Raging Water

They stepped deeper into the forest after leaving the campsite. Luke had made sure any signs of their presence in the place were erased. The ashes of the fireplace were scattered with twigs, the tracks camouflaged. Willow noticed and silently memorized it for a lesson.

They were now climbing the side of a steep slope that made her legs and back ache. She longed to rest - to lie on the ground and not move - but she said nothing and kept walking forward. If Luke, his one broken leg could keep climbing, so could she. Luke was far ahead of her and didn't seem to be bothering to move forward.

Eventually, though, Willow couldn't take it anymore. Her breathing almost broke. "Luke! Can we stop for a rest?" she cried. "How's your leg hurting?"

"We're almost to the top!" Luke called back. "My leg is fine. You don't have to worry about it!"

"Really?" Willow, who had no mountain climbing experience, didn't know the signs that the summit was near, so she doubted Luke's claim. "How much longer?"

Luke laughed. "Just keep going at your own pace, Willow. No need to keep up with me."

"Why don't you look tired? I was a gymnast in high school. But this is tiring for me."

"Because I'm used to it and mountain climbing is not the same as gymnastics. You don't need to rush anyway. It would be better to walk at your own pace, rather than rushing and falling into the ravine below."

"Still we can't walk more leisurely, can we? A pack of werewolves is chasing us."

"Yeah, right. But caution is necessary."

They continued their walk in silence, until Willow finally grew tired of the silence. After all, there were so many questions in her head that demanded answers.

"Hey, Luke! There's something I need to know."

In front of her, Luke turned his head briefly. "What is it?"

"I want to know if I can...." Willow stopped in her tracks. "Well, I mean if I can change...."

"Into a werewolf?"

"Yea. Can I change?"

Luke paused as if in thought. "I don't know for sure," he said later. "Well, I really don't know. You're actually the first half-breed I've ever seen. You guys aren't very common. Some of the grapevines I've heard say that half-breeds are no different from regular humans, but there's also a rumor that they can turn into wolves."

Willow's face turned grim. "I don't want to turn into a wolf," she said. "Would it hurt?"

Luke paused again, as if weighing the answer he would give Willow. "I was able to change when I was thirteen, which is the average age every werewolf pup changes. I don't remember it being painful."

"Really?" Willow doubted that.

"True. Besides, werewolves have a different pain threshold than humans. So, your question is invalid. However, if you want to know about the changes, you should ask your father. He has a lot of knowledge."

"Okay," Willow said as she mentally jotted down one more question for her father.

Ten minutes later, they finally reached the top of the hill. Side by side with Luke, Willow gazed at the scene in front of her. The beauty she witnessed obliterated her fatigue and gave rise to an optimism that came from nowhere. From the summit, she could see a range of tall, snow-capped mountains, a seemingly endless sea of trees, and a clear blue sky.

She could hear Luke exhaling slowly as if relieved. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes." Willow, who had never taken a walk in the wild, thought it was amazing.

"Do you see those mountains in the distance?" Luke pointed northeast to the

the distant mountains.

"Yes, I see them," Willow said. She turned quickly to Luke, her forehead furrowed. "Don't tell me we're going there!"

"Oh, we're not going there." Luke smiled as Willow breathed a sigh of relief. "But we're going to the other side of the mountains."

"What?" Willow was wide-eyed. "Why that far?"

"Because that's where your father is."

"Are you kidding me?" The optimism she had just felt evaporated into thin air.

"Don't worry," Luke said. "It's not as far as you think."

"Are you sure?" Willow felt like punching Luke out of annoyance and frustration. "How long will it take to get there?"

"Depends on how fast we walk. And whether the weather is in our favor."

As she heard the weather mentioned, Willow saw dark clouds over the mountains.

"What about those clouds over there?" She pointed.

Luke stared at the direction of her pointer. "I wouldn't worry about that. We should avoid it."

***

The rain poured down heavily on the forest, the wind shook the trees, and turned the ground into slippery mud. It was difficult to walk without slipping, especially when going down a steep slope. Willow had to watch every time she took a step to avoid falling. She was cold even before the rain started. Now she was chilled to the bone, and walked while hugging her shivering body. But she kept going because she had no choice.

"You said we were going to avoid the storm!" She looked over her shoulder to yell at Luke,

"I thought the storm would pass us by."

"Well, you were obviously wrong."

Willow thought she heard Luke say something back to her, but his voice was lost in the howling wind. She continued down the slope, one step at a time, making sure

to place her feet only where the ground was firm enough to avoid slipping.

But that wasn't easy to do with such wet ground. But even if she was careful, it only took one wrong step. And that's exactly what happened.

The ground collapsed just as he set his foot on what he thought was solid ground. He was wrong, and the ground gave way. Slipping and falling on her back, she screamed as she slid down the hill, desperately trying to hold onto anything to slow herself down. But every bush, root, or low branch she grabbed was too slippery to get a grip on. So she resorted to clawing at the mud.

At the bottom of the slope she finally stopped and fell right into a large mud puddle. Her mouth open, she gulped dirty water down her throat.Emerging from the puddle, she choked as she expelled the water from her lungs, gasping for air. When she was finally able to breathe again, Willow checked her body for injuries. Fortunately, her body was fine.

"Willow!" Luke appeared and approached her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she sighed.

"Are you sure?" Luke helped her back to her feet.

"I said I'm fine." She stepped away from Luke. Still upset about bringing her into this storm. After managing to stand up she realized something and felt her neck. Her necklace was missing. She looked down around her feet, but she didn't see it anywhere.

"What are you looking for?" asked Luke.

"My necklace. I think it was lost when I fell."

"It's going to be very difficult to find it in this state."

"I'm not going to ask for your help," Willow snapped coldly. She looked down at the ground for a moment, trying to find the necklace, but realized that Luke was right. It wouldn't be there if it wasn't for luck. She finally gave up and started walking again. She had to accept the fact that the necklace was gone. Finding something so small in this rain and mud was impossible.

However, Luke called out to her. "Wait, Willow. We have to set up camp. It's too dangerous to keep walking in this rain."

"We can't stop now," she snapped irritably. Luke was always doing the opposite of her. When she needed a break he wanted to keep going. When she wanted to keep going, Luke wanted to stop.

"We should stop for a while. I'll find a dry place around here where we can pitch our tents. Then we'll wait for the storm to stop.

"What if the storm doesn't stop?"

"Storms always stop eventually."

"And how long do we have to wait?"

"Not long."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Just like you were sure that we could avoid the storm, huh?" she quipped.

Luke opened his mouth to reply but then just sighed and shook his head. "Look, I insisted that we stop. I know you're desperate to see your dad. But there's no point in getting hurt on the way."

Willow stubbornly started walking again. "But I won't stop."

Luke called out to her several times, but she ignored him and continued forward through the dense undergrowth. The rain continued to soak her already shivering body, but she didn't want to stop. She wanted to see her father as soon as possible. There were so many unanswered questions, and he was the only one who could give her the answers.

But that wasn't the main reason she didn't want to stop. She was embarrassed. Struggling to keep up with an injured Luke. A few minutes after leaving her shelter, Willow heard the rush of water that sounded fast and furious. At first she thought there was another landslide, but after looking around her worries disappeared. She was on flat ground, and the water nearby was only a small puddle.

She frowned, feeling familiar with that kind of sound she had heard not long ago. She hurriedly broke through the tall bushes, and the roar of the water grew louder. Then suddenly she stopped her steps. In front of her was a wide, fast-flowing river. Cursing under her breath, she watched as the river flowed quickly through the forest, winding through the trees like a huge snake. She knew it would not be easy to cross.

"Willow?" Luke came up behind her, and settled himself next to her. He joined her in looking at the river. "See? We should set up a tent," he said. "Wait for the rain to stop, maybe we can cross if the water isn't overflowing."

But Willow stubbornly shook her head. "I think we can cross it now."

"Seriously, Willow. Are you crazy? Look at that river. It's at least twenty feet wide. If we tried to cross, the water would sweep us away in an instant."

"We just need to find a safer place to cross. Somewhere narrower."

Luke sighed in annoyance. "How do you know there's a safer place to cross?"

Willow didn't answer. She took a step forward and scanned the banks to her left and right. Her little heart told her to stop and obey Luke, because after all Luke was far more experienced in the outdoors. However, she felt like a package that Luke was carrying to be delivered to its destination. With no say and no opinion.

The river rounded the bend to her left, but she could see no further in that direction.

She walked along the riverbank to see if there was a safer crossing point around the bend. She didn't wait for Luke. Instead, he kept following her.

As they rounded the bend, Willow saw that the river continued to flow, neither slowing down nor narrowing in the slightest. But she saw a glimmer of hope: a fallen log that stretched from one bank to the other.

"No way," Luke said as if he could read her mind. "We're not crossing on that log. It's dangerous."

"We have to cross, and I think this is a pretty good way."

"No, Willow. We're not going this way."

"Why not?"

"Look at that log. It's completely wet and slippery. If we try to cross, we'll slip and fall right into the river."

"Not necessarily the case. Why are you so pessimistic?"

"Not pessimistic, but we won't take the risk."

"Listen, Luke." Willow gave Luke a cold look. "It's not your life that's at stake. It's not you Lowell wants. So let me do what I want." She turned to go to the log, but Luke caught her arm and turned her around to look at him.

"Don't," he said in a firm voice. "You'll only get yourself killed."

"Stop pretending to care about me." Willow brushed it off. "I know you're only trying to help me because of my dad."

Without waiting for Luke's reply, Willow rushed towards the log, she knew that Luke couldn't chase her with his injured leg. When she reached the log, she slowed to a stop and then took a deep breath.

Her heart skipped a beat when she took her first step, and she didn't even need to take a second step to know that crossing the log wasn't really a safe option. Luke was right, the log was too slippery. So she finally decided to crawl. But that didn't mean she was safe. She was less than halfway across when her confidence began to wane. Her hands and feet struggled to grip the slippery bark.

Willow encouraged herself. She only had to crawl a little further and arrive on the other side safely. But the thought of her slipping and falling into the raging river made her nervous. Because if she really fell, she would face death, drowning under the icy water.

She tried to calm her nerves and refocused on crossing. The opposite bank was no longer too far away. She could do it. Inch by inch, she moved closer, holding on to the log. When she passed the halfway point, her confidence increased. But she refrained from crawling faster.

Now she wriggled forward a little more, reaching out to grasp a branch protruding from the log. Suddenly, she slipped. She would have fallen had her feet not been wrapped tightly around the log. Now her body hung above the surface of the river, while the rushing current roared just inches from the top of her head.

She heard Luke calling to her from the bank, but couldn't hear a word he was saying with the river so close to her ear. She was trying to hold on. Unfortunately her grip slipped. She didn't even have time to think when soon her fingers slipped off the log and her body plunged into the turbulent river.

***