Chapter 15

Camellia and Jessica walk out of the school compound towards their way home. They walk in a weird position where Camellia's head is on Jessica's shoulder. Jessica insisted to walk in the very uncomfortable for both of them. She doesn't want to see Camellia hurt from falling on the hard ground. She can't afford to lift her unconscious body to their respectively house.

Camellia just follow her friend instruction and command, so she lean on her shoulder all the way to Jessica's home first. While walking, Jessica keep nagging next to Camellia's ear. She blame Camellia's stupid way of thinking and mind. A smart-ass nerd but always make a stupid decision that what she call. If it is possible to be that way.

As soon as they arrived, Jessica's mother already done cook their meal. She urge them to eat before the food went cool. She said 'The best food is served and ate while it is still hot'. That might sounds just like what Jessica might say in the future. Jessica will be a good mother and housewife. Cook tasty and warm food every day and every meal. She will do the house chores very well. And she will give her love with all her heart. Camellia can't believe it that her imagination turn to that way already. She used to think a future is a scary things.

For her 'A future is something that nobody would know or predict. Every situation and action is unpredictable. Thinking about it make her feel weird. Camellia sigh many times when she think about future. She afraid to face it. Afraid to face the difficulty. Those unpredictable situation. It make her body shiver by thinking about it. Or maybe it cause by her cold.

Soon after Camellia went back to her home, she have her medicine as per instruction wrote by the school doctor. It is a good thing that she went to Jessica's home first. She was remind again and over again by the mother and daughter duo to never forget to have her medicine. They really worried for her leaving in the house all alone during her sickness. They tried to persuade Camellia to have some rest at the house before leaving. They beg her to go back only after she recover or until her parents is at home. But Camellia decline them politely. She just want to rest in her familiar surroundings, lay on her bed with her natural smell on the bed sheet, blanket and pillow. She want to roll in the blanket like a pupa envelop in a cocoon to transform into a beautiful butterfly, she too want to stay in her own cocoon so that she will feel better.

She then go lay down on her bed let the drowsiness visited her as soon as her head hit the pillow. It all thanks to the after effect of the medicine again. Camellia want to get recover as fast as she could. She doesn't want to worry her parents and Jessica. She need to work later in the evening to collect some wild herbs to make extra money. She wants to study hard and score her marks higher and nail the suitable scholarship for her further study.

She also need to go up the mountain to check on the injured wolf. She wonder the condition of the wolf. 'Is he awake? Is he feel better? Will he recover with the poor treatment?'. All these thought she keep in her mind all the time.

* * *

In the evening, three hours before it is getting dark, Camellia was awake from her nap. She check on her condition herself and she does feel better. No running nose. No dizzy. No high body temperature. She just wake up with sweat all over her body. Camellia feel like her usual best condition. The ever so light body. She drink a glass of water, have a bath and change into a fresh set of climbing clothes. She want to go up the mountain to change a new clean bandages on the wolf. She want to concoct another medical herbs.

Camellia left the house as soon as she done going over all the things she need to bring along with. All the necessary items like shredded cleaned clothes, herbs that she had concoct, lighter, some food and a big, clean blanket that she patch and sew together using some of her old clothes. She take each and every step carefully all the way to the cave. She hope that the wolf still have not move around and make the wound worse than it already is.

"Please be there. Please be there. I want to feed you another prescription for your inner injury. And please don't eat me. Please don't make me you meal. I'm not as tasty as the other wild animal you found. I'm full with bone instead with meat." Camellia chanted all her way there.

After a fifteen minutes walking, she finally arrived to the cave. She feel nervous and thrilled to treat the wolf. That what she thought. As soon as she saw the unmoving wolf, her heart skip a beat as if she glad that the wolf is still there. She let a sigh of relief.

Camellia crouch near the head of the wolf and poke him a few times hoping he still unconscious. Only after that she inspect his breathing to conforming the wolf still alive and breathing. She ruffle the head softly and feel tingles in her stomach.

Camellia move around to examine the bullet pierce wound first, clean the laceration and change the bandage. She done change the bandage and clean the wolf body that full with dirt and mud using some of the shredded clothes. She done them herself within a whole forty minute. She huff heavily as soon as she done it and cover the wolf body with the colourful self-made blanket.

She feed the wolf some water before the herbal medicine. Only after that Camellia start small fire using all the small and branches she found on her way to the cave.

"I can't stay with you tonight. So, the blanket will keep you warm even after the fire went out later. Hope you will get better. Good night and have a good rest. See you tomorrow, handsome," Camellia said with butterflies in her stomach while ruffle the clean fur on the head. She left after bid her farewell.