Zeref's chest kept on shuddering, and he clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to stifle his noise as the tears dripped from his eyes into the dirt.  This was no place to tarry, that much he knew.  The more he hesitated here, the less chance there was of returning to the forest and finding anyone alive...<br/><br/>...though that hope had already died within him.  It was too far back to the camp, and even then, what were the odds that anyone would want to mount a rescue in the state everyone was in?  He knew from the moment he'd thought to get help that he was hoping against reality.  The fact that really all he'd done just now was ensure his own life... that made him feel lower than the hunger that had gnawed at his guts since the day had begun.<br/><br/>He slid back onto his haunches and bit his hand to still his voice.  Then he heard it.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"You know... they're not necessarily dead yet..."</span><br/><br/>His hand lanced to the stiletto in his loincloth and he spun awkwardly to find the source of the voice, losing his balance and sitting abruptly in the dirt.  But he saw the two eerie golden eyes staring at him through the grass.  His blood froze, as did his motions.  His sobbing breaths quieted to a whisper.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Follow me, young Cadester.  Come with me if you want  some of them to live."</span><br/><br/>The voice was feminine, that much he could hear simply from the cadence and tone of the speech.  As whoever-it-was turned and departed into the grass, he saw curves to back up his hypothesis.  And what was that?  Fur?  No, it had to be tanned skin...  Perhaps a nearby tribe had found him, and was offering help.  He was cautious, but the last words the voice had spoken had resuscitated the hope he'd killed earlier.<br/><br/>He shifted lightly to his feet, wiping his face with his free hand, the stiletto held out in front of him warily, and he padded his way through the grass, following the figure that had spoken to him.  Every time those eyes flicked back to him, his breath caught.  There was something different about them... aside from their color.  Something... feral.  His heart began to thud in his chest, but he followed on, spurred by his growing hope.  As the trees resumed around him, he dared to ask something aloud.  Faintly, at the same volume as the voice he'd heard, he articulated, "Where are you taking me?"