Chapter 313 The Camp

Chapter 313: Chapter 313 The Camp

Talia’s POV

The night had fully settled over us when I heard the sounds of footsteps and laughter echoing through the trees.

I lifted my head, and I saw them emerging from the darkness, with their arms full of supplies and their faces bright with the kind of joy that only came after surviving something terrible together.

Jax was walking backward, dragging a large branch behind him while trying to dodge a stray vine that Piper kept swinging at his head. Silas walked behind them, carrying a bundle of wood under each arm, with his face calm and patient.

"You missed me, Jax!" Piper called out, and her voice was bright with laughter. "You know you missed me."

Jax ducked as the vine swung over his head, and he dropped the branch with a heavy thud. "Miss you? Piper, I have been trying to get away from you for the last hour."

Piper placed her hand on her hip, and I saw the smirk on her face. "If you were trying to get away, you would have walked faster."

Jax pointed at her, with his eyes wide with mock accusation. "I was carrying wood! Heavy wood, Piper! And you were just swinging vines at my head!"

Silas dropped his bundle of wood beside the fire, and he shook his head. "They have been like this the whole walk." He said, facing Kaelen, while pointing to Piper and Jax at the same time.

Kaelen looked up, and I saw the relief on his face. "You found enough wood?"

Silas nodded. "More than enough, Alpha. There is a whole grove of dead trees not far from here. But we will have enough for the night."

Piper dropped to her knees and began unloading the branches from her arms. "We also found something else, Talia."

I sat up straighter, and I looked at her. "What did you find?"

Jax grinned, and I saw the pride on his face. He reached into the pile of branches and pulled out a small animal. A rabbit, already cleaned and ready to cook.

"We caught dinner," Jax announced, and his voice was full of triumph. "Silas spotted it, and I caught it. So it was teamwork."

Piper snorted. "You almost fell into a ditch trying to catch it, Jax. I had to pull you out. That is what you deserve for going after a poor, little, cute, and sweet rabbit. Even after I begged you to leave it alone."

Jax placed his hand over his heart. "I did not almost fall into a ditch. I was... strategically positioned. And of course, it is sweet in our bellies."

Piper laughed, and I saw the joy on her face. "Strategically positioned? You were face-first in the mud, Jax. And sweet in our bellies?" Piper snorted. “I hope you have a running stomach from it.”

Silas shook his head again. "She is right. You were face-first in the mud. And I also believe that Jax is right, Piper, because we have to eat eventually."

Piper looked at Silas, and I saw the surprise on her face. "Silas, you are supposed to be on my side."

Silas shrugged, and I saw the hint of a smile on his face. "I am on the side of food, Piper. And that rabbit looks like food."

Piper gasped, and she placed her hand over her heart. "I am wounded, Silas. Deeply wounded."

Silas picked up a branch, and I saw the amusement in his eyes. "You will survive, Piper."

Jax laughed, and I saw the triumph on his face. "Finally. Someone is on my side."

Piper pointed at Jax, and I saw the mock anger on her face. "Do not get comfortable, Jax. Silas is just hungry. He will change his mind once he eats."

Silas shook his head. "I will not change my mind, Piper. Food is food."

Jax grinned. "That is what I have been trying to tell her.”

Silas scoffed. “Says the man who face plants in the mud, while trying to catch a rabbit.”

Jax sighed dramatically. "Of course. I am surrounded by traitors."

I laughed, and I felt the warmth spreading through my chest. It felt good to laugh, and it felt good to hear their voices, to see them joking and teasing each other like nothing had changed.

Piper laughed, and I saw the joy on her face. "I am just teasing you, Jax. You know, I think you are a great hunter." She paused, and a smirk crossed her face. "Even if you did almost fall into a ditch."

Jax crossed his arms, and I saw the playful glare on his face. "I did not almost fall into a ditch, Piper. I was checking the ground for... traps."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Traps? In the middle of a forest?"

Jax nodded, and I saw the mock seriousness on his face. "You never know, Piper. The Ashen Lands were full of traps. So I am just being cautious. You know,"

Piper snorted. "You were being clumsy, Jax. There is a clear difference. So admit it."

Jax placed his hand over his heart. "Clumsy? I am the most graceful wolf you have ever met, Piper."

Piper looked at him, and I saw the disbelief on her face. "Graceful? Jax, you tripped over a root and fell into a pile of leaves yesterday."

Jax opened his mouth, but no words came out. Then he pointed at her. "That was... strategic falling. I was checking the softness of the leaves."

Silas looked up, and I saw the flat expression on his face. "That is not a thing, Jax."

Jax sighed. "Yes, again. I am surrounded by traitors."

I laughed, and I felt the warmth spreading through my chest. It felt good to laugh.

Kaelen stood, and he walked to the pile of wood. "We need to build a proper shelter. That thing Talia’s mother pointed at will not hold through the night."

Jax nodded, and I saw the determination on his face. "I agree. That was not a shelter, it was a pile of sticks with hope."

Piper laughed, and she walked to the wood pile. "Then let us build something better."

They worked together, and I watched them move around the clearing. Jax and Silas worked on the frame of the shelter, using thick branches and tying them together with vines. While Piper gathered leaves and soft grass, piling them up to make beds.

"You are doing it wrong, Jax," Piper called out from across the clearing. "That branch is too thin."

Jax looked at the branch in his hands, and I saw the confusion on his face. "It is fine."

"It is not fine," Piper insisted, and she walked over to him. "It will snap the first time the wind blows."

Jax looked at her, and I saw the grin spreading across his face. "And how would you know, Piper? Are you an expert on branches now?"

Piper crossed her arms. "I am an expert on things that break, Jax. And that branch is going to break."

Jax looked at the branch, then at Piper, and I saw the mock seriousness on his face. "Fine. You pick the branch, then."

Piper smiled, and she walked to the pile of wood. She picked up a thicker branch and handed it to him. "Use that one."