Anna Black

“The bear had a strong smell. Like fish and blood, heavy in the air, and Mara thought that maybe she had noticed this smell in the woods before and not known the source. How many bears had she passed at close range in her life? Now she would know when she did. Mara didn't feel scared, but her heart raced, and goose bumps rose on her arms.”
― Blair Braverman

“It had become clear over three days that Ashley had the least survival experience of all of them. She had poor instincts with fire, putting damp wood on dark coals, blocking the flow of air by accident. She said most of her outdoors experience was car camping. Mara liked that she didn't pretend otherwise. She respected Ashley as much for that as she would for expertise. It struck her as brave both to come here without training and to admit it.”
― Blair Braverman

“This is survival,' he said. 'Real survival means using whatever resources you find. That's the whole point of it. You're surviving. Anything goes.'
'This isn't survival,' said Mara. . .
'Look at us,' said Kyle. 'Of course it's survival.'
'It's a survival game,' she said. 'We're playing the game. It's not survival if you have a choice.”
― Blair Braverman, Small Game

“One day Mara found a snakeskin in the grass. It was a whole skin, almost three feet long, and tied in a loose knot. As if the snake had curled through itself to shed. She thought about showing it off, but the snakeskin felt like hers alone, a secret, and she snuck it into one of the earth bags, nestled between one layer of dirt and the next. A talisman; her own contribution to the build.”
― Blair Braverman, Small Game