While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 49: Traces

Leaving the rocky beach, Charlie and I geared up to head back to camp.

We took our time walking. Partly because chasing those weird folks had zapped our energy, and partly because Charlie had bolted so fast during the chase that we hadn't really taken in our surroundings.

This forest was new to us. The greenery here was way more lush and varied than any other forest we'd seen.

There were tons of plants I'd never laid eyes on before. Even though I wasn't a plant expert, my gut told me these plants didn't belong on this island, and they definitely didn't seem like they should be growing together in one forest.

Plus, we found some signs of those strange people in the forest.

It was clear they'd been hanging out here for a while, with bits of hair snagged on the weeds and bushes around the thickets.

These hairs looked a lot like the ones Abbott got, so they were probably wolf hairs too. But they were smaller, finer, softer, and cleaner, almost like they'd just been plucked from an animal.

We followed down the trail, feeling our way back toward camp. I started to think these hairs might lead us to another one of their hideouts or a path to one.

Charlie and I kept going, but the further we went, the fewer wolf hairs we found, until there were none at all.

A massive canyon came into view. It was huge, with steep rock walls that made it tough to get down. If we wanted to explore deeper, it would take a lot of time. It had already taken us a while to walk back from the rocky beach, and we were still far from camp.

I decided we should head back to camp first and figure out the rest later.

I patted Charlie and was about to leave when I turned around and saw two pairs of cold, gleaming eyes.

They looked like they'd been watching us for a while. To them, Charlie and I were probably dinner.

I could tell Charlie wasn't much of a fighter. When he saw the wolves, he instinctively took a couple of steps back. The wolves sensed our fear and immediately moved closer.

One of them let out a fierce growl at me. The howl scared Charlie so much that he shrank behind me.

Behind us was a vast, bottomless canyon. I had no clue what was down there.

The wolves kept pushing us back. I could feel the edge of the cliff dangerously close behind me. My heart raced as I realized one more step would send me into the void. That was when I stopped dead in my tracks.

We were cornered, with no way out, as the wolves slowly closed in on us.

I should've swung my knife, but I was worried about hurting Charlie in the narrow space, so I held back.

Unexpectedly, the wolves kept pressing us, giving us no chance to escape.

I took a deep breath and gripped the short knife in my hand. Then, I suddenly stepped forward, holding the knife out in front of me, ready to fight.

Seeing my stance, Charlie seemed to get the picture and slowly stepped out from behind me, arching its body.

Was he really going to join the fight? He clearly wasn't cut out for this!

I gave Charlie a gentle nudge, signaling him to find a safe spot. I figured I could handle two wolves on my own, especially with a sharp knife in hand.

But Charlie had other plans. Instead of hiding, he took a couple of steps forward and let out a low, threatening growl.

The wolves, hearing Charlie's growl, hesitated and took a step back, clearly startled.

But it didn't take long for them to start drooling and baring their fangs, slowly closing in on us again.

We couldn't keep stalling. Facing them head-on was our only option.

The wolves seemed to have run out of patience. They were smart enough to push us to the edge of the cliff.

I figured I had a decent chance against a single wolf, so I lunged at one with my knife, hoping to take it down before they could react.

But to my surprise, Charlie leaped forward with me. Even though he looked a bit clumsy, his jumping ability was impressive.

In a flash, Charlie pounced on the wolf in front of me, his sharp teeth sinking into the wolf's neck.

The wolf struggled and managed to break free from Charlie's grip. Charlie wasn't a fierce dog and wasn't great at fighting, but he left two bloody holes in the wolf's neck.

The wolf was hurt badly but still managed to stand, albeit unsteadily.

I quickly slashed the wolf's neck with my knife, connecting the two bloody holes into one.

This time, the wolf couldn't stand. Its breathing became labored, and it soon collapsed.

With one wolf down, I felt a surge of confidence. Even alone, I could handle one wolf, and with Charlie by my side, we were unstoppable!

Without hesitation, I charged at the remaining wolf, only to see something incredible. Charlie jumped from beside me, almost leaping past my ear, and tackled the wolf. His speed was amazing, and they rolled together.

I rushed over with my knife and stabbed the wolf in the back.

The wolf let out a piercing howl and fell to the side, twitching.

The injury was severe enough to be fatal, and we didn't have time to finish it off. It was already dusk, and we needed to get back to camp before dark.

We ran through the forest for a while before spotting the camp. We didn't stop until we reached the camp's edge at nightfall.

The campfire was still burning, and the flickering flames were visible from the cave.

Matt was on the ground below the cave, twisting ropes, with Lilian and Moon standing nearby.

Seeing me return, Lilian kicked Matt in the back, knocking him down, and cursed before walking towards us.

"You finally made it back!" Moon smiled as she walked towards me.

Her walk was peculiar. She moved quickly but with hardly any sway, very graceful and smooth.

For a moment, I thought she was floating towards me, but seeing her feet move reassured me.