While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 52: Exploring the Canyon

"Lilian, you wanna come with me?" I asked, glancing at her. She just gave me a quick look and nodded.

When we first met, she was super cautious around me. It took a lot of effort to get her to trust me. Now, she was on board with my idea without a fuss.

I had a plan. We were gonna take some tools and food to check out the bottom of the canyon. But there was only one steep way down, and it wasn't even a real path—just some jagged stone steps on the cliff. To make it down safely, we couldn't carry too much stuff.

I found a few old backpacks among the supplies we had and figured we could use them to split up the load.

I knew these backpacks well. They were a bit beat up, but still solid.

I divided all the supplies into three parts, packed them into the backpacks, and had Matt and Lilian put them on. We were ready to go.

Out of nowhere, Moon showed up and blocked our way. "Where are you guys going?" She didn't look too happy.

"To the canyon on the other side of the woods," I explained.

But after I told her, Moon didn't budge. Instead, she said she wanted to come with us.

Of course, I said no. For one, I didn't know Moon that well. If something went wrong in the canyon, what would I do? Plus, Moon wasn't just any ordinary person—she had some serious skills. She could protect the others back at camp.

"Don't you need help?" She puffed out her chest and clutched her notebook tightly. "It sounds dangerous."

Moon seemed dead set on coming with us. I had a feeling that if I said no, she wouldn't let us leave.

I had no choice but to let her tag along.

The road to the canyon was tough. We had to go through the whole forest on one side of the camp and then cross a muddy path.

Last time, when Charlie and I rushed back from the canyon, it was thanks to Charlie leading the way. Otherwise, we would've been stuck in those swampy mud pits.

But this time, I didn't bring Charlie. We had to climb down a cliff, and Charlie was too big to make it down safely.

By the time we got to the bottomless canyon, it was almost dusk.

"Let's explore the canyon tomorrow," Lilian said, peering into the abyss and frowning.

We didn't know what was down there, and it was getting dark. If we went in now, we'd be swallowed by darkness halfway through.

We only had one flashlight, and its battery was running low. If we got stuck in the dark, we'd have to wait on those narrow stone steps until dawn.

Even if we could last until dawn, we wouldn't dare stay on those steps all night. What if we fell into the canyon?

So, we decided to camp out at the edge of the cliff. The ground was flat, making it a good spot to set up camp.

We found a clean, flat surface, lit a campfire, and spread out the cloth rolls from our backpacks as makeshift beds.

Then, we pulled out the salted fish we had prepped earlier.

After our first fishing trip, the girls hit the beach a few more times. They got the hang of using the fishing nets pretty quickly and caught a ton of fish.

Nora turned a good chunk of those fish into smoked fish. Lately, we've been living off these salty fish.

We skewered the fish on some branches and roasted them over the fire until they were nice and crispy, then tore them apart to eat.

After dinner, we got ready to rest.

"Matt, you better behave tonight!" I said, tying Matt's hands again just to be safe. "You don't want me to leave you here for the wolves, do you?"

"I'll behave!" Matt grumbled, but he didn't dare resist. He just shot me a dirty look before turning away.

At night, we took turns keeping an eye on Matt.

In the middle of the night, it was time for Moon and me to switch shifts. I was feeling pretty sleepy, and when I saw Moon get up, I got ready to crash.

Moon, as usual, had her thin notebook with her. But as she walked by me, I saw a flash of light. I was a bit out of it, and when I looked back, the light was gone.

It seemed like the light came from Moon's eyes. But now she was hunched over, writing something by the moonlight. I couldn't be sure if her eyes really glowed.

I mulled it over for a while, but sleepiness won out. I didn't dwell on the weird light and just lay down on the cloth blanket.

When I woke up, the night sky had turned into a sunrise.

Lilian was now on watch, and Moon was sleeping soundly beside me, her face resting on her hand, breathing evenly.

I rarely saw Moon sleep at the camp; I even thought she might not be human! But here she was, sleeping like the rest of us.

After waking up, I started cleaning up the campsite. If we left any traces, wolves or other animals with sharp senses would surely follow.

After tidying up, I woke Moon and started folding the cloth blankets.

"You're very gentle," Moon said, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She looked at me, then picked up her notebook. She quickly jotted down a few lines and then smiled at me.

I had to admit, Moon was stunning. Her beauty was different, almost angelic. But definitely not human. Especially her silver hair, which sparkled like a gem in the sunlight.

After packing up, we headed for the bottom of the canyon.

"Hurry up! Climb down from here!" I pointed to the platform connecting the steep stone steps at the edge of the cliff and had Matt go first.

"Is this even safe? I'm not gonna fall, right?" Matt was scared, but my threat made him slowly step onto the almost suspended stone steps.

He walked down, one foot deep and one foot shallow. The steps seemed wobbly at first, but once he planted his feet firmly, it was clear they were embedded in the cliff. They were stable, with almost no chance of slipping.