Hidden Fox

Twenty-One

The toot of an owl jerked my eyes open. But I was met with more darkness. Blinking rapidly, I pushed myself up and swung my head around to get a bearing of my surroundings. The silhouettes of wide trees and the small leaves that hinted at new growth were all I found. The owl hooted again.

"Kallie?" I said half-heartedly, my brain and my mouth not fully connected. I felt heavy.

"Kallie?" My call became frantic when I didn't get a response, "Kallie!"

Nothing. Standing up, I combed the area, making noise in case she was sleeping too soundly to hear me at first. "Kalmia! Sweetie, where are you?"

I was worried now, not finding her anywhere near me. I started running, widening the circumference of the area I searched with each lap. I couldn't remember anything after we ran into the woods. She was holding on tight to me and then my legs gave out and my body went unconscious. She must've flown from my back as we tumbled, but what had happened between then and when I woke up for her to be simply gone?

Slowing down to catch my breath, I tilting my head back to star up at the starlit sky. "Am I dreaming?" I whispered into the air, my breath forming a cloud of vapor above my face. "Is this real?"

Sinking down to my knees, I felt the spring-dewey grass, the soil that still froze a little at night. I definitely wasn't dreaming. Kallie was gone, and I had no idea where to even start looking.

I rested my head against the earth, trying to think. But my brain was still fuzzy, my limbs still weak and heavy from everything I had endured in the past six or so months. I started rolling down the slope I was on, letting my strength go and willing myself to just pass out again.

And then it hit me.

This was a mountain, a slope that wasn't exactly mild. Maybe she slid down the hill after she was thrown from my back, maybe there was still hope.

"Kallie!" I screeched again as I returned to my feet. I started down the hill, stumbling and sliding the whole way to the bottom, where a clear spring stream was running. All I could smell was the green growth that came with spring, nothing that would lead me on the path back to her.

She needed me. I needed her. How could this happen?

I followed the stream until morning, watching the light of the sun bathe the trees and grass slowly as the hours passed. As it reached enough height to shine on my face, I relaxed a little, enjoying the warmth it provided.

And I walked. And walked. And walked until my bare feet felt raw against the pebbly soil. The sun had reached late afternoon by the time I decided to rest, and I only decided to stop when I came across the mouth of the stream, emptying into a pond. I received a bout of strength as I saw the water, and I ran the last few yards down the slope and through the cattails to splash into the water.

It was cold, only about a month into the warmer part of the year made the surface freezing from the recent ice melt. But I didn't care; this would be my first opportunity to get clean in months, since the shower I took before Xavier had come over the last day I saw him.

The last day I saw any of them.

I hadn't thought about it in a while: my life before the cells, before meeting the girls and getting to know Kallie. Xavier was always on my mind, as I was determined not to forget him as long as I endured the pain in there, but now that it had been a day or so away from that goddess-ridden pack land, I was slowly gaining those pieces of myself back.

I could picture Emerald and River, and sweet little Jade and spunky Amethyst. I could hear their squeals of joy when I came through the door after school, so excited to hang out with me. And then it was soon followed by groans of disappointment when I told them I was swamped with homework.

When I closed my eyes and relaxed my body into the water, I could imagine Andrew calling me Freckles, and Everlee smacking his arm because of it. I could remember the weeks of silence I gave them because I was dealing with my own guilt and shame. I sobbed just thinking about it; how could I do that to my friends? How could I ignore them for weeks at a time, only to have disappeared from their lives for half a year?

Everlee had to be beside herself. I didn't even want to imagine how Xavier felt about my absence. I hoped he could feel through the bond that I was still alive, that he was telling everyone not to give up on their search for me. Jacob said he was trying, so I had to try too.

Swimming back to the shallow bank of the pond, where I could stand, I cupped my hands in the water and splashed it over my face, scrubbing any grime I could feel caked in layers over my skin. I rubbed my arms and legs the best I could, knowing it wouldn't end up perfect. At least I felt cleaner by the end of it.

I crawled out of the water, sitting on the small stretch of sand in an effort to dry off from the sun, letting the rays soak into me as I watched the ripples lap at my feet. There was still some streaks of red stained on the balls of my feet from when I found Ian, and hints of grime going up my legs that hadn't washed off in the water, but my arms were a lot better. My clothes. . . Well they were definitely garbage when I got home.

I hadn't once been able to change out of the clothes I was captured in. I felt utterly disgusting thinking about it. My shirt was torn at the seams and hem, and my pants had become capris at this point. Both were streaked in blood and sweat, and I'm sure they were stained with the tears that usually flowed all night. I just wanted a real shower, and clean clothes, and real food.

Food! The thought sent my stomach rumbling like the ripples across the lake. I couldn't remember the last time I ate, and that would be the main cause for how exhausted I was. Food would give me strength to keep pressing forward and find my family.

I stood, brushing off the sand that had caked across my backside, ruining the point of dipping in the pond. Oh well. A bout of dizziness washed over my head and I nearly stumbled back into the mud. Finding my balance, I looked around for where I could go to get food. As I searched, my memory started coming back stronger, and suddenly I recognized where I was.

My heart skipped a beat, was this the pond I thought it was?

I surveyed the area more carefully this time: the trees, the reeds, the lily pads, and then I found the swing of knotted rope and my soul soared into life. I was in the Crescent Moon Pack again! Emerald and River were only a few miles away!

Finding the sun and where it was setting, I spun and started running in the opposite direction, skirting the pond and forcing my legs to climb the hill that created the valley the pond sat in. I didn't let myself even breathe before starting the descent East towards the pack house. While the entire territory looked different than it had in November, I definitely knew where I was and I felt the most alive I had since we escaped.

All I could hope for was that Kallie was somewhere safe.

I tumbled out of the newly sprouted undergrowth, flailing my stick-like arms and legs as I tried to prevent myself from tripping as I broke free from the woods. Tried. And failed.

My knees buckled and I went over a jagged tree root, ending my run abruptly and turning it into a tumble out onto the grass. I let myself lay still while my brain caught up to what just happened. By the time I sat up, a pack member that had been in the back gardens had made their way over to me, embarrassingly having seen the entire fall. Great.

"Excuse me?" Her arms were folded protectively; she probably thought I was a rogue.

My voice was gravelly, "is Emerald home?"

That caught her completely off guard, "how do you know Emerald."

I giggled, but I couldn't be sure why. My brain was foggy again now that the adrenaline had faded and I was fighting the creeping darkness surrounding my vision. "I live here."

Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, and suddenly they filled with tears. "April Rymer?"

I didn't know this woman, but she clearly knew me. I bet Emerald and River had been searching just as much as Xavier had. This woman knew my name and what I looked like purely because Emerald cared for me enough to get the whole pack involved in my disappearance.

My smile was tired, and happy tears dropped down my face. "I'm home." I whispered.