Two Days Later
After walking for what felt like eternity, I decided to call it a day and rest, as night was beginning to fall. I collapsed under a tall oak tree where the moon was shiny brightly. That was all my wolf needed to regain it's strength
before continuing my journey.
As I sat, my stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten in days. I eyed the little berries I had managed to gather, tempted to take a bite but I couldn't bring myself to do it. They were all I had to take me through the journey, so I gritted my teeth and ignored the hunger pangs.
"Maybe leaving the pack without a plan wasn't such a good idea". I sighed, letting my eyes wander up to the moon. The world around me
melted around, taking away all my worries and fear, I hasn't felt this peace of mind since the day my father died and I couldn't help but smile, slowly drifting off to sleep.
"What was that?". I jerked awake, my senses high on alert as I tried to locate the sound that seemed to be coming from all directions.
I felt a chill run down my spine as I realized
that the footsteps were closing in, coming from all directions. I quickly ducked behind the oak tree, silently praying that the thick veils of leaves and vines would be enough to
keep me hidden.
The footsteps stopped right in front of the oak tree I was hiding behind, I could hear their heavy breathing and deep growls moving closer to my hiding spot.
"I could have sworn her scent came from this direction". One of them growled "She's close, I can feel it". The other replied.
I slapped my hand over my mouth, holding back a loud gasp. Those voices, I could recognize them them even if I was asleep.
I stole a quick glance, my eyes easily making out the face Alex, the pack Beta and Troy, the head of the pack border guards. Along with some other wolves.
"What's going on? Why was two of the packs most powerful wolves tracking me down". I held my breath, watching and waiting as they continued to search for me.
I gritted my teeth in frustration as Troys annoyingly accurate instinct proved once again why he was the best tracker in the pack.
I could only watch helplessly as Troy took a slow, calculated step towards the oak tree.
"We've got nothing here, let's spread out and keep searching". Alex ordered, giving a signal to the others to fall back.
One by one, the guards began to disappear into the tree until I was sure there was no one left. I gave a short sigh of relief, slowly stepping out of my hiding spot.
If Derrick wanted to capture me alive, he could have just sent the border patrol guards to bring me back. Instead, he sent the packs elite to come after me. The only thing I could think of was, Derrick had given a kill-on-sight order against me. Which also meant he was willing to do whatever it takes to keep me from escaping.
Freedom had a price, and I'd paid it in full. I wasn't just going to let anyone take it away from me without a fight. I took a moment to collect my thoughts, with my purebred abilities, trying to outrun them would be suicide since I wasn't really familiar with the forest paths.
The only thing I could think of was finding a good hiding place and creating a diversion. I could summon my wolf and have her run through the forest, carrying my scent to distract them.
Once they'd taken the bait, all I needed to do was find a good place to hide and wait for the perfect moment to make my escape. After that, I could recall my wolf without having to put myself in harm's way.
The plan was simple, but it came with a cost: If my Werewolf and I got separated for too long, we would become vulnerable to attacks.
I closed my eyes and muttered a few words. When I opened them again, I came face to face with my pure silver wolf bred, Eliza. There is a part of me that always wished I could hear her voice in my head or maybe even understand what's going on in that beautiful wolf mind of hers.
But I guess that's the price I had to pay for all the power and abilities that comes with being a purebred. I nodded to Eliza and she took off
immediately in the opposite direction, the noise she created from running would be more enough to draw their attention away from me.
From high up in the tree, I watched as the pack of wolves ran after Eliza with full force. Once I was sure they had lost my trail, I quickly climbed down the tree and ran as fast as my legs could carry me.
The more I ran, the more I felt like I was going nowhere, the trees just kept coming like a never ending circle. I was already starting to wonder if there truly was a way out of the forest.
The darkness was slowly giving way to the light of dawn and my entire body felt like it would collapse at any moment. I was about to take a quick stop when my eyes caught sight of something. I used every last bit of my energy to make my way towards the clearing.
"You've got to be kidding me". I said, tears welling up my eyes.
The entire forest was settled in a high land with steep cliff marking the edge. Crystal clear streams flowed over the edge into a lake below.
"The only way out, was down". I muttered, staring blankly at the edge.
"Did you really think you could escape all by yourself". a voice said behind me.
I felt like I was choking on my breath as I came face-to-face with Alex. "Wha... what are you doing here?". I stammered
"Your little trick might fool others, but not me". Alex said, confidently making his way towards me.
"Who, me? Playing tricks". I chuckled dryly, taking a step closer to the edge. "I.. I really don't know what you're talking about".
"You can drop the act now Samantha." Alex said, firmly "Am sure you already know that we have orders to make sure you don't leave this place alive".
"You can't be serious". I said, my voice shaking with fear. "Can't we just talk about this instead?".
Alex paused for a moment, as if struggling within himself. "If it's of any comfort to you, I wish things didn't have to end like this. But as the Beta of Dawn Runner Pack, I have to eliminate anyone and anything that will be a threat to the future of the pack".
"How could I possibly be a threat to someone who was chosen to be the Alpha of the pack. There is absolutely no reason for Derrick to be so afraid of me unless". I paused, realization dawning on me "....unless it was all a lie".
Before I could react, I felt a sharp claw rip through my stomach. Leaving me gasping for breath. The last thing I could remember was a silent whisper of "I'm sorry" and then I felt myself falling through the air. The next thing I knew I landed into the cold and dark water, slowly drifting away from reality.