Page 90 of Warrior of the Wild
I pat Soren on the shoulder instead. “Wake up. We should get moving.”
He doesn’t move, so I hit him a bit harder.
He jolts awake, sitting up too fast. His head smacks against one of the branches overhead.
“Ow,” he says, rubbing his head.
“Sorry. You were out like a rock.”
“I… had a hard time falling back asleep.”
That would be my fault. “I shouldn’t have woken you last night.”
“It’s fine. Now we’ll know how to start out tonight. Then you won’t have to wake me.”
My cheeks warm at the prospect. I shove aside the makeshift door of our lean-to and stretch in the morning air. It is still cool, but the morning is already alive with movement. Lizards up in the trees snort. Birds in the distance call to one another. Against the rock wall, I barely catch sight of camouflaged moths, the only giveaway being the outline of their gray wings overlapping the slate. It’s a beautiful day already, and it’s easy to fool ourselves into thinking there is no real threat on the mountain.
After we eat breakfast and pack everything back up, we resume our climb, this time with sore muscles.
It’s impossible to tell how much longer it will take to reach the peak. More and more trees cover the mountain the higher we climb. I can neither see the top nor the bottom.
The ground grows less rocky, more solid and stable, and the trees grow thicker. Animals that I’ve never seen before dangle from the trees by their knees. Unknown plants with bristly yellow leaves grow out of the ground. The wind carries scents from new trees that prefer the higher altitude.
When I first entered the wild, I remember being afraid of every unknown sound and creature. But here, everything is exciting, tinged with a sense of adventure. One that I’m happy to be taking with Soren.
He walks at my side, our strides perfectly matched. I catch sight of his hand swaying at his side. Before thinking twice about it, I reach out and grab it.
Soren looks up from his feet and fixes a boyish smile on me.
Blessedly, the rest of the day is mountain cat free. We climb as far as we dare before setting up camp once more. We find a good spot to build another lean-to, this time against a tree with a trunk so wide it might as well be a wall.
“Might rain tonight,” Soren comments as we finish. “Good thing we found a tree for extra shelter, but let’s lean some leafy branches across it just to be safe.”
The extra time we take turns out to be well worth it after we climb inside. While I can hear the light rain outside, not a drop reaches us.
Soren stretches out across the blanket while I situate the packs down at our feet. When I’m done, he holds open the top blanket—and his arm—for me to crawl inside.
I’m turned into him this time, my forehead pressed against his chest. His hand moves in circles across my back.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Soren says. “I’ve asked you this before, but I thought maybe now you might want to answer. Did someone close to you break your trust?”
I swallow. “Yes.”
Soren pulls me closer, his other hand never letting up on its soothing motion at my back. He’s quiet, letting me fill the space, should I choose.
I’m surprised to find that I’m ready to share my whole story with someone.
“There was—is—a boy back in my village. His name is Torrin.” There is something about talking, about saying his name aloud, that is so freeing. I tell Soren the whole story. I tell him about my misplaced trust. About my mother who betrayed me at the first opportunity. About how my father turned on me so quickly.
Soren’s cheek rests against the top of my head as he holds me against him, letting me finish.
“If I’ve seemed so single-minded in my desire to kill the god,” I say, “it is because I have so much to set right. I want to be with my family again, but I also need to reveal the wrongs done against me. I want to go back to Seravin and truly earn the respect of my fellow warriors by behaving as a leader should.”
I breathe deeply, relishing the feeling of sharing the burden of my story. Finally.
“Thank you for telling me,” Soren says. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that.”
“I’m not. Not anymore. Not when I think of how the wild has changed me. I’m better for it.”
