Hunting

"How much longer do we have to walk? I'm tired, thirsty, and hungry," Laura complained.

"Are you going to keep whining?" Alvaro asked without turning around. "You've been complaining ever since we started walking."

"Ugh! You're so insufferable! You're seriously the most insensitive man alive!" Laura protested, stopping in her tracks. "You're a man strong and fit unlike me. I'm just an injured woman, and you're torturing me by forcing me to keep walking! This is abuse!" Her outburst finally made Alvaro stop and turn to face her.

"Alright, if you want me to leave you here, be my guest. Sit down and get comfortable. Just don't expect me to guarantee your safety. That tiger from earlier could come back. Or maybe a lion, or some other wild animal. So, enjoy your break," Alvaro said with sarcasm, which only made Laura angrier and on the verge of tears. She was terrified, but her legs truly couldn't carry her any farther.

Laura bit her lip, trying to hold back the mix of anger, fear, and frustration that welled up inside her. She stared at Alvaro with a look full of emotion.

"You're cruel," she whispered, voice trembling. "I'm not like you, I'm not that strong. I just need a moment to breathe. Is that too much to ask?"

Alvaro stared back at her, then sighed deeply. "Fine," he said at last, his tone softening slightly. "We'll rest here for a bit. But not too long."

Laura slowly sat down on the ground, trying to catch her breath and ease the pain in her leg. Alvaro, meanwhile, scanned their surroundings carefully.

"I'm going to look for something we can use, maybe wood or something to defend ourselves with," he said, walking toward a nearby bush.

Laura looked up at him, guilt creeping into her chest. "I didn't mean to make things harder," she said quietly. "I'm just… really exhausted, thirsty, and starving."

Alvaro paused, glancing back at her with an unreadable expression. He realized he might have been too harsh on her, but he was also tired and frustrated with the situation.

"I know," he said curtly. "But if we rest too long, this place becomes even more dangerous."

"Should we write an SOS on the beach? Or maybe use our clothes as flags or something? Maybe someone will come to help us," Laura suggested.

"I don't know. I doubt it'll work. Our plane went off course because of a malfunction and we crashed here. Since yesterday, we haven't seen a single sign of rescue. The crash happened yesterday morning, and still nothing," Alvaro replied, growing more certain they had been abandoned. Or maybe... the crash was no accident. He didn't want to think that far yet. His focus now was survival.

Laura exhaled, eyes fixed on the sand with a hollow gaze. "So... we're really alone out here?" she whispered, her voice laced with hopelessness.

Alvaro walked over and sat beside her. "That doesn't mean there's no hope," he said more gently this time. "We need to stay clear-headed and make the right moves. Panicking or giving up won't help."

Laura turned to him, surprised by the slight warmth in his normally cold demeanor. "You always seem so calm. I don't know how you manage it in a situation like this."

Alvaro gave her a faint smirk, though exhaustion shadowed his eyes. "If I don't stay calm, then who will lead us? You?" he teased lightly, making Laura scoff and smile a little. "I'd end up as that tiger's dinner."

"Hilarious," Laura muttered. But her smile faded. "But seriously, Al... I'm scared. What if we never get out of here? What if… this is the end?"

Alvaro looked at her with intensity. "As long as we're still breathing, this isn't the end. Maybe we'll find a way back. I'm not sure. But you'll listen to me, and no more whining."

"I whine because I can't take it anymore. You're practically killing me slowly," Laura grumbled, crossing her arms. "And I'm starving, Al. The sun is rising, and we barely have any food left. And those snacks don't count as real meals."

"I'm in the same boat. I've been walking around looking for anything we can eat. We're in a forest now, which means we'll have to hunt for food."

"When you're done resting, help me find something to hunt with," Alvaro said.

Laura stared at him wide-eyed. "Hunt? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. You think we can keep surviving on snacks until help magically shows up? Not a chance."

"But... we don't even have hunting tools! What are we supposed to use? Rocks?"

Alvaro sighed and looked toward the woods. "I'll make something. Maybe a simple spear from some sturdy branches. And if we're lucky, we'll find wild fruit for you. But I'm not getting my hopes up."

"Fruit?!" Laura's eyes lit up for a moment. "Why didn't we just look for that in the first place instead of hunting animals? I'd much rather eat fruit!"

"Fruit isn't always safe. Some might be poisonous," he replied, starting to gather branches. "And I'm not taking that risk."

Laura sighed, realizing their options were running thin. She watched as Alvaro began carving a branch with a piece of sharp metal salvaged from the plane wreck. His hands moved quickly, though fatigue was evident in his posture.

"You look like someone who's done this before," she mumbled.

"I haven't. But I learn fast," Alvaro said without looking up. "Survival is about adaptation. And in a place like this, that's the only way."

Laura fell silent, pondering his words. Adaptation… she never imagined she'd be in a situation like this, far from the comforts of modern life. Now, she had to rely on a man she barely knew, yet somehow made her feel safer.

After a while, Alvaro finished sharpening the spear. "Here. It's not perfect, but it's sharp enough. If I manage to catch something, we'll finally have a proper meal."

Laura eyed the spear skeptically. "Are you sure we won't become the hunted instead of the hunters?"

Alvaro chuckled a rare sound from him. "If that happens, at least I have you to use as bait."

Laura gawked at him. "What?! Did you really just say that?!"

He shrugged calmly. "I'm joking. But if you keep making noise like that, the wild animals will show up sooner."

Laura glared at him. "You seriously have no sympathy, do you? I'm the one who's supposed to be protected, not used as bait!"

"If I didn't have any sympathy, I would've left you back at the beach yesterday," Alvaro replied with a smirk.

Laura had no comeback. Despite her irritation, she knew he had helped her a lot since the crash. "Fine," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "But I won't forget what you said."

Alvaro chuckled again, then stood and looked toward the dense forest. "If you keep talking like that, we'll get nothing before sunset. Let's go."

Grudgingly, Laura followed him. "You're the most annoying man I've ever met," she grumbled.

"But I'm the one keeping you alive," Alvaro retorted, not looking back.

"Are you done resting now? We need to keep moving. Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah. At least this time we have a purpose. Unlike before," Laura replied.

"That's you. I've had a purpose from the start," Alvaro said as he walked ahead.

Laura scowled and followed him reluctantly.

The forest grew denser as they went, filled with bird calls and the rustling of leaves that made the atmosphere even more intense. Laura tried to focus on her footing, though she often stumbled on roots or slipped on damp soil.

"Can you slow down a bit? I'm not a robot, you know," Laura complained, grabbing a tree to steady herself.

"If I slow down, we won't reach anything before nightfall," Alvaro said, still gripping his spear and alert. "If you can't keep up, that's your problem."

Laura huffed, tempted to throw something at him, but she knew Alvaro was the only one she could rely on right now.

Moments later, Alvaro stopped suddenly, and Laura nearly bumped into him.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Shh…" Alvaro signaled for her to be quiet. He crouched slightly, eyes fixed on a bush ahead. Laura followed his gaze, trying to spot whatever had caught his attention.

A large rabbit was munching on some leaves not far from them.

"It's a rabbit," Laura whispered, her eyes sparkling.

Alvaro nodded and positioned his spear. "Stay here. Don't move."

Laura nodded and held her breath as Alvaro stepped carefully toward the rabbit, every move precise and silent.

"Wait! Don't hurt it!" Laura gasped. "It's so cute… can't we just leave it alone?"

Alvaro clenched his jaw, annoyed. "Right now, we need food. If you feel sorry for it, fine go starve alone, but don't drag me with you!" he snapped, shaking off her grip.

"But it's just so pitiful…" Laura said.

"We're far more pitiful. Got it?" he snapped, but the rabbit had already fled.

"Ugh! This is your fault! It ran away!" Alvaro growled.

"We can find something else! Poor thing… it was so cute," Laura said.

Alvaro stared at her, frustrated. "You really don't get it, do you? We're trying to survive here. This isn't a picnic!"

Laura lowered her gaze, ashamed but still trying to defend herself. "I know, but I just couldn't stand seeing something so cute get killed. And besides—"

"Besides what?" Alvaro cut her off sharply. "If you keep acting on emotion, we're going to starve! This isn't about what's cute. It's life or death, Laura!"

She fell silent. His words hurt—but they were true. Still, that rabbit's face haunted her.

Alvaro took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew getting emotional would only make things worse. "Look, I get that it's hard. But from now on, we have to be realistic. If an opportunity like that comes again, don't interfere."

"Okay," Laura whispered, ashamed. "I'm sorry."

Alvaro gave her a brief glance before focusing back on the trail. "Let's move. And if we see another animal, no more objections."

"Understood."

They started walking again through the forest. Laura tried to shake off her guilt by collecting dry branches along the way for firewood. Alvaro kept leading, stopping now and then to study tracks on the forest floor.

***