the deer herd was out of sight, vanishing within the snow-packed foliage. The wolves disappeared with them. The last sight I saw was a silver tail flickering away from behind a pine tree. I paused, regaining my thoughts, and then I cautiously started climbing down. I started with my left foot, but once my insanely-injured right foot had pressure on it, I silently screamed and lost my grip, falling with an 'oof' in the snow.
When my breath came back to me, I shakily got to my feet. My frozen hands grabbed in a frosty grip my bow, snow caking the wooden handle. I half-mindedly inspected it. The rest of my thoughts were stuck on the event, and what just happened. A deer risked the lives of its whole herd, just for me. Deer were animals I hunted. During the winter I had killed dozens of them, using their species for all kinds of food like cooked meat and soup. Now, voluntarily, off its own free will a deer that lead its herd had basically taken the biggest and most idiotic risk ever, just for a strange human it created eye contact with. It basically sacrificed one of its deer too, judging how a deer with a wounded leg couldn't run off for long from a pack of swift wolves.
No food. Lost two arrows. Gained a major injury. My hands were being nipped at from the cold. That's all that happened while I hunted for about two hours, nearly being hunted myself. If that deer herd didn't come by, I was as sure as gone. Why did that deer do that? Maybe it formed some sort of respect for me, or pity, or sadness from seeing me stuck in a tree. Either way, I knew that I was saved by something I killed. But overall, the situation taught me something. From the whole experience, I learned one thing; never, never ever, try to hunt a wolf again.