Rose's Thorns || Wattys 2016

Betrayal

Maybelle's POV

My feet feel heavy as I force them to move me forward through the dense forest thicket. I could shift, but I want to prolong my surrender as long as humanly possible. It's not hard to pick out the sour smell of rouges among the many scents, following it however, was proving a difficult task.

There are just so many rouges, and since they have no borders to their territory, all the scents just seem to meld together. It's like one big pit of nauseating stink. I begrudgingly trudge forward deeper into what I assume to be Connor's territory, my body slowly becoming cold in the night air.

At least I can blame my trembling on the cold rather than fear. I laugh under my breath. My eyes fix ahead, the faces in the trees smiling at me mockingly as I pass. Ever since I was little, I'd always look for face like grooves in the trees surrounding the pack house. Usually, the faces would be smiling or frowning, but these faces just look evil.

For the first time in my life, I'm afraid of the forest and what it holds. Somehow I've managed to turn my paradise into my hell in one short walk. I guess I just have a talent for fucking good things up, not that it matters anymore.

The woods around me are quiet, even the bugs going silent in the horrible aura. It's almost peaceful in a morbid sort of way. Like the world has just stopped spinning and there's nothing more to do than keep moving forward. I think if it were like that than I'd be a hell of a lot more calm, but reality is a heartless bitch and doesn't give two shits about me or my pettily feelings.

Before I even know it the bone chilling sound of growls rip through the air, breaking the sickening silence. My body freezes violently at the sound, the ugly feeling in my stomach swirling enough to make me sick. I wearily turn my head to the side just enough to see a sandy wolf with a scarred face baring its teeth at me threateningly.

I don't have the energy to do more than stare at the rouge as it approaches, every step bringing it closer to my trembling form. My taxed brain doesn't even have the capacity to be scared at this point, but my body reacts naturally to the threat and I recoil unconsciously. This seems to give the rouge a sense of power and it quickly moves to circle me.

The only feeling left churning in my blood would have to be anxiety, and it's the one thing I can say for certain I don't want to be left with. I can deal with fear, but anxiety just makes me want to vomit. An uncomfortable feeling that does nothing but annoy.

Ignoring the wolf still circling me, I once again move forward. I need to just end this. Finding Connor can't be that hard anymore now that his wolves are on to me. The sandy wolf snarls in displeasure at me brushing it off and jumps to face me head on.

I slowly clutch my arms, barely lifting my head to gaze into the eyes of my confronter. I don't try to intimidate them, or scare them with my status, I just can't anymore. The wolf doesn't get anything more from me than an empty look filled with sadness and regret. It must have effected them a little, because the wolf twitches slightly. It stares at me for a moment, the fierce growls and bristling fur never disappearing.

Figuring the wolf isn't going to move, I sigh. "I'm tired." I mumble, my voice hoarse. My words give way to more growls, some coming from the sandy colored wolf and some from invisible points in the forest. I am tired. Is that a crime? I can barely keep myself upright with how exhausted I have become. Returning my gaze to the ground, I open my mouth again. "You'll have every opportunity to hurt me soon enough, just let me through." I say, not waiting for a reply of any kind as I push forward once more.

The wolves don't stop me, not even the sandy colored one. They're all there, but I can't see them with the way I walk. Perhaps dozens of feral rouges have come to congregate around the runaway pack wolf.