What Lurks in Her Eyes

Chapter Fourteen: They're Under the Table!

Song: E for Extinction by Thousand Foot Krutch

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The day started early as normal. The birds were chirping and the early forest mist covered the ground like a blanket. Deer grazed peacefully around the camp, unaware of the predator that hides beneath my skin.

The sky was bursting with the colors of the morning. Hues of deep blues and purples filled the sky as the sun awoke from its slumber, and the cool morning breeze could be heard playing the trees like an instrument.

Anya trailed behind me, and we trekked our way far from home in hopes of gaining distance. We were wanted now - fugitives who have been forced into hiding.

That fact brought on a lot of stress and pressure and my need to protect has increased now more than ever. Anya has grown a lot more comfortable with me, and she often asks a lot of questions. She has never been educated before nor has she experienced so much of the world until now.

Her questions range from childish questions such as, "Trees are alive, so why can't they talk?" She also asks deep questions like "Why does evil rule the earth like a king?"

She is hungry for knowledge, and I enjoy teaching her about things that she has missed out on in life.

Her innocence still astounds me. She has been defiled in every way in the hands of evil, yet she still remains so innocent. Maybe it's because she really hasn't had the chance to mature.

"There's a cabin about forty miles from here. It's a safe house, made for anyone who gets lost in the forest. There's beds and preserved food. We can stay there for a couple of nights. How does that sound?" I ask Anya.

She cracks a smile and nods. "Bed. I like beds."

I laugh and pull her into my chest. "So do I, believe me. That should be enough to motivate us, right?"

"Yes." She mumbles into my chest. Though, her voice is muffled as her face is pressed against me.

"Good. On our way, then. We must get there quickly. Though, I do believe we have gained quite some distance on them."

And it's true. We were far from civilization. But I knew they were always on our trail. Once in awhile, I would catch their scent in the wind while strolling in my wolf form. Werewolves were built to survive.

Tracking senses in werewolves were strong, and though we were far from them, I knew it would only be a matter of time until we came into contact.

I just know it.

I shift into my wolf form. I'm quicker on four legs and my senses are in their prime that way. Anya climbs onto my back and I run, trying to eat the distance up in a timely fashion. The forest opens into a vast, long, hilly field of wildflowers and green grass. Mountains frame the distance and it is beautiful.

Elk herds graze in the distance and prairie dogs squeal at the sight of me. This place is bursting with life, and I wish I could take time and cherish it more rather than flee quickly.

Even Anya is amazed at the beauty. I hear her quietly gasping and I just knows she's absorbing the sight around her. I hear her laugh at a prairie dog as it squeals before running its chubby little body back into its underground home.

If my wolf could laugh, he would've at that moment. In fact, I'm sure that if I had given him control at that moment, he would have caught a live prairie dog just to present it to Anya as a gift. He loves to entice his mate.

And so do I.

But, there is no time for fun and games right now. It's a time for escape for survival so that we might preserve our future together as mates.