Purr, Kitten [PUBLISHED - Sample Only]

Burning Memories

I raised my head up on the dark sky, my lips turning into a smile. The moon was up. The forest around me was lit up by the moonlight, no other light. I closed my eyes in delight and when I opened them again, I heard a howl. It came from the distance, but it was followed by multiple others. And they were coming closer to me.

I shrunk back into the shadow of a great oak, but finally settled on climbing on top of it instead. In seconds, I stood on a branch, my hand wrapped around a branch higher above me as I leaned over to look down through the thick leaves and branches.

A horde of large wolves ran straight under me. I held my breath, staring at them. Only one wolf trailed behind, sniffing the air. He had caught my scent and I leaned back into the shadow of the branches, until he shook his head and continued running after his pack.

I held my gaze where the wolves had ran and I could see lights, far away from me through the woods. I waited. A second, two and more, until I could hear screams. I acted, landing on the ground gracefully, before I shifted and took off running towards the sound.

This is a bad idea! my wolf warned me.

I can't let this happen to them. I can't let anyone else have the same future as me.

STOP. I did, waiting for my wolf to continue. You know what pack it is. You know. And we need to leave, before they spot us.

I growled soundly in anger. We have to.

What can we do? We're alone! There is no way we can stand up to a pack like that.

But something-

No! Get moving! We need to leave. NOW.

I growled again but dropped my nose. My wolf was right, absolutely always. I hated it. I took a few steps backwards, before I turned around and ran through the woods, as far as possible from the horrible sound and screams of innocent women and children. The guilt kept nagging at my heart.

**

I came to a stop at my hideout, a little treehouse I had built up in a thick maple. With a few easy moves, I jumped from branch to branch until the hatch I slipped in through. The treehouse was filled with some blankets, pillows, clothes and necessities that a girl my age needs. Like a hairbrush.

I have found them. Alright I stole them, but no one was home when I did. I'd never hurt anyone like some people had done to me. The sun was rising and I could see it from the little crack in the wood that kept my home together.

I curled up between the covers that were laid out on the floor for me and sighed. I slept in the day time and traveled in the night. I felt safer that way. If I was asleep in the daytime, up in my treehouse, no one would find me. And in the dark of the night, I'd travel and hunt.

It had became a habit of mine for a very long time now, and I once tried to break it, staying up all day time. I ended up being like a zombie and I returned to my now normal sleep schedule.

I closed my eyes. My mind was instantly filled again with the sounds of those screams for help and I could feel tears pooling beneath my eyelids. Men, dead. Women, dead. Poor innocent pups, dead. They're all dead. That pack is no more. Maybe only the few broken wolves that were taken as prisoners.

Memories burned at the edges of my consciousness and I tried to keep reminding myself, not to give in. Not to give in to the pain of the past.

Run, Kathryn. Run and forget about all of this. You'll know how to survive, my memories replayed.

The voice of my mother's orders still sounded fresh in my mind. It had been a while since I last thought of my family. I tried to always keep myself busy with whatever I did in the nighttime. But now, after the events of this night, I can't. I can't hide.

I fell asleep, with my cheeks tearstained and my heart aching. My sleep, was where I could usually escape and that's how it was this time as well. I rarely dreamt, or at least remembered the dreams, so the blissful and calming slumber was all it took for me to stop thinking.

I woke up again in the evening. The sun was yet to go down, but I was sleepless now. I sat up, letting the covers fall from around me and I shivered. Even with wolf warmth, I could feel the winter nearing me at a high speed.

I wondered if there was anything left of the pack that was there. Did the others leave anything behind at all?

No, Kathryn. I know what you're thinking and I forbid you from going back, my wolf hissed.

I snorted. You might not be just a voice in my head, but I am still the one to make my decisions. I'm independent, remember?

WE are, Kathryn. And you're not taking me into consideration with your foolish decisions.

I ignored her from there on, although I knew she was right. We were one, and I was acting selflessly. I just needed to know what had happened. It pained me. I never found out what had happened to my own pack, because I was too afraid of going back. Perhaps, seeing this will also give me some assumption as to what happened to my family.

You don't want to find out, my wolf warned.

I have no one, nothing to lose. Perhaps only myself, but then I'd be reunited with my family.

You do have someone.

I snorted. I doubt he is even alive. If he is, he is probably happy with his life, because no one has come to search for me. He doesn't know me.

How would he know to search you here?!

He should know. Somehow.

I hated when she brought up our mate. I couldn't stand to hear about it, so I'd usually drop it like that. I had decided I would go see that place. I had to.