↠C h a p t e r N i n e↞
THE RED-EYED WOLF
❝And into the forest, I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.❞
♦ ° ♦ ° ♦
Dead leaves crunch and break apart underneath my converse as I walk deeper into the forest, the trees that were tall as a four-story building hung over me with branches that stuck out and creates a shadowed pathway for me as if knowing what I was up to. The forest wasn't always pretty and calming, I swatted a bug that flew by face the same time I ducked under a low hanging tree branch.
"Shït!" I hiss out between my teeth when a sharp-edged branch on the ground scrapes against my ankle.
I look down to see a small trail blood sliding down and disappearing into my white socks.
"Just what I need," I mutter to myself, continuing on my way through the shrubs.
What seemed like hours, I finally burst into a clearing the sight instantly taking my breath away. The air was fresher as I took in a deep breath; everything was clear even with the dark sky and the moonlight shining down, but that's not what caught my attention, my feet began to move on their own, my eyes locking on the ocean view ahead of me that stretched for miles.
The deep blue water rippled and glistened in the evening light, it was until I had stopped that I gazed down and saw a steep cliff with a long fall, a place destined for something to happen. The waves crashed violently against the sharp-edged rocks against the cliff side, I whistle stepping back to a safe distance.
I enjoy those few minutes, the wind blowing gently across my face with the sound of the ocean below me and the rustle of the tree leaves brushing against each other nothing but distant background noise. This could be my little hideaway from the house when it becomes to suffocating. I take another deep breath, enjoying the taste of the air and how light it made me feel. A sudden crunch! pulled me from my peaceful moment causing me to whirl around.
I examine the forest, looking for where the sound came from, nothing with my sight. Movement from the far left of the woods caught my eye and all air left my lungs.
A wolf, the size of a bear, walked out into the clearing its step slow and stalking, its muscles rippled underneath its brown fur that was matted with dirt and mud, they tighten and unclenched with each step. My body froze, my own muscles tightening together with fear creeping into my system when its unnaturally red eyes locked on my form.
We stood there staring at one another as its lips slowly pulled back, showing its canines that looked sharp as a knife and about the length of my finger. A growl crawled from the depths of it chest and vibrated through the air, its intentions deep in the sound, my hands twitched and my legs began to shake with adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Just like a flickering switch, it darted towards me, a bloodthirsty snarl tearing through its throat. My moved; a goal set in my head as I turned and sprinted back through the trees in the path I've come from, it wasn't long after I heard pounding sets of paws behind me. Another snarl sounded from behind causing me to push harder, my feet slamming against ground picking up speed with each connection.
My heart beats frantically in my chest, slamming against my ribcage as I ducked and dodged under leaning branches. Hot air brushed against my calves and I already knew what it was, I clenched my teeth to keep me from crying out in fear and also from provoking it further; my legs pushed me up as I hopped over a fallen tree trunk the sound of snapping teeth ringing in my ears. The fear within me spiked higher than ever.
My lungs began to burn and my muscles strained. Unshed tears blurred my vision, white puffs of air past threw my lips as I continued to run taking a sharp turn to the right. The wolf shot forward, confused by my sudden turn, a glance over my shoulder gives me a glimpse if it skidding to a stop, that short moment was all it took for my attention to be diverted: my foot colliding with a rock which causes me to stumble, my ankle twisting the wrong way.
I scream in pain, falling to my knees while scraping my hands against the rough ground, creating cuts and wounds that spill with small amounts of blood. My ankle throbs painfully as I bite down on my bottom lip to keep any further sounds from escaping. I twist my head around to look over my shoulder, the wolf shakes its head and huffs before it lifts its nose in the air, sniffing. When its gaze snapped in my direction, I was up on my feet in a heartbeat limping away.
Its footfalls behind matched the like of my veins; I could hear its growls growing in volume, I limped as fast as I could, the sound of its teeth snapping in the air, the teeth that were salivating to chomp down on my bones. A couple of tears slipped down my cheeks, the cool air drying them instantly. It was then that I broke from the forest line into the backyard of my house that I was able to finally breathe regularly, but only for a short moment.
I made no sign of stopping, tripping a couple of times until, finally, I was up on the porch steps and grabbing ahold of door handle and rushing inside. I slam my back against it, forcing myself to take calming breaths as my chest rises up and down with every harsh breath I took whilst I stared wide-eyed ahead.
"Abigail. .?"
My gaze snaps over toward the dining table, where Mom, Dad, and Logan still sat. Mom stared at me in shock, her eyes roaming over frame while Dad's did the same.
"W-what happened. ?" she whispers, as she slowly stood from her chair, the two men following in tow.
I lick my dry lips, turning around, I push the small window curtains to the side searching the woods when my eyes spotted those glowing red orbs in the dark before they disappeared into the darkness that lurked around the trees.
A hand on my shoulder caused me to jump, whirling around coming face to chest with my Dad. His eyes softened, his hand moving to cup my forearm, I hissed in pain, the action caused him to jerk his hand away from the gentleness in his brown eyes gone and now replaced with a hardened look.
"What happened Abigail?" he questioned, his voice hard yet concerned.
I tilt my head up to look him up in his eyes. "Wolf," I whisper, "Out there."
His whole body tensed up the same moment Logan came rushing forward. Dad guided me out of the way and into Mom's arms while Logan ripped the door opened and darted outside.
She leads me toward the chair that she recently was sitting in as she helped me sit in and kneeled down, her hands gently cupping my face.
"Baby. ." she mumbled, brushing a wet clump of my hair away from my forehead.
She looked me over, dirt clinging to my clothes and mud stuck to the knees of my jeans for when I fell; I'm still insure how I outran a wolf but a part of me felt as if it was taunting me. My ankle was throbbing, swollen, blue, purple and green all mixed together. Blood still flowed down from a few cuts, a bruise on my forearm and my lip split open.
Mom's eyes welled up with tears. "What did it do to you?" she began to speak to herself.
I paid no mind, my eyes drifted toward my Dad who stared at me an emotion painting his face that I couldn't point out. His once light brown eyes seemed darker than darkness itself. I looked away and stared at the wall, my body slowly shutting down.
It was then that Logan stormed in, that all hell broke loose.
He strides up to Dad his large hands reaching out and fisting the collar of his shirt roughly yanking him to his face, glaring murderously at Dad.
"Was this one of your tricks?!" he spat at him, his tone expressing his venom.
One of Dad's hand shot up, gripping Logan's wrist in a firm hold. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied with an equally venomous tone.
Logan growled, one that sounded way too close to the wolf's. But I thought no further about it as my body began to slouch and my eyes fluttering closed.
"Gentlemen, please! Don't do this now." Mom pleads, her eyes shifting toward the two angry men.
They ignored her.
"Don't bullshìt me, rogue! Were you trying to distract me with your silly talk while your buddies attacked my people!?"
"No."
His simple reply seemed to anger Logan more as he swings Dad around and slams him into the wall, picture frames falling to the ground and shattering when made contact with the ground.
"Cole!"
"You're sick, you used your own daughter—"
"I would never! What makes you think I'll associate with those wild dogs and put my pup in danger!?" Dad suddenly shouted pure anger invented on his face.
Everything became a blur of shapes, my head lolled to the side, no strength left in me to hold it up. The grip Logan had on Dad's collar tightens.
"You were once one of them," he hissed.
"I've changed," Dad gritted out through his teeth.
"Old habits die hard, Cole."
The last thing I remember was Dad's first flying towards Logan's face and Mom screaming as my body slid off the chair and hitting the wooden floor.
Then complete darkness.
~ ✎ ~ ✎ ~
I UPDATED!! Omg!
I think this was an intense chapter, everything is starting to fall into place! I made it as long as I could! I'm so happy rn, I don't even know why. Maybe it was all the candy I ate.*eyes shine brightly*
I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know I did while writing it!
---