Chapter 9 - The Arrival
Es
That morning was a bland one for sure, spent gathering whatever berries she could find in the nearby area on a small piece of bark she tore off of a dying tree. There weren't many berries ripe enough to pick, so she took longer to find more berry bushes to make up for it.
As she was heading back with around a dozen and a half berries in her bark sled, a loud howl echoed throughout the area. She wasn't too concerned since it didn't sound close to her, so she kept walking, albeit slower than before. When she arrived back at the den, she saw a quick figure retreat behind a far line of trees. She wasn't too concerned until she looked in the den and saw umbreon sprawled out in the middle of it, beaten and unconscious.
She ran over to him and looked at the damage; nothing too severe, but there were several bruises all over and a couple of cuts along his already injured side. Panic set in as she tried to think of something to help. They could escape the forest, maybe find another den and hide their scents, or even set up some kind of trap for anyone who tried getting near the open entrance. She gently laid him down on his good side and walked to the entrance, looking around. Whoever was in here, they weren't coming back. Not yet anyways.
She quickly got to work, digging out a hole in the dirt directly in front of the entrance. Every so often, she would poke her head up and check to see if the figure from before had reappeared in the same area it had left before digging once again.
After half an hour of exhausting work, she took the bark she had carried the berries with and covered the hole with it. It was glaringly obvious that one spot in the ground didn't look natural, so she smeared some of the dirt she dug up on top of the bark to help it blend in. Then, it was a waiting game as she walked back into the den and gently rubbed behind umbreon's ears, mostly to calm him down if he woke up and, though she wouldn't admit it, because it also helped keep her calm.
Enough hours passed for her to notice that the sun was setting, darkness creeping in almost teasingly as she decided to hide behind umbreon, hoping he was dark enough to keep them hidden from sight of whatever it was that was tormenting him. It was then that she also realized that his rings hadn't been glowing at all since the night before.
Why isn't he waking up? Why aren't his rings working? Are we going to die? Where's Karma when you need him?!
These same thoughts echoed in her mind as if it were as open as the den, though she was somehow focused enough to notice umbreon starting to stir.
Es: "H-hey, umbreon, stay quiet."
He didn't respond, or seem to hear her either. Instead, he was staring at the entrance, his body trembling to where she had stopped petting him.
She followed his gaze and immediately regretted it; in front of the dismantled trap stood Rowan, a malicious grin on his face.