I'm a cheetah? So what you're a wolf!

Chapter 11 - Don't look back

I reach the shrubs surrounding the cell and quickly duck under a tall bush that would conceal me from anyone who wandered past. I silently sit there. My heart is thumping and feels as though it was about to leap right out of my chest.

I peer around and see some pack members walking towards me. I freeze terrified that they will see me. One looks towards the direction of the bush and my heart stops. I sit there silently and don't even realise it that I'm holding my breath until it begins to hurt.

I slowly exhale as quietly as I can and begin breathing in sync with their foot steps. They reach the bush and stand still. This is it. They've found me! Dread enters my body and I begin to fear the worst, but to my surprise they continue walking and don't even realise that, me, their only prisoner has managed to escape their cell and was hiding right under their noses. Quite literally!

I watch them round the corner, this is my only chance! They're about to enter the cell and they'll notice that I'm not there. I stealthily sneak from under the bush and sit tightly against it whilst peering around.

I'm still shifted as a cheetah so as I peer around I catch every detail, smell every scent and can see further than ever before. I'm not alone in these woods, but I'm not close enough to any pack members to alert them of my presence. I leap off with a bound and begin heading towards the territory boarder.

I propelled myself through the forest, the wind was licking the tips of my fur and my ears were blown back as I fled the area the Blood Moon wolf pack had claimed as their own. I weaved in and out of the trees that fill the forest like the back if my hand and know that I'm nearing the boarder.

Now is the home stretch, I push myself harder than ever before and continue towards the territories boundary. I breathe in deeply and catch a strong scent of wolf.

'Oh no!' I think to myself. 'The wolves patrolling the boarder must be up to this sector of land!' I cant keep running for they'll surely recapture me so I continue up a little further until they're within my sight and with one bound I leap up high into a sturdy pine tree that looked at least 100 years old.

I crouch low on a thick branch and try to flatten myself as much as possible to avoid drawing attention to myself. I feel my tail flicking in the air subconsciously indicating my annoyance so I rest it under my back leg to stop it flicking.

I watch the wolves almost march along the boarder, they walk along and are lined up with my tree, if they turn around now I'll be in their direct line of sight. I shrink back and try to hide myself more than I already have preying that they won't see me.

They stop! I cringe backwards. 'I'm done for!' Their noses tilt upwards as they intensely sniff the air. Their noses twitch as they breathe deeply and suddenly one lets out a loud howl. I jump as the second follows as they howl in chorus. The pack howl back to the two wolves which signals they're on their way. I think of all my possibilities and decide that my best option is to jump from the tree and run across the land horizontally to the boarder until I'm far enough in head to cut across and enter no mans land.

Just as I'm about to make my break I catch a glimpse of a dark shadow running out of the corner of my eye in the rouge territory, rogues must be planning on attacking the pack. I'm unsure how I feel about this intruder. If I escape this land I may be faced with him and I'll have no protection out there.

The two wolves guarding the boarder run along after the rouge. I hear the other wolves these two called approaching but they're heading in the same direction the rouge and it's two opponents went. This may be the only shot I have of escaping unseen so I leap from the tree and land silently on all four feet and begin dashing straight for the clearing that marks the end of the territory.

Without slowing down I dash into the clearing and continue running without looking back. As I approach the continuing forest I hear an angry growl that could have only come from Dylan, the alphas son. He must have seen me leave his territory.