Rough Hunger – Yell Gator!
Hello Wonderful Readers!
Today we’re exploring part three of the Rough Hunger adventure. If you’re unfamiliar with these stories, here’s what happens: These are multi-ending stories where you get to be the main character. The first week you get introduced to who you are and what kind of situation you’re in and then you’re presented with a choice. You vote for which choice you’d like to explore in the comments (I love to hear why you decided one way or the other!) and then the following week, whichever option received the most votes is posted and you continue the adventure. There are four posts usually in each story, making a total of three times you get to chime in. Everyone is welcome to participate, so feel free to jump in!
If you missed the first two weeks, you can read them (Part 1 and Part 2), or here’s a short recap:
You’re a scavenger in a world where food is hard to come by. One night you were drawn to a fire where four men were eating roasted rabbit. After they fell asleep, you tried to steal food from their bags but found a stone that glows blue instead. The man you stole from almost caught you but a friend, How, broke his nose by throwing a rock at him and you escaped. When How saw what you stole, he informed you its an element stone which might be able to produce fresh water.
When you tried to steal again in hopes of finding another stone or the blue stones instructions, you found the men had posted a guard and then the next day started tracking you. You and How tried to disappear into the swamps, which would have worked except How realized one of the men had food in his bag, so How tried to steal it and was seen. The men are searching for him, so you’re going to yell, “Gator!” and draw them away from your friend.
Let’s see what happens =)
Rough Hunger – Yell Gator!
The men, including Skinny, are flipping over everything in the water—sticks, turtles, even trash. Slime from the water’s surface now coats their hands and they’re leaving a large swath of disturbed surface debris in their wake. It’s perfect as their movement could have drawn a sleepy gator to notice them.
Floating to a spot farther around the cypress tree, you set your turtle shell aside, silently stand up, and take as deep a breath as possible before letting out a, “GATOR!”
Then you thrash through the water, splaying debris and waves in your wake.
Shouts sound behind you. You glance back to see the tracker’s climbed the nearest cypress and Braided Beard and Stetson are wading-running toward the nearest land. Skinny’s trying to climb a tree as well but with his bleeding foot, he’s only half out of the water.
A grin threatens to expose your deceit just as the tracker spots you. You let a look of terror overtake your face and spin, diving below the mucky surface of the swamp to swim away.
The first three strokes are easy enough, but it’s not long before your chest starts to ache from holding your breath.
Just a little farther.
You count each stroke, avoiding tree roots and sticks while feeling minnows swimming against your skin, until you hit twenty. Selecting a tree, you make sure you’re on the far side before surfacing just enough to gasp in a breath. The air rushing into your chest is the sweetest thing you’ve felt since your last meal. You let a dizzy moment pass before taking another full breath and diving under the surface to keep going.
***
Later, you sit hunkered inside the same tree where you hid the night before. In all the chaos, you have no idea where How or the men are, although something keeps nagging at your mind.
Movement in the heavy underbrush catches your eye. With your brown clothing and dirty skin, it’s unlikely anyone will spot you within the tree, but you go completely still just in case.
How emerges and ducks in to sit beside you.
Giving testament to his nickname, he whispers, “How clever was that! The men won’t even think to check back along our old trail.”
It dawns on you what’s been nagging at you. “Yes, they will. Only Skinny had his pack, which means the others will be back for theirs.”
How gives a huff, but then grins. “But they’re not back yet—”
Catching onto his thought, you finished it for him, “—Which also means their packs are unwatched in the camp still.”
You both scamper out of the tree and head toward the men’s camp. At first, the only sign you see of where they slept is the cold fire.
“Drat!” How grumbles. “No packs.”
A bit of fabric catches your eye. You circle the camp to investigate and find yourself wading through a swath of kudzu to discover three packs hidden beneath.
You recognize Stetson and Braided Beard’s bags, so you open what must be the tracker’s pack first.
“Pay dirt,” you breathe, your stomach clenching at the smell that hits you.
How appears at your elbow, peering into the pack at the bread and cheese inside.
He whimpers when you break off a small chunk of the cheese and hand it over. Then you take a small piece for yourself and sling the pack over your shoulder.
A quick check of the other two packs confirms your suspicion. They’re empty of everything but clothing.
“Time to get out of here.” You nudge How. His cheeks move slightly as he sucks on his piece of cheese.
“I’ve got a decent hiding spot not far from here,” He says around the cheese. “It’s not very big, but we could pass a night there if need be.”
Your stomach growls, wanting more than your small bite of cheese. Above, the sun’s position tells you that you only have about an hour before sunset. You might be able to settle into How’s hiding spot before full dark if you hurry.
“I’ve been staying in a cypress grove south of here,” you mutter to How, “but it’ll be after dark before we get there.”
“South?” How asks. “It’s swampier south of here.”
“More predators,” you confirm, “but also harder to follow us.”
How shrugs.
Do you go to…
How’s Hiding Spot?
Or
Your Cypress Grove?
Thanks for joining in this adventure. You have one more vote. So leave a comment below with how you’d like to continue and we’ll return next week to see how this ends.
Until then, may you have a blessed week!
Jennifer
(For more of my stories, check out either my multi-ending Adventure book, The Adventure, or my YA Fantasy novel, Quaking Soul, here on my Website or on Amazon.)
