Cave People. Lila's pov

 Derek announced we needed to get moving. I had only my dress which I hung like a bag and gathered along with the others.

 Back when Derek and I talked, I hadn't had the chance to tell him more about me and prove his silly claim about me being their goddess just a lie.

 We moved, cutting through bushes, dodging trees, climbing huge bulging roots and watching our backs until an unpleasant smell dissolved in our noses. Strong odour that seemed to be oozing from everywhere. More worse was the icy breeze it mixed with giving our airway some contraction. I puked.

 Derek led and we followed still, tracing the direction from where the smell was coming from, until we reached where a wake of vultures devoured a carcass.

 I went in a high-pitched shrill that startled the vultures and some of them made a flying attempt but came back eventually.

 Derek cleared the path to see what was been pulled eaten by these bird. Thankfully, it was a Roe deer. 

 Eyes apart, tongue gouging out. I puked again and Aurora dragged me beside her.

 "This bite here is that of a mountain lion. It has probably eaten deep into its heart before abandoning it for the birds."

 "Then there must be a cave nearby. And mountains." Lucas presumed.

 "And a mountain lion. Can we not stay here?" I begged.

 "Trust me, if we find a cave, we're safe from being preyed on. Out here in the open will have our hearts in our hands because we don't know where the threat is coming from." Orion said in a matter of fact.

 I tried to protest but it was nothing. I wished I had my bed, a closed shelter where the only animal you had to be worried about were dogs and cats jumping over you.

***

 "We shall camp here for the night!" Derek announced.

 It was a cave, situated somewhere within a valley. Water gushed out from a rock that stood high and giant. 

 We were more like migratory animals. We moved, camped at a spot, spend the night there with someone watching the night, then we move the following day.

 Orion scurried to take a drink from the water, he curved his palms into a cup as the water dropped.

 I sat at the mouth of the cave, taking tours of the whole surrounding. I was feeling so insecured. What if a bear comes? Or a venomous snake slithered down to us or scorpions!

 Or some sort of wild animals that lived in the cave came up at us?

 "Is this safe, Derek?" I asked.

 He exhaled. "Better than what we had to deal with outside. Lucas, Orion and I will go check what kind of host is welcoming us." He was loosing the strap of his bag.

 I eyed his dagger as it stayed hanging down his waist.

 "I want a dagger too. Who knows? It might be of good use to me." I shrugged.

 They all turned to look at me and my face flushed in embarrassment.

 Silence.

 "What? You can't protect me all the time."

 "You can't even handle a pan." Ondine snorted.

 "You sure about that?" Lucas added.

 "Definitely. C'mon Derek. I want one." I extended my hands defiantly.

 "Okay. But not yet, you don't know how to handle one." Said he.

 "I can learn." 

 "You can learn? Have you guys forgotten she's a threat? And not to be trusted?" Ondine voice shook.

 She hissed and moved far away from us, picked a spot of her own to settle.

 "I'll teach you how to use one." Derek said.

 Aurora dropped her bag tiredly and it hit the floor with a hard clank. 

 I definitely was trying hard to blend in because I didn't want to become some sort of weakling.

 Aurora made my ball gown into some tough one arm short gown, the edges was wavy and comfortable. I could walk easily with it.

 It was nightfall. The sky was dark exposing the twinkling star. A wooden torch was lighted and fixed at the entrance of the cave. It burned with a glow complemented by the moon luminous glow at the whole place.

 Derek was to watch again. 

 Sleep descended on the others pretty quickly, it'd been a long day and so far, we've met with a wake of vultures heavily feasting on a carcass. 

 Horrifying!

 I rose slowly from where I lay beside Aurora. Her hand was on my chest, gently I lifted her hand off and rolled away.

 Derek was sitting on a log, dangling some pebbles when I went to him. I made croaking sound to announce my arrival.

We were at a short walk away from the mouth of the cave. I heard flapping, cries and shrieks coming from a distant.

 "Lila. Can't sleep?" He asked softly.

 I said nothing. Just nodded my head. The cold stung deep into my skin and I shivered.

 "Go back inside. The fire will keep you warm."

 "I can't sleep. I'm restless."

 "You've got any covering to keep you warm then?" He questioned.

 "No."

 He sighed.

 "Then pull closer, let's try make you warm." He shifted and made enough space for me.

 I moved closer and stayed beside him, he spread his arm wide and took me in. I felt it! The warmth from his embrace, it was so serene, so like home. And I never wanted to get away from it.

 "If you don't mind." 

 "No. It's good. Thanks for your concern." 

 "So tell me, why can't you sleep?"

 "Earlier, you said there was no home, no tiara. Why did you believe so?"

 Another sigh escaped from his nostrils. "The prophecy…"

 "The prophecy is not me! You're mistaken. I'm not some goddess that fell from the sky. I'm just a lady like Aurora and Ondine, the only different cord is the world we live in." I casted him an expectant look. 

 His gaze lowered on me as I spoke. He was silent for a while, muffled breathes breaking through the silence.

 "I understand."

 I heaved a relieving sigh. "I just want to go home. Please."

 "Tell me more about this Tiara and how you got here."

 "The tiara is a little crown an admirer qe me. I definitely wore it before I wandered off. It was really dark and I couldn't see, someone pushed me off the cliff and I fell, at first, I thought I was going to die but I opened my eyes here."

 "Your story is hard to believe but I do. Maybe all these happen for a reason." 

 "I don't think so. Please, help me get home." My eyes were begging.

 He paused a stare at me and for what seemed to be a long time, we exchanged stares and thoughts.

 I stopped getting worried for a while and just focused on his dark brown eyes, full narrowed lips and his Adams apple that, most of the time, caught my attention.

 I might be thinking of it, the lust, that desire, the longings in his eyes, they burned like fury and seemed to want to drag me into it. 

 I might be thinking of it but his head slowly journeyed to mine, a little tilt. Eyes to eyes, nose to nose, lips to lips. I could almost feel hos breath of mine.

 This was wrong. I had to think of my Mason, my boyfriend, back at home who would be possibly sulking over my disappearance for days now. Mason would find me.

 He would.

 I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't be kissing a stranger. 

 I backed my head out abruptly and muttered a "I'm sorry, Derek."