Night in the Unexplored Wastes was a time of great beauty with the numerous, glowing insects and the vast sky of stars overhead but it could also be dangerous if the proper precautions weren’t taken. Temperatures could drop quite low at night and if dew settled onto you and your blankets it could freeze you. There were also biting insects that could leave you with welts, rashes, or worse.

The crates Mel found in the first wreckage site  were their food and water, along with some tools, but the equipment to make shelters, boats, and the like were noticeably absent. Tique slept well into the early evening and Mel didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in order to go in search of the other crates. She could only imagine how Tique would respond to waking up alone out here.

So, while Tique slept, Mel set about building a temporary shelter for them, using the wreckage as one side of the structure. The ground here wasn’t so boggy so it would do for now. Long term, Mel had one of her hideaways in mind where they could build themselves a more permanent home.

It was slow and painful work. She only had her belt knife to use as a tool for cutting branches and with every bend or twist or shift in her weight, Mel felt each and every one of her broken bones in excruciating detail. Never before had she been able to visualize internal parts of her body like she was now and it was not an experience she wanted to continue. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any choice if she wanted to keep Tique and herself safe.

“Tomorrow,” Mel gasped for breath after a particularly painful maneuver, “We’ll get the other supplies tomorrow. Then build a boat the next day.” She considered the work it would take to build the boat and then amended her previous statement. “Three days to build the boat. Then I can rest. Patience is our way. Patience is nice and calm.”

It all hurt so much, sapping her strength far more quickly than she had expected. It wasn’t very hot out and yet she was covered in sweat. Mel shut her eyes, leaning against a tree for support while she tried to breathe without flexing her rib cage. Her good leg felt weak from having to do double duty all day, in addition to everything else, and she was becoming somewhat dizzy and light headed from her shallow breathing.

“Mel,” Tique’s quiet voice called Mel back to the moment and she opened her eyes.

“Yes, Tique?”

The girl sat up from where Mel had laid her to rest and stretched.

“Where are we going to stay tonight?” she asked, a hint of worry in her voice as she looked around at the deepening shadows.

“Right here,” Mel said, her voice weak and breathy, as she gestured to the half-finished shelter she’d been working on.

Tique looked at the branches and twigs with skeptical eyes.

“I thought you lived here,” she said. “Where’s your home?”

“All of this is my home,” Mel replied, still trying to catch her breath. She had been about to wave her arm about towards their surroundings but thoughts of her injuries made her think better of the movement. “I know this isn’t much,” Mel told her, “but we don’t have time to go and find the other supplies today so this will have to do for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll find the rest of our supplies and then…everything will begin getting better. I promise.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, you want to help me a little?”

Tique perked up at that.

“Sure, what can I do?”

“If I point at a branch or a bush, do you think you could cut it down with my knife?”

Tique’s eyes widened, uncertain, at the sight of the blade but she nodded enthusiastically.

“Good,” Mel said with relief and handed her the knife.

For the next hour or so, Tique hurried around, cutting and hacking away at the brush. Mel had already gathered the larger, structural pieces so all Tique needed to collect were the thinner bits that would provide some insulation to the shelter and keep the dew off of them. All the while, Mel made the most of her respite and sat down on a crate with her back to the wreckage. Tique finished shortly before it grew too dark to continue working and together they slid inside the shelter, Tique helping Mel along as best she could.

Tique, even though she’d already had a long nap, fell asleep almost at once. Mel was exhausted but she took the time to stargaze long enough to get her bearings. She already had a pretty good idea of where they were but the stars were by far her most reliable means of navigating in the Wastes.

“A day…day and a half from Patience,” she muttered with concern and looked over towards the crates. “How am I going to get you to Patience?”

There was no getting around the fact that Mel wouldn’t be able to carry much of anything for months, and Tique was too small to carry much either. How, then, were they going to get their supplies to Patience? They could take multiple trips, but Mel wasn’t sure how long her body would hold out if she had to keep marching back and forth like that.

“Maybe a sled?” she whispered to herself.

She’d used makeshift sleds in the past to tow her gear overland but even a sled still required a certain amount of strength to maneuver through the forest. That and a dozen other concerns and questions kept her awake. Worrying over whether or not a search party had been sent after them to ensure Tique was dead. Worrying about getting her open wounds properly cleaned and bandaged before they became infected. Worrying about how long they would need to hide out in the Unexplored Wastes. Would it ever be safe for them to return to civilization? Living out here while they were young and in good health was one thing, but injury, sickness, and old age would all add complications to things eventually.

A partial moon eventually passed overhead. The blotchy surface glittered and she watched as it rotated, spinning away on its own so far from where Mel lay.

“Someday you’ll be the only thing left to explore,” Mel said, closing her eyes and determining to finally get some sleep. “What I wouldn’t give to see that day.”