Love Unspoken

At the crack of dawn in the forest, Alexander woke up. He blinked his eyes open and saw Quinn.

She was wide awake, her eyes clear, but her cheeks were a bit flushed.

Alexander reached out and touched her forehead. "You feelin' hot. Got a fever or somethin'?" Quinn didn't look at him, just swatted his hand away and looked elsewhere, mumbling, "Maybe." "Let's get down first," Alexander said.

He grabbed the tree trunk, made a few jumps, and finally caught a branch, then hopped down to the ground.

Quinn wasn't as nimble as him and had to climb down slowly. There were two branches that were far apart, and she wobbled her foot for a long time but couldn't reach them. Alexander stood below, sneaking a peek up her clothes.

What he couldn't see clearly last night, he could see clearly now.

It was black.

Quinn struggled a lot; her toes finally touched the trunk. But as soon as she let go, her toes slipped, and she fell from the tree.

Alexander, quick-eyed and deft, took a big step forward and caught her, and then they both tumbled to the ground together.

Quinn landed on him, heard his groan, and quickly scrambled up.

fall made Alexander, who was already hurt, feel

on your wound?"

ground for a moment, then slowly sat up. "It's

back to the cave,"

was short, only five or six hours of daylight. When it was dawn inside, it was at least nine o'clock outside, and when it was five o'clock outside, it might already be dark inside. So they had to

didn't know where they were, and whether they could find the

leaned on his gun and walked slowly with Quinn in

had walked, but

a bit delighted, she pointed at the stream, exclaiming, "There's water. Let's clean your wound

and reminded, "Be

green, not sure if it was the reflection

There were many branches hanging in the water, whose surface was covered

soil on both sides was very soft, and she almost sank

returned to Alexander's side, warily looking at the stream,

know, but there are

you know?" Quinn

pointed with his gun and

There was a snake, lighter in color than the branch, hanging on a branch