Her World

Chapter Three

    The rest of the school day went rather well for River. Not being very eventful, the day seemed to fly by. During study hall she managed to get a majority of her homework finished, and she didn't receive anymore in the periods that followed. When her final class of the day rolled around, her excitement started to grow. In just an hour she could go back to her world. Finally, she could go back to the glade and enjoy being alone with nature once more.
    River hurried home as the bell rang, not letting the cold air bother her. It wasn't long before she made her way in the door and went upstairs to get her bag ready.
    "Book. Homework. Snacks. Phone. Earbuds," she named off, throwing each thing into the small bag she took with her when she went to the forest. Before heading downstairs, she took her phone back out and texted Denise, letting her know where she would be and that she would be taking Tucker with her. As soon as the message said "delivered" she slipped the phone back into the bag and slung it onto her back.
    A smile painting her face, River started back downstairs. She went to the mud room and grabbed Tucker's leash and then whistled for him. Within moments, the dog raced over to her, tongue lolling out.
    "Hey, Tuck. Ready to go?"
    As her companion sat in front of her wagging his tail, River clipped the end of the leash to his collar. When it was clipped, Tucker stood and trotted towards the door, barking softly until and opened it and let him out. "You know where to go," she told him as she locked and closed the door.
    The two maintained a steady pace as they walked to the end of the sidewalk. Once they stepped into the grass, they picked up the pace, both equally excited to get to the forest. It didn't take long, as the two was in an area just outside the mountains. It was barely a ten minute walk to get out of sight of the subdivision.
    Within fifteen minutes, they were there. Her world.
    The forest there was beautiful. The trees were tall, stretching their branches into the sky. The dying leaves shimmered brightly, still wet from the rain. It was still drizzling now, but River barely noticed. This was home to her.
    The stream. The birdsong. The whistle in the wind. This is where River felt most alive. Here, away from society, she could be herself. Here it was just her, Tucker, and nature. She wholeheartedly believed that she could live here among the elements. She wasn't afraid of anything that Mother Nature had to throw at her. She felt safe here. She knew the area better than the back of her hand. In her heart she knew this was where she was meant to be.
    For a moment River just stood there taking in the fresh air. She didn't move until Tucker gently grabbed his leash between his teeth and tugged at it, trying to get her attention. Noticing this, River unclipped his leash from his collar and stuck it in her bag. "There you go."
    The dog immediately ran and splashed in the water. He fake-growled as he snapped at the waves he created, then barked playfully. River smiled as she watched him, trekking over to her favorite cave. It was close enough that she could watch Tucker but not get wet from his splashing.
    Once she reached the spot, River sat down and pulled off her backpack. She was quiet as she took out her homework and pencil. She was hoping she wouldn't have any left to finish, but at least she could finish it here and not in her room. It was much easier to focus out here in the sunlight, so she didn't complain. It wasn't long before she had it completed and was able to leave her stuff in the cave and make her way down the hill to the stream.
    Tucker was sunning himself on the bank now, licking himself dry. He barked softly as he caught sight of River, wagging his tail with excitement. River smiled back at him, sitting down beside him and rubbing his soft fur. She stayed that way for a moment before slipping off her shoes and rolling up her pant legs so she could wade in the stream. The water was cold, but that's want she enjoyed. She was given her name for a reason, and she knew that it was for her natural love of water.
    She let out a small, relieved sigh as she felt the currents ripple around her ankles. A chill ran up her spine, but she ignored it until Tucker stood and barked to her. Smart as he was, the dog knew it wasn't a good idea for her to stay in the cold water too long. She wasn't sure how he was so intelligent, but she liked to think of him as a guardian angel, always knowing what was best for her.
    "Alright, I'm coming," she called to him, carefully making her way out of the stream and onto the bank. She debated for a moment whether or not to put her shoes on her wet feet, and decided this time it might be best since she was still recovering from being sick. The last thing she wanted was to be quarantined in the house any longer. Tucker seemed to sense this as well, picking up her shoes and carrying them over to her.
    Once again she rubbed his fur and thanked him quietly. "Good boy," she whispered. "Good boy."
    She slipped into the shoes and started back up the hill where she had left her stuff. She wanted to stay a bit longer to read, but with clouds covering the sky it was starting to get dark already. She wasn't afraid of the dark or what was in it, but she knew that her mom would panic if she wasn't home before dusk.
    "Come on, Tucker. Let's go home," she said as she pulled his leash out of her bag. "We'll come back tomorrow and maybe we can stay longer."
    After she had secured the clip, she slung the bag over her shoulder once more and started back down to the stream. She didn't stop, heading towards the direction of home. Her mind was clear, and the same smile still painted her face. This was the life that she enjoyed. This is what made her herself. This was what mattered to her most in life, and she would never let that part of her go.