34. making amends

                                    

                                          





BUNNY JUMPS SLIGHTLY when Shauna sits down next to her. The blonde lets out a very loud sigh as she lets her head fall back into her hand, supporting it as she stares into the flames. Shauna shifts in her spot as her eyes flicker to the girl next to her. The warmth of the fire hugs them both slightly, not quite reaching the ice that coats their friendship. 
"Is your hand okay?", Shauna's voice is quiet as she speaks, her tone unsure and weary. Bunny doesn't spare a glance at the girl, "Do you care?"
The conversation ends shortly as Natalie barges into the cabin, panting violently as manages to huff out, "Guys, I found a fucking moose!"
Bunny's head snaps in the direction of the girl as she shoots up from the floor, "Where?"
"Wait, found but didn't kill?", Travis asks, as he walks closer to the hunter. Natalie shakes her head, "No, it's dead, it's frozen in the surface of the lake. I'm gonna need a lot of help to get it out of there", the girl explains, her voice breathy as she tries to steady her breaths. Bunny quickly leaves the room to get her extra jersey from the pantry, since it's hanged there to dry. 
As the group makes their way to the lake, hope sits in the air like a cloud, blinding them all from the coldness of the forest.
In the heart of winter, the group of teenagers huddle together, their breath visible in the crisp, frigid air. The sun is a pale disc, barely casting any warmth, as it hangs low in the sky. They stand at the edge of a frozen lake, eyes wide with a mixture of concern and determination. Out on the ice, a moose lies still, half-submerged in a jagged hole where the ice has given way. The animal's great bulk is motionless, its massive antlers splayed out on the ice.
The teenagers, bundled in layers of wool and down, exchange grim looks. This moose, now lifeless, could provide meat to last through the harsh winter. 
Natalie begins to smash the ice open with her axe, creating a hole around the moose's head. The ropes are thrown, tangling into the moose's antlers as the group prepares to pull the animal out of the ice. 
Slowly, they begin to pull. The ice groans ominously, but the teenagers don't stop. Their muscles strain, breath coming in sharp gasps as they fight against the weight and the cold. The moose, heavy and sodden with icy water, resists their efforts simply by its sheer mass. Their hands are numb, faces flushed with cold, but they keep pulling. Yells of desperation echo over the frozen lake as they try their best to pull the animal out of the water. 
Someone stumbles, the icy surface giving in as they one by one fall backward on the ice, their hands giving in to the weight of the animal. The moose falls back under the surface, sending Natalie face-first into the frozen water as she is ready to dive after the dead creature. 
Bunny lunges towards the girl, grabbing her shoulders with the help of Travis as the two pull the girl back to the surface. Natalie falls right into Bunny's arms, crying as she mourns the lost game. The soft comforting words that leave Bunny's lips bring no comfort to the hunter as she curses after the animal.


Bunny's hand lingers on the surface of the water as she swims her fingers in the warm substance. Shauna pours the last bucketful of water into the tub, before giving Natalie a comforting smile. "I'll be right back", the girl says, before leaving the two girls alone. 
Silence falls in the room after the door closes, trapping both of the girls under its suffocating veil. The only sound is the light rippling the water makes as Bunny's fingers break its surface. 
Bunny looks up from her hand at Natalie, her eyes scanning the girl's face as she breathes through her nose. "I almost got a heart attack when you dived in like that", Bunny confesses, her voice barely above a whisper.