Surviving the Wild

The night stretched on as Airi put a reasonable distance between her and the shrine. She felt drained and anxious to be alone again, but she decided to focus on one thing at a time. Her first priority was shelter and she was insistent on finding a cave-like refuge that would lessen her exposure to surprise attacks while she slept. She searched for another hour, before she finally stumbled upon a shallow cave hidden behind dense bushes and hanging vines. Airi closed her eyes and searched the area for signs of energy, but felt nothing. Out of habit, she looked over her shoulder pointlessly in the dark and then ducked into the cave.

The cave was damp, but rather clean. There were no bones littering the floor or droppings left behind by various animals and the moss covered walls gave off a slight air of coziness. The back of the cave could be reached with only a few steps and had a relatively low ceiling. Airi placed her axes at the back of the cave and sat on the forest floor.

With every movement the thin, sweat soaked yukata she wore, reminded her of how cold she was. But she had no hope of starting a fire without a flint stone. Exhausted and worn out, Airi curled into a ball and drifted off to sleep with her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

During the night, leaves rustled and high-pitched squeaks could be heard every now and then in the distance, but Airi never stirred until the sound of her own screams echoed within the cave. Her nightmare this time, had brought her back to the shrine. Airi twisted and wrestled against the wretched, torturous energy that tore through every inch of her body. And after several minutes passed, she finally overcame this invisible threat. But much to her displeasure a lingering sting remained under the surface of her skin. Still half asleep, Airi held her head in her hands, as her echoing screams faded away.

It took a significant amount of deep breathing for Airi to calm herself down again. Drowsily, she wondered just how long these new nightmares would haunt her sleep over the days to come. Airi rolled back into a ball and willingly closed her eyes: too cold and tired to care about anything else.

The next morning Airi didn't stir until the sun was almost at high noon. The carefree birds chirped merrily and the water dripped down from the treetops, creating a peaceful air that threatened to lull her back to sleep. But she knew that going back to sleep would not dispel the nagging hopelessness that seemed to enlarge the hole in her already damaged soul.

Airi had tasted a glimmer of hope for almost a whole day, just to have it ripped away. But she wasn't ready to give up yet. That one day of hope had also inspired her to create a safe haven for herself that no one could take from her. She sat up and the thin fabric reminded her once again that she was still in damp clothing. She wrapped her arms around her knees as a shiver traveled up her spine and thought to herself that proper clothing would have to be her next priority. Airi stared at the dimpled bruise marks from the prayer beads that ran across her arms and wondered if her life was ever going to improve. Resolutely she shook her head, got to her feet and ducked out of the cave.

The sun greeted her warmly, its rays responsible for the vanishing of the goosebumps on her arms and legs. She took a step forward and her foot landed in a shallow puddle. She looked down at the cold water with a small grimace, but when the water stilled, her facial expression dropped. The pitiful reflection staring back at her was horrendous. Had she not known better, she would've confused herself with an abandoned cat: malnourished, matted hair and dirt stained clothing. She hardly recognized the girl staring back at her from the puddle.

She looked away, embarrassment washing over her, even though there was no one else around to see.

"From now on, I'll only look out for myself," she announced firmly.

At that moment, Ken's face flashed in her mind. Without him, she would've never escaped. And she found herself feeling grateful, yet guilty.

How could she have left him? A child, in that situation.

What if he was hurt?

Was he able to stop the monk?

Did the monk try to kill him too?

Immediately, she shook her head violently, as if that would stop her from thinking about it. She knew she couldn't go back. No….she wouldn't go back. She had to start thinking about herself. I have to stay strong, she told herself and walked back to the cave to retrieve her axes. She had no choice but to carry them and made a mental note to find a way to transport them, without restricting her hands.

Airi looked up at the sky to pinpoint where the sun had risen, but it was directly overhead now. She didn't know which direction to head in, but she knew she had to start somewhere. Airi moved one ax over to her other hand and rather childishly, picked up a stone and turned it over in her hand. She would let the stone decide for her. She drew a large X on the ground with the tip of an ax and stepped back 10 paces. Wherever the stone landed, would be the direction she traveled. She closed her eyes and tossed the small stone at the X on the ground.

Luckily for Airi, someone with their eyes open had provided some assistance. The Kami of Harune Forest had manipulated the stone to land in a direction that would lead her out of the woods: and that direction was west. Had the stone landed in any other direction, she would've increased her travel time by at least 4 hours. The Kami slipped back out of sight, as quickly as he came and hoped that this time she would find her way back to civilization.

"Okay I need to find clothing first?" she spoke aloud, "Well, warm clothes and then food and water," she continued. "So…..I guess that means I'll have to find a village first," her shoulders slumped at the idea. "Yea," she said unenthusiastically, "more people. Just what I wanted. Well, first I have to find them, I guess."

Finding a village was an utmost necessity. There was no other way for her to get decent clothing and something to eat. And as much as she despised the idea of dealing with people, it was absolutely unavoidable.

Airi walked for about a half an hour before her stomach began to growl. She was able to find edible berries on a nearby bush and as she munched on them, while her thoughts drifted back to Ken. If it wasn't for him, she would've never known the difference between poisonous and edible berries. She swallowed hard, trying to force down her feelings of guilt with the berries. She had made her decision not to go back for Ken and she would stick with it. Airi stood up firmly and continued her journey West.

After another hour hike through the woods, Airi finally came to the edge of the Forest of Harune. There was a large grass clearing spread before her with wildflowers and herbs. And a little further beyond it she saw a village. The sight of it stirred feelings inside her and a small tear trickled down her cheek. It felt like it had been ages since she had lived within the safety of an established village. A happy nervousness built up in her stomach with a mild touch of fear. Depending on the people who dwelled there, it was possible that they would not accept an outsider. Her fear however did not outweigh the grumbling of her stomach or her cold limbs, so she walked on past the field of wildflowers and rice fields towards the lively sounds of a thriving town.