Chains

Chapter 14 - Eastward Bound

Lucy

Another search party passed our hiding place again, this was the third search party to pass by. It looks like the alpha hasn't given up on finding us. The longer we stay here the more likely we'll be discovered. Sooner or later, we're going to be caught away from the cave if we don't leave; it's not safe to stay here any more.

"I think it's time for us to move on", I explain to Jax. "We're still too close to the pack and the risk of us getting found is too great". He agreed with me, like he always does. "Let's sleep now, I think it'll be safer for us if we leave after dark. We'll have a better chance of avoiding being seen then".

Jax is stronger, but he still has a long way to go before he is completely recovered. I had intended to stay here a little longer but with the increase in searchers passing by our hideout, it's just too risky to stay any longer. It's time to move on. This is going to be hard for Jax but it's necessary. We packed our few items into our carry sacks so we'll be ready to leave as soon as it's dark outside. We stretch out for one last time on the floor of our cave and before long we're both sound asleep.

---

I wake up first, the sun hasn't quite set yet. We're not leaving until full darkness has fallen so I let Jax sleep while I check for any signs that there might be searchers in our vicinity. The area's clear. Time to wake Jax.

"Jax", I call softly and he opens his eyes, looking around somewhat confused until he remembers where we are. "It's time to go".

He quitely picks up his carry sack and follows me out of the cave. We both undress and put our cloths in the bags. Neither of us are embarrassed about being naked in front of the other now. We've been shifting every day and, in any case, I've seen Jaxon naked so many times in the last four years that I'm use to it. He still looks away, shyly, when I change out of my own cloths, but he's not really embarrassed; he's just being polite. He's always been polite and that hasn't changed.

We tie our bags to our legs and both of us shift to our wolf forms. I lead the way and Jax follows just a few steps behind me. We're not going to run all out; stealth will be safer for us than speed right now in case we pass close to any search parties. Also, a moderate pace will be less arduous for Jax. We discussed this earlier and we both agreed that would be best. At this pace, we can run for hours without tiring ourselves too much. Since Jax is going to be running himself this time instead of being carried, that will keep me from tiring out so quickly as well.

We ran through the night, both of our wolves revelling in the wind rushing through our fur. We passed game that we might otherwise have stopped to hunt if we weren't trying to put as much distance between us and our old pack. Thankfully, the night was uneventful and we didn't encounter any sign of the searchers or any rogues. That is another concern; we are in No Man's land, unclaimed territory used by rogues and loners as they travel about, avoiding the established packs. Most rogues and loners would rather avoid encounters with established packs. There were plenty of rogues, though, who wouldn't hesitate to take on two lone wolves if they thought they might gain something from us.

Jaxon

We've been running for hours now and it feels amazing running through the woods. Even though I do feel some fatigue, I'm not willing to let Lucy know. Jake and I missed being able to run freely when we were in captivity and we're both enjoying the run now. Even if we're tiring somewhat. We'll stop before dawn and find a place to hide for the day, and we can wait for that.

At one point, a hare broke cover and Lucy's wolf was on it before it had taken two leaps. We paused briefly and She ate half of the hare, leaving the rest for me. The small meal and the brief rest gave me just enough boost to keep me going the rest of the night. We shoved the remains of the hare beneath some shrubs, knowing that small animals would finish off what was left in short order, not worrying that it might lead searchers to us. If anyone saw it they would think it could have been anything that killed and ate it.

Not long before dawn, Lucy stopped us and began searching for somewhere to rest for the day. She found a small ledge hidden by shrubs that was ideal to hide us. We crawled under the bushes and curled up together under the ledge and were both asleep in no time. I was exhausted from the long run, not being used to anything like it.

That evening, Lucy woke before me again and quickly caught us another meal. We split it and started moving again as soon as it was dark. We repeated this same pattern for the next several days. At some point, we finally shifted back and Lucy told me that we were further East than any of the scouts or hunting parties from our old pack were likely to venture.

"I doubt that any search parties are going to come this far East", she said and we both relaxed for the first time in days; enjoying the respite.

"I'm going hunting", she told me. "Why don't you check around and see if you can find some roots or berries. I could stand something different for a change", she smiled.

I agreed with her. Raw meat was fine, whether we ate as human or wolf it was nourishing, but the human side wanted a little variety. She raced off in search of some game and I began foraging for anything else we might find palatable. Before long, I found a patch of cattails growing along a small stream bank. I dug enough of them to provide a tasty meal for the two of us, and on my way back, I found a patch of wild huckleberries. I've always loved huckleberries; I quickly made a small basket from the cattail leaves and before long it was filled with the luscious berries. I ate nearly as many as I put in the basket. Lucy was going to love them.

We decided to start travelling by day again, now that we were so far away from our old pack. We were in no great hurry, so we decided to make our way further East at a more leisurely pace in our human forms. This gave us time to gather berries and other things that we found along the way.

Lucy also felt comfortable having a small fire when we stopped for the night so that we could cook any game we managed to catch along the way. We often roasted cattail roots in the coals; roasted cattail roots are delicious; a lot like potatoes, but somewhat sweeter. Roasted, they slipped right out of the skins and had a consistency a lot like mashed potatoes.

"This is nice." I said, turning to Lucy. "It reminds me a little of when we were little, you liked camping so much."

"You hated camping." She laughed, remembering how much I complained about it whenever dad took us out to the lake for a weekend.

We laughed and joked like that, remembering the good times until I started yawing and couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. We both enjoyed this time together.

I still have nightmares panic attacks but I am starting to feel less anxious as each day passes and we put more miles between us and our old pack. It helps that I'm tired when I fall asleep too. My mood is a bit more optimistic as well, I'm not as gloomy as I have been.