Free Web NovelChapter 71: Chapter 71
Henri stepped out a few moments later with a bundle of clothes in his hands, he intended to change out of his sweaty clothes into fresh ones after his swim in the lake.
"We’ll get started on dinner before you return," Louis informed him. "Do you want me to walk you to the lake?" He offered.
Henri looked around the campsite, the others were slowly rousing from their naps as well. Seton was nowhere to be found but his tent was zipped up so there was a high chance that he was just inside it.
The sun was setting a little bit too fast and although Henri preferred this because he needed the cover of darkness, it was a little scary.
"Thanks." He muttered, leading the way there.
"I’ll hang around," Louis said with a hint of nervousness when they got to the lake. "Just call for me if you need anything."
He didn’t want to intrude but he didn’t entirely feel comfortable leaving Henri alone at the lake while it was starting to get dark.
It was surprisingly reassuring to hear that from Louis. He liked to be self-sufficient but being a little scared of the dark wasn’t a crime.
Louis quickly made himself scarce, disappearing into the woods without turning around.
Henri expelled a breath, finding a low shrub close to the lake to safely keep his change of clothes. The clothes on him went off next, he didn’t bother to fold them up, he could do that after he was bathed and dressed again.
Now how exactly did one clean up in a lake?
He took off his boots and crouched at the mouth of the lake and splashed water on his face, causing ripples to spread across the surface of the lake.
The sun had fully set by then but there was still a little light, the sky running red as darkness slowly crept in.
Henri decided to just go for it and jump into the lake, regretting his choice immediately. The lake had cooled from the hot afternoon sun so it wasn’t enjoyable to go skinny dipping.
He quickly adjusted to the temperature though and after that it was bliss. He didn’t go in too deep where the fishes were, enjoying the cool water swaying against his bare skin.
-*-
Nael had to fill in for Louis when the Alpha didn’t return, he didn’t seem especially pleased by this because Errol was on firewood duty with Seton, as well as Jann.
Dio was awake too, the mute Alpha drawing more figures in the sand as he occasionally looked in the direction of the lake.
The remaining three were still fast asleep, undisturbed in their tents so there weren’t a lot of options.
He turned to Dio, "Want to help me prepare dinner?" He offered, his mood improving slightly when the Alpha immediately shot to his feet and bounded over.
Errol would be fine, Nael shouldn’t overdo it just because he was worried about him.
-*-
Errol had purposefully offered to gather kindle because Seton was going. Maybe he was being paranoid but Seton had been a little too eager to go wood gathering, it was also too much of a coincidence for him to do that while Henri was more or less all alone. He wasn’t going to let Seton touch any of his friends if he could help it.
He kept an eye on Seton as they gathered sticks, it was a little difficult to do because it was getting harder and harder to see.
Seton halted to a stop and turned around to face Errol. "If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were following me." He said bluntly.
Errol was equally blunt, he personally knew how smart Seton was, and trying to fool him was futile. "Perhaps, do you have a problem with that?"
"Most people in your shoes would avoid me, Errol." Seton said coolly, then instantly switched up. "I don’t have a problem with that, but it would be difficult for you to gather sticks if you only go where I’ve been."
Errol tensed up, that was a clear warning from Seton, that following him was a bad idea which made Errol want to stick to him like glue. "Thanks for the concern but I’m gathering sticks just fine." He smiled humourlessly, keeping his eyes fixed on Seton.
Seton just shrugged and walked a little distance ahead to pick up another stick.
-*-
Henri almost didn’t want to get out of the lake, it was far too cold outside of the water. It was already fully dark now though, it was best for him to leave as soon as possible.
While the water did nothing to help in reducing his scent, it did get lighter and was less overwhelming than it was before.
He wrung out lake water from the tips of his hair as he got out of the water, pulling on his underwear and the fresh shirt he brought out with him.
He could also clean up at the lake before dawn as well, that would solve his hygiene issues for as long as the field trip lasted. Perhaps by the end of the trip, he would be comfortable frolicking in the lake in the daytime with the others. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
It was difficult to do up his buttons in the limited light of the evening but he managed it somehow, partially done with it was a light rustling caught his attention.
Henri’s fingers paused over his shirt buttons as he glanced in the general direction that the sound had come from. It went silent afterward and he couldn’t pick anything out so he brushed it off as perhaps some critter running around in some shrubbery.
Which was a mistake on his part as a hand clasped over his mouth in the next moment as he bent over to continue buttoning up his shirt.
Before he could even react, he was picked right off his feet and carried away. freewёbnoνel.com
Henri was thoroughly confused at the start, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. Panic started to set in when he was taken further and further away from the lake, terror chilling his blood.
He still couldn’t see who it was because he had his back to the person, it couldn’t possibly be a monster, right? Because what else would explain the fact that whoever it was had literally picked him up with a single hand? His hands trapped to his sides so that he couldn’t even struggle.
