Edited.
"I think the guy charged me double. Torches do not cost twenty dollars each," Aleena frowned at the torch in her hand. She looked flustered, her blonde hair sticking up in a glorious mane. "Maybe it didn't help that I slept with him last fall." She considered the prospect for a few moments before tossing me one of the overstuffed back packs slung on her petite shoulders.
I barely caught it, the material snagging on my fingers. "What's in here? Weights?"
Aleena shrugged and sat on the edge of my bed. "Necessities."
I unzipped my bag and began to pull out items that included torches, disposable cameras and first aid materials. It wasn't until I yanked out a silver object that I questioned Aleena's purchasing choices. "Why the hell do we need this?" I waved the kitchen knife in front of her.
She blinked, holding up her own. "I thought we might need it to defend ourselves."
I moved my legs around so they dangled off the bed. "From a bear?"
Aleena shot me a look. "I think a bear is the least of our worries."
I sighed and stuffed the knife back in the bag, careful to point the blade downwards. I glanced towards the ticking clock, allowing its constant noise to flow through me. I was scared, and I was sure Aleena could sense that. I didn't know what we would find tonight, and a part of me wanted to remain naïve. Then, at least, I could pretend the children hadn't disappeared, their screams nothing but distant echoes against the darkening night.
"When are we leaving?" I asked.
Aleena glanced at the wall clock, her lips pulling into a grimace. "Now."
A spark of nerves shot through me, and I ignored them to slid off the bed. It was the first time doing so all day, and as my feet hit the ground, I felt myself sway unsteadily. I quickly gathered myself, leaning against the side table. Aleena offered no support, although her eyes did narrow into thin slits.
"If I even mention something about you remaining behind, will you listen to me?"
"No," I said, a little too hastily.
She sucked in a short breath. "Then don't fall over."
And that was it. A sarcastic reply, the ghost of uncertainty. A flicker of unease. That was as much as I would receive from her. She was not one to waste time, and I could tell her mind was too clouded to worry about me.
I swung the bag onto my shoulder, its contents slamming into my back. Stifling a grunt of protest, I ambled around my bed, picking at the duvet and stuffing it with pillows until it resembled a small mound. Aleena regarded my failed attempt at a sleeping figure in the covers with an air of mockery, however she didn't waste a breath to tease me on my efforts. Instead, she trailed over to the window. With her back to me, I allowed myself to glance down at my wrist, surveying the tiny indent of blood from where I'd pulled out the drip earlier. It was painless, but a constant reminder that I was still a slave to weakness.
Aleena, as careless but surefooted as a leopard, slid onto the windowsill. She glanced back at me, her brown eyed glinting in the gathering darkness. But then her eyes trailed over me, her lips thinning.
"You're really going to sneak out wearing that?"
I looked down at myself, my hospital gown blowing lightly in the breeze. I bit my lip. "I don't have anything else."
Shaggy material fell into my hands and I caught it gingerly, followed by a hard, laced object.
"I brought a spare," Aleena said while rezipping her bag. "I didn't want to be seen with a runaway patient. And you can't go walking barefoot, you'll lose your toes."
I thanked her and slipped the jumper on then the runners.
Taking this as a sign to move, Aleena crouched under the low hanging window panes and balanced on the outside of the windowsill. She steadied herself with outstretching hands, her eyebrows drawing in concentration. I could tell she was calculating the drop below. Unlike me, however, she had done this multiple times before.
With a graceful movement, she jumped, falling for a few suspending moments before wrapping her arms around the hand railing of the fire escape stairs below. She twisted, pushing her upper body to slide along the railing, ice caking at her fingers before landing several feet down on one of the stairs.
I swallowed, and hampered onto the windowsill in a very inelegant manner. Aleena moved her head to look up to me, a proud beam smearing across her face. I nearly called out to her and accuse her of being a cocky bastard, but she pressed her fingers to her bluing lips and motioned to the windows around us. I clamped my mouth shut. She was right. Patients would surely look out their windows at the sound of such crude language coming from outside.
With slightly shaky hands, I looked down. The stairwell loomed far below, and then beyond that, an alleyway. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I missed, or the way Aleena would have to scrap off my remains from the pebbled pavement.
So, I defied what my mind was screaming at me to do.
I jumped.
There was a second of falling, nothing but the dropping of my stomach and the whistling air to support me. But then my palms smashed against the hand railing, and I only just remembered to clamp my fingers around the icy. My body swung from the momentum, and a small, strangled noise of fear escaped me. I heard Aleena swear colourfully before running for me. She was several flights lower than me. My fingers would've loosened by the time to reached my petrified form.
You cannot die. I will single handily never forgive myself if after all this I die from falling off a fire escape. I gritted my teeth and twisted my body sidewards, the movement causing my arm muscles to scream. With a burst of energy, I slotted my leg in-between one of the thin railings to then use my other foot to propel myself upwards. I launched forwards, rolling over the top of the railing to land with a rattle onto one of the steps.
I breathed hard, looking at the stars that glittered from the sky above. Someone once told me they were the echo of fallen soldiers, and I was sure at this point in time, they were mocking me.
A voice sounded from beside me. "It's been three minutes Renee. Can you at least try not to die for another seventy?"
I stared at her double chinned head peeking from above. "No promises," I grumbled.
She snorted and turned away to bound down the stairwell. I forced myself to get up, my heart continuing to pound against my ribs from my near death experience. My shoulder ached from where I had taken my weight, but I was alive. That's all that matters. I'm breathing.
Picking our way down the slippery steps, we finally made it to the alleyway. Aleena didn't pause to wait for me to catch up to her, she instead trailed off to cross the road. I followed after her, her blonde hair like a flame underwater.
Her strides were lengthy, the noise of her boots clicking along the pebbles to ricochet around us. She didn't seem to mind, however her eyes darted to every shadow, taking them in with a calculating gaze. Her hands were in her pockets, and I was almost certain the kitchen knife was embedded in one, her fingers brushing against the blade almost in reassurance.
Aleena paused for a few moments at the main street, taking in the silence with a frown. The street lights barely lit a path, competing against the dying sun. No movement. No sound. No one. It was eerily petrifying. Goosebumps rose on my arms, not just from the cold, but also from fear. An occasional car drifted through the street although I didn't recognise any of the drivers.
Aleena motioned to huddle against the buildings, clinging to the gathering shadows so we couldn't be seen. I followed her, allowing her to guide us through the night. A snowy sheen glistened on the bitumen road, and I looked up to take in the gathering clouds. I hoped the storm held back.
Nervousness chilled my bones, but then Aleena pulled me off the street to veer onto an intersecting one. This is a bad idea; we should never have done this. I could tell by Aleena's strained face that she was thinking the same thing.
This street was barely lit, the buildings occupying no light. We rounded an empty recycling bin silently, our footsteps painfully loud in the mute night. A cat skittering across the pathway in front of us caused me to jump a metre. Aleena just yanked out the kitchen knife with slightly shaky fingers. She cursed the cat and threatened to cook it next time it came into view.
Our strides gradually grew faster as the buildings melted away into patches of land. Looking at the town in darkness was like looking at a reflection that wasn't quite right. You knew it well, but something was off that caused a sense of unease.
Soon, we were fast walking and our steps weren't careful or quiet. We had given up on the need to be silent long before we reached Yellow Street.
"There." Aleena whispered sharply, causing me to jump again. She glanced at me in irritation at my friskiness but didn't say anything. I turned to where she was gesturing to, taking in a large, white sign displaying the words 'Yellow Street.'
I could barely see the forest trees outlined against the gathering snow as we crept towards our end of the street. A glistening object caught my eye, and I scanned my gaze to take in a parked police car, its lights off.
"Renee, six o' clock," Aleena hissed by my side.
"It's at three o' clock," I snapped back but she waved me off to stare at the cop intently. We were too far away to tell if anyone was at the wheel. We crouched down lower in the shadows, practically skimming the dewy grass below us.
As we crept closer, my stomach did a flip. Yellow crime tape was draped around a square section of some tree trunks. It was a splash of colour in the chilly night. A message.
No one was safe.
We both paused and Aleena surveyed the site with a frown. "There has to be someone on duty."
I nodded but then idly wondered if she could see my response in the dark. Regardless, she nudged me over to a pile of snow caked bushes. I crept into the draping leaves, shivering as the snow brushed against my exposed legs and cheek. Aleena swatted at a small branch, drenching herself in more snow. She hissed a word I didn't know existed in the English vocabulary and then turned her attention back to the important matter.
I parted a leaf that obscured my view to see the front of the unoccupied police car. It was several metres from the taped off section, but still within eye sight.
Something was outlined in the front seat, and I strained my eyes to see what it was. "Aleena." I whispered sharply.
"What now?" she said back, clearly annoyed that I disrupted her concentration.
"There's someone in the car." I saw from the corner of her vision as her eyes narrowed.
"Its him." she said finally after several seconds passed by of silence.
"It's who?" I asked, my legs numb against the cold.
She turned to me, a frown playing at her lips. "The deputy. He must be on duty here tonight."
I had heard about the deputy before. The community seemed to like him, therefore I guess I was inclined to as well.
Aleena furrowed her eyebrows. "Can I lure him out with doughnuts?"
It took a lot of effort not to slap her. "Aleena concentrate," I retorted. "Are you sure he's the only one on duty?"
Aleena nodded, causing more snow to fall off the leaves around us. "Ethan sent me a message before advising to stay away from The Central. Apparently someone saw something there last night and the police force have been patrolling it non-stop."
"We walked through the Central," I said sharply.
Aleena shrugged. "And we didn't get killed, good for us. I'm thoroughly surprised we didn't get spotted to be honest. I forgot we were even supposed to steer away from it."
I refrained from hitting her again partly because my limbs were freezing and I thought my bones had moulded together from the cold.
"Okay, here's the plan." she began, her gaze reverting back to mine. They glinted in the darkness, illuminating her mischievousness. I stilled my shivering by digging my nails into my freezing palms. Aleena barely looked fazed, although her lips were turning slightly blue.
"We are going to check out the tapped off area and take photos if necessary. If there is no further evidence," she paused to swallow nervously. "Then we will go into the forest." My heart skipped a beat.
This was my plan after all, I couldn't back down now. I had fallen off a building for this, there was no backing out now.
"Be quiet, we don't want the Deputy to hear something and look at his window. It'll just be our luck that you face plant somewhere and make a horrifically pitiful noise." Her words were light but it would honestly be something I would do.
I nodded and she then mentioned for me to move. I veered out of the bush, stretching out my legs from crouching. They cracked in protest.
I couldn't help but look at the Deputy. He seemed to be on the phone, his ginger eyebrows drawn together in concentration.
We hurried to the yellow tape, and I reached out a hand to touch it. A slap sent my hand back to my side.
"What are you doing?" she whispered sternly.
I stared at her. "I don't know?"
She was looking at me like I was the dumbest person in the world which at this point, was probably true. "Don't put your finger prints everywhere!"
I felt my eyes widen in understanding. "Oh."
She let go of my wrist in disapproval. "This is why I'm batman and you're robin." she grumbled partly to herself as we both turned our attention to the small, human foot prints embedded into the mud. Snowflakes trickled down into the indents as we inspected it.
"It's true." I whispered softly, trying to understand the foot prints that angled themselves towards the edge of the forest. I tried to picture Colton running, barefooted into the forest, his brown hair tangled with snowflakes. I shivered and glanced over to Aleena. Her eyes were blank and I knew she was probably thinking the same thing.
Then, as if snapping to attention, she drew out the newly purchased disposable camera from her bag and snapped a photo. There was a brief flash of light before Aleena took away the camera to chuck it back into her bag.
"Let's move, before ginger over there catches us." She took off, and I followed clumsily behind her, barely catching myself from falling. I was thankful Aleena hadn't saw otherwise I wouldn't have heard the end of it.
When we finally reached the large spruce trees, my teeth were chattering so hard that I thought they would break. Aleena was shivering slightly although from her creased eyebrows and thoughtful expression, I knew she was concentrating. Which was a sight I was beginning to see more often.
"All the tracks will be covered by snow by now."
I barely heard her over the gathering wind but I nodded in response.
"We should check out the edge of the tree line, hopefully their might be some more clues." I suggested, practically yelling beside Aleena's ear. She gave me a swift thumbs up and I noticed her nose was pink. I wondered if mine looked the same.
The moon was nearly full as it slithered over the horizon, a small indent taken out to form a chip in its side. I was thankful it provided us with some form of light. Even still, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled and I got the uneasy feeling I was being watched.
Aleena was studying the ground, like I should've been doing instead of admiring a sphere in the sky. Her own foot prints drove deep into the gathering piles of snow, but in a matter of seconds they were replaced with more snowflakes. Despite their lightness, they stung my eyes as I trailed after her. Beautiful but deadly. They reminded me instantly of the roses.
An owl hooted nearby, sending both Aleena and I to jump a foot. I gripped onto her shoulder in fear, my heart pounding against my chest. Her own long breaths signified that she had also grown scared. I quickly composed myself and let go of her, straightening my snow ridden jumper in an attempt to escape my constant anxiety. At night, the forest didn't look nearly as appealing. Aleena swallowed nervously, her hands clenching into tight fists in nervousness. She gathered herself, then turned to me. Her eyes were looking extraordinarily bright against her pale face.
"We need to spilt," she said simply.
My heart gave a jolt. "No we don't."
She searched my eyes, taking in my scared expression. "It's going to take all night if we go together to even check a quarter of the woods. Put on your torch and I'm sure we can see each other through the trees."
Despite her common sense, I shook my head. "Everyone knows one of us will die if we spilt. I'm not going to, it's dangerous."
Her cheeks blossomed. "This whole plan is dangerous Renee. We are more likely going to die from frostbite than whatever is out there if we keep stalling any longer. This is our only chance, and we can't waste it."
I knew her reasoning was true which annoyed me because I was the reasonable one. But looking at her with her hardened gaze, I knew she had made up her mind. And once she did, there was no going back.
"You check the east side, I'll do the west," she finished before turning away from me. Her departure would've been effective if she hadn't slipped over when doing so.
I held off a snigger, and ambled in the opposite direction. However, it wasn't long before my amused expression fell off my face and was replaced with a fearful one. Oak and spruce trees towered over me, their branches twisting into a canopy to hide the moon and its light. I had to bring out the miniscule twenty dollar torch which seemed like a toy in my shaking hands. My heart skittered painfully against my chest, drumming in my ears.
The forest was a dangerous place even before the children disappeared. My father would tell me stories of the lost boy who wandered into the woods. He was said to have made friends with the foxes and grew to learn their manipulative ways. The tale says those we wonder into the woods alone will fall for one of his deadly tricks.
The torch blazed a yellowish light and illuminated the twisted bark of faraway spruce trees. If I stared at the bark for too long, I would begin to make out faces. Swallowing my fear, I glanced back in the direction Aleena had strode off to. I couldn't see her, nor did I expect to. It was like she'd been swallowed up by the woods itself.
I trudged my way through the snow, my eyes flickering to every shadow, expecting one of them to jump out. I travelled for several minutes around the eastern side of the woods, telling myself if anything happened I could run in the northern direction and find Yellow Street. Every so often, I would pause to look down at the ground in hopes of miraculously finding a set of footprints. Every time I was left with numbing disappointment.
It had been nearly an hour, and I was bending down to examine an indent in the ground when I heard a rustling noise. Looking up sharply, I brought my torch to my side. I waited in agonising silence, feeling my knees shudder from my crouching position. Then it came again, closer this time.
My heart skipped several beats to rise into my throat and I lost my patience to instead fumble for the torch. The bushes twisted near me, occupying something that I couldn't pin point in the darkness. I rose from my spot, swinging the torch to blare against the bush.
Nothing was there.
I let out a gasp of relief but then stiffened when a pair of eyes reflected into the light, illuminated against the torch light. I screamed. Not a girly scream, a scream that was an indicator that I would probably die emitting the noise. The yellow eyes blinked, a loud growl echoing from whatever remained hidden in the leaves. My feet froze to their place, the snowflakes twisting to knot into my hair. I recognised that growl. And those eyes.
My body shivered from a combination of fear, cold and adrenaline. My body was telling me to run, but my mind was saying stay and identify those yellow eyes.
I needed to know. I needed to know if my wolf was alive.
"C-come into the light." I stammered, my words loud against the silent forest. Silence stretched between us, the chattering of my teeth breaking it occasionally.
Then a claw tipped paw slid out to shine in the torch light. A breath I didn't realise I was holding escaped my lips.
It was him. My wolf, he was here.
He looked broader, fuller, bulkier. Muscles rippled against his dense fur coat as he stepped forwards. He wasn't looking at me with that haunted look that indicated he was starving. Instead he was watching me with a mild curiosity that pricked his ears forward.
I cranked my neck to meet his eyes, my breaths fogging up in clouds of condensation. Although I was several feet away, I could see his golden flecks flutter in his pupils as they narrowed to focus on me. His nose worked, twitching to catch my scent.
Despite the scenario, I felt a smile prick my lips. "Hey boy," I said softly, hoping that he could hear me against the wind. His ears flickered as I spoke, and he didn't shy away. He remained watching me, as silent as ghost.
I let my gaze trial down to his paws. They were white, untouched. The blood was never there. A low rumble made me tear my eyes away from his feet to his eyes. I hadn't seen him for weeks, but here he stood. As tall as a horse, as white as the snow. As alive as I was.
"I missed you," I whispered, my mind having decided that there was no danger. His size didn't faze me anymore; it never really did.
Impossibly, he took a few careful steps closer to me, his breaths fogging up to only be whipped away by the harsh wind. It stung my bare legs and face, but I didn't care. I just wanted to be with my wolf. I just wanted him to trust me.
His fur rippled with snow, blending firmly in his thick coat. He stopped, only an arm length away from me. Despite the harsh wind, I could smell his fresh pine scent. I was close enough to see the small whiskers dotting his muzzle. His black nose was speckled with melting snowflakes, his eyes never leaving mine. The top of my head barely reached his shoulder, but I didn't feel scared.
This creature was said to strike fear among humans. I knew people were fearful because they were uneducated. I couldn't picture his canines clamped around my neck. I couldn't imagine him hurting me. However, the scar on my wrist was a constant reminder of a wolf's nature.
My wolf huffed a long sigh, his eyes softening. His breath smelt like snow and spruce and the cool night air.
I slowly held out a shaky arm, my fingers visibly blue against his white coat. I thought he would flinch but instead he remained still. His golden eyes drew me in, calming me while my palm brushed his pelt. The soft bristles tickled my hand and I smiled, sliding my hand deeper into his dense coat. His fur was so soft; I couldn't help but embrace the warmth that radiated from it. He closed his eyes, shutting them against my touch. Comfort. His expression was so humane I nearly questioned it. And it was just me and him, him and I and I couldn't ask for it any other way.
I had heard of beasts bonding with men, but never believed it. To tame a stallion is different to taming a wolf. Stallions grow to please their owners, but wolves cannot be owned. They were wild, and should remain so.
Suddenly my wolf opened his eyes sharply, his ears pinning against his head. I felt his body stiffen against me, his heart drumming to pound against my chest. I opened my eyes to meet his. Something changed in his eyes. It wasn't comfort anymore, it was fear.
He broke away from my touch, taking a step backwards. He spun around, spraying snow in his wake. His eyes stared off into the distance, his ears pricking forward at something I couldn't see. He growled, a low, menacing growl that reminded me of the growl he emitted when I took a picture of him. His hackles rose in alarm.
"What is it?" I asked. Anyone would feel stupid talking to an animal but I felt as though he could hear me, or at least communicate through my tone of voice.
He turned to look at me, his chest rumbling. It was a fearful noise, full of anxiety. It reminded me of a typical dog's whine, only ten times louder.
What is he so afraid of?
I stepped closer to calm him but he veered away to block me. I stopped in my tracks, blinking in utter confusion. I wasn't sure why he was acting like this. His fur remained bristled, his body language screaming caution. He pushed me backwards slightly with his body, almost in a shielding manner. I reached out a hand, but his lips purled into a snarl.
I hesitated, memories flooding back from my when he nearly attacked me. He let out a long whine again, his eyes flickering from my eyes to in the distance. I didn't understand, but I didn't feel scared when I was by his side. Was he trying to tell me something?
Swiftly, he bent his muzzle towards me and brushed my shoulder, causing me to stumble. He did it again, shoving me away in gentle but jerking movements. I nearly tripped from the force of his pushes and he whined again. Finally I got the message.
Something was coming, and he was trying to protect me from it. Something he was afraid of, meaning that something could easily kill me.
It was at that moment that I heard thunderous footsteps, the ground under me vibrating shakily. That's when I obeyed him.
I twisted on my heels, sliding in the snow. I ran in the general direction from where I had come from, but the paths looked the same and the pine trees seemed to mock me with their familiarity.
I turned in time to see my wolf crouch on his haunches, his teeth bared. A shadow launched forwards and he met it with a tearing growl. I didn't see what he attacked, but I knew from the wildness beneath his eyes that it was something nerve racking.
"Renee!" Aleena's voice cut through my whirling thoughts. It came from ahead of me. I didn't have the breath to reply, so I continued to run. I slid in various directions, frequently stumbling in the dense snow to catch myself against a tree.
There was ear piercing howl that drove itself deep into my ears, causing them to ring. I staggered again, dislodging a hidden rock to push my body weight on a tree trunk. I pulled my hand away, only to feel something sticky gather against my palm. I looked down, squinting my eyes against the darkness to see something crimson drip from my fingers. Blood.
It wasn't mine.
My head shot up to examine the tree. Blood sprayed across it, dribbling down its uneven texture. I took a step backwards in horror, only just registering the unpacked snow behind me. It loosened under my weight, unbalancing me. A noise of terror escaped me as I tumbled, rolling down an uneven slope. Branches whipped at my face, stinging my numb cheeks with vicious blows as I rolled down the hill. A buried rock punctured my side and winded me. Finally, I came to a stop at the foot of the valley.
I lay there, attempting to fill my lungs with air. I wheezed, coughing up snow that had managed to clog my windpipe. Blood from the gashes on my face and legs dribbled to stain the white snow.
A loud keening noise broke through my dazed moment, ripping through the entire forest. It was full of agony and pain. I screwed my eyes shut and slowly got up, grunting against the constant aching that swamped around my body. I needed to get out. I needed to get to Aleena. I needed to survive.
"Aleena!" I yelled, the wind drawing tears out of my eyes. Thunderous movements rushed towards me. Whatever attacked my wolf was now onto me. I knew I only had precious seconds. I twisted around in my spot to see a white figure suddenly burst from the bushes behind me. I screamed as the wolf ran towards me, his fur coated in blood. It took me too long to recognise the white figure as my wolf. His eyes were roughed and untamed, his breaths coming out in great heaves.
He pounded towards me, every paw step causing the ground to shake uncontrollably. I stood, frozen to my spot as he neared me, his teeth bared. He came back for me.
My brain couldn't figure out what was happening, my heart beat painfully against my chest. He reached me, his jaws open menacingly, but instead of ripping me apart, he hooked his fangs into my bag. I levitated sharply off the ground, screaming in the process. There was the feeling of being thrown, nothing but the air surrounding me. It reminded me awfully of falling from the windowsill. The snow fell away before I landed on something heavy. The wind rushed out of me and I wrapped my hands on soft fur, clinging onto it.
I blinked repeatedly to find myself cradling my wolf's ruff, my face pressed up against his fur. He had thrown me onto his back. And we were running.
I sunk deep into his fur, twisting his coat through my fingers. He turned his head, looking at me from the corner of his vision. He wasn't trying to hurt me; he was trying to protect me. Then, sensing that I was okay, he took a flying leap.
I only just managed to hold on as he ran, pushing his way through the large branches that covered our path. I wouldn't describe his gait as a run, but more of a gallop. He was as fast as a horse, and of equal size.
Something moved from behind us, a constant reminder that we were being followed. The ground rushed beneath, nothing but a blur of motion.
I bent down lower, the wind stinging my eyes. There was a huge rumble then a noise that made me wince. Tree bark shattered to my left, splinters bursting against us. I knew that sound, I had lived with it.
Gun shots.
My wolf didn't pause as he took a sharp left, exploding into a small clearing. I knew where we were immediately. I could see the police car loom through the pine trees. Another gun shot went off, a loud boom carrying across the wind to us. My wolf stumbled, letting out a yelp as he fell. I felt him stumble, his legs collapsing under him. My stomach launched and the ground suddenly spared closer to me. He buckled, rolling onto his side. I hit the ground hard, pain searing up my injured shoulder. I felt myself skid a fair distance, a trunk of a tree breaking the movement.
My vision blurred slightly, and I quickly blinked it away to see my wolf lying, motionless on his side. Blood welled up his leg, pooling against the snow. He'd been shot.
He whined loudly as he tried to rise from his spot. He turned to stare at me, his breaths ragged in pain. I stumbled to my feet, rushing over to him. He growled, pinning his ears back. His gaze turned to the police car in the distance, as if to say I needed to go.
"But you're hurt," I whispered through my gathering tears. He looked at me as loud noises erupted around the clearing. Whatever was chasing us was nearly upon us.
His eyes softened, expressing an emotion of pain and pity. It was a human emotion, but it was so evident in his eyes. Another loud bang went off, this time whizzing impossibly close to my head. He flinched and tried desperately to rise but his legs wouldn't support him and he collapsed back down with an agonising noise.
"I'm so sorry," I said raggedly. I buried my hands in his fur and hugged him, breathing in his pine scent. I turned away from him, the absence of his soft warm fur already coursing through me as I speared towards the car.
I looked back to see my wolf collapse, rolling on his side just as something huge and inhumane leapt upon him. There was a loud noise of absolute agony before his cries were cut off with a blood curdling growl.
That's when I screamed for help.