Even though his mouth kept moving, Lyong stood very still until most of us had set out behind his friend. I was once again immediately behind the adventurer. When I looked behind me, I could see the gap between me and the others seemed larger.

Lyong now yelled in order to be heard. "You are not very good at teamwork, you know that? A tiger is not a good family pet. What are you going to do if it eats one of us? Slap its snout?"

Ella Siwatskie.

I stumbled to a halt and scanned the group. Gino Morton, Mitch Chavez, Borys Nattaniel, Wade Lyong... the dishevelled girl was not with the group.

"Where is..." I trailed off as I spotted her.

She was walking alongside the group, but so far away, she looked like a shadow. Her hand was holding the wide-brimmed hat to her head, as if there was a wind to snatch it from her.

If only there was a breeze.

I resumed walking, snatching glances at her to make sure she was okay. If there was another tiger stalking the veld, we would be unable to do anything...

"You're setting our lives in more danger than it should be." Lyong was still going at it. "It's already at risk with... poisonous plants... and... unforeseen dangers."

Note: Lennon T. James has the uncanny ability of never being 'ruffled.'

I, however, did not have that ability. Between the heat spreading over my body, the aching of my muscles that had been bruised by a tigress, and the constant walking and seeing of nothing but grass, Wade Lyong's incessant talking was driving me to the brink of insanity. My fingers were curled into fists.

"And of course the cat would go for the weakest one! Your insensible choice of pet could lead to the death of your own journalist!"

I am not a journalist.

My attempt at self-control was weakening. Regulating my breathing was failing. There was frustration beneath my skin, and it begged to be let out.

Lennon T. James walked on, a hand reaching out to his tigress ever so often, as if to reassure himself she was at his side. Shirka seemed happy.

"How will you keep an eye on her when we sleep? If you keep an eye on her, it's not as if you could do something to stop an attack since you won't allow someone to shoot her!"

I whirled around. "Wade Lyong, so help me, if you do not shut up right now, I will make sure Shirka gets a bite out of you!" My hand swiped at the hair plastered to my cheeks. "Your whining is unhelpful and shows how much you trust your best friend. Just... be quiet!"

Confession: I'm not saying I was panicked about the thought of a tigress exploring alongside us but I definitely thought she might find me a nice treat. However, Wade Lyong was not helping my slight panic— he was feeding it.

The whole group had come to a stop.

When the realisation of my outburst settled in, I could feel the shame burning my skin from inside. I was unable to meet anyone's gaze. "Sorry."

"Do you mind if we catch a break?" Gino Morton's voice was unfailingly kind. It saved me from further apologies. "It's almost lunch time and we could all use it."

Lennon T. James must've agreed.

Everyone came closer. Packs were tossed to the earth. Canteens were opened and water was drunk, if sparingly. A little bit of dried meat was passed around.

Lyong and I avoided each other. Gino Morton kept up a soft hum of conversation between him and Nattaniel. Mitch shared some supplies with me in companionable silence. Lennon T. James was standing a little ways away with his tiger.

Ella, when she arrived, sat down with a generous amount of space between her and the group.

"Does anyone have nuts? I don't eat flesh."

🙞

Assuming not many of you have gone on adventures before, let me explain something about them. It may be revolutionary, but adventures aren't always exciting. They're not always thrilling.  Sometimes, there are long stretches of nothing.

In fact, this part became extremely tedious and boring. The veld seemed to go on forever. Waves of heat washed over us until it halted all thinking.

"How long until the veld starts changing?"

Lennon T. James glanced back at me. Shirka also twisted her head around, amber eyes glowing as the sun softened its gaze and sank towards the horizon.

"It will be an abrupt change."

I reached up to tuck more loose strands of hair behind my ears. "Oh. How long?"

He was not offended by me asking a second time. "We'll see the change tonight, Shae."

And we did.

Night found us on a hill, overlooking the last stretch of grass.

'Sudden' was too mellow a word. The change was complete. There was grass for several kilometres still— and then a wall of trees.

In the shadows of twilight, it looked like a black shadow over the earth. It looked ominous, foreboding, and fear burrowed its way between my ribs.

"So..." I looked at Mitch, who'd come to stand next to me. "That's where we'll be tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." She bounced on her toes. "Is it just as hot in the trees?"

"Should be." Gino stood on my other side, eyes on the treeline. "If not as warm, it might be warmer because of the increase in humidity."

Nattaniel's hand was on his hilt. "Brilliant."

"We're an optimistic bunch, aren't we? At least we aren't all wearing armour." Wade Lyong had the audacity to set his hand on Nattaniel's shoulder. "I'd lose the chainmail if I was you."

The soldier shook him off with a scowl.

Calling a leather jerkin 'chainmail' was ludicrous. Nattaniel had many layers on, with a white shirt under the jerkin and a standard cape bearing the Chileez insignia, but it wasn't near chainmail.

My annoyance must've shown. When I caught Lyong's gaze, he shot me a triumphant gaze and returned to staring at the horizon.

"Is it going to feel as oppressive as it looks?" Ella had taken her wide-brimmed hat off and was twisting it between her fingers. Her hair caught the last pieces of sunlight.

Lennon T. James looked up at us. He stood in front, several paces down from the top of the hill. He bit back a grin and turned to follow our collective gazes.

"Not at all."

🙞

I'm running through meadows and past trees, my feet hitting the ground in a hurried flurry of movement.

I have no shoes, no pack on my back, no journal in my hands- instead, my feet are being cut to pieces by the sharp rocks and my shirt dangles, ripped and tattered.

I'm alone, yet my heart is beating fast, fear coursing through my veins.

I don't know what I'm running from... but I do know I'm absolutely terrified of it.

I slip on a muddy embankment, sliding through the thick sludge and into a small stream. The cold water is deeper than it looks, cascading over me, and I scramble up, rocks unsteady under my hands and feet.

I start up the muddy bank, only to feel the earth shake beneath my hands. Pebbles and mud slide down the little hill, and I scramble back into the stream as I look upward, at the edge of the embankment.

There's a great crash resounding through the air, the sound of trees being rustled and snapped in half.

An eerily familiar sound.

And then something growls, the sound deep and loud, followed by sniffing.

Something peeks over the little embankment, meeting my eyes, and I let out a scream—

"Shae!"

With a gasp for air, my eyes shot open.

I was dangling in the air, feet above the ground. Two hands are clamped around my arms and, by the faint light of a crackling fire, I can make out the legendary Lennon T. James.

As soon as he saw I was awake, he dropped me.

My knees buckled and I almost fell, barely catching myself. "What are you doing?"

"You were having a nightmare." Lennon T. James went back to his side of the fire, stepping over a sleeping Wade Lyong and then an oblivious Gino Morton.

"I don't have nightmares."

Not like Ella Switkoskie, who was tossing and turning, muttering in her sleep as her face contorted into different expressions of panic and pain. She didn't look comfortable. Then again, sleeping on the ground with grass stalks digging into your skin is uncomfortable in general.

Mitch was not asleep but blissfully ignoring us. Her arms covered her face. A finger was tapping out a steady beat.

Nattaniel was sitting by the fire, wide awake. He was sharpening his sword. "You were just screaming in your sleep. You have nightmares."

I rubbed my arms. My heartbeat felt a bit uneven and I could feel the remnants of fear lurking at my thoughts. Then I spied the tiger lying next to Lennon T. James.

"I don't dream."

🙞

author's note

so, i split this chapter in two for reading convenience...

i tried to make it even, so i apologise if the "cut off" spot was a bit inconvenient.

uh, my annoying questions:

1) is this severely dragging?
(we will be in the jungle next chapter)

2) are you able to keep the characters separate?
(I'm scared of being inconsistent or confusing. however, i know this is still early on so i need time to really develop personalities)

thank you so much for reading!! and replying!! and responding!!!

<3 klara