How It Feels To Be Lost

1

Crickets slowly silenced their noise parties as the sun began to cast small ray of light across the dawn sky. Alex slipped off the fallen tree she slept in every night. Her tattered white T-shirt caught on the branch again, and tore slightly at the shoulder. "Oh wonderful.." Alex sighed. Clouds were already forming in the early morning sky. Alex grabbed her small amount of money from her pocket. Might aswell visit get a new T-shirt.. she thought. Alex didn't like visiting the nearby pack's market strictly because it was nearly impossible to be let in. She slipped her pocket knife into her tattered belt. Walking down the path she had taken several times, Alex found herself lost in thought. As a young child, her parents thought she would be destined for greatness. When Alex couldn't shift and the doctors said it would always be harder for her...well, her father snapped. Alex was thrown out to survive on her own, and that's how it had been for 6 years. The path ended at a bramble tunnel, Alex couldn't shift so she just squeezed through. "Stop! Put your hands up and don't move!" One of the members of the ember heart pack commanded. Alex stopped, putting her hands up and looking bored as the other gaurd approached cautiously. "Why are you here rogue?" He snarled at the last word. "I need to buy some stuff from the market." She sighed. "We will have to search you for weapons, want to tell us what you have prior to us looking?" He growled. "A pocket knife, some cash, and a granola bar." She was growing impatient of this, they seemed to be on high alert for some reason. Once the gaurd had finished he nodded. "That's really all she has sir." He said to the other gaurd. "Let's see your wolf form." He said as he yawned. "I can't shift sir-" the man began to control his laughter. "You heard that nigel? She can't even shift! She can't harm our pack." He said as he pointed toward the opening gates. "Go ahead." Alex walked forward into the market.
                       Alex's POV
I walked down the market paths, examining shops, and people as they did their shopping. I came across a clothing store, and peeked inside. I grabbed the cheapest Tank-top I could find and put up to the Cashier. "Pft..a rogue?sure, that'll be $6.50." I handed the women my money and took the bag with the shirt in it. I walked down the streets receiving hateful looks from the pack members. Some were with their mates, children, or by themselves. I scoffed at one little boy growled at me. Suddenly everyone's eyes turned dark and blank. I stood in confusion. The alpha very rarely mind links everyone at once.. Everyone broke out in sudden panic, running toward safe shelter or toward the smoke that was beginning to lift from only outside the gates. "Holy spirits.." I whispered as I started running along the paths. Shouting filled the air. Distant howls and war cries sent shivers down my spine. Perhaps they deserved an attack? No. Nobody deserved to be invaded like that. I quickly made my way out of the back of the town. I ended taking the long way back to my little shelter. I layed down beside the tree. The large ferns always blocked the rain from me, so the dark clouds above didn't worry me much. My eyelids grew heavy and I drifted into sleep.
                      Narrorator POV

Alex woke up teary eyed and coughing. A sharp scent hit the back of her throat. Smoke. It was everywhere. Fire! Alex stumbled to her feet and looked around. She didnt see anything but smoke. Blindly she sprinted off in a blind direction. The sound of fire crackling grew closer. Alex turned back before the fire could burn her badly. Before she knew what was happening, she was tumbling down a rocky hill. Stones hit her face, her back, her legs. Finally she landed in a creek. I need out of here! Alex got up and kept running. The smoke was growing thinner as she ran. She coughed, covering her mouth and wheezing. Her legs buckled under her and she collapsed to the ground. I can't die...please no.. As Alex closed her eyes, something cold and wet was pressed to her mouth and nose.
                          Alex's POV
I woke up on the ground, no smoke was around me. The grass felt different...softer? Am I dead? I wondered. "Hey, Rogue?" A strange voice said. "She's awake you guys. How do you feel?" He leaned closer. I could see him now. His ash blonde hair and amber eyes sticking out like a giraffe in Antarctica. "Who are you!?" I scooted away from him, grabbing for my pocket knife. Gone!? "We took all your weapons Kid." Another guy said. His black hair and dark eyes were intimidating, I could sense delta blood. "Who. Are. You!?" I demanded. "Calm down. I'm Jake." Said the ash blonde guy. "That's Ross." Jake said pointing to the delta guy. "And that's mikayla." Up in a tree was a short girl with light brown hair and green eyes. "Hi!" She waved. "We found you out there in the smoke." Jake explained. "You were very lucky to have survived." A sudden solemn tone crossed through his happy voice. "That was a pretty deadly fire, you didn't even get the worst." Ross murmured. All three of their eyes went blank and dark. Mind linking eachother. I thought with curiosity. "I've been wondering. Would you like to travel to another area with us. Assuming you lost your shelter, rogue." Ross offered. It would be nice to live somewhere away from the ember heart pack.. "ok." I agreed. "Let's go." Ross began walking off. "Wait Ross." Jake started. "She just woke up. We don't even know her name." Ross sighed and turned back. "Tell me." He offered his hand to me. I took it and felt a small spark flicker inside me. Mate..!? But..the wrong one. We would've already bonded if we had been. I took his hand, and he hauled me up. "I'm Alex." I said clearly. "Do you feel alright to travel?" He asked. I moved my fingers and looked at my arms. "Yes." I replied. "Then let's go."

               +++two hours pass+++
Alex skipped along beside Mikayla. The two had a dangerous amount of things in common. "And I hate it when people stare at me while I eat!" Alex ranted. "I agree! Like- can they not?" Mikayla laughed. "Could you two discover your twin soals quietly?" Ross groaned with annoyance. "Sure thing delta!" Mikayla almost shouted. "SHUSH!" Ross snapped around. His voice echoed around the small woodland. The cliffs above shuttered. A boulder fell down at the four. "MOVE!" Alex pounced onto mikayla, knocking her out of the way. The rocks were still falling. They were huddled together under Ross and Jake who were shielding the two from falling stones. One large stone hit Ross and knocked him out cold.
                +++22 minutes later+++
"Ross!?" I smacked his face gently with my hand again. His eyes fluttered open. The group sighed with relief as he sat up with a grunt. I blushed. So close.. I felt the spark again. "Is everyone okay?" He looked over us. "Yeah. Everyone but you." Mikayla remarked. Ross's eyes went dark for a moment. "We need to keep moving." I offered my hand to him. He paused, looking shocked, then smiled and took it. He must've felt the spark too because he wrapped me in a hug. "A mate bond!?" Jake smiled. "Wow!" Mikayla clapped. The bushes rustled suddenly. "Back to back!" Ross commanded. Even I fell into position. A cougar launched itself from above. Jake used a long, thick piece of bamboo to knock it back. It launched itself at Ross. I threw myself at it. Forcing myself to shift, it was very hard but I managed. I was small enough to leap onto it's face now. My claw tore at it's eyes. Ross joined in. Jake yanked me off the cougar as it he bonked it on the head with his staff. I shifted back. "Are you alright?" Ross worried. His eyes..so...deep..  "Alex!?" I shook my head. "Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine." Jake tilted his head. "Why was your shift so odd looking?" I blinked. "I'm a troubled shifter." I confessed. Ross flashed a sign of concern but excitement. "What?" I asked. "It's just that our healers know how to fix a troubled shifter." He almost bounced in  excitment. "Fix?" I snapped. "Sorry! Not fix. Help." Ross restated. "You are serious..right?" I felt a flicker of hope rise in my chest. "Yes I am. We should get to the pack border tomorrow morning." He smiled softly.

A.N (author's note) the art at the top is a base I used and belongs to Trash-King.