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#5 of Lycans and Zombies
It took us most of the morning, heading into noon to find a new place we felt safe camping in. We also saw a lot of animals too, which was a good sign that there weren't as many zombies around as our last spot. We all sat down for a rest and Caleb gently set down the only teen we had in our group. She nearly had a heat stroke from trying to push a cart over some rocks, and eventually Caleb took over. He remained in his wolf form for the entire trip, so I almost felt sorry for her, having to be so close to his heat. She seemed to be in better spirits now though, and the people seemed to be more relaxed around him as he helped to pass water out to everyone. Caleb lumbered over to me and plopped his furry hide beside me.
"I take it you like your wolf form more than your human form?" I asked him, stroking his fur gently. It was a lot softer than I expected, except the ridge of course hair running down his spine. He wiggled his tail in reply, and I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. I was talking to a Lycan. A real life Lycan.
"Well, don't get too comfortable, wolfman, some people are still scared of your wolf skin. Give them something else to look at once in awhile," I said, watching camp unfurl. My own tent was easily set up and I just tossed my belongings inside. I could sort through them later. I helped to set up the mess hall tent and various others while the men of the caravan dug the latrine a ways off from the camp. Once everything was set up, we helped to dig deep fire pits. It was very primitive living, but we had all grown accustomed to it. Primitive meant safe. Once all the tasks at hand were finished, I took time to look around.
We were in a beautiful meadow. The grass was browning due to the imminent winter, but the trees still retained their evergreen status. And what trees they were, the were hundreds of feet tall. I wasn't sure what part of Colorado we were in, but I knew we were close to the Pagosa Springs area. I wandered out to the middle of the clearing and looked around me, marvelling at how the world seemed to move on, even though the entirety of the human race has fallen.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" I nearly jumped out of my skin when Caleb stepped from the shadows of the trees. He wore nothing more than form fitting jeans. Not even shoes even though the forest floor was littered with pine needles. I didn't realize that I was staring at his feet, lost in thought, until he was standing in front of me.
"In case you're wondering, being a wolf has toughened my feet up," he said, smirking in a devilish way. He crossed his arms over his chest and I averted my eyes.
"I hope we'll be safe here," I mumbled aimlessly.
"It's okay, you can look if you want," he said, completely catching me off guard. I looked at him in surprise and he laughed. I liked his laugh, it was full and rich and it felt like it settled deep into my soul. I smiled warily. What was he doing to me? I barely knew him for a day. Guys I knew for years back in college didn't have the effect on me that this one was having. He sobered once he saw the expression on my face.
"What? Have I got something on my face? In my hair?" This time it was my turn to laugh, and he chuckled alongside me.
"Now that you mention it, though, you do have a twig in your hair," I said, reaching up to pluck it from his dark waves. The action brought me closer to him and I could feel him take in my scent. I paused for a second and fantasized what it would be like to kiss him. I pulled myself away before that fantasy could become reality. Getting emotionally attached to others in times like these was a bad idea. My mind kept warning me of that, but my heart didn't want to listen, instead it wanted to tap-dance a frantic beat.
"Come, I smell fresh water close by, we can refill our provisions and perhaps bathe. I bet I smell a fright," he said with a warm smile on his face.
"You just smell like wet dog," I replied, running off before he could retaliate, laughing.