The Tribrid

Sinking

 
  Mikes POV
  I walk into the forest, tired, and covered in the blood of my parents. I am completely alone. No family, no pack, and no will to continue. I aimlessly walk, my mind is preoccupied with images of my father and mother. Her green eyes haunt me. 
  Every time I close my eyes or I look at my reflection I see them staring back at me. When I do manage to block out the images all I can think about is how selfish I've been with Emily and Liam. And how I single-handedly ruined every relationship in my life. Now I'm all alone. Reaping the consequences of my actions. My parents are dead. And it's my fault. Emily and Liam hate me, and it's my fault.
  I walk through the sun rise until sunset, and then I keep walking. I walk until I completely collapse. I stumble to the ground next to a river. It's growing dark outside and I lay on the ground listening to the sounds of the river flow. I fall asleep.
  I wake up to darkness. I flip over to lay on my back. How long was I asleep for. It's still night time. I stare up at the sky full of stars. What am I going to do? Where am I going? Does it even matter? I close my eyes again, I don't even care that I'm laying on the ground. My body is exhausted. My mother's green eyes flash in my mind. I let my mind wonder. I try to place where I am. This could be the river that outlines the pack territories. I could keep walking south past the mountains into no man's land. No one will find me all the way out there. I don't think anyone is even out there. I can be completely alone. I drift off back to sleep again.
  The next morning I am woken by a squirrel in my face. My body aches from the previous days walking. My eyes adjust to the morning sun light and I sit up slowly. I get up and take a drink from the river. My stomach aches from hunger, but I don't have the energy to hunt. But if I shift, maybe I could just stay in wolf form. I could let Rex take over for awhile.
  "Mike, you need to rest. Let me carry us." Rex says.
  "Where will you go?" I ask.
  "If you want to go to No Man's Land. I will take us there." Rex says.
  "That does sound good. Ok let's do that." I agree. I get up and from the river bank and get undressed. I start to shift into Rex. It's slower than normal, probably due to my lack of food. Finally I'm done. I sit in the back of my mind while Rex takes over. Rex dips down to the river to get a better drink. Then when he's finished he takes off running. I can tell his first order of business is food. Rex hunts and lands himself a rabbit and a squirrel. After he's done eating he follows the river for awhile before he finds a safe place to cross. He crosses the river and makes his way towards the mountains. While Rex makes his way to the mountains, I am able to shut down. I tuck myself in the back corner of my mind and rest.
  "Mike." I hear Rex say my name sometime later, I'm not sure how long it's been.
  "Yeah, is something wrong?" I ask.
  "We are at the last tree line. We should rest here for the night. In the morning I will hunt for food. It may be a while before we find anything substantial." Rex says
  "Yeah sure. I'm not in a rush to get to nowhere." I say.
  "Mike, don't slip away too much. You might not come back." Rex says concerned.
  "Would that be so bad?" I ask, knowing the answer.
  "Yes it would."
  "I'll be here Rex. Don't you worry." We find a comfortable place to sleep and lie down. After we're settled I slip to the back of the mind again to rest. If I sleep while forward in my mind I'm afraid I'll have dreams again. I can't stand to think of my mother's eyes anymore. When I slip back. It's a true rest. It's nothing it's silent. I need that right now.
   I can feel when Rex wakes up the next morning and I can feel when he eats.
  "Mike, I'm headed for the mountains now."  Rex says.
  "I'm still here. Don't worry." I tell him. He takes off for the mountain range in front of us. I spend some time watching as he gets closer to the mountains. I notice the weather has gotten warmer the more south we go. Rex takes a path that weaves through the bottom of the mountains. He runs for the entire day, only stopping if he sees water or something he can hunt. When it's nearing nightfall, I hear Rex call out to me.
  "Mike."
  "Yeah Rex?"
  "I'm just checking in you."
  "Where are we?" I ask.
  "In the mountains. I'm not sure how long we'll be in here."
  "Are you resting for the night?" I ask.
  "Yes."
  "Im still here Rex. Don't worry." I tell him.
 
  Rex's POV
  Each day I can feel Mike slipping further and further into the back of my mind. I have heard of humans being lost in their wolves and unable to come back. I am worried about Mike. He goes for long periods of time without me feeling him. His presence is getting weaker and weaker. I keep trying to engage with him to bring his mind forward. I need to suggest for him to shift, just to keep him connected. I have been in control to too long.
  "Mike, maybe you should shift and sleep out here for the night. Im worried." I tell him.
  "Im too tired Rex. How about I shift in the morning for just a bit?"
  "Ok, in the morning." I agree. I find a place to lay down. I haven't seen too many animals around here, but I give the area a good sniff before committing. It is definitely starting to get warmer the more we travel. I find a cool rock to lay on. It's not comfy but it's cool. I lay down and drift off to sleep. I wake up the next morning to a light breeze coming between the mountains. I stretch and yawn. We need food.
  "Mike."
  "Yes I'm here." Thank goddess he's still there.
  "Do you want to shift after I find some food?" I ask.
  "Sure. Just let me know." He says. Alright, I need to find something to eat and drink. I listen for any running water sounds and walk towards the bottom of the mountain. I spot a fox, they can be tricky to catch, but if I do I will have a good amount of energy for Mike to shift. I follow the fox for a bit before I make my move to attack. I sneak as close to the fox before I charge it. The fox takes off running, but I am faster. I am able to take down the fox for a meal, before heading back to get some water.
  "Mike you ready to shift?" I ask.
  "Yeah." He says.
 
  Mike's POV
  I know why he wants me to shift. It's not good to be in wolf form for too long when you take a back seat. They say you can get lost and not come back. I would rather not shift, but I'll do it to ease Rex's concerns. I shift back. My body feels heavy. I drink some water from the river we're at and sit on the ground. I listen to the different sounds of birds chirping and the water running. I feel the ground between my toes and I look around me. The sky is clear blue.
  "How much further do you think?" I ask Rex.
  "Not sure. If I had to guess, two more days through the mountains." He says. I stand up and walk for a bit. Im glad it's warm since I have no clothes.
  "Im done walking." I tell Rex. I shift back to my wolf, it's easier this time. As soon as Rex takes over and starts running, I sink back into the darkness of my mind.