Climbing has reached level ‘7’

By night time my stomach was grumbling so loudly I was wondering if the wolves could sleep. I had been able to get a hold of some water earlier from the little stream that flowed down into the valley where the wolves were..

On the good side though I had managed to expand the inside of my cave to nearly three meters deep and two meters wide and tall, the last meter on the inside was covered in a few layers of red moss I found up top. Unlike moss before the world changed this moss was incredibly thin and cohesive, behaving almost like a blanket hugging the ground. It was surprisingly comfortable to lay on.

I was also starting to wonder if I should be concerned of the cave collapsing in on me. It was after all getting rather big. Maybe I should add supports?

Nah, it will be fine.

I sit in the cave “entrance” as I watch the wolves gather up and sprint into the night. They’re going hunting! Maybe I can go and grab some of my stuff while there gone. I look around my former camp and see that the pups are still playing with each other under the watchful eye of what I assume to be one of the older wolves, it has the height of one of the adults but since it usually spends it’s days sleeping I believe it is an elder.

This could work!

I eye the nearest path to my hiking bag. Most of my stuff is inside it, including my dehydrated food and most of my hiking tools.

The tent was only about ten meters from the cliff, and the wolves were playing on the other side of the stream around 40 to 50 meters away. Was that enough space? What if I trip? What if the adults come back from their hunt? What if…

I slap myself and focus on the task at hand, It’s now or never! I might not get this chance again, who knows how many wolves will be left behind next time! I motivate myself as I mentally prepare myself.

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Let’s go

I carefully start climbing towards the ground, my climbing skill shows its worth here as I effortlessly follow the jagged cliff wall down while watching the wolves.

Nothing yet, the pups are still playing and the elder is facing away.

I reach the ground and wince as I step on the loose gravel that remains from my cave digging. The elder wolfs ears twitch and they raise their head slightly.

I hold my breath as I watch the wolf tilt their head before laying it down and continuing their rest.

Pfew

I start creeping towards the tent while stepping in as much moss as I can to dampen my sounds.

five meters

three meters

one meter

And I gently grab the bag’s handle as I ever so slowly bring it up to my shoulders. I wont be able to hold it in my hands while I climb after all. The old wolf doesn’t react all this time.

I turn around towards the cliff wall when I see a pair of the pups wrestling near the tent flaps… not more than three meters away.

Ever so slowly I back away towards the cliff keeping my eyes on the wolves, they hadn’t noticed me yet and where busy wrestling each other.

I continue backing away until suddenly a loud “CRUNCH” sounds from below my feet.

Damn gravel!! Why did I have to throw it here!! I think as I rapidly close the final meter to the cliff and start frantically heaving myself up along the towards the cave.

Behind me the noise of rushing wolves fill my ears as I crest the halfway point and feel a pang of pain in my left foot. The pups are jumping at me! I desperately shake my foot but the pup holds on with all its tiny might.

“Shit, Shit, Shit”

I twist just in time as another pup tries to jump on to me and I try to climb higher to avoid them, the first pup is still holding on and it slows my climbing significantly.

Climbing has reached level ‘8’

That sped up the climbing slightly, the new knowledge helping guide me how to best distribute my weight so I could climb with a useless leg. and after a few more seconds my hand reached the edge of my cave and I heaved myself over.

Immediately I reached down with my hand and tried prying off the little creature off my foot, it’s grip was disproportionate to its size taking me three minutes before I got him loose. With held from the scuff of it’s neck I hold it over the edge.

Before I toss it over towards a particularly large patch of moss.

Now that the danger is over I look down to the ground, the elder is still siting in the same position as before but simply looking at me and the pups still yipping at me from below.

Bastard had me worried for nothing.

As much as I wand to fall asleep now I know I have more important things to do. I shuffle towards the back of the cave and take off my backpack and unpack the fist aid kit and start thoroughly cleaning and bandaging my foot. Once I’m done with that I take what I have of my cooking equipment and two bags of dehydrated food and ferry it up to the moss field before setting up a small camp fire to heat some water, I had to use a wood like moss for the fuel but it works fine.

Once I have prepared the food I scarf it down so quickly I wonder where it went. I lethargically pack together the equipment and return it down to the cave. The tiredness from the last two days and my newest life threatening experience drags me to sleep on top of my moss bed…