11

post apocalypse begins

They had spent a few more hours on the road than Zumwraek had planned. As soon as the sun began its descent the darkness had set in quickly, as if it had been waiting for them for just that moment to take its leave, but that didn't mean that the journey was entirely safe either, not by a long shot. The temperature continued dropping rapidly with each passing hour and it was almost impossible to stand without freezing to death, even when the wind was strong. At first Zumwraek had tried to get rid of his coat, but Moomintroll wouldn't listen to him when he'd tried telling him that he could freeze to death if he didn't wear it. Eventually he had given up and wrapped himself in his own fur, pulling it tightly around himself to protect him against the wind and cold. The fur would probably help him keep warm anyway so he didn't really see why he should care about getting cold after all that they had already gone through that day.

Moomin and Kip had decided that Kip should take the first watch, Zumwraek thought, while Moomin and Tummel took the next one, leaving him free to spend most of the night sleeping peacefully while his mother and sister snored softly near him, curled up against each other like always. Zumwraek was glad that they had done this so he could take some much needed rest knowing that he wouldn't be woken up during the night.

After a few minutes, the others were fast asleep and Zumwraek decided to join them. He laid down and pulled his hoodie over his body, using it to cover his head and hiding the moonlight from anyone who may see him. He closed his eyes tightly and allowed himself to fall into a dreamless sleep.

A few hours later, a loud crash startled him awake. His eyes snapped open wide as he scrambled upright on the wagon, trying to figure out what was happening as he frantically searched for where the sound came from.

He noticed the girl was no longer lying beside him and when he checked to make sure she hadn't collapsed, he let out a breath he didn't know that he was holding as he noticed her sitting up. He watched with a relieved smile on his face as she rubbed at her neck, attempting to ease the stiffness from it, the fur on her arms and legs covered in scratches and dirt marks from travelling.

She didn't seem to notice that he was staring at her, too lost in her own world. All that she registered was that something heavy and sharp had hit her arm, which caused her to yelp loudly and reach up to touch her injured arm and gasp in pain. A sudden rush of warmth swept over her as she recalled the sensation of being struck by a rock and felt an overwhelming sense of dread wash over her once she realised that she hadn't felt it earlier because she had been too caught up in what had happened that morning. She was about to call out to Zumwraek to check on her when he suddenly got to his feet and ran back over to the wagon, throwing open the doors.

When he reached her side he reached his hand up and began running it over her arm checking for wounds and bruises, which he found quite quickly when he touched her arm, only to find that she didn't appear to have received any.

"Are you okay?" Zumwraek asked her, sounding worried as he stared at her shoulder. He carefully examined the wound again but to his relief it appeared to be nothing more than a bruise, which was a good sign. Perhaps she'd fallen onto something sharp and managed to scrape herself.

She shrugged her shoulders, wincing slightly in response. He reached out and helped her to her feet, helping her steady herself on her wobbling legs.

He helped her to sit back down on the hay that lined the bottom of the wagon, but he didn't pull away from her. He stayed by her side until she was able to calm her nerves sufficiently to speak.

"What is going on, Zumwraek?" She finally broke the silence between them. She looked straight into his eyes as she asked the question. "Why are we being attacked? And why did you stop the wagon? Are we under attack?" Her voice wavered slightly and her breathing grew ragged and shallow.

"It's alright," he answered softly, reaching out and placing his paws on her trembling ones. His expression darkened. "There isn't a war going on anymore. Everything's fine."

"Then how-" She stammered as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "How can it be fine? Why did the wagon stop and you don't understand anything else about today's events?"

His ears flattened. He could guess what was coming next. "I-I'm sorry, Moomintroll. I- I can't explain it, but there is no danger here. It's nothing you or your friends need to concern yourselves with. Please go back to sleep. You need your rest if you're going to travel with me all the way tomorrow." He spoke in a firm tone to prevent her from pressing him any further with questions.

She hesitated but ultimately sighed deeply and gave in. "Okay, but please don't do anything foolish while you're asleep," she added quietly, "Or dangerous.