Barely a handful of moments pass, once my companions and I have separated from each other, that the sound of mournful howls echos through the silent woods. The baying tone only hardens my resolve, I push on through the forest, over rocks and fallen limbs. Through shallow streams being slowly overtaken by the faint rime of frost, down slopes of leaf litter, broken branches, and sharp outcroppings.
My movements are measured, swift, and concise. Persevering my speed for when I will need it most, focusing my mind on the task at hand. Alluding and outsmarting the Alpha King for as long as I can, without grievously injuring myself to the point of being prone and helpless. The harsh feeling of the nearly frozen ground upon my bare soles, grounds me and nudges for my gift to come to the surface.
Each breath I take is filled with the aura of this land, the memories of seasons passed, the slow change of autumn to winter. The last dredges of green clinging on despite the threat of chill wind and icy rain. The ever present beating heart of the earth, the well of power from the life of the rivers, trees, plants, and animals. The quiet but strong stillness of the Old Mountain itself, unyielding against the wind, unrelenting under pressure by the blows of iron tools.
This is what my gift tells me, the very essence of this land riddled with the aura of ancient memory. When fire engulfed the forest and turning all it touched to ash, the echos of rivers overflowing their banks, flooding the plains and woods for miles around. Harsh winters that brought many animals to the brink of the death, while blissful whispers of long ago springs and summers told of life full of abundance, safety, and peace.
My gift that rings though my blood, beats in time with my heart, allows me to sense the dips, craters, and roots in the ground. Beckons me forward, even as my legs beg to sprint into a run when the sound of faint rushing booted steps, worms its way into my ears. Leaving a sheen of sweat to quickly form upon my flesh. Many of my people would run, run for their lives in hopes of outpacing the beastial hunter. I however, use my opportunity to hide amongst the thick foliage and shadows casted by the surrounding trees' numerous limbs.
Barely a breath after I delved deep within the shadows, the Alpha King appears like a rabid beast out of an old campfire tale. His eyes are wild, his nostrils flaring desperate to detect my scent. He will not easily find it, through my treck amongst the woods I have rubbed my skin and hair with moss, leaves, mud, and drenched myself in the cold clear streams. Though it has cost me with shivers wracking up my body, it is well worth it to see him twist his head back and forth like a lost petulant hound.
Unfortunately, my satisfaction is quickly outlived once his nose finally sifts through the riot of scents I have thrown upon my body. It is what I expected, what I planned for. The Alpha King closes in on my scent, his powerful frame marching right for me, only to be stopped by the roots twining around his ankles.
With one small flick of my finger, the roots pull his legs out from under him. The unyielding bonds drag him away from me, effectively pulling him against a large boulder as another set of roots encircle his shoulders and arms. Binding him against the moss covered rock, all while the powerful wolf growls and roars in fury at being kept from me.
"Wherever you are mate, I will find you," he vows, tugging against his bonds that to his surprise becomes futile agasint the thick roots. "You will regret this, you will regret refusing me."
I do not answer, which only serves to anger him more. However, fear does not grabbed hold of me the way it did when my vision of him pounced upon me like a hungry beast. It merely twits my heart with unending doubt. Will I truly regret my actions? Should I just let him have me? Would the punishment he will no doubt place upon me, be one that I will walk away from unscathed?
The only option for me as of now, is to continue to evade him. Leading him thorough the maze of trees and endless shadows, giving myself more time to formulate a plan that will ensure my freedom and not my own set of gilded chains. As such, I leave him to his bonds and threats. Leave him in favor of the darkness that I know, forcing myself to focus on my self preservation. Even when a painful scream rips through the night, a scream that I know to be Amira's.
YOU ARE READING
Forest of Lies
WerewolfA thousand years past, the world was run by humankind. But it changed, when countries became embroiled in a war that gave the werewolves the opportunity, to recreate the earth in their own image. Now humans are the lowest on the food chain, little m...
