THE CHOSEN ONES ( PART FORTY SEVEN )

It was late Summer, there was a bounty of wild berries. Bella thought to herself, 'this was when
my Mother would collect in her harvest, ready to
store for the Winter.'

Bella remembered busily picking herbs and preparing
them, to hang and dry. Thoughts turned to cozy nights round a huge fire, that her father built.

She looked at her clothes, she remembered her
Father, Nathen and some friends...bringing home a
bear, they had caught between them...he was a big
one.

"What you thinking about Bella? you seem miles away," said Arvid.

"Oh! I was just thinking about my family, but look!
I'm not crying Arvid."

"Well that's good, no point in crying, it's not going to get us anywhere."

Bella looked at the man, who had become her travelling companion. "What are we going to do, if
we don't find people...before Winter is upon us?"

Arvid looked at Bella, he thought, 'what a worrier
this girl was, it was still late Summer and she was
thinking of Winter.' He answered her question.

"Now Bella...I'm sure we will find people, even
if we didn't, I'm sure we can find an unoccupied
cave, there are certainly plenty around here."

"What about food?" said Bella.

"Will you stop worrying, I'm a hunter don't forget," replied Arvid, getting slightly annoyed.

"Yes but you can't catch a bear on your own, can
you? and I can't help," Bella said worryingly.

Arvid smiled, "then I'll catch something smaller,
don't forget...it's only the two of us. You really
are a worrier, aren't you Bella?"

The two had been walking as they chatted, when in
the distance Arvid saw a clearing, he stopped...
something didn't seem right.

"What is it Arvid?" asked Bella.

"Something's not right, people have been here, I
can smell burning ash. Quick climb that tree and
stay there till I call you."

Bella climbed the tree, feeling very nervous.
"Don't move!" Arvid whispered.

Arvid could not understand it, if people had been
here, why did the birds not fly away?

He crept stealthily between the trees, hardly daring to breathe...incase it was hunters. As he
got closer to the clearing, he saw a figure sitting
on a rock with their back to him.

The figure had not seen Arvid, so he decided to move in closer. He turned and looked up at Bella,
sitting in the tree, then he signalled for her to
stay.

Bella sat and watched as Arvid got closer to the
figure.

To be continued ........THE CHOSEN ONES ( PART FORTY EIGHT ) | ABCtales