come home

Chapter 2

When Ana was eleven she made her first friend. She had finally felt like she knew what she was doing, living on her own, surviving on her own.

Then Mack came along.

A big blonde wolf with green eyes snapped at her when she ran into what was his apparent camp. Immediately she yelped and tried to turn, but in a smooth movement he blocked her. Didn't attack just...watched. He tilted his head to the side and in a sudden snap of bones and twitching of muscles a teenage boy stood before her.

"Well this is awkward."

Ana snarled.

The boy held up his hands, palms out, in a manner meant to calm, "Hey, hey it's okay I mean no harm. I'm Mack," a crooked smile, "And no I don't spell it like mac and cheese," his hands fell to his sides in thought, "Although mac and cheese sounds hella good right now, the good kind too, none of that microwavable crap that tastes like rubber and shit."

Ana started at him. She'd never spoken that amount of words in a day before, and this boy had said everything in under 20 seconds.

Mack grinned with a twinkle in his eye. "Sorry. I talk a lot, word diarrhea, ya know? Hey, what do say you shift and I'll share some of my dinner? Maybe you could spare some of the water I see in your pack there?" He lifted his hands again. "A fair trade no? Plus you get to be in my fabulous presence. You don't even have to talk, as you've heard I'm great at conversation with myself."

It was the beginning of a great friendship. Ana taught Mack everything she knew about surviving in the wild, and he did the same. Including all the fighting maneuvers he knew.

Ana prayed to all the gods she could name that those skills would be enough to get her through this fight.

As the grey wolf's teeth came straight for her throat, Ana ducked and pushed herself forward underneath his belly. Only to run into a silver wolf giving her such a wolfish grin she wondered if he was even a werewolf, or just plain wolf.

Pain shot through her side and another wolf swiped out with a paw, tearing her fur and skin. Growling she twisted away while at the same time opening her mouth to latch on to the silver wolf's throat and yank.

He yelped as she tore through his flesh, which quickly turned into a gurgle as blood gushed. She released earlier than meant as teeth gripped her back right leg and crunched into bone.

Growling again she tried to twist to fight off the creature, but the grey wolf was back and going for the kill. Literally. His jaw, aiming for her neck, latched around her left shoulder as she spun. He tore and ripped and Ana felt warm liquid cascade down her shoulder to her leg.

Ana snapped at him, taking a chunk from the one place she could reach, his ear. As he flinched away she used all her strength to rip her leg away from the other wolf and kick back with her uninjured leg. Both wolves were off her for a millisecond and it gave her the chance she needed to run.

Although her back leg dragged behind her, she had never run so fast in her life. She knew there were more wolves with them, yet for some reason they didn't attack, but she sure as flying fuck wasn't going to stay and find out why.

She heard the howling and barking as the wolves ran after her, she heard the crunching of leaves under feet as she leaped over fallen logs, but the only thing that mattered was to keep going.

Forward, forward, leap.

Suddenly she became aware that there were no longer howls and barks following her. No wolves close on her trail. Slowing to a stop, Ana panted and looked around. Just more forest. Trees and grass and flowers and....silence. The birds and bugs had gone quiet as if they knew something great was coming.

Narrowing her eyes Ana took a step forward, but tilted to the left suddenly, her vision blurring. Blood loss. Closing her eyes and shaking her heard she went to take another step only to end up on the ground, the world going black around her.

The last thing she saw was the shape of a man, blocking the sun looking down at her.

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Yay chapter 2! Poor Ana got a little torn up there. What do you guys think of Mack?? Cutie pie that one is ;)