Chapter 1

Riley’s fingers tensed around the thick string of the bow, her thumb trailing along the brittle feathers of the end. Her toes curled inside her thick mud caked boots as she locked her crystal eyes with the deer. It was a young buck with small antlers and a twisted back leg. She’d been tracking it for a few days and she was forced to live off berries she foraged. She blew out a silent frosty breath and lurked toward the buck.

Her feet found the bare grassy places on the ground, avoiding the crunchy damp leaves. The deer, which was munching on a plant, lifted its head, flicking an ear. Riley stopped. The air was thick as the deer looked directly in her direction. A minute or two passed as her leg muscles screamed in protest at the odd way she was forced to stand. Finally, the deer ducked its head down and began to eat again.

Riley adjusted the fingers holding the arrow and crept a bit closer. A cold wind buffeted her way and she smiled inwardly, knowing that the buck wouldn’t smell her. She slowly sunk into a crouch, turning her body sideways and gradually drawing the dark plastic arrow back. The area between her thumb and first finger carefully held the bow as she closed one eye and placed the tiny blue sight behind the deer’s elbow.

Thwap! A soft whip like noise echoed through the forest as the buck grunted loudly and kicked his back legs before sprinting away from Riley.

Yes! she thought. She stood up, pumping a fist in the air and holding back a yell of happiness. She skipped over to where the buck stood seconds before and spotted the trail of tiny drops of blood.

Up and over a small hill and past a frozen puddle of water lie the deer. It had leaned against a thick tree, its front legs half tucked under its limp body and its eyes half closed. Its tongue lolled out of its mouth and Riley’s arrow stuck out of its ribs. A small wave of sympathy coated Riley before she shook it off and yanked the arrow out of the deer, wiping it on her boots. She leaned down and tucked her arms under the animal’s torso, hauling it up a bit before lifting the small buck onto her shoulders. She struggled a bit with the deer’s weight but she pushed on and began to trek back to her makeshift home.

A day and a half was the time it took Riley to make it back to her small shelter. Her home was carved into a gigantic tree. The trunk was thick and sturdy and it was perfect for Riley to mold into a safe haven. There was a large concealed hollow dug out somewhat underneath the tree that went at least 15 feet underground and the dirt was packed tightly so it wouldn’t collapse. Riley had spent about a year building the shelter and it was now the size of a living room.

Outside the tree there was a makeshift ladder into a small hidden bunker made out of planks of old wood and branches. Riley would go there to relax and hunt from a high vantage point. She didn't use it often, but she valued its secrecy.

Riley crawled underneath a woven cover of sticks and leaves and wriggled through the small tunnel and emerged into the dirt room. It was very dark besides the small purple flashlight emitting dim musty light. She placed her stolen bow in the dip in the floor she dug out and unstrapped her quiver from her belt. Standing up, Riley made her way over to a layout of thick cotton blankets with several rips in them. She sunk to her knees and clicked her tongue softly. The blankets stirred.

A small furry head popped out of the blanket and blinked sleepily up at Riley. It was a small German shepherd. The dog’s ears lied against its head as it whined and stood up, leaping in Riley’s arms. Its tail wagged wildly and it whined and licked at Riley’s cheeks. She smiled and shook the fur around the dog’s cheeks.

“Hey Kaiser! Hi buddy! Did you miss me? Huh? Good boy! Who’s a good boy? I brought some food! D’you like food buddy? Yeah? C’mere!” Riley cooed and adjusted Kaiser’s rope collar.

She took the dark dog towards the narrow tunnel and crawled out, Kaiser following close behind. They emerged into the open and Riley ordered Kaiser to sit as she climbed the rickety ladder. The dead deer was perched on a large branch, its eyes closed and its body cold. She took a hold of its antlers and dragged it down, plopping it on the ground.

Kaiser immediately locked his jaws around a leg and dragged it towards the tunnel, digging his claws into the dirt and disappearing within seconds. Riley smiled and followed behind him. Kaiser was sitting beside the body when she entered the den. His back was straight and his tail wagging, his brilliant eyes glimmering up at her. She smiled and grabbed her large knife, leaning down to the deer.

Riley dug out a chunk of meat from its shoulder and tossed it to Kaiser. He wolfed it down in a few seconds. She shook her head and ripped a piece for herself. Tossing the fur and skin in the corner, she shuffled over to a small fire pit that she made herself. She grabbed an old lighter, reminding herself to steal a new one, and lit the end of a stick. She tossed it into the pit and helped the small flame grow.

Riley tossed the last few small chunks of charcoal into the pit and crumpled the large bag. The fire lit up the room brilliantly as Kaiser shuffled over and plopped down next to Riley, lying his head on her thigh. He seemed to drink in the heat and watch the flames dance in warm colors and Riley did the same as she cooked her meat. Her hand found its way to Kaiser’s head as she ran her fingers through his soft black fur.

Kaiser was really the only thing she had left. She doesn’t remember much from before she escaped, probably because she repressed it. But she remembered that Kaiser was a brand new addition to her family. Before it happened. She ran away with him and she’s lived here ever since. Kaiser was a mutt, his mother a German shepherd and his father unknown. But his eyes were a brilliant color. One was a coffee brown color, complex in dark and light specks. And the other was a dark oak, but half of it was a sky blue color. Riley could stare into his eyes forever and looking into them was what really made living in the middle of the Forbidden Wilderness worthwhile.

Riley snapped out of her daze and glanced at the deer meat pierced with a stick over the fire. The meat was a deep brown color and she took it away from the fire and began to eat. The supple food tasted ten times better in the coming cold season. She tried to hold back from eating it all at once and concentrated on savoring the juicy venison. Riley finished the meal before she even noticed. She sighed and tossed the stick to the side, staring into the fire. Kaiser was snoring on her lap and she instinctively reached for the dark fur on the back of his neck. The flame’s heat seeped into her skin and clung onto her clothes as she sighed deeply and closed her eyes. The silence overtook them, but the crackling of the small fire kept them at bay. Riley listened to every snap, every crackle, and every rush of hot air that came from the pit. They sat there in peace for what seemed like forever.

Finally, Riley rubbed her eyes and reached to grab the small cloth near the crumpled charcoal bag and carefully smothered the fire. Kaiser awoke and sleepily moved to the pile of blankets in the opposite corner as Riley joined him. They curled up under the covers together and Riley pulled the thick blanket over her shoulder. Kaiser curled up in the crook of the back of her knees and pulled the corner with his teeth to cover his small body. Riley slowly fell deeper and deeper into the dizzying coma called sleep.

Chapter 2

The next day or two was spent slowly eating the rest of the deer and checking outside for prey, their hopes slowly deteriorating each time they failed to see a rabbit or mouse or bird. The first snowfall happened the third day after the successful deer hunt. The snow disguised everything in a soft bitter white. For the first time since the last winter, Riley shed her camouflage jacket and put on her heavy white coat. There was heat-insulating fur on the inside and a wet resistant outside, perfect for the winter. She planned out the entire season in her head; they hunt as often as they can and just try to survive the harsh weather. Although, the picture in her head was soon to be broken. One day, Riley awoke to the noise of Kaiser whining and scratching at the exit tunnel.

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, propping herself on her hand. She saw her dog across the room, eyes locked on something inside the tunnel. Kaiser’s ears were perked and his lips were drawn back into a snarl. Riley slowly reached for her hunting knife and made her way towards the tunnel. As she neared Kaiser, she noticed his brown and black fur was spiked and ruffled in fear and her heart lurched.

She wrapped her fingers around his rope collar and tugged him back, but he wouldn’t budge. A low growl rumbled inside his throat as he locked his limbs in place. Riley had to shove Kaiser out of the way and block his view. Crawling up a bit, she saw what Kaiser had been looking at.

A small silhouette lined the exit of the tunnel. She heard a faint voice and she froze. Her heart was beating so fast and loud that she thought the man would hear it. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched her knife tightly. She could have sworn she saw the man try to crawl inside, but fail and crawl back out. He seemed to grab something and point it in the tunnel. It was a flashlight. Riley ducked her head under her arm and crawled back as fast as she could. The blaring light caught a bit of the room floor as the man tried to shine it past the dip in the tunnel. She was panting. Her elbows were bent and crossed her chest in defense.

Kaiser trotted back to the edge of the tunnel and growled, the light catching his bright eyes and reflecting upwards. Riley grabbed his collar and yanked it back, Kaiser following. She tightly held his collar and neck fur as he tried to push forward. Panicking, Riley leaned down to Kaiser’s ear and whispered, “Get ‘em”.

The tough rope scraped across her hand as he shot forward and flew inside the tunnel. His snarl turned into a loud bark as she heard a shrill scream of the man. He sounded very young, younger than she thought. Seconds passed before the fight ended and she heard Kaiser yelp. The man seemed to run away screaming as Kaiser appeared at the tunnel moments later.

His shoulder was slashed and his lip was split as he wobbled into the room on three legs. One of his back legs was suspended in the air and he seemed to refuse to step on it.

“Oh, Kaiser.” Riley whispered as she ran over to him. She looked at his wounds and examined his behavior. She concluded that whoever that young man was, he probably pushed Kaiser away by the shoulder with a knife and hit his mouth. She wasn’t sure what had happened to his back paw, but she knew it was bruised. She carefully lifted the dog up and brought him over to the pile of blankets, laying him down gently.

Using her available resources, Riley was able to put wet moss on his shoulder and mouth, and kept his back leg propped on some blankets. And when Kaiser was relaxed and tended to, anger suddenly overflowed her. Her dog, her companion, her best friend, had been hurt by this man. Kaiser had fought for her and now here he was, wounded and whining.

Riley adjusted her coat, grabbing her knife and bow. She threw her knife in the holder and strapped in her quiver. She waved to Kaiser with her bow and whispered, “stay”.

Riley crawled out of the tunnel slowly, making her way towards the dim light. Her heart beat hard in her chest and her ears as her shaking hands grabbed at the dirt and pulled herself up. The second she reached the exit she pulled her white coat closer and crouched, hidden in the snow. She kept her ears alert as well as her senses as she studied the atmosphere. She tensed her legs and pushed hard, making a dash for the rickety ladder roped to the tree. Slinging her bow around her torso, she leaped up the tree, pushing off each rung as easily as pushing off of soil while running. Riley used her momentum to leap into the safety of the small tree house.

Riley whipped an arrow from her quiver and held it in place on her bow, her fingers held the string tight. Her eyes scanned the area and looked for any sign of movement. Suddenly, her eyes locked on some faint movement in the distance. A boy stood in a dark gray coat with fur around the hood and black snow pants. His hair was light brown and messy as it stuck up and was slightly caked with blood. Riley made the connection that the boy was the one who was at the entrance of her tunnel. He was bent slightly over as he clutched his wrist and gazed in horror at a large gash in his forearm.

Riley noticed how tall the boy was and guessed that he was between 18-23 years old. She remembered that she was around 20 years old and she was shocked to realize the boy was probably her age. Then another wave of confusion washed over her. What was this boy doing in the Forbidden Wilderness? The Government kept extremely strict restrictions against anyone entering the Wilderness and anyone who broke this law was executed without treason or a trial.

Riley shifted her position and continued to watch the boy. He put his hand on the wound and shakily grabbed something in his coat pocket. It was some kind of white roll and he unraveled some of it, only to wrap it tightly around his wound.

Tape… Some kind of medical tape, I can’t remember the name… What was it? Riley thought. She watched as the boy used the last of the tape on his cut and threw the cardboard roll on the ground. A moment passed before he cautiously touched the wound on his head. He recoiled from the touch and rubbed his arms in pain and an attempt to get warmth.

Finally, the boy turned his back to Riley and began to limp the opposite way. She watched him until he disappeared into the trees. Riley sighed and released the tension on the bow.

Suddenly, a fluttering sound erupted close to her ear. She drew the bow back with full force and followed the sound with the tip of her arrow. Riley released the thick string and a shrill cry split the air as the small body of a brown bird crunched in the snow. She peered over the edge of the balcony and saw the tiny bird with her arrow halfway through its torso.

The corners or her mouth tugged upward in a small smile as she leaped down from the tree and grabbed the body of the small bird. Looking back in the direction the boy went in, she sighed a frosty breath and turned, returning to the tunnel of her home.

Riley cooked the bird silently, giving all but a wing to Kaiser. A frown controlled her face as her mind drifted into thought about the boy. How wasn’t this stranger dead? How did he survive? Was there more like him? She surprised herself by not eating the entire wing, giving the rest to Kaiser, who basically swallowed it whole. The boy had a heavy coat, she remembered. It didn’t seem to have any rips in it and it seemed fairly clean, save the blood stains of his wounds. He looked almost like he was meant to be there. His flashlight looked brand new as well, and that could only mean he got it from somewhere recently. If anyone knew anything about the Forbidden Wilderness, it was to not look down dark holes or poke a dead animal with a stick or look into an animal’s burrow. Whoever this boy was, he was either working for someone or just incredibly stupid.

Riley went to bed that night with thoughts swarming through her head, amplifying the dark blue tint of the room and the throbbing, searing heat of her blankets. Her eyes were being held open by her conscience, locking onto the choppy pattern of the dirt floor. Kaiser curled up against her stomach, his quiet snores filling her ears and joining her thoughts. She could not stop thinking about the boy. The fact that she could potentially be in danger of her and Kaiser’s life didn’t fill her brain as she thought it would. She knew she should be extremely concerned about their safety, as for the Government’s option in some cases of crime is torture. But the boy’s face couldn’t escape her mind. Riley replayed the vision of his hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out that tape, his face when he touched the wound on his head. Just his face, the blurry features of his eyes, mouth, ears, hands, legs, torso, everything.

Riley couldn’t remember the last time she had seen a human face for the years she had been living on her own. Her memory of it had been warped into one that was far beyond reality. To her memory, humans had small muzzles and wolf like eyes, with small rounded ears and manually sharpened teeth. The few times she was able to stop and stare at her reflection in rivers and streams are times that she relished, as she locked her features in her brain as much as she could. But danger tore her away every time, so she was left to believe what she had created of herself. Riley had sharpened her own teeth and nails, her eyes turned a paler brown and more inhuman as the years went by. Scars littered her nose and around her eyes from battle, as well as the rest of her body. And from this, she drew the conclusion that every human looked like her. The realization that she was drastically wrong led her to have a small longing to see the boy again. Riley knew it was wrong to feel this as the boy could mean certain death for them both. But she couldn’t help feeling that she was meant to interact with him.

Riley didn’t get much sleep that night, nor any of the nights following. She drowsily tended to Kaiser’s wounds and half mindedly searched for food. She was angrier than she usually was as she realized that the boy was distracting her from her and Kaiser’s survival. With the very few animals Riley saw, the thought of the boy prevented her from catching any of them. The days seemed to repeat and drag by in slow motion, and before she knew it a week had passed. And every night she would lie awake and think about the boy, and why he was taking over her every thought and influencing her every action.

Kaiser seemed to notice her sudden change too, and sniffed for injuries every time she came back from an unsuccessful hunt. Riley would just push him away and give him a quick pat on the head. She felt terrible that Kaiser was so concerned and she couldn’t reassure him that she was okay. She almost willed the boy to come back, so she could “take care” of him and everything would go back to normal. But something in the back of her mind told her that killing the boy wouldn’t be right, and she didn’t understand that at all. Killing him would solve this mess, but the thought of one of her arrows in his stomach or her knife sinking and cracking through his chest just made her uneasy. She’s killed humans before, mostly from the Government, to save her and Kaiser. So why did killing this boy seem so wrong?

The next couple of days were spent taking the now healed Kaiser out hunting in the bitter cold. He seemed eager to get out of the den and play. He burrowed under the deep snow and coated himself in a frosty white camouflage. Riley called for Kaiser and his head popped out of a deep snow bank. She smiled and returned her gaze to the trail. The ground was covered in snow 3 feet deep and every bush was practically dead. They turned right towards the mountain and began to trek further away from their home, examining every bush and tree and hollow. Riley pulled her coat closer to her body and pulled up her thick black gloves. She ran her fingers through her short hair as Kaiser found no trace of a scent and blew out a hot breath that materialized in front of her in a soft mist. Suddenly, a crunching noise popped in Riley’s ears and she hissed to Kaiser to duck under a bush.

The leaves were sharp and long and poked at her skin as she suppressed a cough and peered out from beneath the bush. Kaiser crouched by her side and looked around for the source of the noise. Riley struggled to keep her breathing slow and quiet, shutting her mouth and panting through her nose. She kneeled onto her knees and loaded her bow with an arrow, one hand close to her knife in her boot. Kaiser uttered a low quiet growl and Riley saw that he had locked his eyes onto something in the distance. She followed his gaze and saw nothing.

She knew he was rarely wrong, so she kept watching. There was nothing. An owl hooted low and long in the distance and the bitter wind bit their skin, shaking the leaves on the trees. Riley let out a quiet breath and strained her ears to pick up another sound. The rustling of the trees was slowly joined by another sound; the crunching of snow. At first it was barely audible and almost impossible to hear. But as the minutes drew by, Riley noticed a growing shape in the distance. It was a tiny black mass weaving in and out of the trees, making a low grumbling sound. Riley felt Kaiser tense beside her and she gripped her bow tighter. The mass grew and grew and as it neared closer, its features became clearer. It was taller than Riley thought and it had some kind of fur around its neck that was overly fluffy. Its grumbling grew louder and louder as it approached and Riley realized with a shock that she could understand it.

“Stupid…”

“Can’t believe…”

“Why the…”

“Can’t…”

A heavy wave of realization washed over her as she realized it was a human. She sunk lower to the ground and pulled back her bow a bit. The fur seemed to be part of a coat, a black coat. The man was limping and carrying a long dull knife. He was shaking and he held the knife close to his body. As his face came into view, Riley saw dark blond hair and a bit of stubble. Her eyes widened. Her heart leaped and jumped nearly out of her chest.

Oh my god is that… is that the… Riley thought. It was the boy. He was shaking wildly and he had deep bags under his eyes. He was limping more than when she first saw him and he was panting. A tiny pang of sympathy picked at her chest, but she pushed it away viciously. He was around ten feet away when Riley spoke.

“Stop.” she croaked, her voice raspy from disuse. The boy stopped in his tracks and his head snapped up. He shakily held out his knife with two hands.

“Who’s-s there?” he chattered. Riley ordered Kaiser to stay and pulled her bow back with full force, stepping out of the bush painfully slow.

“Don’t move another muscle unless you want your insides on a stick. I’ve shot before and you are far from an exception.” she ordered menacingly, surprised at the sound of her own voice. The boy looked at her in horror as she revealed herself. He turned to face her, knife shaking with his voice.

“Who a-are you? What are you doing h-here?” he asked.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing. Why are you here?” Riley asked.

“I’m not telling you” he said scornfully. Riley smirked.

“I really don’t wanna hurt you. You seem like a cool guy. But if worst comes to worst, well… My dog and I are very hungry. And you got some meat on you, kid.” Riley clicked her tongue and Kaiser emerged from the bushes snarling. The boy took one glance at Kaiser and his jaw dropped.

“Th-that’s your dog?” he asked, his voice small and breaking.

“Yes he is, and he’s pretty hungry so unless you want to find out if there’s life after death I suggest you start talking.” Riley said, raising the bow to his head. The boy started to pant and think about what Riley said, looking down fearfully. After a few moments, he looked up with rage in his eyes.

A yell split the air as he charged knife first at Riley. The arm holding her bow dropped down skillfully and shot the arrow into the boy’s calf. He screamed and dropped to the ground, his face landing in the snow. His hands grasped at the ground as he yelled into his arm. Slowly, the boy turned over and looked at his leg. The arrow was protruding out of the fleshy part of the back of his calf. It was only half in his leg but dark blood poured out of the torn clothing.

His hand grabbed his knee while he bit his other hand and gasped loudly. He stared in horror at the arrow and cried out when his hand slipped further down his leg towards the arrow.

“Y-you shot me” he cried, looking at Riley in shock.

“Yeah, like I said. You aren’t an exception” she responded.

Kaiser dashed forward and grabbed the handle of the long knife, dragging it back while the boy flinched. Kaiser dropped it at Riley’s feet and she pet his head. Grabbing another arrow from her quiver, she reloaded her bow and stepped closer to the boy.

“Now I’m gonna need that arrow back but I have no problem using the rest for your head. Or maybe your stomach, make your death slow” Riley threatened. The boy just stared and panted.

“Y-you’re crazy… You- you’re insane, you have to be you aren’t gonna kill me!” the boy pleaded. Riley huffed and shook her head.

“Don’t test me, I can and I will. And I’m gonna take a guess and say that my arrows hurt pretty bad. So I’m gonna ask you again, who are you and why are you here?” Riley repeated.

The boy cast his gaze down at the arrow and panted, trying to swallow his fear. Then he looked back up at Riley.

“I… but you…” he stammered. Riley raised her bow from his leg to his head, pulling back the string further.

“Woah woah, okay okay okay don’t shoot! Just, just don’t shoot. We’re cool.” The boy yelped and stammered, his hands raised shakily.

“Are we? Because my arm’s getting pretty tired and man could my fingers use a stretch! So how about you tell me what I wanna hear?” Riley threatened.

The boy’s icy stare cast to the ground and winced at the pain in his leg. He shakily ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled slowly, his breath billowing in soft clouds in front of him.

“How- how about we make a trade?” he asked quietly.

“Excuse me?” Riley questioned, tilting her head and lowering her bow a sliver.

“I- I just mean, uhm… What if y-you fixed my leg in exchange for information?” he asked warily.

Riley’s jaw hung open a bit in confusion as she tried to understand what she was hearing. She adjusted her grip on the bow and stared questioningly at the boy. Questions crammed her head as she wondered if the boy could possibly be serious about what he was proposing. Would he turn on her when she wasn't looking? Should she trust him at all?