NADINE'S P.O.V
I kept that damned knife close to my side and I made sure to remind myself that I only did it for survival and not because I thought it ant anything.
There was nothing special about it but it was the only thing I had for survival and I would be damned if I let it go missing.
I walked close to Caine, careful not to get too close so he wouldn't get pissed at while simultaneously trying to keep my breathing even. The sun was high in the sky but I could barely see it due to the sheer number of trees. We were hidden for the most part and the wind blew against , sending chills down my spine.
We only stopped twice to refill our water battles and take a small snack. I was starving, I hadn't eaten a proper al since I left but I couldn't complain, not when we didn't have a lot.
"When we get to the next hideout, we can start catching food," Caine said simply. "Even if we catch anything here, we can't kill it- not yet at least. We have to stick with fruits."
I wasn't sure if he had heard my stomach growling or if he was also feeling the hunger and was simply trying to comfort himself as well but I appreciated it nonetheless. It was like a beacon of hope, giving sothing to keep looking forward to.
By the ti the sky started to get dark, I couldn't help but realize that there was no cave in sight. The few we had passed were too small for the both of us. The sun was setting at a very fast rate and with each passing second, it got harder to breathe.
"Caine," I began but he held up a hand to stop . "I don't an to bother you but-"
"I'm trying to fucking think," he hissed, running his hands through his hair in frustration.
"I thought you knew the path."
"I do but I forgot how small the caves were. We always went out in groups and we took turns staying awake so we could afford to sleep anywhere."
"We could try-"
"No," he shut it down before I could even finish offering. "You don't know what to listen out for. We would be dead within seconds if I left you awake and I need my rest as well. I can't stay up the whole night."
"What do we do?"
He was silent for a mont before sighing. "We have to keep walking."
"You're joking right?"
I waited for him to laugh, for him to say that he was kidding and there was sowhere for us to sleep but he didn't even crack a smile.
"You are the one that told how dangerous it is to walk at night."
"Do you have any better ideas? There is a cave not far from here. It isn't ideal to sleep in but it is the best I've got."
I knew better than to argue so I just nodded and we kept moving.
I tried to be silent but even I knew that I was failing woefully. The night was loud thankfully, I could hear the crickets chirping and owls in the distance. It gave so sort of relief to know that we weren't alone. One of the first things I ever learned from watching animal docuntaries was that if the forest ever went silent- that was when you needed to fear.
It was chilly and I cursed myself for not grabbing a jacket. I couldn't slow us down by trying to retrieve a jacket from my bag so I tried to ignore the cold but it only seed to get worse.
"Here," Caine stopped and shrugged his jacket off easily before handing it over to . Instead of taking it like a normal person, I just stared. "Are you deaf?"
"Aren't you cold?" was what I blurted out.
He was in short sleeves under the jacket and I wasn't sure why but a part of felt weird about taking his jacket.
"The cave is only a few more minutes away. I'm used to the cold."
He shoved it into my hands before I could protest. I mumbled a thank you but he either didn't hear or he ignored it. It was much too big for and it slled like him but it was comfortable. The inside was so soft that I couldn't help but pull it tighter against .
Caine lied about the distance of the cave. We walked for almost another hour before we finally ca to it. It was so small that we couldn't stand in it but it was a lot better than sleeping in a tree and potentially falling out.
I was so tired that I didn't even bother getting out of my clothes or fighting with Caine about the sleeping bag, I just climbed into it. It was only when he settled behind that I realized that he didn't have a jacket for the night.
"You should take your jacket back, I can get mine-"
"Don't bother," he ground out. "I'm tired and I know you are too- sleep."
'Are you sure?"
"Do you ever listen the first ti or do you just enjoy listening to repeat myself?"
I turned to face him. He was on his back, his eyes closed and his breaths even but he wasn't asleep. He was good looking, I would have to be blind not to realize that. With his eyes closed, he looked almost younger and calr.
"Thank you," I whispered and he finally turned to .
"You don't have to keep thanking for a fucking jacket."
"I wasn't talking about the jacket. Thank you for the dagger, for sticking with . You could have abandoned in the woods."
He was silent for a minute and I gave up on him responding to . I had turned my back to him when I heard him speak. "I thought about it."
I should have been upset by the admission but the truth was that I expected it. It was hard enough surviving on your own, sticking with was just making things harder for him. I didn't know shit about survival, he was fighting for us both.
"Why didn't you?"
"Because it is my fault you're out here in the first place," he drawled. "I figured the least I could do is try to get you to safety."
"Why did you save at the bunker? He would have killed and it would have been easier for you out here. You would have covered a lot more ground if I wasn't here with you."
"I would have gone with the other guards," he corrected. "We would be safe."
"So why didn't you? We weren't friends, there was no reason for you to co back for ."
"I didn't co back for you."
I snorted. "Don't lie. There was no reason for you to be outside my room. You ca looking for ."
I wanted to see his face, wanted to see the expression in his eyes but I couldn't bring myself to turn because a part of was terrified of what I would see.
It took a long minute before I heard his voice again.
"Go to sleep, Nadine."
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